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Hello Coloradans!
I’ve spent another week traveling our beautiful state—from Fort Morgan to Sterling to Julesburg to Haxtun to Yuma to Vona to Kit Carson to Eads to Lamar to Las Animas to La Junta to Colorado Springs and back home to Denver to commemorate the 57th anniversary of the March on Washington.
I rounded up some of the highlights of the week for you and hope you’ll take a moment to read them, respond, and get in touch with our office.
Stay safe this weekend, wear your mask, and look out for state and local fire restrictions.
Best,
Michael
COMMEMORATING THE 57TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE MARCH ON WASHINGTON
We gathered today at City Park in Denver to commemorate the 57th anniversary of the March on Washington, where Alvertis Simmons, community leaders, the mothers of victims of violence, and I continued to fight for racial justice.
We say the names of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Jacob Blake, Darrell Mitchell, Elijah McClain, and others because we know that what happened to them would never have happened to me or my daughters. Until we confront that reality, until we confront that truth, we’re not going to see the change our country needs.
(Watch my full speech here.)
I talked to Elijah McClain’s mom a few weeks ago, and she’s no different from any other mother. The last burden any mother would want to carry is to have their son murdered. The last pain any mother would want to endure is the pain she is having to endure. Yet she said to me, all she can do now is lend her voice to the fight, because she doesn’t want what happened to her son to happen again. Our job is to help carry that burden.
As Dr. King reminds us, the purpose of direct action is “to create such a tension that a community which has constantly refused to negotiate is forced to confront the issue."
That’s exactly what happened when Colorado became the first state in the country to pass modern police accountability reform.
We set the standard for what needs to be done in Washington—which is to pass the Justice in Policing Act that Cory Booker and Kamala Harris introduced in the Senate.
This is the work we have ahead. This is the work I’m committed to doing.
FIGHTING COLORADO WILDFIRES
While the pandemic continues to wreak havoc on our health and economy, wildfires are also raging through our towns. The Pine Gulch Fire became Colorado’s largest single wildfire on Thursday, scorching more than 139,000 acres. My thoughts are with those affected by the fires, and with the first responders, firefighters, and National Guard members who are working around the clock to keep Colorado safe.
These are rapidly evolving situations. For the most up-to-date information, please follow the Facebook pages for the Pine Gulch Fire, the Grizzly Creek Fire, the Cameron Peak Fire, and the Williams Fork Fire to stay safe. For real-time air quality monitoring, you can visit Purple Air’s website.
MEETING WITH COLORADANS ACROSS THE STATE
This week, I heard from farmers, business owners, community leaders, parents, students, and educators about the challenges they’re facing to overcome these uncertain times and the incredible work they are leading in their communities.
In Fort Morgan, I met with One Morgan County, an organization supporting immigrants in its community. From refugee settlement support to translation services to providing access to food, it’s clear that One Morgan County is a tremendous community resource.
In Sterling, I visited Northeastern Junior College to learn about their Wind and Industrial Technology Program––a major asset to Northeastern Colorado’s economy. A decade ago, NJC had the foresight to create this program to prepare students for high-paying jobs in the clean energy economy.
(Sterling, Colorado)
In Julesburg, I met with Northeastern Colorado leaders at Sedgwick County Economic Development to learn more about the challenges facing their economy in light of the pandemic.
For example, Hope for Holyoke is working to collect donations of stimulus checks for the community. I was also glad to hear that there are some real opportunities for economic development and job creation in the region.
In Haxtun, farmer John Heermann showed us how innovative practices like cover cropping and composting can make farming more sustainable, more profitable, and more adaptive to extreme weather conditions.
(Haxtun, Colorado)
In Yuma, I visited the Brown Family Farm to discuss the provisions I helped secure in the 2018 Farm Bill to allow farmers to conserve water and sustain their operations along the Republican River Basin.
In Vona, I stopped by Nate McCaffery’s Farm, where the current drought and low commodity prices have forced Nate to make the tough decision to suspend his no-till operations focused on soil health. The 2018 Farm Bill was a start, but we have to continue to find other ways to make sustainable farming more affordable for farmers like Nate.
In Kit Carson, I spoke with Robert Framel, Superintendent of Kit Carson School District, school board member Toby Johnson, and teachers who were getting ready to begin school this week in a brand new school building thanks to a BEST grant. This pandemic is completely reshaping K-12 and higher education. The decisions to reopen schools should be made by local school boards, in consultation with their communities. These are the people who are closest to the needs of students, families, and educators.
(Kit Carson, Colorado)
In Eads, I toured the National Park Service’s new Sand Creek Massacre Visitor Center with Kiowa County leaders. I supported this project in 2015 to ensure the Sand Creek Massacre is never forgotten. Now, this visitor center is shedding light on the atrocities of that day and helping portray an honest version of America’s history. I was grateful to visit in person.
(Eads, Colorado)
In Lamar, I heard from small business owners and community leaders about the economic challenges they are facing due to the pandemic. I’ll take their feedback to Washington and continue advocating for my bipartisan RESTART Act and other support for Main Street businesses that are the cornerstones of our communities.
In Las Animas, I spoke with Bent County community leaders about their work on clean energy projects. We discussed the challenges they’re facing at Ft. Lyon as they work to harness the wind and solar power potential of the region. Clean energy is an increasingly critical part of our power infrastructure and has a multitude of benefits to the environment, the economy, and our future.
In La Junta, I met with the Southeastern Colorado Water Conservancy District and local leaders to discuss the next phase of the Arkansas Valley Conduit. This project is six decades in the making, and I’ve worked on it since joining the Senate in 2009. It’s focused on delivering clean drinking water to communities in the Lower Arkansas Valley, and we remain committed to that effort.
(La Junta, Colorado)
In La Junta, local leaders walked me through their plan to build 21st century broadband to drive opportunity in their communities. My BRIDGE Act would support their efforts with flexible funding for affordable, high-speed broadband. It would give people more choice and strengthen competition. It also would empower communities across Southeast Colorado and the country to build their own networks if they want.
In Colorado Springs, my daughter Caroline joined me for a tour of the United States Olympic & Paralympic Museum, which opened to the public on July 30. What an incredible way to honor so many remarkable American athletes who have competed at the highest level on behalf of our country.
To every Coloradan I met this past week: Thank you. It was such an honor to learn about the work you, your families, and your communities are doing to stay healthy and strong in these times. I hope to see you again soon.
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