A message from Senator Michael Bennet

1 BIG THING: INVESTING IN THE ROARING FORK VALLEY 

Joining local leaders at the opening of Glenwood Springs’ new 27th Street Underpass

What’s happening: This week, I traveled to the Roaring Fork Valley to speak with Coloradans about the challenges they are facing and hear how they are using federal dollars to improve their communities.

In Glenwood Springs: I celebrated the opening of the 27th Street Underpass. This incredible project – made possible through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the hard work of Coloradans – will make Roaring Fork Valley communities safer. Listen to Glenwood Springs Mayor Ingrid Wussow and I discuss the importance of this local project here. 

In Carbondale: I visited with high school students at a career and technical education program and learned more about how funding I helped secure will expand critical apprenticeship programs like this one for young people across the Valley. 

What’s next: I’m glad to see Coloradans across the Roaring Fork Valley using federal funding to make our state a better place to live and work for all. I’ll continue working to ensure this region, and all Coloradans, have the resources they need. 

2. PROTECTING HIGH-QUALITY MEDICAL CARE FOR MILITARY KIDS 

What’s happening: Thousands of military families call Colorado Springs home. Many of these families – who have sacrificed so much to protect our country – rely on care from local hospitals like Children’s Hospital Colorado.

What’s changed: Earlier this year, the Defense Department changed the way children’s hospitals are reimbursed for the care they provide to military families, placing an outsized burden on hospitals across the country. This rule change is expected to cost Children’s Hospital over $25 million annually.

What I’m doing: Alongside Senator John Hickenlooper, Representatives Jason Crow, Doug Lamborn, and 16 other Congressional colleagues, I urged the Defense Department to fix this issue and ensure children's hospitals can continue to provide high-quality care to military families nationwide.

3. WRAPPING UP HISPANIC HERITAGE MONTH

What happened: Each year, Hispanic Heritage Month is an opportunity to uplift Hispanic voices and celebrate the many contributions of the Hispanic community to the history, culture, and economy of Colorado and our country. 

This month: We celebrated the diversity within Colorado’s communities and institutions, including Colorado’s first Supreme Court Latina Chief Justice who was sworn in this summer and the thousands of Coloradans who studied hard and passed their immigration exam this year.

What’s next: There is so much to celebrate about the Hispanic community’s deep roots in Colorado, and I’m so grateful for the more than 1.2 million Hispanic Americans who call our state home. As Hispanic Heritage Month comes to a close, let’s recommit to expanding opportunities and resources for Hispanic Americans nationwide.

4. THIS WEEK IN THE NEWS

• Open enrollment for Medicare started this week. Sign up for coverage or switch plans for 2025 here through the December 7 deadline. 
• A national organization supporting local newsrooms recognized nine Colorado papers with funding. Congratulations to those who received grants as part of $20 million in nationwide awards from Press Forward. View the full list of recipients here. 
• Americans in Lebanon can now receive alerts from the Bureau of Consular Affairs via WhatsApp. More information is available here.

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