Open letter to N.H. congressional delegation

On Dec. 7, 2012, N.H. Gov. Maggie Hassan, U.S. Rep. Ann Custer, U.S. Rep. Carol Shea-Porter, U.S. Sen. Kelly Ayotte and U.S. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen share the stage at St. Anselm's College. /New Hampshire Union Leader photo

Feb. 24, 2013

N.H. Congressional Delegation
Capitol Hill
Washington, D.C. 20002

Dear Senators and U.S. Representatives,

I was an extremely proud New Hampshire voter this fall, when the elections installed the nation's first-ever all-women congressional delegation. But I am extremely disappointed this winter, as Congress continues to fail its Constitutional obligations to steward the federal government’s finances.

The ongoing uncertainty over federal taxing and spending – set to be punctuated March 1 with the sequester’s automatic budget cuts – is bad for the country and bad government. After all the suffering millions of Americans and billions more around the world have endured since the Financial Collapse of 2008, fostering the U.S.  economic recovery must be a top priority in Washington.

I will not support any of you in the ballot box again unless all of you take an active and constructive role to help break the Capitol Hill gridlock over the federal budget. I urge all four of you to seek out common ground across party lines, to press yourselves and your congressional colleagues to put aside political expediency and put the interests of the country first, and to restore faith in the U.S. government’s ability to function effectively.

Congress is holding the federal government’s purse strings with paralyzed hands. Be part of the cure that gets those hands moving again.

Respectfully,

Chris Cheney
Concord, N.H.