Sen. Shaheen Calls out President Trump and Republican Leadership in Congress for Their 'Dangerous Obsession With Rolling Back Women's Reproductive Rights'

WASHINGTON, Jan. 24 -- The office of Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., issued the following news release:

U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) spoke on the Senate Floor today to recognize the 44th anniversary of the Roe v. Wade decision and to support women's reproductive rights in the U.S. and around the world. In her speech, Shaheen spoke of the Women's Unity Rally she attended in Concord, NH on Saturday, January 21, and the marches attended by millions of women and men in the U.S. and across the globe to "defend this constitutional right as well as critical gains for women in recent years." Shaheen continued, "We will not be dragged backward."

Shaheen drew attention to one of President Trump's first actions in office yesterday to reinstate the Global Gag Rule, also known as the Mexico City Policy, stating the new administration "has joined with Republican leaders in Congress in pledging a much broader assault on women's rights and the gains women have made in recent years." Today, Sens. Shaheen and Susan Collins (R-ME) introduced the bipartisan Global Health, Empowerment, and Rights (HER) Act, which would permanently repeal the harmful Global Gag Rule.

In her speech, Shaheen also focused on Republican efforts in Congress to defund Planned Parenthood and repeal the Affordable Care Act, which would end the law's ban on discrimination in health insurance, reverse women's access to contraception without cost sharing and end significant access to preventive health services such as mammograms and cervical cancer screenings without cost sharing. Shaheen also mentioned reports that the Trump Administration plans to eliminate the Department of Justice's Office on Violence Against Women, which distributes grants to prevent domestic violence, sexual assault, and other forms of violence against women.

"Mr. President, taken together, these actions amount to more than a dangerous obsession with rolling back women's reproductive rights," said Shaheen. "They amount to an assault on the safety and well-being of women and girls in the United States and across the globe. This is exactly what millions of women and men were protesting against on Saturday. People are not just concerned; they are frightened. And, unfortunately, with very good reason. As those of us who gathered and marched on Saturday made very clear, we are not going to stand still for this assault on our rights and gains. We are not going backward."

Shaheen concluded, "Millions of Americans joined together on Saturday, peacefully and passionately, to urge Congress to make the right choice, to protect women's constitutional rights, to protect our access to healthcare. I urge my Senate colleagues on both sides of the aisle to listen to those voices."

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OLDWICK, N.J.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--
AM Best has affirmed the Financial Strength Rating (FSR) of A++ (Superior) and the Long-Term Issuer Credit Rating (Long-Term ICR) of “aa+” (Superior) of Berkshire Hathaway Life Insurance Company of Nebraska (BHLN) (Omaha, NE). In addition, AM Best has affirmed the FSR of A+ (Superior) and the Long-Term ICR of “aa-” (Superior) of First Berkshire Hathaway Life Insurance Company (First Berkshire Hathaway Life) (New York, NY). The outlook of these Credit Ratings (ratings) is stable.

BHLN’s ratings reflect its balance sheet strength, which AM Best assesses as very strong, as well as its adequate operating performance, limited business profile and appropriate enterprise risk management (ERM).

BHLN has continued to produce favorable capital growth. In large part, the company's growth heading into 2024 was attributed to realized gains from the sale of unaffiliated equity holdings, driving annual net income to over $3 billion dollars. Irrespective of that recently realized gain, the subsequent 2025 performance proved a longer-term trend of investment income growth from an enhanced net yield on invested assets. The company’s core net investment income moderated slightly to $717.6 million in 2025, down from $732.0 million, maximizing capital accumulation without relying on one-time market sales.

Furthermore, the company encountered less operational strain across both years following the suspension of new business initiated in 2023. This deliberate approach allowed BHLN to run an exceptionally efficient balance sheet throughout 2024 and 2025, as the company awaits more favorable macro-economic conditions for its structured settlement business.

The ratings of First Berkshire Hathaway Life reflect its balance sheet strength, which AM Best assesses as strongest, as well as its marginal operating performance, limited business profile and appropriate ERM.

Like BHLN, 2024 also represented First Berkshire Hathaway Life’s second full year of no new sales, which along with improved investment income, led to its best net earnings result in over five years of nearly $6.3 million. Despite this result, the company still lags the industry average for return on equity due to the amount of excess capital that it holds. AM Best notes that First Berkshire Hathaway Life’s balance sheet continues to be highly liquid, with most invested assets held in cash and short-term securities. AM Best also notes that both BHLN and First Berkshire Hathaway Life receive substantial financial, operational and other resource support from their parent company, National Indemnity Company.

This press release relates to Credit Ratings that have been published on AM Best’s website. For all rating information relating to the release and pertinent disclosures, including details of the office responsible for issuing each of the individual ratings referenced in this release, please see AM Best’s Recent Rating Activity web page. For additional information regarding the use and limitations of Credit Rating opinions, please view Guide to Best's Credit Ratings. For information on the proper use of Best’s Credit Ratings, Best’s Performance Assessments, Best’s Preliminary Credit Assessments and AM Best press releases, please view Guide to Proper Use of Best’s Ratings & Assessments.

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Mitul Patel
Senior Financial Analyst

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Edward Kohlberg
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Christopher Sharkey
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Al Slavin
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Source: AM Best