Listening to You!

This was a special week, since my entire team, including my Washington D.C. staff, traveled with me throughout the District to hear directly from the people that we are all blessed to serve. We are happy warriors and are honored to be your voice in Congress, advocating for you before federal agencies and creating solutions for the unique challenges rural Colorado faces. Every member of my team shares my deep love for Colorado and a sincere commitment to public service. If we can ever do anything for you, please don’t hesitate to reach out.

Traveling With the Team

Draining the Swamp

My team and I visited the Colorado Gators Reptile Park in Mosca to get some real-world experience draining the Swamp! This family-owned small business is a fun and unique tourist attraction in Southern Colorado.

After learning about Colorado Gators’ work saving alligators and other reptiles, we went to Alamosa and had a great lunch at Nino’s Del Sol Mexican Restaurant with Alamosa’s mayor, police chief, sheriff, county commissioners, city administrator and county administrator. I am not satisfied with the status quo, and my team and I will not follow the Washington way of pandering to lobbyists, special-interest groups, and partisan politics—rather, we are focused only on one thing: the priorities of the people of Colorado’s Third Congressional District. We are here to fight for you, and we fight to win.

Keeping the Bureau of Land Management Headquarters in Grand Junction

As vice-chair of the Western Caucus, I was grateful to host our chairman, Congressman Dan Newhouse (WA-04), at a roundtable with farmers, ranchers, small business owners, outdoorsmen, and local leaders about the importance of keeping the Bureau of Land Management Headquarters in Grand Junction. Their message was clear—the best decisions are made by people on the ground, not out-of-touch Washington bureaucrats.  Coloradans are tired of being left out of important land management decisions that impact our daily lives, and we want the Bureau to stay here so that our voice is heard, more responsibility is delegated to the field, and our tax dollars are stewarded responsibly.

Honoring the Home of Heroes

Upon presenting the Medal of Honor to one of Pueblo’s four Medal of Honor recipients, President Eisenhower , “What is it…something in the water out there in Pueblo? All you guys turn out to be heroes!” There may or may not be something in the water, but there certainly is something in the Pueblo spirit that captures the essence of rural Colorado. I was deeply touched by returning to Pueblo’s Center for American Values and learning more about the community’s honored legacy of service to our Nation. In Congress, I tell the story of the West and make sure that our values are represented and respected.

I also had a great discussion with Pueblo business leaders at a manufacturer’s roundtable. I am working on ways to make sure that decision-makers know that Denver policies don’t work for Pueblo and other rural Colorado communities. Misguided government laws and regulations are causing businesses to struggle with labor shortages, oppressive tax rates, and anti-competitive energy regulations. Liberal policies may look good on paper, but they don’t work in reality.

Listening to Small Business Owners

I was excited to return to the Durango and Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad Museum and share the history of our region with my whole team, meet with tradesmen and railroad workers, and learn more about how our small businesses are the engine that drives our region.

I also visited Chinook Medical Gear and learned about their mission to save the lives of military personnel, first responders, and everyday Americans by creating high-quality life-saving equipment.

Additionally, Chinook and my office support the efforts of San Juan County Sheriff Deputies to row across the Atlantic to raise awareness about first responder suicides. I always back the blue by making sure they have the tools to do their jobs and the support they deserve—including mental healthcare.

Advocating for Local Communities

I met with Mesa County government officials and commended them for their bold leadership and their plan to allow small businesses and individuals to responsibly decide for themselves how they want to respond to the coronavirus. If the pandemic has taught us anything, it is that individuals know better than the government how to run their own lives, and it is well past time for the government to get out of the way.

Mesa County was clear: they want the federal government to leave them alone. In rural Colorado we know that no government agency is as effective as a small business, no welfare program is better than a job, and no spending scheme is better than letting taxpayers keep their money.

Additionally, it was a privilege to speak with business owners, community leaders and elected officials from across the Western Slope at Club 20. We talked about water, forest management, upholding the Constitution and much more. Thank you to Club 20 for having me!

Across the Third Congressional District this week, I met with fire chiefs, county clerks, sheriffs, police chiefs, tribal police, county commissioners, city council members, and other local leaders from Montrose, Alamosa, Delta, La Plata, Gunnison, Archuleta, Dolores, Montezuma and Mesa counties. They all shared similar sentiments, and I am grateful for their input. I look forward to continuing to build thriving partnerships in every community across the Third Congressional District. 

As we prepare for two weeks of session and votes in Congress, my D.C. team and I leave Colorado inspired. You give us the strength and courage to stand up for what’s right, fight for practical solutions to difficult problems, and push through the challenging times.