{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "is_view": false, "human_description_en": "where party = \"Republican\", state = \"CO\" and year = 2019 sorted by date descending", "rows": [["https://www.gardner.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/gardner-releases-year-end-message-highlights-accomplishments-for-colorado", "Gardner Releases Year-End Message, Highlights Accomplishments for Colorado", "2019-12-31", "2019", "2019-12", "Republican", "House", "CO", "Cory Gardner", "G000562", "www.gardner.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Washington, D.C. U.S. Senator Cory Gardner (R-CO) released the following message wishing Coloradans a Happy New Year and recapping his work and accomplishments in 2019 on behalf of the people of the Centennial State.\r\nNOTE:Clickhereto view remarks from Senator Gardner.\r\nThis holiday season as we spend time with our families, look back on the past year, and plan for the year ahead, I want to share some highlights of our successful efforts for Colorado this year,said Senator Gardner.\r\nThis year, we successfully passed permanent reauthorization of the Land and Water Conservation Fund and moved the Bureau of Land Management headquarters to Grand Junction  to better protect our public lands and better serve the people impacted by the BLM's decisions. And we've made great progress to lower the cost of health insurance in Colorado. Our state's reinsurance waiver will lower costs for Coloradans on the individual market by more than 20 percent, and the full repeal of the health insurance tax will save Colorado families hundreds of dollars a year. As we head into the next year, I feel honored to represent the greatest state in the country and I will continue to fight every day for what's right for Colorado.\r\nNotable achievements for the state of Colorado in 2019 include:\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nThe Senate passed Gardner's bipartisanVA Provider Accountability Act, which would bring much needed accountability to the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). This bill is part of Gardner'sVA Readiness Initiative, which he launched to ensure the government is always ready to assist veterans and prepared to fulfill the promises our country has made them.\r\n \r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nThe National Defense Authorization Act wassigned into lawand included numerous Gardner-supported provisions, including authorization of $322 million for military construction projects in Colorado, the largest pay raise for troops in a decade, and 12 weeks of paid parental leave for all 2.1 million federal employees.\r\n \r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nThe bipartisanTRACED Actis headed to the President's desk to be signed into law, which Gardner cosponsored to crack down on illegal robocalls and scams. Coloradans receive 2.5 million robocalls every day, and El Paso County has the highest rate of robocall complaints per capita in the United States.\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\nGardner's legislation toreauthorize Brand USAand support international travel to Colorado and the U.S. was signed into law.\r\n \r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nThe Senate passed Gardner's bipartisanDeepfake Report Actto assess deepfake technology, its uses by foreign and domestic entities, and available countermeasures to deepfakes, and to help policymakers and the public better understand the threats deepfakes pose to our national security and election security.\r\n \r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nThe Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources passedthree bills authored by Gardnerand a number of bills cosponsored by Gardner to enhance energy storage, enhance state energy security planning, and provide physical and cyber security assistance to electric utilities.\r\n \r\n \r\nGardner applauded thefinal repeal of the Waters of the United States (WOTUS) rule, a burdensome regulation that would have been harmful to Colorado's economy and agriculture community. Gardner has consistently opposed WOTUS since it was first revealed and celebrated the announcement as preventing an unconstitutional takeover of Colorado's rivers, streams, and local waterways.\r\n \r\n \r\nThe Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services finalized a new rule to provide reimbursement for time that residents spend training at Critical Access Hospitals (CAH), which serve rural communities. This policy was included in Gardner's bipartisanRural Physician Workforce Production Act.\r\n \r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nGardner's legislation topermanently reauthorize the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund(VCF) was signed into law. The VCF provides financial compensation to first responders and individuals injured in the September 11th attacks, like Colorado's Task Force One, which deployed to Ground Zero in the aftermath of the deadliest terrorist attack on American soil.\r\n \r\n \r\nGardner announced the formation of theRoosevelt Conservation Caucus, which will embrace and promote constructive efforts to address environmental problems, promote economically viable policies to improve the environment, and base policy decisions on science and quantifiable facts.\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\nThe Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation unanimously passed Gardner's bipartisanDeveloping and Growing the Internet of Things (DIGIT) Act, which would convene a working group of federal entities and experts from the private and academic sectors to recommend to Congress how to facilitate the growth of connected Internet of Things (IoT) technologies.\r\n \r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nSenators Gardner and Bennet secured congressional passage of theColorado River Drought Contingency Plan Authorization Act, which was then signed into law and authorized the implementation of the Drought Contingency Plan agreements forged between the seven Colorado River Basin states and Indian tribes.\r\n \r\n\r\nIn 2019, Gardner was recognized for his work across the aisle:\r\n\r\n\r\nNotable efforts to promote democracy, human rights, and American interests around the world include:\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nGardner's legislative provision expressing U.S. support for democracy in Hong Kong wassigned into lawas part of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA).\r\n \r\n \r\nGardner's provision to impose sanctions on North Korea wassigned into lawas part of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA).\r\n \r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n###\r\nCory Gardner is a member of the U.S. Senate serving Colorado. He sits on the Energy & Natural Resources Committee, the Foreign Relations Committee, the Commerce, Science, & Transportation Committee, and is the Chairman of the Subcommittee on East Asia, the Pacific, and International Cybersecurity Policy.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.gardner.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/gardner-statement-on-heavy-drone-activity-in-eastern-colorado", "Gardner Statement on Heavy Drone Activity in Eastern Colorado", "2019-12-31", "2019", "2019-12", "Republican", "House", "CO", "Cory Gardner", "G000562", "www.gardner.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Washington, D.C. U.S. Senator Cory Gardner (R-CO), a member of the Senate Commerce Subcommittee on Aviation and Space, released the following statement regarding the heavy drone activity in Eastern Colorado:\r\n\r\nI've been in contact with the FAA and I'm encouraged that they've opened a full investigation to learn the source and purpose of the drones. I will continue to closely monitor the situation,said Senator Gardner.\r\nBackground:\r\n \r\nIn December, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) released a proposed rule aimed at requiring drone users to implement a Remote Identification (Remote ID) system, which allows drones to be tracked and identified.\r\nSenator Gardner supported Remote ID requirements in the FAA Extension, Safety, and Security Act of 2016, which prompted the Federal Aviation Administration to make this new proposed rule.\r\n \r\n###\r\nCory Gardner is a member of the U.S. Senate serving Colorado. He sits on the Energy & Natural Resources Committee, the Foreign Relations Committee, the Commerce, Science, & Transportation Committee, and is the Chairman of the Subcommittee on East Asia, the Pacific, and International Cybersecurity Policy.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://lamborn.house.gov/media/press-releases/lamborn-announces-staff-changes-his-washington-dc-and-colorado-springs-offices", "Lamborn Announces Staff Changes in His Washington D.C. and Colorado Springs Offices", "2019-12-27", "2019", "2019-12", "Republican", "House", "CO", "Doug Lamborn", "L000564", "lamborn.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Contact: Cassandra Sebastian (719) 520-0055\nWashington D.C. - Congressman Doug Lamborn announced the following staff changes in his Washington D.C. and Colorado Springs offices:\n\nDistrict Director: Joshua Hosler\n\n\n\tJoshua Hosler has joined the Colorado Springs office as the District Director for Congressman Doug Lamborn. A native of Jefferson, Ohio, Joshua served in the United States Marine Corps from 2007-2011 with 3rd Battalion, 3rd Marines based out of Kne'ohe, Hawai'i. A veteran of OIF and OEF, Joshua deployed to Al Asad (Anbar Province) Iraq in 2009 as a Team Leader for Weapons Platoon, Company I, 3rd Battalion, 3rd Marines and deployed again in 2010 to Afghanistan's Helmand province serving as an Assistant Platoon Leader and dog handler, with Weapons Platoon, Company I, 3rd Battalion, 3rd Marines.\n\t\n\tAfter his honorable discharge, he attended Gannon University in Erie, Pennsylvania, and graduated with a degree in Political Science. Joshua moved to Colorado to serve as the Regional Director for the Beauprez for Governor campaign in 2014 and then served as the El Paso County Republican Party Chairman from 2017-2019. He and his wife Kayelyn have two children and are expecting another next year.\n\n\nLegislative Assistant: Peter Holland\n\nPeter Holland recently joined the Washington, D.C. office as a Legislative Assistant handling the values portfolio, including pro-life and religious liberty issues. Peter graduated from Pensacola Christian College with a degree in Political Science and previously served as a Legislative Assistant in Congressman Matt Gaetz's office.\n\nCongressman Lamborn issued the following statement:\n\n\"I welcome Joshua and Peter onto my team and look forward to working with both of these talented, dedicated, hardworking individuals. My entire staff does an amazing job serving the constituents of Colorado's Fifth Congressional District. Their assistance will be critical as I work to protect Colorado families, the Constitution, and individual freedoms.\"", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://lamborn.house.gov/media/press-releases/christmas-greetings-lamborn-family", "Christmas Greetings from the Lamborn Family", "2019-12-25", "2019", "2019-12", "Republican", "House", "CO", "Doug Lamborn", "L000564", "lamborn.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Contact: Cassandra Sebastian (719) 520-0055\n\n\tColorado Springs, CO - On this Christmas day, Congressman Lamborn issued the following statement:\n\t\n\n\"As we celebrate the birth of our Savior, Jeanie and I wish you and your family the warmest blessings of a Merry Christmas. We give thanks for Jesus' gift of 'peace on Earth and good will toward man' through the sacrifice He made for us all. As you celebrate the glory of this miraculous season, may your home be filled with His love, peace, and joy!\"\n\n\"Then the angel said to them, 'Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.' \" Luke 2:10", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.gardner.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/senator-gardner-wishes-coloradans-a-merry-christmas", "Senator Gardner Wishes Coloradans a Merry Christmas", "2019-12-25", "2019", "2019-12", "Republican", "House", "CO", "Cory Gardner", "G000562", "www.gardner.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Washington, D.C. U.S. Senator Cory Gardner (R-CO) released the following message onChristmasDay:\r\n\r\n\r\nNOTE:Clickhereor the picture above to view aChristmasmessage from Senator Gardner.\r\nAs we gather to celebrate the holidays, I hope we'll take a moment to thank those amongst us who give so much to our country, to celebrate the blessings of the past year, and look forward to the year ahead. Thank you to the service members, men and women across the country and around the globe, who won't be home forChristmas, but will be standing on the front lines for our freedom,said Senator Gardner.Surrounded by friends and family, I hope we'll all have a chance to cherish our beloved moments and our favorite memories. Whether it's the Gardner family opening the stockings onChristmasmorning or celebrating with the family onChristmasEve, each and every one of us has a special moment that we look forward to every year. Enjoy the holidays, this special time of the year, and from all of us in the Gardner family to all of you  MerryChristmas, God bless Colorado and this great United States of America.