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Pappas, Kuster Hold 10th Telephone Town Hall on Coronavirus

May 13, 2020

**Since early March, over 85,000 NH participants have joined these COVID-19-focused telephone town halls**

Today, Representatives Chris Pappas (NH-01) and Annie Kuster (NH-02) held a telephone town hall to discuss COVID-19 and take questions from Granite Staters. They have been holding weekly telephone town halls since early March, and tonight's tele-town hall was their 10th. Pappas and Kuster were joined on the call by George N. Copadis, Commissioner of New Hampshire Employment Security; Richard Lavers, Deputy Commissioner of New Hampshire Employment Security; Vasuki Nagaraj, MD, Chief Medical Officer and Family Physician at Lamprey Health Care; and Dr. Keith Stahl, MD, FACP, Interim Medical Director of Catholic Medical Center. During the tele-town hall, New Hampshire residents had the opportunity to speak directly with the Representatives and officials about their concerns over the coronavirus outbreak in New Hampshire.

The Representatives and officials discussed New Hampshire's response to the COVID-19 pandemic and the steps that Congress is taking to provide economic assistance to Granite State workers, families, and small businesses. They answered questions from callers about a variety of topics including unemployment benefits, how much longer the COVID-19 pandemic will continue, and about the Heroes Act that the House of Representatives is expected to consider on Friday.

"As Granite Staters continue to navigate these challenging times, Congresswoman Kuster and I remain committed to being open and accessible to our constituents," said Congressman Pappas. "I will take the stories I hear during this town hall back to Washington with me this week as Congress considers the next COVID-19 response package. I remain committed to advocating for New Hampshire priorities in that legislation and making sure the voices of Granite Staters are heard and their needs are met. If there are individuals facing hardship as a result of this pandemic who are in need of assistance from our federal agencies, I strongly encourage them to reach out to my office for help by calling (603) 285-4300 or going to https://pappas.house.gov/."

"As we wrap up our 10th telephone town hall since coronavirus took hold in New Hampshire, I am especially grateful for the opportunity to hear directly from Granite Staters," said Congresswoman Kuster. "Families across New Hampshire are dealing with a wide array of health, financial, and personal challenges, and I am committed to ensuring that our state receives the federal funding necessary to get through this crisis. Tomorrow, I will be traveling to Washington to participate in a hearing related to our nation's response to COVID-19, and on Friday, I look forward to supporting the most recent coronavirus response legislation put forth in the House. The HEROES Act will provide much-needed support and resources to expand testing, protect the financial wellbeing of Americans, and improve access to health care. I thank George Copadis, Richard Lavers, Dr. Nagaraj, and Dr. Stahl for setting time aside to join us on today's call. As always, people who have questions or are in need of assistance can contact my team by giving our Concord office a call at (603) 226-1002 or visiting my website at Kuster.house.gov."

Pappas and Kuster have held 10 telephone town halls since March 10th. The Representatives will continue to keep communities updated on federal efforts to support and protect people in New Hampshire and across the country. This tele-town hall was conducted remotely, as both Reps. Pappas and Kuster are working from home when possible to practice physical distancing.