At a time when Washington is at a stalemate and the government is shut down, we should recognize leadership when solutions are presented that can secure bipartisan support.

Sen. Kelly Ayotte’s call to end the government shutdown, repeal the medical device tax and provide federal agencies flexibility to deal with the across the board cuts imposed by the sequester can resolve the current crisis, improve the economy and patient care.

On behalf of Smiths Medical, a leading medical device company based in Keene with more than 500 employees, we particularly appreciate the senator’s leadership to repeal the device tax.

New Hampshire has more than 9,500 jobs in the medical technology industry and 3,000 jobs that work directly with medical device companies. The repeal of the medical device tax has strong bipartisan support in the House and Senate, including Sen. Jeanne Shaheen.

Why? The repeal of the medical device tax is something practically everyone agrees with. The tax has grave implications and its consequences are already being seen in the cost reductions companies have to make in order to pay for the tax. The tax means reduced employment, outsourcing of jobs away from New Hampshire and pressure on research and development budgets. Taken together, the tax has a chilling effect on jobs, innovation and patient care.

The solution to end the shutdown advocated by Sen. Ayotte is a smart and a politically viable path forward to resolve the crisis.

Mike Noyes

Keene

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