\r\n###\r\nCory Gardner is a member of the U.S. Senate serving Colorado. He sits on the Energy & Natural Resources Committee, the Foreign Relations Committee, the Commerce, Science, & Transportation Committee, and is the Chairman of the Subcommittee on East Asia, the Pacific, and International Cybersecurity Policy.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://tipton.house.gov/media/press-releases/tipton-announces-2020-us-service-academy-nominations", "Tipton Announces 2020 U.S. Service Academy Nominations", "2019-12-24", "2019", "2019-12", "Republican", "House", "CO", "Scott Tipton", "T000470", "tipton.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "WASHINGTON D.C.  Congressman Scott Tipton (CO-03) announced the names of 22 students from Colorado's Third Congressional District who received a Service Academy nomination. The individuals were selected based on meeting or exceeding the rigorous requirements of the respective academy and Congressman Tipton's office.\n \n\tColorado has a long history of its bravest citizens volunteering to serve in the U.S. Military, and it is my great honor to select the best and brightest students across our district to attend our nation's prestigious military academies, said Tipton. Each and every one of these students have unequivocally demonstrated their unique qualifications to serve as future military leaders. I could not be more proud of their accomplishments and wish them all the very best as they answer the call to serve our nation.\n \nCongressman Scott Tipton's Academy Nominations for the Third Congressional District:\nU.S. Military Academy (Army)\nJacob Hemard  Palisade, CO\nJacy Werner  Steamboat Springs, CO\nCanden Wilkinson  Steamboat Springs, CO\n\nAir Force Academy\nJeremiah Garcia  Pueblo, CO\nAnnmarie Hackworthy  Steamboat Springs, CO*\nJack Jones  Delta, CO*\nErik Krauth  New Castle, CO*\nRiley Prichard  Colorado City, CO\nBenjamin Sceats  Glenwood Springs, CO\nCole Simmons  Montrose, CO*\nDayton Sofka  Olathe, CO\n\nU.S. Naval Academy\nNicholas Burke  Grand Junction, CO*\nMaggie Friemel  Glenwood Springs, CO\nNoah Grady  Pueblo West, CO*\nThomas O'Connor  Pueblo West, CO\nTimothy Perez  Pueblo, CO*\nAlana Schaak  Colorado City, CO*\nDavey Stanfield-Brown  Glenwood Springs, CO*\nMackenzie Younker  Grand Junction, CO\n\nMerchant Marine Academy\nIan Barnes  Fruita, CO*\nAidan Partch  Glenwood Springs, CO*\nSimon Varela  Austin, CO\n\n*Received a nomination to multiple academies.\n\nStudents in the Third District who are considering applying to a U.S. Service Academy can find more information on the nomination process at: https://tipton.house.gov/serving-you/military-academy-nominations.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.gardner.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/gardner-marks-the-start-of-hanukkah", "Gardner Marks the Start of Hanukkah", "2019-12-22", "2019", "2019-12", "Republican", "House", "CO", "Cory Gardner", "G000562", "www.gardner.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Washington, D.C. Today U.S. Senator Cory Gardner (R-CO) issued the following statement marking the first night of Hanukkah:\r\n\r\nHappy Hanukkah to the Jewish community across Colorado and the United States,said Senator Gardner.This is a time to join together with family members and loved ones, and I hope everyone celebrating has a blessed holiday season.\"\r\n###\r\nCory Gardner is a member of the U.S. Senate serving Colorado. He sits on the Energy & Natural Resources Committee, the Foreign Relations Committee, the Commerce, Science, & Transportation Committee, and is the Chairman of the Subcommittee on East Asia, the Pacific, and International Cybersecurity Policy.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.gardner.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/gardner-blunt-klobuchar-cortez-masto-measure-to-boost-jobs-support-travel-and-tourism-passes-senate-heads-to-presidents-desk", "Gardner, Blunt, Klobuchar, Cortez Masto Measure to Boost Jobs, Support Travel & Tourism Passes Senate, Heads to President\u2019s Desk", "2019-12-20", "2019", "2019-12", "Republican", "House", "CO", "Cory Gardner", "G000562", "www.gardner.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Washington, D.C.  U.S. Senators Cory Gardner (R-CO), Roy Blunt (R-MO), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), and Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV) applauded the inclusion of their legislation to reauthorize Brand USA in the year-end funding vehicle, which passed the Senate on Thursday. Brand USA is a public-private partnership that enhances tourism across the country by promoting international travel to the United States. The legislation now heads to the President's desk to be signed into law.\r\nReauthorization of Brand USA is exciting news for Colorado's tourism industry, which has exploded in growth as more than 80 million visitors each year travel to ski our world-class resorts, enjoy the great outdoors, and experience the real American West, said Senator Gardner. Colorado shines as one of the nation's top-ten most visited states, with direct flights to Denver International Airport from countries like Canada, Japan, the United Kingdom, and Germany. This bill will boost further tourism by strengthening the Brand USA program, which is the promotion agency for U.S. tourism and operates at no cost to the U.S. taxpayer. I look forward to seeing this legislation signed into law and helping grow the U.S. tourism industry, which generates more than $20 billion in annual spending in Colorado.\r\nMissouri's tourism industry supports more than 300,000 jobs and contributes billions of dollars to our economy, said Senator Blunt. Reauthorizing Brand USA will help ensure we remain competitive in the international tourism industry, and will bring even more visitors to attractions, restaurants, and hotels in Missouri and across the nation.\r\nTourism is an important aspect of Minnesota's economy and the beauty and wilderness of our state has attracted visitors from around the world for decades, said Senator Klobuchar. The spending agreement will help ensure that Brand USA can fulfill its mission of encouraging travelers from around the world to visit Minnesota.\r\nBrand USA has a proven track record of boosting international tourism and creating good-paying jobs in Nevada, said Cortez Masto. Restoring long-term funding to this program, at no cost to the taxpayer, ensures we're doing everything possible to support the hundreds of thousands of Nevadans who work in the tourism and hospitality industries. I'm pleased by the passage of the Brand USA reauthorization, and I'll continue fighting to grow the Silver State's tourism industry and support the families and communities who rely on it.\r\nSince 2013, Brand USA has brought 6.6 million incremental international visitors to the United States, generating a total economic impact of nearly $48 billion and supporting an average of around 52,000 jobs annually. In 2018, Brand USA generated $4.1 billion in incremental visitor spending, resulting in a marketing return on investment of 32:1.\r\nThe program has been a proven success in boosting tourism to the United States and driving economic growth, but the 2018 congressional budget caps agreement diverted Brand USA's user fees away from the program to general revenue  putting the program at risk for cancelation.\r\nBrand USA is funded by international visitors and private contributions  not U.S. taxpayers. Half of its budget comes from the private sector through cash and in-kind contributions. The rest of the budget  up to a maximum of $100 million  is funded by a nominal fee assessed on visa-free international visitors screened by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Electronic System for Travel Authorization. Amounts collected in excess of the cap are returned to the U.S. Treasury to help reduce the deficit.\r\n###\r\nCory Gardner is a member of the U.S. Senate serving Colorado. He sits on the Energy & Natural Resources Committee, the Foreign Relations Committee, the Commerce, Science, & Transportation Committee, and is the Chairman of the Subcommittee on East Asia, the Pacific, and International Cybersecurity Policy.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.gardner.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/senate-passes-gardner-va-accountability-legislation", "Senate Passes Gardner VA Accountability Legislation", "2019-12-20", "2019", "2019-12", "Republican", "House", "CO", "Cory Gardner", "G000562", "www.gardner.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Washington, D.C.  On December 19, 2019, the Senate unanimously passed S. 221, the VA Provider Accountability Act, which was introduced by U.S. Senators Cory Gardner (R-CO), Joe Manchin (D-WV), Jerry Moran (R-KS), Bill Cassidy (R-LA), and Susan Collins (R-ME). The Senators introduced S. 221 earlier this year to bring much needed accountability to the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). The legislation will now be referred to the House of Representatives forconsideration.\r\nA troubling GAO report from 2017 revealed an unacceptable trend of VA facilities failing to report providers who made major medical errors to the National Practitioner Data Bank and the relevant state licensing boards responsible for tracking dangerous practitioners. As a result, these practitioners can go into private practice or move across state lines without disclosing prior mistakes to patients or state regulators. A 2017 USA Today story uncovered specific, horrific medical care failures and mistakes that the VA allowed to continue and concealed.\r\nOn May 22, 2019, the Comptroller General of the United States (GAO) testified before the House Veterans Affairs Committee Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations that since the 2017 GAO report the VA has failed to implement recommendations regarding appropriate reporting to state licensing boards. These concerns were reiterated in an October 16, 2019 GAO report.\r\nThe VA Provider Accountability Act would solve this problem by requiring the VA to inform the National Practitioner Data Bank and state licensing boards of major adverse actions committed by medical providers at the VA. Additionally, it would prevent the VA from signing settlements with fired employees to hide major medical mistakes in their personnel files.\r\nThe vast majority of VA employees and medical providers provide exceptional care to our veterans and we are grateful for their service, said Senator Gardner. However, there is no excuse for allowing certain medical providers with a history of committing major medical errors to continue putting other patients at risk. We owe every single veteran the best possible care, and we can only provide that care with increased accountability. Senate passage of this bipartisan bill means we are one step closer towards protecting veterans, and potential patients outside the VA system, from mistakes made by medical providers who have proven themselves to be dangerous.\r\nWhile a great majority of VA doctors provide the very best of care, the system can be ruined by a few bad apples and it's our duty to protect Veterans from these dangerous doctors. I originally cosponsored this bill in response to a 2017 GAO report that showed an alarming pattern of concealing poor care and major mistakes within the VA. I am proud to have joined my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to pass this important bill because we need to hold all our medical professionals accountable, said Senator Manchin. While I appreciate the efforts that the VA has made to correct this on their own, they are not enough. Now that our bill has passed, strict guidelines will be implemented to assure our Veterans they are receiving the highest quality of care.\r\nIt is critical that those on the front lines of caring for our veterans are held to the highest level of accountability, said Senator Moran. For too long, mistakes made by VA providers have been concealed by the VA and not reported to the appropriate state and federal databases. I've introduced this legislation to make certain no adverse medical outcome impacting a former servicemember is swept under the rug. Our veterans deserve a VA that is worthy of their service and sacrifice, and holding providers accountable is an important step to restoring trust in the VA.\r\nAs a doctor, I believe the patient comes first. When VA providers make mistakes, transparency and accountability protects veterans best, said Dr. Cassidy. Covering up mistakes does not protect patients. Passage of this bill makes it more likely veterans get good care.