Pappas Statement on Appropriations Votes

January 23, 2026 Press Release Today Congressman Chris Pappas (NH-01) released the following statement on his vote to pass annual appropriations for the departments of Defense, Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, Health and Human Services, Labor, Education, and other related agencies: “Yesterday I voted to pass several key appropriations bills that provide critical support for our national defense and security, including pay raises for our military, increased funding for counter-narcotic and anti-drug trafficking programs, and necessary investments in our shipyards and defense industrial base to bolster shipbuilding and develop next-generation platforms to keep this country safe. The legislation also delivers vital resources to New Hampshire to lower costs on everything from energy to child care, build new affordable housing, and fund Title X family planning, maternal and child health care, and Head Start. I urge the Senate to take up and pass this legislation and send it to the President to be signed into law.” The Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2026 delivers critical support and resources to New Hampshire, including provisions to: Fully fund a 3.8% pay raise for all military personnel; Strengthen Department of Defense counter-narcotics support, including a 14% increase to the National Guard Counter-Drug Program; Increase funding for the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) and ensure HHS maintains sufficient staffing to successfully administer LIHEAP; Increase funding for the Child Care and Development Block Grant and Head Start; Maintain funding for building new affordable housing units, Community Development Block Grants, and key infrastructure investments. This legislation also includes funding secured through Pappas’s Community Project Funding submissions for projects throughout the First District, including: infrastructure upgrades in Rye, Londonderry, and Hooksett; the construction of over 150 units of housing in Dover and Portsmouth; and recreation improvements in Barrington and Manchester.