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Inflation and the Economy

Coloradans are struggling right now as they deal with the disastrous effects of Biden and Pelosi's destructive economic policies. They unleashed record inflation on Americans that has decimated our bank and retirement accounts, increased gas prices to record levels, raised utility bills, drove up grocery costs, and made it harder to live for most Americans. The primary root cause of this record-breaking inflation was trillions of dollars of wasteful federal spending. Biden and Pelosi have spent an unsustainable $5.7 trillion already and our national debt now exceeds $33 trillion dollars. 

Thanks to Biden and Pelosi's reckless spending, America will spend ten trillion dollars more over the next 10 years than we were estimated to spend. While the federal government continues to spend trillions of dollars it doesn’t have, inflation has hit a 40-year high and our nation is now mired in a recession. Instead of addressing these major economic concerns head-on, the Democrat “solution” to inflation is to keep spending.

This excessive spending has real consequences. American families will pay a $8,581 inflation tax over the next year. Currently, 20 million Americans can’t pay their electric bill. We have seen a 4.3% decline in real wages since Biden took office. Americans have lost more than $2 trillion in retirement savings. Gas is nearly $4 a gallon again and Americans are paying more for everything because of Biden and Pelosi's inflation.

I am working to reduce inflation by voting against reckless spending bills, cutting wasteful spending through the amendment process, supporting American energy production, opposing corrupt earmarks, voting against raising the debt ceiling, opposing tax increases, and introducing a Balanced Budget Amendment to the Constitution. Economic strength and job growth result from policies that unshackle job creators, allow American ingenuity, and provide certainty. I am fighting to reduce job-killing regulations and keep small businesses open.

I support a full repeal of the "death tax" as there is no reason to tax our ranchers and farmers again when they pass the family farm on to the next generation. I support making the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act permanent to prevent an unnecessary tax hike on the American people and job creators in 2025.

Employers throughout the district have consistently told me that they have good jobs they need to fill but can't find good people to hire. A huge part of this problem were excessive unemployment bonuses on top of normal unemployment. As a result, I called on Governor Polis to end the pandemic posturing, reject federal unemployment bonuses, and get Coloradans back to work.

I wrote in strong support of the Southern Colorado Surface Transportation Technology and Innovation Economic Cluster Expansion Project grant application. This project includes seven aligned projects designed to grow the surface transportation technology and innovation economic cluster throughout Southern Colorado. Some of these projects included: 1) Planning and implementation of an air, rail, and truck inland port that leverages significant existing resources – Pueblo Memorial Airport, Pueblo Memorial Airport Industrial Park, PuebloPlex, and the federal Transportation Technology Center, a surface transportation testing and training facility, and rail assets located throughout the region – that includes a transload center to transfer freight among train, air, and truck transportation modes. 2) Development and implementation of a regional workforce development project led by a consortium of four colleges in the region: Lamar Community College, Otero College, Pueblo Community College, and Trinidad State College and including Colorado State University-Pueblo, Colorado Workforce Centers throughout the region, and Transportation Technology Center, Inc., aimed at developing highly-skilled workforce throughout the region ready to be employed by the growing economic cluster.

I toured and highlighted the Pueblo Chemical Depot with Rep. Doug Lamborn and have supported this facility through the Appropriations process. My office has been talking almost weekly with the Pueblo steel mill and seeking to support them as the mill seeks to obtain new ownership. I toured the mill earlier this year and those 1,400 jobs and the Mill are very important to me. 

I toured and highlighted Water Tower Place in Pueblo earlier this year. This exciting new revitalization is on the Historic Riverwalk and will add new residential space, restaurants, and recreational facilities. I toured and highlighted Pewag earlier this year, a chain manufacturer that dates back to the 1400’s, to talk about their tire chains made in Pueblo.

When the Biden bureaucracy tried to move the Bureau of Land Management headquarters in Grand Junction back to the swamp, I led a public pressure campaign that kept the Western Headquarters, 56 Headquarter jobs and 70 other good-paying Bureau of Land Management jobs in Grand Junction. 

When I-70 was shut down for 16.5 days following a catastrophic mudslide, I was one of the first elected officials to visit the scene and led Colorado’s bipartisan congressional delegation in securing more than $11.6 million to reopen and repair I-70.

I supported the San Luis Valley Regional Airport’s selection of Denver Air Connection to provide air service to Alamosa. Access to adequate, timely, and reliable air service in and out of the 6-county region is crucial. If successful, this effort will provide an economic boom for the region.

supported Glenwood Springs in its grant application for the South Bridge project. This project would establish a new bridge connection that will provide a critical second access point between State Highway 82 and the western side of the Roaring Fork River in the south corridor of Glenwood Springs. It would create much-needed redundancy in transit infrastructure in the region, and would significantly improve emergency evacuation capacity, emergency service access, and local land use access.  

delivered a victory for the San Luis Valley by getting its new weather radar integrated with the National Weather Service’s system. After a year of bureaucratic delays, I stepped in and got the job done. This improved data will help water districts and farmers manage drought, assist first responders in reacting to emergencies, and give rural communities more resources and information.

I delivered a win for farmers and ranchers by providing regulatory relief from overreaching regulations targeting livestock haulers through a legislative rider signed into law.

I wrote a letter of support for the San Luis Central Railroad Company’s Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements (CRISI) competitive grant application to support farmers and ranchers in the Valley.

I introduced the Fueling American Prosperity Act to reduce gas prices and responsibly develop American energy by streamlining the permit process. My legislation would also restart the construction of the Keystone XL pipeline, ban importing Russian oil and natural gas, and resume oil and natural gas leasing. My bill will increase American energy exports to boost our economy and project American strength while exporting freedom throughout the world.

When Biden unilaterally locked up federal lands and threatened Colorado’s energy jobs, I introduced the Protecting American Energy Jobs Act to stop his attack on our energy workers. If Biden’s anti-American energy policies were left in place, Colorado will lose 16,000 energy jobs during his first term and over 200,000 in the next decade. My bill repeals Biden’s job-killing executive mandates, ensures reliable and affordable energy supplies, and fosters economic growth and job creation in rural communities.

When Biden killed the Keystone XL pipeline on day one, I cosponsored the Keystone XL Construction and Jobs Act and introduced two bills to overturn this job-killing decision. 

I led an effort demanding accountability for Biden's failed energy policies and asking what actions this administration plans to take to reduce pain at the pump.

I authored a letter of strong support for 566 water projects that would provide new or improved ditches, pipelines, conveyance, and storage for Conejos, Alamosa, Rio Grande, and Mineral counties.

stood up for rural healthcare and helped Delta Health secure Sole Community Hospital Provider Status. This designation will help stabilize drug prices, allow Delta Health to remain independent, and secure more healthcare infrastructure for the community.

I led 14 Members of Congress in a letter blasting the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Park Service for proposing new management plans that would kill jobs, harm tourism, and inhibit wildfire response.

I have worked closely with the bipartisan delegation to try and keep Space Command, 1,600 jobs, and hundreds of millions of dollars in Colorado. I also secured important federal resources into law for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and Colorado’s space program including $2.6 billion for the NASA Space Launch System (SLS), $1.4 billion for the Orion Multi‐Purpose Crew Vehicle, and $590 million for Exploration Ground Systems. Colorado’s aerospace economy is second only to California and accounts for nearly 200,000 jobs.  

I will continue to put Americans first in every economic decision I make and work tirelessly to help fix our faltering economy.