\r\nOur nation's veterans deserve access to the high-quality health care that they have earned through their service to our country. As the daughter of a World War II veteran, I was shocked and outraged by recent investigations that found far too many instances of patients' care being mismanaged by medical providers, said Senator Collins. By requiring the VA to report these issues in a timely manner and prohibiting the concealment of serious medical errors in settlements with fired VA employees, this legislation would help restore accountability, protect veterans, and enhance the care that veterans receive at the VA.\r\nParalyzed Veterans of America (PVA), the National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN), and the Federation of State Medical Boards (FSMB) support this legislation.\r\nThe FSMB applauds the passage of S. 221 and commends Senators Gardner, Manchin, Moran, Cassidy, and Collins for championing a bipartisan bill that will improve the quality and safety of health care both within and outside of the VA system, said Humayun Chaudhry, DO, President and CEO of the Federation of State Medical Boards (FSMB). Improved information-sharing with the NPDB and state medical boards will significantly help protect patients and identify and prevent unsafe or dangerous providers from treating veterans and their families.\r\nPVA believes the key to providing exceptional health care to veterans starts with quality providers. We thank Senators Gardner, Manchin, Moran, Cassidy, and Collins for introducing and the entire Senate for approving the Department of Veterans Affairs Provider Accountability Act which protects veterans from providers who have made major medical errors and enhances the care that veterans receive at the VA, said Heather Ansley Paralyzed Veterans of America (PVA) Associate Executive Director for Government Relations.\r\nOngoing license verification and adverse event reporting to state licensing boards are key patient safety measures in the health care industry, said David Benton RGN, PhD, FFNF, FRCN, FAAN, CEO of the National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN). NCSBN commends the Senate on advancing these meaningful public protection initiatives in the VA and would like thank Senators Gardner, Manchin, Moran, Cassidy, and Collins and the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee for their steadfast leadership. We look forward to these provisions becoming law and partnering with the VA to implement them expeditiously.\r\n###\r\nCory Gardner is a member of the U.S. Senate serving Colorado. He sits on the Energy & Natural Resources Committee, the Foreign Relations Committee, the Commerce, Science, & Transportation Committee, and is the Chairman of the Subcommittee on East Asia, the Pacific, and International Cybersecurity Policy.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://buck.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/ken-buck-applauds-passage-usmca", "Ken Buck Applauds the Passage of USMCA", "2019-12-19", "2019", "2019-12", "Republican", "House", "CO", "Ken Buck", "B001297", "buck.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "For Immediate Release  \n\tThursday, December 19, 2019  Contact: 202-225-4676\nWashington, D.C.  Today, Congressman Ken Buck voted in support of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), a mutually beneficial trade deal that will grow our economy and ensure American workers and businesses are not being left behind. In order to build and sustain a prosperous middle class, America needs modernized trade deals that recognize the realities of the global economy. Following passage in the House, Congressman Buck issued the following:\nThe USMCA is crucial for the future of American prosperity, as well as our farmers, manufacturers, innovators, and those who continue to stimulate future economic growth. After months of delay, I'm glad to see it pass the House and hope my Senate colleagues act quickly.\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://lamborn.house.gov/media/press-releases/passage-usmca", "Passage of USMCA", "2019-12-19", "2019", "2019-12", "Republican", "House", "CO", "Doug Lamborn", "L000564", "lamborn.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Contact: Cassandra Sebastian (719) 520-0055\nWashington D.C. - Today, the United States House of Representatives voted to pass the United States- Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) negotiated by President Trump on October 1, 2018. Canada and Mexico are two of the biggest trading partners for the United States. \nFacts about USMCA:\n Over $68 billion in new economic growth\n\t176,000 new jobs \n\tDigital trade deal established\n\tFirst update to North American trade in 25 years\n\tColorado exported $2.7 billion worth of products to Canada and Mexico in 2018\n Congressman Lamborn issued the following statement upon voting for the USMCA:\n\"After months of stalling, Speaker Pelosi has finally brought the USMCA to the House Floor for a vote. I am glad that President Trump has negotiated a great new trade deal between the United States and our two biggest trading partners, Canada, and Mexico. Trade with Mexico and Canada is vital to our economy and my home state of Colorado. USMCA will drive higher wages, add thousands of new jobs, and bring over 68 billion in new economic growth for our economy. While not a perfect agreement, this crucial trade deal is vital to strengthening our relationship with our North American trade partners, while still holding Canada and Mexico accountable.\"", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://tipton.house.gov/media/press-releases/passing-usmca-welcome-christmas-present", "Passing USMCA a Welcome Christmas Present", "2019-12-19", "2019", "2019-12", "Republican", "House", "CO", "Scott Tipton", "T000470", "tipton.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "WASHINGTONToday, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) after more than a year since leaders of the three countries signed the deal. USMCA required implementing legislation to become law. Congressman Scott Tipton (CO-03) supported the measure and released the following statement:\n\nUSMCA will significantly improve trade flows, benefitting small businesses, farmers and all Coloradans. The American economy has transformed dramatically in the 25 years since the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) was signed into law. NAFTA has failed to keep pace with certain elements of our rapidly expanding economy including digital trade flows, manufacturing and access to markets for American agricultural products. Last year, Colorado exported more than $2.7 billion worth of goods to Canada and Mexico and passing USMCA is sure to keep that number growing. This is a welcome Christmas present for our economy, and I look forward to improving trade policies that benefit Colorado's Third Congressional District.\n\nBackground:\n\n In 2018, Colorado exported $1.4 and $1.3 billion to Canada and Mexico respectively.\n\tTotal trade exports to other nations in 2017 (the latest available figure from the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative) from Pueblo was approximately $230.3 million, and Grand Junction $79.4 million, the two largest metropolitan areas in Colorado's Third Congressional District.\n\tUSMCA allows for greater market access for American dairy and poultry exports to Canada.\n\tOn September 25, 2019, Tipton sent a letter to Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue to address a reciprocal market access issue between American potatoes and Mexican avocados. The market issue has largely been tied up in the Mexican federal courts, but Sec. Perdue assured Tipton that once resolved, they will work to enforce a 2003 deal the two countries made.\n\tOn December 9, 2019, Tipton joined a letter to Speaker Pelosi with 159 Republicans in the House to urge a vote on USMCA.\n\tTipton has received numerous letters of support on USMCA from organizations such as:\n\t\t\n \n###", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.gardner.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/gardner-and-colleagues-urge-un-ambassador-to-impose-sanctions-maximum-pressure-on-north-korea", "Gardner and Colleagues Urge U.N. Ambassador to Impose Sanctions, Maximum Pressure on North Korea", "2019-12-19", "2019", "2019-12", "Republican", "House", "CO", "Cory Gardner", "G000562", "www.gardner.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Washington, D.C. U.S.Senator CoryGardner (R-CO), Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on East Asia, the Pacific, and International Cybersecurity Policy, sent a letter to U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Kelly Craft urging she make clear the Trump administration intends to fully implement the maximum pressure policy on North Korea and impose sanctions as required by law.The letter was also signed by U.S. Senators Todd Young (R-IN), Marco Rubio (R-FL), Lindsey Graham (R-SC), Joni Ernst (R-IA), and Tom Cotton (R-AR), who all serve on either the Senate Foreign Relations Committee or the Senate Armed Services Committee.\r\nWe write with deep concern regarding recent statements and actions by the Democratic Republic of Korea (DPRK), which seem to indicate the DPRK intends to resume long-range missile tests and other serious provocations in the near future, in violation of multiple United Nations Security Council resolutions,the senators wrote.We urge you to make clear that the Trump Administration intends to fully implement the maximum pressure' policy, including by the continued imposition of sanctions against the DPRK pursuant to U.S. law. We note with regret that the pace of unilateral U.S. designations of entities violating DPRK sanctions has slowed considerably since the Trump-Kim summit diplomacy' began. We urge you to work with your interagency colleagues to fully implement U.S. law.\r\nNorth Korea's ambassador to the United Nations recently stated that North Korea has no intentions to denuclearize, and the comments come as an end-of-the-year deadline set by dictator Kim Jong Un approaches to see progress in negotiations with the United States. Earlier this month, a North Korean official warned it was up to the U.S. to choose what it would receive as a Christmas gift from Pyongyang.\r\nThe full letter is availablehereand below:\r\nDear Ambassador Craft:\r\nWe write with deep concern regarding recent statements and actions by the Democratic Republic of Korea (DPRK), which seem to indicate the DPRK intends to resume long-range missile tests and other serious provocations in the near future, in violation of multiple United Nations Security Council resolutions. We are likewise concerned by a recent statement from the DPRK Ambassador to the UN Kim Song, stating that denuclearization is off the table as part of potential future negotiations with the United States.\r\nWe agree with your remarks at the UN Security Council Briefing on the DPRK on December 11, 2019, where you stated that over the past year and a half, the DPRK has continued to advance its prohibited programs, test its prohibited programs, and repeatedly refuse to engage in sustained diplomatic engagement. It is unfortunate, but consistent with the Kim family playbook, that the willingness of the United States to engage in meaningful dialogue with the DPRK has been met by Pyongyang's mendacity and deception.\r\nTherefore, we urge you to continue to make clear that United States policy will remain to seek complete, verifiable, and irreversible denuclearization of the DPRK, a longstanding policy goal enshrined in U.S. law, including the North Korea Sanctions and Policy Enhancement Act (Public Law 114-122) and the Asia Reassurance Initiative Act (Public Law 115-409). We also urge you to make clear, including to your counterparts from theRussian Federation and the People's Republic of China, that the United States will never support lifting any mandatory UN Security Council sanctions against the DPRK until the DPRK fully complies with international law and ceases the behavior for which these sanctions were imposed in the first place.  \r\nIn addition, we urge you to make clear that the Trump Administration intends to fully implement the maximum pressure policy, including by the continued imposition of sanctions against the DPRK pursuant to U.S. law. We note with regret that the pace of unilateral U.S. designations of entities violating DPRK sanctions has slowed considerably since the Trump-Kim summit diplomacy began. We urge you to work with your interagency colleagues to fully implement U.S. law, including by designating additional Chinese and Russian entities as appropriate.\r\nWe also urge to emphasize that the United States will continue to highlight DPRK's atrocious human rights record at the United Nations and all other appropriate fora, including as part of any bilateral engagements with the DPRK. The United States must remain a global leader in highlighting Pyongyang's abuses against its people and its complicity in other atrocities, such as the 2017 murder of American student Otto Warmbier.