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Dear
,
It
has
been
an
exciting
August
in
Colorado
where
I
have
been
able
to
meet
with
so
many
of
you
and
share
ideas
on
moving
our
country
forward.
It
is
extremely
important
to
me
that
I
represent
all
of Colorado
in
the
United
States
Senate
and
we
work
together
to
find
solutions
to
some
of
our
country’s
most
complex
problems.
I
wanted
to
give
you
an
update
on
my
work
around
the
state
this
past
month.
Flood
Recovery
Tour,
Surveying
Natural
Disaster
Areas
in
Colorado
I
spent
time
this
August
meeting
with
local
officials
and
Coloradans
in
towns
and
areas
affected
by
the
natural
disasters
we've
faced
in
recent
years.
It's
critical
that
no
part
of
our
state
gets
left
behind
or
forgotten,
and
I'm
committed
to
ensuring
that
doesn't
happen.
Check
out
the
coverage
from
the
Akron
News-Reporter
of
the
Messex
Flood
tour here.
I
also
toured
the
site
of
the
2013 Waldo
Canyon
Fire and
spoke
with
local
leaders
and
community
members
about
the
recovery
process.
When
disasters
strike
in
Colorado,
as
they
have
with
recent
fires
and
floods,
we
need
the
federal
government's
response
to
match
the
resolve
of
Coloradans
to
quickly
rebuild
and
recover.
Watch
my
interview
with
KOAA
5 here.
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(Photo
courtesy
of
@SallieClark)
Sen.
Gardner
with
El
Paso
County
Commissioner
Sallie
Clark
discussing
fire
recovery.
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|
I
sat
down
with
local
officials
and
Boulder
County
Commissioner
Elise
Jones to
discuss
flood
recovery.
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| Spent
time
in
Canon
City
at
the
Royal
Gorge
Bridge
discussing
wildfire
recovery. |
Economic
Development
Roundtables
|
I
have
been
fortunate
enough
to
hold
a
series
of
economic
development
meetings
around
Colorado
with
stops
in
Delta
County,
Salida,
Colorado,
and
many
other
places
around
Colorado. |
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| Met
with
Silverton
San
Juan
County
leaders
on
board
train
car
from
Durango
&
Silverton
Narrow
Gauge
Railroad. |
Animas
River
Spill
Response
The
Animas
River
Spill
is
a
tragedy
that
has
impacted
the Colorado
environment
and
economy.
I
have
called
for
Congressional
oversight
hearings
to
determine
what
the
Environmental
Protection
Agency
(EPA)
knew
before
and
after
the
disaster
and
what
can
be
done
to
prevent
a
similar
tragedy.
Please
clink
on the
links
below to read
my
full
statements:
Asia
Trip
As
Chairman
of
the
Foreign
Relations
Subcommittee
on
East
Asia,
the
Pacific,
and
International
Cybersecurity,
I
had
the
opportunity
to
travel
overseas
to
visit
some
of
America's
allies
in
Asia
and
meet
with
service
members
stationed
abroad.
I
was
thrilled
to
have
the
chance
to
visit
Marine
Corps
Air
Station
Futenma
on
the
island
of
Okinawa
in
Japan,
and
hear
from
a
few
of
our
men
and
women
in
uniform
stationed
there,
many
of
them
Coloradans.
South
Korea
While
in
South
Korea,
I
spoke
with
the
Republic
of
Korea's
(ROK)
president,
President
Park,
about
maintaining
and
strengthening
the
U.S.-ROK
alliance.
In
our
meeting,
President
Park
and
I
discussed
ways
to
strengthen
our
alliance,
including
promoting
economic
opportunity
and
enhancing
military
cooperation
in
the
face
of
regional
security
threats
such
as
North Korea.
I
reiterated
that
the
United
States
must
have
a
consistent,
focused
engagement
with
our
allies
in
East
Asia
that
will
provide
economic
opportunity
and
contribute
to
regional
security
and
stability.
I
thanked
President
Park
for
her
bold
leadership
and
for
the
opportunity
to
advance
the
U.S.-ROK
alliance,
as
well
as
her
work
to
promote
peace
in
East
Asia.
Read
about
the
trip
from
YONHAP
News
Agency here.
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| Part
of
my
recent
visit
to
South
Korea
included
a
stop
at
the
border
with
North
Korea.
This
is
the
Joint
Security
Area,
a
guarded
installation
used
in
the
past
for
military
negotiations.
The
grey
building
in
the
background
is
located
in
North
Korean
territory. |
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Japan
|
I
had
friendly
and
productive
meetings
with
Japanese
Minister
of
Foreign
Affairs
Fumio
Kishida
and
Minister
of
Defense
Gen
Nakatani.
We
discussed
trade,
security,
and
the
critical
importance
of
the
United
States-
Japan
alliance
to
stability
in
East
Asia.
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China
In
China,
I
held
frank
but
respectful
discussions
with
Foreign
Minister
Wang
Yi
and
Cyberspace
Administration
Minister
Lu
Wei
about
issues
of
importance
to
U.S.-China
relations.
I raised
concerns
to
these
leaders
about
China's
use
of
cyberspace,
its
destabilizing
activities
in
the
East
and
South
China
Seas,
its
troubling
new
domestic
laws
that
may
harm
American
businesses,
and
China's
human
rights
record.
We
agreed
that
dialogue
must
continue
between
our
nations,
especially
as
we
look
to
the
bilateral
summit
between
President
Obama
and
President
Xi
next
month.
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Hong
Kong
|
On
my
last
stop
in
the
region,
I
held
meetings
in
Hong
Kong
with
government
and
civil
society
leaders
to
reiterate
full
U.S.
support
for
an
autonomous,
democratic,
and
prosperous
Hong
Kong. |
Back
in
Colorado
|
In
Colorado,
I
have
had
the
opportunity
to
meet
with
local
groups,
such
as
the
Colorado
Backcountry
Hunters
and
Anglers
and
the
Colorado
Municipal
League
to
discuss
various
issues
that
impact
Colorado
communities. |
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It
was
great to
see Congressman
Scott
Tipton, Congressman
Ken
Buck,
Senator
Michael
Bennet,
the
Governor's
Senior
Policy
Advisor
for
Water
John
Stulp,
and
many
more
Coloradans
at
the
Colorado
State
Fair
Legislative
Barbecue. |
Farm
and
Agriculture
Tour
Our
inaugural
Farm
and
Agriculture
Tour
included
13
stops
in
Alamosa,
Sanford,
Trinidad,
Rocky
Ford,
Lamar,
Kit
Carson,
Burlington,
Yuma,
Sterling,
and
Fort
Morgan. I
appreciated
hearing
from
Colorado
farmers
and
ranchers
about
the
importance
of
the
Trans-Pacific
Partnership,
the
harmful
potential
of
the
Waters
of
the
United
States,
and
the
importance
of
beef
exports.
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