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Friends,
I’ve spent the past week in Colorado speaking with many of you about the work we’re doing in Congress to provide relief in the face of COVID-19.
From supporting local restaurants, to volunteering at a community market, to holding panel discussions with health and business leaders, I'm doing everything I can to seek input and ensure the policies made in Washington are responsive to your needs.
As always, if you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact our office in Denver. We look forward to hearing from you.
Sincerely,
Michael
DISMANTLING SYSTEMIC RACISM & INJUSTICE
This week, we’ve again been faced with the unmistakable, horrifying reality of racial violence in our country—which I would like to address first, before going into further updates.
We must work together to dismantle systemic racism in our country and hold ourselves accountable to seek justice for black Americans and other victims of racial violence.
We owe it to George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and their families.
On top of all this, it is despicable that the President of the United States is inciting violence against those protesting, tweeting “when the looting starts, the shooting starts.”
SUPPLYING NUTRITIOUS FOOD TO FAMILIES & WORKERS
This week, I volunteered at The Community Market in Edwards, where Coloradans can access fresh produce, non-perishable items, and pre-packaged meals from local restaurants. I was grateful for the opportunity to help restock their shelves and refrigerators, and learn more about the food insecurity taking place throughout Eagle County.
The Community Market is serving 375% more people than they were before the pandemic. That’s why I’ve introduced the Food for Families in Crisis Act, to automatically expand SNAP benefits and adjust the requirements for Americans in a time of great need, without having to wait for Congress to act.
HEARING INPUT FROM COMMUNITY LEADERS
We held a panel discussion with Colorado health, education, and business leaders to discuss the importance of establishing a national Health Force—my proposal to create hundreds of thousands of jobs for young people to support the nation’s community health efforts.
“We have an opportunity – right now – to contribute to and help create this health work force that serves both our participant community in terms of helping them to be safer and be healthy – and to create work opportunities for those who have been laid off.” - Monique Lovato, CEO of Mi Casa Resource Center
ROUNDTABLE WITH VAIL VALLEY FOUNDATION
We organized a socially-distanced roundtable with the Vail Valley Foundation and leaders helping with the COVID-19 recovery effort in Eagle County. It was insightful to hear about the collaborative work being done in communities across Colorado to ramp up testing and reopen local economies safely.
CHECKING IN WITH SMALL BUSINESSES
This morning, we held another panel discussion with small business owners—in the motel, hotel, restaurant, and brewery industries—to continue learning about the challenges they face with reopening. In the upcoming relief package in Congress, I’ll be fighting for our RESTART Act, to ensure the hardest-hit small businesses have the resources they need to stay afloat through the end of the year.
FEATURED COLORADANS: MONA & FLYNN DICKERSON
Mona and Flynn Dickerson have owned Welton Street Café in Denver for over 20 years. Even during this pandemic, they are reaching out to regular customers, checking in, and supporting families in their community. My favorite meal is fried catfish—so picking up some catfish and hushpuppies, while supporting a local business, was one of the highlights of my week.
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