\r\nWe look forward to your response and to working with you to achieve these goals.\r\n###\r\nCory Gardner is a member of the U.S. Senate serving Colorado. He sits on the Energy & Natural Resources Committee, the Foreign Relations Committee, the Commerce, Science, & Transportation Committee, and is the Chairman of the Subcommittee on East Asia, the Pacific, and International Cybersecurity Policy.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.gardner.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/gardner-backed-provisions-included-in-senate-approved-national-security-appropriations-bill", "Gardner Backed Provisions Included in Senate-Approved National Security Appropriations Bill", "2019-12-19", "2019", "2019-12", "Republican", "House", "CO", "Cory Gardner", "G000562", "www.gardner.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Washington, D.C.  The U.S. Senate today passed H.R. 1158, the consolidated national security appropriations package for Fiscal Year 2020, with U.S. Senator Cory Gardner's (R-CO) support. This legislation is one of two funding bills that passed the Senate today to fund the government, and it included a number of key priorities backed by Gardner for the state of Colorado. The bills now head to the President's desk to be signed into law.\r\nAfter months of unnecessary delays, I'm pleased the Senate finally passed critical funding for the men and women who serve our country in uniform, said Senator Gardner. This national defense bill provides Colorado's service members with the resources they need to fulfill their missions and supports the future of U.S. Space Command in Colorado, which is currently located at Peterson Air Force Base in Colorado Springs. Additionally, we successfully included first-time funding for the Defense Community Infrastructure Program, more funding to support scientific research in Colorado, and my amendment to ensure law enforcement officers have additional resources to combat the rise of methamphetamine use in our communities.\r\nH.R. 1158 contains four appropriations bills: Department of Defense; Commerce, Justice, Science; Financial Services and General Government; and Homeland Security.\r\nColorado priorities Gardner backed in H.R. 1158 include:\r\nFinancial Services and General Government:\r\n \r\n$425 million for states to improve election security\r\n \r\nDepartment of Defense:\r\n \r\nFull funding of U.S. Space Command, which is provisionally located at Peterson Air Force Base\r\n$40 million for the U.S. Space Force, which Senator Gardner has supported and was formally authorized in the Senate's Fiscal Year 2020 National Defense Authorization Act\r\n$50 million for the Defense Community Infrastructure Program, the first time funds are allocated specifically for the DCIP program. Senator Gardner has led this effort in the Senate\r\n$30 million for the innovative U.S. Air Force Academy Cyber Accelerator\r\n$10 million for critical cyber security infrastructure resiliency efforts at Cheyenne Mountain\r\nIncreased funding for life-changing medical research at Colorado research centers, to include $5 million for novel therapeutic interventions research\r\n$19.5 million for the Procurement Technical Assistance Program, which helps states and small businesses in the defense procurement process\r\n$1.2 billion for 14 F-35 aircraft for the U.S. Air Force\r\n \r\nCommerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies:\r\n \r\n$48.5 million funding increase for the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) for a total of $1.03 billion to that agencya nearly 5 percent increase over last fiscal year\r\n\r\nIncluded in the NIST increase is a $6 million increase for the Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) program, which Gardner has championed and has a Colorado presence through Manufacturer's Edge\r\n\r\n$203 million funding increase for the National Science Foundation (NSF) for a total of $8.278 billion to that agencya nearly 3 percent increase over last fiscal year\r\nMore than $22.6 billion for NASA, an approximately $1.13 billion increase over last fiscal year\r\n\r\nIncludes $2.585 billion for Space Launch System (SLS) and $1.4 billion for Orion Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle\r\nIncludes $48 million for NASA's Space Grant program\r\n\r\n$13 million for COPS Office Anti-Methamphetamine Task Force grants, after Gardner successfully pushed for more funding\r\n$27.5 million for the Bulletproof Vest Partnership Grant Program, a $2.5 million increase from FY19. Gardner is an original cosponsor on legislation that permanently reauthorizes this program and increased the authorization from $25 to $30 million\r\n$125 million for STOP School Violence grants, which is a $25 million increase from FY19\r\nIncludes STELAR permanency provisions and license modifications in the package that will allow Grand Junction broadcasters the opportunity to provide DirecTV subscribers with their own local TV rather than Los Angeles TV\r\n \r\n###\r\nCory Gardner is a member of the U.S. Senate serving Colorado. He sits on the Energy & Natural Resources Committee, the Foreign Relations Committee, the Commerce, Science, & Transportation Committee, and is the Chairman of the Subcommittee on East Asia, the Pacific, and International Cybersecurity Policy.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.gardner.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/gardner-markey-applaud-25b-in-government-funding-bill-to-implement-indo-pacific-policy", "Gardner, Markey Applaud $2.5B in Government Funding Bill to Implement Indo-Pacific Policy", "2019-12-19", "2019", "2019-12", "Republican", "House", "CO", "Cory Gardner", "G000562", "www.gardner.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Washington, D.C.  U.S. Senators Cory Gardner (R-CO) and Ed Markey (D-MA), Chairman and Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on East Asia, the Pacific, and International Cybersecurity Policy, today applauded the passage of the State and Foreign Operations, and Related Programs appropriations bill as a part of the end-of-year spending package, which contained $2.5 billion to implement the Gardner-Markey Asia Reassurance Initiative Act (ARIA), the comprehensive Asia policy framework signed into law in December 2018, and the Administration's Indo-Pacific Strategy (IPS).\r\nToday's passage of the funding bill and expected signature into law by the President represents the final step in the process to implement the ARIA initiative, which began in 2017 and involved: Eight legislative hearings at the Senate Foreign Relations committee in the 115th Congress and the 116th Congress; unanimous passage by the Senate and the House of Representatives; the President's signature into law; unanimous endorsement by the Senate Appropriations Committee in September; and today's endorsement by the full Congress. $2.5 billion for ARIA/IPS represents nearly 5 percent of the entire Fiscal Year 2020 State and Foreign Operations bill, which funds the State Department, U.S. Agency for International Development, and the U.S. foreign aid budget.\r\nToday is a historic day for U.S. foreign policy and a bad day to be a dictator in Pyongyang, a communist in Beijing, or a human rights abuser in Phnom Penh. What began as an idea at our subcommittee with Senator Markey over two years ago today blossomed into a fully-funded generational U.S. policy framework for the Indo-Pacific region that will ensure the United States remains the pre-eminent Pacific power for generations to come, said Senator Gardner. ARIA will allow the U.S. government to speak with one voice to advance our nation's national security, economic interests, and values in the Indo-Pacific, a region critical to the success of our nation as the pre-eminent global superpower that respects human rights and the rule of law.\r\nWith this funding, Congress amplifies the message that Senator Gardner and I have been sending since we developed ARIA: the United States is invested in Asia's success. Our government is now further empowered to advance America's interests as we witness the spread of authoritarian governance, human rights violations, and aggressive Chinese military modernization in the region. The United States cannot afford to cede leadership as the country that best empowers people across the Indo-Pacific to seek freedom and economic opportunity, said Senator Markey.\r\nBackground:\r\nIn the 116thand 115th Congress, Gardner and Markey held eight hearings on ARIA in their Subcommittee. The hearing topics included security challenges, economic opportunities, promoting human rights and the rule of law, U.S.-China relations, and Administration views.\r\n115th Congress:\r\nAmerican Leadership in the Asia-Pacific, Part 1: Security Issues\r\nAmerican Leadership in the Asia-Pacific, Part 2: Economic Issues\r\nAmerican Leadership in the Asia Pacific, Part 3: Promoting Democracy, Human Rights, and the Rule of Law\r\nAmerican Leadership in the Asia-Pacific, Part 4: View from Beijing\r\nAmerican Leadership In The Asia Pacific, Part 5: The Asia Reassurance Initiative Act\r\n116th Congress:\r\nARIA in Action, Part 1: Human Rights, Democracy, and the Rule of Law\r\nARIA in Action, Part 2: The Benefits of Economic Diplomacy\r\nARIA in Action, Part 3: Implementation and Indo-Pacific Strategy\r\nFormer U.S Secretary of Defense James Mattis and U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo thanked Senator Gardner for his leadership on ARIA in a letter sent June 2018.\r\nThe Department of Defense endorsed ARIA in the Administration's Indo Pacific Strategy Report,stating: This legislation enshrines a generational whole-of-government policy framework that demonstrates U.S. commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific region and includes initiatives that promote sovereignty, rule of law, democracy, economic engagement, and regional security.\r\nThe Department of State endorsedARIAin its A Free and Open Indo-Pacific report, stating: The United States Congress demonstrated its support for the priorities of the Indo-Pacific strategy through the passage of the BUILD Act in October 2018 and the Asia Reassurance Initiative Act in December 2018.\r\nRead the Congressional Research Service Report onARIAhere.\r\nThe text of the bill can be foundhere.\r\nA background paperonARIAcan be foundhere.\r\nARIATimeline:\r\nSenator Gardner ImplementedARIAin the 116thCongress:\r\n \r\nOctober 16th, 2019:Gardner's Asia Reassurance Initiative Act Earns Praise at Senate Foreign Relations Hearing\r\nSeptember 18th, 2019:Gardner Urges Colleagues to Support Appropriations Process, Fund Critical National Security\r\nJuly 22nd, 2019:Gardner Hosts President of Taiwan in Colorado\r\nJune 27th,2019:Gardner Statement on Senate Passage of NDAA\r\nJune 18th, 2019:Gardner Delivers the Keynote Address at the 2019 Asia Policy Assembly\r\nJune 13th, 2019:Gardner Applauds Senate Approval of Stilwell as Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs\r\nMay 2nd, 2019:Senators Gardner, Menendez, Risch, and Markey, Introduce Bipartisan Resolution Calling for a Stronger U.S.-Japan Alliance\r\nMay 2nd, 2019:Gardner, Markey Legislation Commemorating the 40th Anniversary of the Taiwan Relations Act Passes Senate\r\nApril 17th, 2019:Gardner Statement on Reports of North Korea Test-Firing Tactical Guided Weapon\r\nApril 10th, 2019:Senators Gardner, Lankford, Menendez, Markey Honor US-Korean Alliance\r\nApril 8th, 2019:Gardner, Coons Reintroduce CLIPS Act to Address Cybercrime\r\nApril 4th, 2019:Gardner, Markey, Risch, Menendez, and Inhofe Introduce Legislation Commemorating the 40th Anniversary of the Taiwan Relations Act\r\nApril 2nd, 2019:Gardner Meets with South Korea's Defense Minister\r\nMarch 18th, 2019:Gardner, Markey Send Letter Urging Robust Enforcement of Current Sanctions on North Korea\r\nMarch 14th, 2019:Gardner Delivers the Keynote Address at the Global Taiwan Institute\r\nMarch 8th, 2019:Gardner, Menendez Seek Answers from Trump Administration on North Korean Cyberattacks\r\nFebruary 28th, 2019:Gardner Statement on Second North Korean Summit\r\nFebruary 12th, 2019:Gardner Meets with Chinese Leaders\r\nFebruary 7th, 2019:Gardner, Rubio, Cotton, Cornyn, and Cruz Send Letter Requesting Speaker Pelosi Invite the President of Taiwan to Address a Joint Session of Congress\r\n \r\nARIABecame Law in the 115thCongress:\r\n\r\nARIA's Origins in the 114thand 115thCongress:\r\n \r\nDecember 21st, 2018:Gardner, Markey Tout Successful Partnership as Leaders on Asia Policy in the 115th Congress\r\nDecember 5th, 2018:Gardner, Markey Comprehensive Asia Policy Measure Passes Senate\r\nSeptember 26th, 2018:Framework for New United States Policy Toward Asia Advances out of Senate Foreign Relations Committee\r\nAugust 14th, 2018:Gardner Reaffirms Importance of US-Taiwan Friendship in Meeting with President Tsai\r\nJune 4th, 2018:Senators Gardner, Markey to Hold Hearing on North Korea Before Trump-Kim Summit\r\nMay 15th, 2018:Senators Gardner and Markey Highlight their Asia Strategy\r\nApril 24th, 2018:Gardner, Markey, Rubio, Cardin Announce Framework for New United States Policy in Asia\r\nNovember 8th, 2017:Heritage Foundation Address by Senator Cory Gardner (\r\nJuly 18th, 2017:Gardner Gives Keynote Address At Seventh Annual CSIS South China Sea Conference\r\nApril 17th, 2017:Getting the U.S.