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Dear Friend,

Colorado Capital Conference

This week, Senator Bennet and I hosted the Colorado Capital Conference, in partnership with Colorado Mesa University and University of Colorado, to provide an opportunity for Coloradans to visit Washington, D.C. and hear from elected officials, journalists, and academics to gain a better understanding of how our government operates. This year’s speakers included Chuck Todd, Charlie Cook, Bill Kristol, Ambassador to South Korea Ho Young Ahn, White House Chief of Staff Denis McDonough, Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), and Senators Marco Rubio (R-FL), Tim Scott (R-SC), Cory Booker (D-NJ), and Chuck Schumer (D-NY).

The Colorado Capital Conference is a wonderful Colorado tradition that brings together Coloradans from across the state to our nation's capital. Washington D.C. cannot operate in a vacuum, and I appreciated hearing from Coloradans about how policy affects them and their local communities. I encourage all Coloradans to apply next year to be considered for the 2017 Colorado Capital Conference.

Attendees applied for the Colorado Capital Conference earlier this Spring. Information about how to apply to the 2017 Colorado Capital Conference will be posted on Gardner’s website in early 2017.

 
 
 

Fighting for Affordable Health Care for Coloradans 

Earlier this week, the Colorado Division of Insurance confirmed four insurance companies will reduce the number of individual health care plans or stop offering them entirely next year, and several companies will significantly raise their premiums for 2017 – some as high as 40.6% on the individual market. We also found out that about 92,000 people must find a new plan in 2017, as their current ones are being canceled. The impact of Obamacare will force approximately 20% of Coloradans that purchase insurance on the individual market to find a new plan.

Coloradans across the state are once again being forced to confront the ugly reality of President Obama’s disastrous Affordable Care Act.

When the President rammed his partisan healthcare law through Congress, he repeatedly promised the American people "if you like your plan, you can keep it." President Obama and those that supported this partisan law are now silent as 92,000 Coloradans must find a new insurance plan. The President also promised the average family of four would pay $2,500 less annually by the end of his first term, but has no answers for families in Colorado that will have to deal with these outrageous increases. While the President continues to sell the American people a myth that Obamacare is working, we know this simply is not true. It’s time for the President to admit Obamacare is a disaster for the American people. I will continue to work tirelessly to repeal and replace Obamacare with a patient-centered health care system that actually lowers costs and increases choice.

Promoting Competition, Controlling Costs, Protecting National Security

This week, I introduced an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2017 (NDAA). The bill provides funding for the Department of Defense (DoD). My amendment would allow for the DoD to purchase rockets from any certified launch provider between now and December 31, 2022 and ensures fiscal responsibility as it has the potential to save DoD up to $5 billion.

The DoD must have access to launch vehicles that it can afford. My amendment promotes competition and acknowledges the difficult fiscal environment by requiring the DoD to purchase rockets from certified providers that offer the best possible value. It also protects our national security by ensuring continued access to space, which is critical to the detection of missiles, transmitting secure communication, and gathering intelligence. In order for the United States to remain competitive when it comes to space exploration, the DoD should have the ability to conduct a fair and open contracting process that allows any certified launch provider to compete.

Protecting Colorado Small Businesses

The Department of Labor’s overtime rule will hurt Coloradans and Americans throughout the country, in particular small businesses and non-profits, and significantly reduce flexibility in the work schedule. I continue to meet with numerous small business owners across Colorado who worry about the impact this rule will have on their employees and ability to remain viable. Once again, the Obama Administration is imposing its one-size-fits-all approach to regulation, and it will undoubtedly hurt the very people it was designed to protect. After eight years of slow economic growth under President Obama, the last thing this country needs is more burdensome regulation. I will continue to work to get Washington out of the way and allow small businesses do what they do best: create jobs. Read a story from the Denver Business Journal here.

Celebrating the Denver Broncos Super Bowl Championship

The Denver Broncos were honored at The White House for their Super Bowl 50 championship. Congratulations, let’s do it again next year!

Thank you for taking the time to read my weekly update. If I can be of any assistance to you, please contact my Washington, D.C. office at (202) 224-5941.

 

Sincerely,

Cory Gardner

United States Senator

 

 

 

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