Hello everyone,

This week our country passed a grim milestone – over 250,000 Americans have died from COVID-19. As the pandemic continues, the numbers can be difficult to process. It’s important that we don’t become numb to the loss. Behind each statistic is an empty seat at the dinner table, a loved one gone, and friends and families left behind in awful grief. In this difficult time, we have to look out for one another. 

The least we can do is listen to our public health experts. That means wear a mask, practice social distancing, and limit large in-person gatherings as we approach the holiday season. I know this will be hard, but the alternative – more cases, more deaths, more of our hospitals overwhelmed – is much worse.

Instead of helping the new administration prepare to take on the pandemic, President Trump is openly calling to overturn the election results. This is so dangerous for our democracy, and I applaud brave voices, like Georgia’s Republican Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, who’ve stood up for the integrity of our elections.

I also find it appalling that the Senate frittered away the past week by voting on extreme nominees – including a nominee for the Federal Reserve who wants to restore the gold standard – instead of doing our work for the American people in this moment of crisis. When the Senate reconvenes after Thanksgiving, we have to come together to pass a real relief package – and we shouldn’t leave Washington until we get the job done.  

While we continued to push for a new relief package this week, we also pursued other priorities for Colorado – from the CORE Act, Colorado’s biggest public lands proposal in a quarter century, to our new bill to support local journalism. We’ve included some details below if you’d like to learn more about our other work this week.

As always, please do not hesitate to reach out with any questions or concerns.

Best,

Michael

PROTECTING COLORADO’S PUBLIC LANDS

This was a big week for the Colorado Outdoor Recreation & Economy (CORE) Act, my bill with Congressman Joe Neguse to protect hundreds of thousands of acres of public lands across our state. This week, the CORE Act received a hearing in the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, an important step in the process that moves it closer to becoming law.  

This progress would not have been possible without the hard work of so many Coloradans over the last decade to hammer out compromises, identify shared values, and overcome disagreements to find a path forward. Given the years of collaborative work on the ground to write this bill, it is not surprising that it enjoys support from across our state -- including the full support of seven counties and 12 towns and cities. It’s time for Congress to act and get this done.

SUPPORTING LOCAL JOURNALISM

This week I had a chance to speak with journalists from across our state about the crisis facing local news in a discussion organized by the Colorado Media Project. In recent years, newsrooms in Colorado and across the country have been forced to slash staff and coverage because of industry consolidation, the rise of social media, and now, the economic aftershocks of a global pandemic. In our discussion, I shared my new bill, the Future of Local News Commission Act, which would convene experts from across the country in a bipartisan way to examine the challenges facing local news and propose recommendations for how the federal government could provide support while safeguarding the freedom and independence of the press.

COLORADO SPRINGS CHOSEN AS FINALIST FOR U.S. SPACE COMMAND HEADQUARTERS

On Thursday, I announced that Colorado Springs is a finalist for the U.S. Space Command’s permanent headquarters. For the next six years, Space Command will be temporarily headquartered at Peterson Air Force Base in Colorado Springs until the Air Force chooses a permanent location. I congratulate everyone across Colorado, especially the Aurora community, who have worked tirelessly to reinforce our state’s identity as the epicenter of America’s national security space mission. With our infrastructure, innovation, work force, and commitment to the space mission, there is no better permanent home for U.S. Space Command than Colorado. I joined CBS4 for a conversation about what this announcement means for our state. You can watch my interview HERE.

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