-China Relationship Right\r\n \r\nARIAin theNews:\r\nWSJ: Op-ed: Trump's Successful Pivot to Asia\r\nThe Asia Reassurance Initiative Act is the most comprehensive statement in a generation of America's regional interests. It authorizes expenditures of $1.5 billion annually through 2023 to enhance U.S. military, diplomatic and economic engagement with East and Southeast Asian allies such as Japan, India, South Korea and Taiwan.\r\nWSJ: Op-ed: China's Military Escalation\r\nBelieve it or not, Congress is also trying to help with the bipartisan Asia Reassurance Initiative Act (ARIA). The Senate bill affirms core American alliances with Australia, Japan and South Korea, while calling for deeper military and economic ties with India and Taiwan. It notably encourages regular weapons sales to Taipei.\r\nSTRAITS TIMES: Asia Reassurance Initiative Act passed by US Senate will beef up engagement across Indo-Pacific\r\nThe legislation in effect lays down a policy framework to support the United States' commitment to a \"free and open Indo-Pacific region and the rules-based international order\", according to Republican Senator Cory Gardner of Colorado, who sponsored the Bill.\r\nRoll Call: Senate Eyes Passage of Bill to Check China in Asia-Pacific\r\nThe Senate Foreign Relations committee last week unanimously advanced a bipartisan bill from Sens. Cory Gardner, R-Colo., and Edward J. Markey, D-Mass., who lead the Asia-Pacific Subcommittee. The measure would authorize more than $1.5 billion in new funds over the next five years for the State Department, U.S. Agency for International Development and the Pentagon to maintain regional political support for the rules-based international order that the United States has championed over the last 70 years.\r\nFOX NEWS: Sen. Cory Gardner: North Korea is still a threat  Verifiable, irreversible denuclearization must be our goal\r\nMore recently, my Asia Reassurance Initiative Act (ARIA), signed into law by President Trump on Dec. 31, 2018, unequivocally reaffirms that it is the policy of the United States that the objective of negotiations with respect to the nuclear and ballistic missile programs of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea be the complete, verifiable, and irreversible dismantlement of such programs.\r\nDAILY SIGNAL: Taiwan Remains a Strong US Partner 40 Years After Key Legislation\r\nThe April 30 resolution, which urges the president to explore opportunities to expand and deepen bilateral economic and trade relations with Taiwan, was submitted by Sen. Cory Gardner, R-Colo., chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations subcommittee on East Asia, the Pacific, and international cybersecurity policy.\r\nTHE DIPLOMAT:ARIA: Congress Makes Its Mark on US Asia Policy\r\nThe genesis of the United States' Asia Reassurance Initiative Act (ARIA) was a series of hearings in 2017-18 held by Senator Cory Gardner (R-CO), the chairman of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee's Subcommittee on East Asia, the Pacific, and International Cyber Security.\r\nDURANGO HERALD: Colorado senator goes from farming to foreign policy adviser\r\nAnd Gardner wants to helm the formulation of a long-term policy in a region that by 2050 will make up over 50 percent of the global population and gross domestic product, according to an Asian Development Bank report. Three weeks ago, he introduced the Asia Reassurance Initiative Act with three other senators to facilitate the creation of a U.S. plan in a region with gaping policy holes.\r\n###\r\nCory Gardner is a member of the U.S. Senate serving Colorado. He sits on the Energy & Natural Resources Committee, the Foreign Relations Committee, the Commerce, Science, & Transportation Committee, and is the Chairman of the Subcommittee on East Asia, the Pacific, and International Cybersecurity Policy.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.gardner.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/gardner-statement-on-stephen-bieguns-confirmation-as-deputy-secretary-of-state-", "Gardner Statement on Stephen Biegun\u2019s Confirmation as Deputy Secretary of State", "2019-12-19", "2019", "2019-12", "Republican", "House", "CO", "Cory Gardner", "G000562", "www.gardner.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Cory Gardner (R-CO), Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on East Asia, the Pacific, and International Cybersecurity Policy, issued the following statement today after the Senate voted 90-3 to confirm Stephen Biegun as the Deputy Secretary of the U.S. Department of State. Mr. Biegun will continue to serve as the United States Special Representative for North Korea, the capacity in which he has worked closely with the Senate Foreign Relations Committee to achieve the complete, verifiable, and irreversible denuclearization of North Korea.\r\nI am grateful for Mr. Biegun's dedicated service to our country and his commitment to advancing American interests and values around the globe, said Senator Gardner. I look forward to working with him closely to address the global challenges that require American leadership, including deterring Kim Jong Un and other two-bit dictators; implementing the National Security Strategy to succeed in great power competition with China and Russia; and confronting terrorism worldwide to keep the American homeland safe.\r\n###\r\nCory Gardner is a member of the U.S. Senate serving Colorado. He sits on the Energy & Natural Resources Committee, the Foreign Relations Committee, the Commerce, Science, & Transportation Committee, and is the Chairman of the Subcommittee on East Asia, the Pacific, and International Cybersecurity Policy.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.gardner.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/senate-passed-government-funding-bill-includes-colorado-victories-gardner-priorities", "Senate-Passed Government Funding Bill Includes Colorado Victories, Gardner Priorities", "2019-12-19", "2019", "2019-12", "Republican", "House", "CO", "Cory Gardner", "G000562", "www.gardner.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Washington, D.C.  U.S. Senator Cory Gardner (R-CO) successfully included a number of Colorado priorities in H.R. 1865, a domestic spending package of appropriations bills, which was approved by the Senate today. This legislation is the first of two funding bills considered by the Senate today to fund the government, and H.R. 1865 now heads to the President's desk to be signed into law.\r\nI'm proud that this funding package ties together many of the efforts that I've championed for Colorado this year, said Senator Gardner. These efforts will lower health care costs in Colorado, provide vital resources for our military service members, and help future generations enjoy Colorado's public lands by increasing funding for the Land and Water Conservation Fund. This bill will have a direct impact on Colorado communities by fully funding critical services for counties with large amounts of federal land and supporting innovative energy research projects in Colorado.\r\nH.R. 1865 includes eight appropriations bills: Labor, Health and Human Services, Education; Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration; Energy and Water Development; Interior, Environment; Legislative Branch; Military Construction, Veterans Affairs; State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs; and Transportation, Housing and Urban Development.\r\nAlso included in H.R. 1865 was the repeal of the costly Health Insurance Tax (HIT) and Medical Device Tax, which Gardner has long advocated for in order to lower Coloradans' health care costs and foster innovation.\r\nColorado priorities Gardner backed in H.R. 1865 include:\r\nMilitary Construction, Veterans Affairs (VA), and Related Agencies:\r\n \r\n$71 million for a Company Operations Facility at Fort Carson\r\n$60 million for a Consolidated Space Operations Facility at Schriever Air Force Base\r\n \r\nAgriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies:\r\n \r\nMaintains critical funds for resilient dryland farming research\r\nProvides funding for Department of Agriculture bureaus that do important work in Colorado, including Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, Farm Service Agency, Natural Resources Conservation Service, and Rural Development\r\nEnsures disaster relief funds that are set to expire at the end of the calendar year remain available to assist agricultural producers who have been affected by natural disasters in 2018 and 2019\r\nFully funds the Farm and Ranch Stress Assistance Network at $10 million. Senator Gardner was a cosponsor of the original legislation to reauthorize this program, and secured a $3 million increase in the program's funding\r\n \r\n\r\nInterior, Environment, and Related Agencies:\r\n \r\n$495 million for the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF), an increase of $60 million over funding from last year\r\nProvides $2.25 billion in budget cap adjustment funding to mitigate need for fire borrowing\r\nFully funds Payment in Lieu of Taxes (PILT) at $500 million\r\n$1.4 billion for the Bureau of Land Management (BLM)\r\n\r\nContinues to fund activities to reorganize the BLM's headquarters\r\n\r\n$3.4 billion for the National Park Service\r\n \r\n\r\nLabor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies:\r\n \r\n$41.68 billion for the National Institutes of Health\r\n \r\n\r\nEnergy and Water Development:\r\n \r\n$1.68 billion for the Bureau of Reclamation\r\nIncludes language that continues to advocate for the construction of the Arkansas Valley Conduit\r\nDirects funding as needed for the Bureau of Reclamation to assist Colorado River states in implementing the Drought Contingency Plans\r\nSignificant funding for grid modernization, storage, and cyber research and development\r\nRecord funding levels for the Advanced Research Projects Agency  Energy (ARPA-E) at $425 million. There are currently nearly 50 ongoing projects at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Colorado School of Mines, and other research entities in Colorado benefiting from ARPA-E funding\r\nProtects funding for the National Renewable Energy Laboratory through the Office of Science and the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy\r\n$195 million for Quantum Information Science\r\n$71 million for AI and machine learning activities\r\n \r\nTransportation, Housing, and Urban Development, and Related Agencies:\r\n \r\nIncludes $1 billion for Better Utilizing Investments to Leverage Development (BUILD) grants\r\nIncludes language previously supported by Gardner aimed at ensuring continued service on Amtrak's Southwest Chief route\r\nIncludes full funding for Essential Air Service (EAS) program\r\n \r\n\r\nState, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs:\r\n\r\n###\r\nCory Gardner is a member of the U.S. Senate serving Colorado. He sits on the Energy & Natural Resources Committee, the Foreign Relations Committee, the Commerce, Science, & Transportation Committee, and is the Chairman of the Subcommittee on East Asia, the Pacific, and International Cybersecurity Policy.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.gardner.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/senate-passes-gardner-bennet-bill-to-extend-platte-river-recovery-implementation-program", "Senate Passes Gardner, Bennet Bill to Extend Platte River Recovery Implementation Program", "2019-12-19", "2019", "2019-12", "Republican", "House", "CO", "Cory Gardner", "G000562", "www.gardner.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Washington, D.C.Today the U.S. Senate passed a bipartisan bill introduced by Colorado U.S. SenatorsCory Gardner (R) andMichael Bennet (D) to extend thePlatteRiver Recovery Implementation Program (PRRIP) as part of the year-end spending package. The bill was passed by the House of Representatives earlier this week and will now go to the president's desk to be signed into law.\r\nThePlatteRiver Recovery Implementation Program has responsibly protected endangered species living in Colorado's natural habitats,said Senator Gardner.It's a great example of how a partnership between federal, state, and local stakeholders can promote conservation, protect nature and prevent litigation, and I'm pleased to see it reauthorized.\r\nThePlatteRiver in Colorado is the bedrock of our economy and the headwaters for a unique and important ecosystem. ThePlatteRiver Recovery Implementation Program has helped protect endangered species through a collaborative approach with other states and water users in the region,said Senator Bennet.I'm glad to see this effective program extended.