U.S. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) visited Waypoint in Concord on Sept. 25 where she met with Richard Ober, president of the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation (left) and Waypoint President Borja Alvarez de Toledo (right) to discuss the effects of a potential shutdown of the federal government. Courtesy photo/Office of U.S. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen

BEDFORD – As the possibility of a federal government shutdown continues to loom, U.S. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) recently met with state housing officials to discuss the effect that such an action would have on New Hampshire’s already-precarious affordable housing market.

On Sept. 25, Shaheen met with the New Hampshire Housing Finance Authority in Bedford and spoke about how the potential shutdown would hamper public housing operations, developers, who rely on federal funds to complete projects as well as renters and homeowners, who depend on monthly checks from the nation’s capital.

“After traveling around the state and speaking with small business, nonprofit and housing stakeholders that would be affected by a potential government shutdown, one thing was clear: a shutdown would be a huge financial strain on Granite State organizations,” said Shaheen. “An unnecessary and completely avoidable shutdown would cause uncertainty for business owners and employees and would impact the most vulnerable Granite Staters, cutting them off from vital services they need.”

Robert Dapice, executive director of New Hampshire Housing, lauded Shaheen for her concern about a government shutdown, adding that many organizations, developers and realtors depend on the federal government to be a “reliable and predictable partner.”

“New Hampshire Housing was honored to host Sen. Shaheen and stakeholders representing public and private organizations with important roles in the state’s housing sector,” he said. “We appreciate the senator’s attention to this important issue and her work to find bipartisan solutions that help address New Hampshire’s housing challenges.”

Earlier in the day, Shaheen stopped in Concord to meet at Waypoint, a nonprofit agency offering services such as parental support, child care, mental health counseling and family preservation.

During the senator’s visit, other nonprofit leaders told Shaheen that a government shutdown would delay funding that is needed to assist vulnerable citizens and could also cause financial reductions to energy, education and nutrition programs.

“As a nonprofit, we are dependent on federal funds to keep our important work going,” said Waypoint President Borja Alvarez de Toledo. “Since 75 percent of our expenses go towards paying staff, we might not have the resources to pay our employees and run necessary programs that are a lifeline for many New Hampshire residents.”

Shaheen also made a stop at Appledore Marine Engineering in Portsmouth. As a federal contractor, Appledore is currently working on a number of projects for the U.S. Coast Guard and the U.S. Navy. The forward progress of those projects would be severely impacted by a government shutdown.

Shaheen said a government shutdown would cost billions of dollars and unleash “unnecessary harm.”

“The Senate has proven that we can work in a bipartisan manner to pass funding bills,” she said. “House Republican leadership should stick to the deal they negotiated with the president in May regarding spending levels and Speaker [Kevin] McCarthy should not allow a group of Republican extremists to succeed in shutting down the government.”

According to the U.S. Department of Defense, “Congress must fund the government or pass a continuing resolution by the end of the fiscal year on Saturday, [Sept. 30] to avoid a government shutdown Oct. 1.”

This would be the 15th government shutdown since 1981. According to the Congressional Budget Office, the last shutdown cost the country $3 billion. It began on Dec. 21, 2018 and lasted for 34 days, making it the longest shutdown in nearly 40 years.