\r\nOver the past decade, thePlatteProgram has become a model for collaborative endangered species recovery programs,saidJason Farnsworth, Executive Director of thePlatteRiver Recovery Implementation Program.Much of our success stems from the commitment and ongoing support of Program stakeholders who have demonstrated that environmental groups, water users and regulators can work together to benefit the endangered species of thePlattebasin and the people who live here. We are appreciative of the time and effort that has already been expended to navigate the legislative process and look forward to continuing the Program's important work during the Extension.\r\nThePlatteRiver Recovery Implementation Program is an important partnership with resounding benefits to Colorado's economy,said Dan Gibbs, Executive Director of the Colorado Department of Natural Resources.The Program allows for water development in Colorado's booming Front Range and supports our farming communities in Northeastern Colorado all while benefiting the recovery of four threatened and endangered species. This collaborative and proactive conservation program stands as a national model and has led to 13 years of success. I lend my full support for the reauthorization of this Program\r\nBackground:\r\nIn April,Gardner andBennet, along with U.S. Senators John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), Mike Enzi (R-Wyo.), Deb Fischer (R-Neb.), and Ben Sasse (R-Neb.) introduced thePlatteRiver Recovery Implementation Program Extension Act. ThePlatteRiver Recovery Implementation Program (PRRIP) is a cooperative agreement among the governors of Colorado, Wyoming, Nebraska, and the Secretary of the Interior to achieve Endangered Species Act compliance on thePlatteRiver. PRRIP also allows new and existing water use and development through this streamlined consultation process.\r\nThe program was initiated to alleviate habitat threats along thePlatteRiver for the endangered whooping crane, interior least tern and pallid sturgeon, and the threatened piping plover. A recentannouncementfrom the Fish and Wildlife Service credited the PRRIP with helping to recover the interior least tern.\r\nIn addition to addressing protections under the federal Endangered Species Act, PRRIP has allowed the three states and the Department of Interior to avoid lengthy and expensive litigation involving the Endangered Species Act. The program has provided a level of certainty to water users in thePlatteRiver drainage that litigation would not have afforded.\r\nPRRIP was authorized by Congress in 2008. The first increment of the program is set to expire on December 31, 2019. S. 990 extends the program by an additional 13 years. The legislation was developed by the three state representatives on the Governance Committee and enjoys broad bipartisan support from lawmakers, water users, conservation groups, and the administration.\r\n###\r\nCory Gardner is a member of the U.S. Senate serving Colorado. He sits on the Energy & Natural Resources Committee, the Foreign Relations Committee, the Commerce, Science, & Transportation Committee, and is the Chairman of the Subcommittee on East Asia, the Pacific, and International Cybersecurity Policy.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://buck.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/ken-buck-end-year-spending", "Ken Buck on End of Year Spending", "2019-12-18", "2019", "2019-12", "Republican", "House", "CO", "Ken Buck", "B001297", "buck.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "For Immediate Release  \n\tWednesday, December 18, 2019  Contact: 202-225-4676\nWashington, D.C.  Congressman Ken Buck voted against the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2020 (H.R. 1158) and the Further Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2020 (H.R. 1865) and released the following statement:\nDemocrats released the text of these two bills on Monday afternoon, giving my colleagues and me less than 24 hours to read through 2300 pages of text that spends $1.4 trillion. The bills not only funded pet projects across the country but also included numerous riders like a 7-year authorization of the Export-Import bank and a $6 billion taxpayer bailout for a pension fund. This is the epitome of fiscal irresponsibility. We cannot keep saddling our children and grandchildren with insurmountable debt.\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://tipton.house.gov/media/press-releases/tipton-calls-out-partisan-impeachment-process", "Tipton Calls Out Partisan Impeachment Process", "2019-12-18", "2019", "2019-12", "Republican", "House", "CO", "Scott Tipton", "T000470", "tipton.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "WASHINGTON Today the House of Representatives voted on and passed two separate articles of impeachment against President Donald Trump. Congressman Scott Tipton (CO-03) opposed both articles and delivered the following remarks on the House floor prior to the vote:\n\nMake no mistake, this process did not begin with the whistleblower report. In fact, impeachment efforts began shortly after the president was elected. The theatrics and political posturing have ensured that this body is not actually pursuing to preserve checks and balances; rather, this process echoes the calls by some that refuse to accept election results.\n\nWatch Tipton's full remarks by clicking the image below.\n\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.gardner.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/foreign-relations-committee-passes-gardners-hard-hitting-russia-sanctions-package", "Foreign Relations Committee Passes Gardner\u2019s Hard-Hitting Russia Sanctions Package", "2019-12-18", "2019", "2019-12", "Republican", "House", "CO", "Cory Gardner", "G000562", "www.gardner.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Washington, D.C.  Today the Senate Foreign Relations Committee passed U.S. Senator Cory Gardner's (R-CO) legislation to increase pressure and deter the Russian Federation's malign actions around the world. Adopted in a vote of 17-5, the Defending American Security from Kremlin Aggression (DASKA) Act seeks to increase economic, political, and diplomatic pressure on the Kremlin in response to Russia's interference in democratic processes abroad, malign influence in Syria, and aggression against Ukraine.\r\nPutin's Russia is an outlaw regime that is hell-bent on undermining international law and destroying the U.S.-led liberal global order, said Senator Gardner. From the invasion of Ukraine, carrying out chemical attacks on NATO soil, support for the heinous Assad regime, violations of arms control treaties, and meddling in U.S. elections, Russia's actions necessitate the strongest possible response from the United States. This legislation imposes additional strong sanctions to deter Russia's malign behavior, including my provision to require the State Department to determine whether Russia merits the designation as a state sponsor of terror. With the Senate Foreign Relations Committee passage of this legislation, Congress is demonstrating firm bipartisan resolve against Kremlin's mendacity and I hope it will move quickly to be signed into law.\r\nThe legislation establishes a comprehensive policy response to better position the U.S. government to address Kremlin aggression by creating new policy offices on cyber defenses and sanctions coordination. The bill stands up for the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and prevents the President from pulling the U.S. out of the Alliance without a Senate vote. It also increases sanctions pressure on Moscow for its interference in democratic processes abroad and continued aggression against Ukraine.\r\nGardner's work to stand up to Russia's malign actions around the globe include:\r\n \r\nSenator Gardner is a member of the Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe, also known as the Helsinki Commission. In September 2017, Senator Gardner chaired a hearing at the Commission about combatting Russian disinformation efforts.\r\nGardner is also a member of the Senate NATO Observer Group, which has an expanded mission to closely monitor and inform Senators outside of national security committees about defense spending commitments of Alliance members, the process of upgrading military capabilities, the Alliance's counter-terrorism capability, NATO enlargement and the ability of NATO member states to address non-conventional warfare.\r\nIn December, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee approved Gardner's legislation requiring the State Department to determine if Russia is a State Sponsor of Terrorism.\r\nIn December, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee approved S. 1830, Gardner-backed legislation to enhance energy security in Europe and reduce energy dependence on Russia.\r\nIn October, Gardner led bipartisan callsfor the Trump Administration to sanction Russian officials responsible for the unjust imprisonment of more than 200 political prisoners.\r\nIn June, Senators Gardner and Ed Markey (D-MA) introduced the bipartisan LEED Act, which requires briefings by the Secretary of State to address Russia's efforts to undercut United Nations sanctions against North Korea.\r\nIn April, Gardner responded to Special Counsel Robert Mueller's report on Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election, calling for additional pressure, sanctions, and punishments in response to Russia interfering in our election.\r\nIn March, Gardner introduced the bipartisan European Energy Security and Diversification Act to provide new tools for the U.S. to combat malign Russian influence and promote energy independence from Russia.\r\nIn February, Gardner introduced the bipartisan Defending American Security from Kremlin Aggression Act (DASKA) of 2019. Gardner introduced a previous version of this legislation with Senators Lindsey Graham (R-SC), Bob Menendez (D-NJ), Ben Cardin (D-MD), John McCain (R-AZ), and Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) in August 2018.\r\nIn November 2018, Gardner called for new measures to deter the Kremlin after Russia's illegal and unprovoked aggression toward Ukraine.\r\nIn November 2018, Gardner released a statement with Senator Ben Cardin (D-MD), opposing the candidacy of Russian national Alexander Prokopchuk to serve as the President of the International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL).\r\nIn July 2018, Gardner cosponsored the bipartisan Defending Elections from Threats by Establishing Redlines (DETER) Act, which sends a clear message that Russia and any other foreign actor seeking to disrupt our elections will face severe consequences.\r\nIn April 2018, Gardner authored an op-ed in the New York Times on why the State Department should support designating Russia as a State Sponsor of Terrorism.\r\nIn February 2017, Gardner led a letter to the President, urging the Administration to pursue a principled and tough-minded Russia policy, highlighting Russia's aggressive behavior in Ukraine, Syria, and cyberspace.\r\n \r\n###\r\nCory Gardner is a member of the U.S. Senate serving Colorado. He sits on the Energy & Natural Resources Committee, the Foreign Relations Committee, the Commerce, Science, & Transportation Committee, and is the Chairman of the Subcommittee on East Asia, the Pacific, and International Cybersecurity Policy.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.gardner.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/gardner-warren-announce-bipartisan-bill-to-address-immigration-in-the-state-legal-cannabis-industry", "Gardner, Warren Announce Bipartisan Bill to Address Immigration in the State-Legal Cannabis Industry", "2019-12-18", "2019", "2019-12", "Republican", "House", "CO", "Cory Gardner", "G000562", "www.gardner.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Washington, D.C. U.S. Senators Cory Gardner (R-CO) and Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) today announced the introduction of bipartisan legislation that would remove participation in the state-legal cannabis industry from the list of activities that automatically bar naturalization.\r\nIn April, the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS)issued guidancein its policy manual making clear that because cannabis is still a Schedule 1 substance under the Controlled Substances Act, an applicant that is employed in the state-legal cannabis industry cannot establish good moral character  even if the applicant has not been convicted of an offense and has always acted in compliance with state law. This legislation would amend immigration law to allow applicants who comply with state cannabis laws to demonstrate that they have good moral character and should not be barred from naturalization.\r\nUnder current law, individuals are deemed to lack good moral character' and denied American citizenship due to their work in the legal cannabis industry in states like Colorado and Massachusetts. This has to stop.said Senator Gardner.Currently95 percent of Americans are living in states with laws allowing some form of cannabis. The dramatically expanded cannabis industry presents real challenges for our nation, and I'm proud to be working with Senator Warren toaddress these issues.\r\nNo one should have to worry about being denied naturalization for working in their state's legal cannabis industry,said Senator Warren.Our bipartisan bill would ensure that outdated federal cannabis laws don't block the pathway to citizenship for those seeking it through naturalization.\r\nIn addition to today's announcement, Senators Warren and Gardner announced another bipartisanbillthat would prohibit the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) from denying veterans VA-backed home loans based on their employment in their state's legal cannabis industry. Currently, cannabis is considered illegal under federal law, and as a result, the VA can deny home loans to veterans whose verified income is earned from working in their state's legal cannabis industry.\r\nSenators Gardner and Warren alsoreintroducedthe Strengthening the Tenth Amendment Through Entrusting States Act (STATES Act) in April 2019. Both senators originallyintroducedthe STATES Act in 2018.\r\n###\r\nCory Gardner is a member of the U.S. Senate serving Colorado. He sits on the Energy & Natural Resources Committee, the Foreign Relations Committee, the Commerce, Science, & Transportation Committee, and is the Chairman of the Subcommittee on East Asia, the Pacific, and International Cybersecurity Policy.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.gardner.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/gardner-warren-announce-bipartisan-bill-to-protect-veterans-working-in-the-state-legal-cannabis-industry", "Gardner, Warren Announce Bipartisan Bill to Protect Veterans Working in the State-Legal Cannabis Industry", "2019-12-18", "2019", "2019-12", "Republican", "House", "CO", "Cory Gardner", "G000562", "www.gardner.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Washington, D.C.  U.S. Senators Cory Gardner (R-CO) and Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) announced the introduction of bipartisan legislation that would prohibit the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) from denying veterans VA-backed home loans based on their employment in their state's legal cannabis industry. Currently, cannabis is considered illegal under federal law, though 48 states including Colorado have laws permitting or decriminalizing marijuana or marijuana-based products. As a result of federal law, the VA can deny home loans to veterans whose verified income is earned from working in their state's legal cannabis industry. Companion legislation is being introduced in the House of Representatives by Democratic Caucus Vice Chair Katherine Clark (D-MA) and U.S. Representative Gonzlez-Coln (R-PR).\r\nEligible veterans are able to receive a home loan partially guaranteed by the VA. In states across the country, veterans are among the individuals working in the state's legal cannabis industry. In addition to ensuring that this work will not affect VA home loan guaranty program eligibility, the bill would clarify that the VA's activities related to guaranteeing such a loan would not be a violation of federal controlled substances laws, nor would mere application for a VA-backed home loan violate these laws.\r\nThe citizens of Colorado led the nation in adopting a new approach to cannabis, and our state's veterans have fought for our country all over the world. It's disgraceful that a veteran can be denied a benefit they earned serving our country because they have a job in a legitimate cannabis business, said Senator Gardner. Unfortunately this isn't the only policy failure due to conflicting state and federal marijuana laws. This is another example in the long list of reasons to pass the STATES Act, which Senator Warren and I introduced to respect the will of the people and take the states' rights approach to legal cannabis.\r\n\r\nVeterans have sacrificed so much for this country, but our outdated federal marijuana laws prevent many veterans from getting the loans they need to buy homes, said Senator Warren. Our bipartisan bill would ensure that veterans who work in their state's legal cannabis industry can access VA home loans and realize the dream of homeownership.\"\r\nNOTE: The bill text can be found here.\r\n\r\nIn addition to today's announcement, Senators Gardner and Warren announced another bipartisan bill that would prohibit U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) from considering an individual's employment in the state-legal cannabis industry as a factor in his or her application for naturalization. Both bills were simultaneously announced as a package of legislative measures that would help improve the lives of individuals who work in the state-legal cannabis industry.\r\n\r\nSenators Gardner and Warren also reintroduced the Strengthening the Tenth Amendment Through Entrusting States Act (STATES Act) in April 2019. Both senators originally introduced the STATES Act in 2018.\r\n\r\n###\r\nCory Gardner is a member of the U.S. Senate serving Colorado. He sits on the Energy & Natural Resources Committee, the Foreign Relations Committee, the Commerce, Science, & Transportation Committee, and is the Chairman of the Subcommittee on East Asia, the Pacific, and International Cybersecurity Policy.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://tipton.house.gov/media/press-releases/tipton-end-year-spending-bills-boost-national-security-fail-address-reckless", "Tipton: End of Year Spending Bills a Boost for National Security, Fail to Address Reckless Washington Spending Habits", "2019-12-17", "2019", "2019-12", "Republican", "House", "CO", "Scott Tipton", "T000470", "tipton.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "WASHINGTON Today the House voted on two separate spending bills totaling over 2,300 pages to keep the government funded through the 2020 fiscal year. The two gargantuan pieces of legislation totaled nearly $1.4 trillion in government spending and passed less than a day after introduction. While one of the bills increases pay for American troops and includes several national security and defense priorities received support from the Congressman, he sharply criticized the process as a whole. Tipton supported H.R. 1158 which funds the Departments of Defense; Commerce, Justice; Financial Services; and Homeland Security, and voted against H.R. 1865 which funds the rest of the government.\nOnce again, we are being forced to vote on massive spending packages that fail to uphold any promises to reduce wasteful spending or address the national debt, something Members on both sides of the aisle have agreed to do for years, said Tipton. I applaud the work done to include critical funding for the military, give our troops a pay raise, address national defense priorities, and I support these time-sensitive measures to ensure a strong national defense. While I support many of the programs and missions under the other bill, H.R. 1865, 12 hours is not sufficient time to review a bill of this size, and I have already identified some problematic areas that do not address the spending crisis plaguing Washington. On the whole, passing these huge spending measures under last-minute deadlines fails to address Washington's reckless spending habits and is part of a continuing process I do not support. Washington must return to regular order and allow for adequate time to review each individual appropriations bill in the future.\nBackground:\n Text of the two spending bills was made available to House members in the wee hours of the early morning, and the first vote related to the legislation took place on the same day around 9:45am.\n\tDefense spending totaled $738 billion, the funding for non-defense totaled $632 billion.\n\tTipton voted in support of H.R. 1158 the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2020 which funds the Departments of Defense; Commerce, Justice, Science; Financial Services; and Homeland Security. He voted against H.R. 1865 the Further Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2020 which would fund the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education; Agriculture; Energy and Water; Interior; Legislative Branch; Military Construction and Veterans Affairs; State and Foreign Operations; and Transportation and Housing through next fiscal year.\n\tFederal agencies across the board will receive an estimated increase of $49 billion.\n\tThe non-defense bill would reauthorize the Export-Import bank for seven years, a measure Tipton voted against earlier this year. The bill would also raise the federal age to purchase tobacco products to 21, include a bail-out for private pensions, and vastly exceeds the White House budget proposal set earlier this year.\n\tThe defense bill included a handful of Tipton-backed measures such as:\n\t\tA 3.1 percent pay increase for active duty troops, the largest single raise in a decade.\n\t\t\t$500 million for Israeli Cooperative programs, such as their Iron Dome.\n\t\t\t$34 billion for Defense Health programs to research traumatic brain injuries and suicide for veterans as well as additional cancer affecting servicemembers.\n\t\t\t$1.3 billion for border security improvements.\n\t\t\t$285 million for the Hight Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas Program\n\t\t\t$5 million for the National Commission on Combatting Synthetic Opioid Trafficking.\n\t\t\tTipton-authored language directing the Small Business Administration to conduct outreach on the availability of disaster loans on Federal lands.\n\t\t\n ###", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.gardner.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/defense-bill-clears-senate-authorizes-over-300-million-in-gardner-secured-colorado-priorities", "Defense Bill Clears Senate, Authorizes Over $300 Million in Gardner-Secured Colorado Priorities", "2019-12-17", "2019", "2019-12", "Republican", "House", "CO", "Cory Gardner", "G000562", "www.gardner.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Washington, D.C.  U.S. Senator Cory Gardner (R-CO) voted in support of the conference report to accompany the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2020 today, which authorizes $322 million in military construction projects in Colorado. The annual defense bill also authorizes a 3.1 percent pay raise for troops, the largest in a decade, and 12 weeks of paid parental leave for all 2.1 million federal employees. With bipartisan Senate passage today, the legislation heads to the President's desk for signature.\r\n\r\nNOTE: Click here or on the picture above to download Senator Gardner's remarks in support of NDAA passage.\r\nI'm proud the Senate passed a strong bipartisan National Defense Authorization Act today to provide for our national defense and keep Americans safe around the globe. Colorado's military installations are on the cutting edge of military readiness and protecting our national security, and this legislation goes a long way to support Colorado service members and their families. said Senator Gardner. In particular, we successfully authorized the U.S. Space Force as a military service branch, which will help to ensure the United States remains a global leader in space. Colorado has a long history of supporting our nation's civilian and military space operations, and with U.S. Space Command currently located at Peterson Air Force Base, our state is uniquely positioned to further advance its role in space operations. As a state, we look forward to supporting the standup of our military's newest service branch, the U.S. Space Force.\r\n\r\nSenate Armed Services Committee Chairman Jim Inhofe (R-OK) commended Senator Gardner's work on the NDAA in the following statement:\r\n\r\nThe United States has a strategic advantage in space, but our adversaries are coming for us, and we must be prepared to compete in this increasingly contested domain. As I recently commented in Centennial at a defense roundtable with Senator Gardner, he is a true leader on defense issues broadly and space specifically. With Senator Gardner's leadership and guidance, the defense authorization bill creates a United States Space Force to advance America's ability to meet evolving threats and challenges. The Space Force will firmly establish a strong footing of space domain warfighters in the State of Colorado, and hard-working Coloradans will play an important role in this critical mission, said Senator Inhofe.\r\n\r\nText of the legislation can be found here.\r\n\r\nThe defense bill authorizes $322 million total in military construction projects in Colorado (Section 4601):\r\n \r\n$71M for a Company Operations Facility at Fort Carson\r\n$54M for a Theater Operational Support Facility at Peterson Air Force Base\r\n$148M for a Consolidated Space Operations Facility at Schriever Air Force Base\r\n$49M for a Consolidated Cadet Prep School Dormitory at the U.S. Air Force Academy\r\n \r\n\r\nSenator Gardner led numerous provisions included in the NDAA, including:\r\n \r\nProviding resources for PFAS pollution cleanup to ensure clean and safe drinking water. (Sections 7321, 7362)\r\nImposing sanctions on North Korea, pursuant to the Gardner-authored North Korea Sanctions and Policy Enhancement Act, signed into law in 2016. (Section 7111)\r\nExpressing the sense of Congress that North Korea poses a threat to United Sates forces and allies, and diplomacy, economic sanctions, and credible deterrence are essential to address North Korea's illicit weapons of mass destruction program. (Section 1257)\r\nImproving the emergency alert system and giving the federal government the sole responsibility of alerting the public of a missile threat. (Section 1756)\r\nPromoting the expansion of the national network of Manufacturing USA institutes and strengthening American manufacturing. (Section 1741)\r\nExpressing support for the democratic values and human rights of the people of Hong Kong and authorizes US sanctions against all those violating the human rights of the people of Hong Kong. (Section 1260F)\r\nAuthorizing $75 million for the Defense Community Infrastructure Program to be administered by the Office of Economic Adjustment in support of economic development in communities surrounding military installations. (Section 4301)\r\nEliminating the widow's tax that directly harms Gold Star Families. (Section 622)\r\n\r\nGardner is a cosponsor of S. 622, the Military Widow's Tax Elimination Act of 2019, and joined an August letter to NDAA conferees requesting that the final package include a solution.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n###\r\nCory Gardner is a member of the U.S. Senate serving Colorado. He sits on the Energy & Natural Resources Committee, the Foreign Relations Committee, the Commerce, Science, & Transportation Committee, and is the Chairman of the Subcommittee on East Asia, the Pacific, and International Cybersecurity Policy.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.gardner.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/defense-bill-clears-senate-includes-gardner-provision-to-promote-democracy-human-rights-and-autonomy-in-hong-kong", "Defense Bill Clears Senate, Includes Gardner Provision to Promote Democracy, Human Rights, and Autonomy in Hong Kong", "2019-12-17", "2019", "2019-12", "Republican", "House", "CO", "Cory Gardner", "G000562", "www.gardner.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Washington, D.C.  U.S. Senator Cory Gardner (R-CO) voted in support of the conference report to accompany the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2020 today, which includes his legislative provision expressing U.S. support for democracy in Hong Kong and authorizes U.S. sanctions against all those violating the human rights of the people of Hong Kong. The language initially passed in the Senate on June 27, 2019, and was the first legislative response to the widespread protests in Hong Kong. With Senate passage today, the legislation heads to the President's desk for signature.\r\nThe voice of the people of Hong Kong must be heard without fear of repression and retaliation, said Senator Gardner. No matter how much the Chinese Communist Party tries to pressure the United States to trade away our values, we will continue to stand with the people of Hong Kong and to support democracy and human rights around the world.\r\nText of the legislation can be found here.\r\n \r\nExpressing support for the democratic values and human rights of the people of Hong Kong and authorizes U.S. sanctions against all those violating the human rights of the people of Hong Kong. (Section 1260F)\r\n \r\nBackground:\r\n \r\nOn September 10, 2019, Senator Gardner, along with Senators Jim Risch (R-ID) and Bob Menendez (D-NJ), chairman and ranking member of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, sent a letter to Secretary Pompeo and Secretary Ross requesting an assessment of the adequacy of U.S. export controls with respect to Hong Kong.\r\nOn September 26, 2019, Gardner held a hearing in the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on the emergency in Hong Kong, featuring a prominent Hong Kong pro-democracy leader Nathan Law.\r\nOn November 19, 2019, legislation from Senators Gardner and Merkley (D-OR) unanimously passed the Senate. The legislation, S. 2710, was signed into law by the President on November 27, 2019, and would ban the U.S. export of crowd control munitions and equipment to the Hong Kong Police Force for one year.\r\n \r\n###\r\nCory Gardner is a member of the U.S. Senate serving Colorado. He sits on the Energy & Natural Resources Committee, the Foreign Relations Committee, the Commerce, Science, & Transportation Committee, and is the Chairman of the Subcommittee on East Asia, the Pacific, and International Cybersecurity Policy.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.gardner.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/defense-bill-clears-senate-includes-gardner-provisions-to-sanction-north-korea", "Defense Bill Clears Senate, Includes Gardner Provisions to Sanction North Korea", "2019-12-17", "2019", "2019-12", "Republican", "House", "CO", "Cory Gardner", "G000562", "www.gardner.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Washington, D.C.  U.S. Senator Cory Gardner (R-CO) voted in support of the conference report to accompany the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2020 today, which includes his provisions to recommit the United States to a policy of maximum pressure and to enforce mandatory sanctions under Senator Gardner's North Korea Sanctions and Policy Enhancement Act, signed into law in 2016. Gardner's legislation marked the first time Congress approved mandatory, standalone sanctions on North Korea. It was also the first bill to impose sanctions to counter North Korea's increasingly sophisticated and malicious cyber attacks. The bipartisan legislation passed the Senate today 86-8 and now heads to the President's desk for signature.\r\nThe Administration should make clear to Pyongyang that the only way we will dismantle the U.S. and international sanctions regime is when Pyongyang completely dismantles every single nut and bolt of its illicit weapons programs  not a minute earlier, said Senator Gardner. North Korea will remain a global outcast until it reverses course from a long history of human rights abuses, aggression, and defying international law. I will continue to work with my colleagues and the Administration toward peaceful denuclearization of North Korea that is complete, verifiable, and irreversible.\r\nText of the legislation can be found here\r\n \r\nImposing sanctions on North Korea, pursuant to the Gardner-authored North Korea Sanctions and Policy Enhancement Act, signed into law in 2016. (Section 7111)\r\nExpressing the sense of Congress that North Korea poses a threat to United Sates forces and allies, and diplomacy, economic sanctions, and credible deterrence are essential to address North Korea's illicit weapons of mass destruction program. (Section 1257)\r\n \r\n###\r\nCory Gardner is a member of the U.S. Senate serving Colorado. He sits on the Energy & Natural Resources Committee, the Foreign Relations Committee, the Commerce, Science, & Transportation Committee, and is the Chairman of the Subcommittee on East Asia, the Pacific, and International Cybersecurity Policy.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.gardner.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/gardner-bennet-neguse-introduce-bills-to-expand-rocky-mountain-national-park", "Gardner, Bennet, Neguse Introduce Bills to Expand Rocky Mountain National Park", "2019-12-17", "2019", "2019-12", "Republican", "House", "CO", "Cory Gardner", "G000562", "www.gardner.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Washington, D.C. Colorado U.S. Senators Cory Gardner and Michael Bennet,along with U.S. Representative Joe Neguse (CO-2), introduced two pieces of legislation today to expand the Rocky Mountain National Park (RMNP).The billsallow former NASA astronaut Vance D. Brand to donate 40 acres to Rocky Mountain National Park, and wouldalsoresolve a longstanding issue regarding a local family's cabin that was erroneously transferred to the park.Both land transfers require an Act of Congress to complete.\r\nNOTE:Clickheretoview and download video remarks from Senator Gardner.\r\n\r\nAstronaut Vance D. Brand is not only an American hero, but also a Colorado hero. Born and raised in Longmont, Colorado, he spent many years at Rocky Mountain National Park, and now he graciously wants to donate 40 acres of land to expand the park where he spent many years of his life,said Senator Gardner.However, the Park Service needs approval from Congress to change the park's boundary.I'm incredibly grateful for his commitment to share more of the beautiful Rocky Mountain National Park area with the public, and I'm proud to introduce this legislation with Senator Bennet and Congressman Neguse to respect this hero's wishesand make this donation official.\r\n\r\nFor locals and the visitors who travel to Rocky Mountain National Park from around the world alike, astronaut Vance Brand's generous donation to the park is exciting news,saidSenator Bennet.Our bills will formally add this parcel of land in the Longs Peak region to RMNP, and clean up boundary discrepancies elsewhere, to improve management in the area. We thank Mr. Brand for this valuable contribution to the park.\r\n\r\nPublic lands are who we are as Coloradans, they drive our outdoor recreation economy and inspire our commitment to sustainability,saidCongressman Joe Neguse.I am proud to lead this effort alongside Senator Gardner and SenatorBennetto honor the desire of former Astronaut Vance D. Brand to convey 40 acres of land into the treasured Rocky Mountain National Park landscape. Rocky Mountain National Park is one of the most popular national parks in the country and this legislation will enhance the park for future generations to enjoy.\r\n\r\nMy view is that this donation is payback to the American people in appreciation for the wonderful times and many benefits that I receive from great experiences inRMNP. I request the U.S. government to adjust the eastern boundary ofRMNPto include the 40 acres that our family donatedwhich currently is in the hands of Rocky Mountain Conservancy,saidRetired NASA Astronaut Vance D. Brand.\r\n\r\nBackground:\r\nFormer U.S. astronaut Vance D.Brand is voluntarily donating a 40-acretract to Rocky Mountain National Park. The property is located adjacent to the eastern boundary of the park and would add additional protection for the park's high-elevation ecosystem. This parcel of land would also provide recreational access and connectivity through a scenic, natural buffer between private lands and three popular trails; Estes Cone, Storm Pass, and Eugenia Mine Trails. These three trails connect to and are part of a large trail network offering hundreds of miles of trails to the park's 4.5 million annual visitors.\r\nThe National Park Service (NPS) is working with the Forsyth family to resolve a 1972-73 issue where a 0.18-acre plot containing their family cabin was erroneously transferred to the Rocky Mountain National Park when the NPS purchased a larger surrounding parcel. An error in the bank documents' legal description of the parcel mislocated the family's holding as a 0.18-acre plot of vacant land inside the parcel, not the original cabin site. The Forsyth family, seeking to regain legal ownership of its cabin and the 0.18-acre plot on which it sits, proposed an exchange of properties.\r\n\r\nSupport for expanding the Rocky Mountain National Park:\r\nForsyth Family Letter of Support\r\nRetired NASA Astronaut Vance D. Brand Letter of Support\r\nTown of Estes Park Letter of Support\r\nLarimer County Commissioners Letter of Support\r\nRocky Mountain Conservancy Letter of Support\r\n###\r\nCory Gardner is a member of the U.S. Senate serving Colorado. He sits on the Energy & Natural Resources Committee, the Foreign Relations Committee, the Commerce, Science, & Transportation Committee, and is the Chairman of the Subcommittee on East Asia, the Pacific, and International Cybersecurity Policy.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.gardner.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/gardner-thanks-law-enforcement-during-holiday-season", "Gardner Thanks Law Enforcement During Holiday Season", "2019-12-17", "2019", "2019-12", "Republican", "House", "CO", "Cory Gardner", "G000562", "www.gardner.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Washington, D.C.  U.S. Senator Cory Gardner (R-CO) spoke on the floor of the United States Senate today in honor of Colorado law enforcement officers and the sacrifices they make to keep Colorado communities safe.\r\nGardner remembered the lives of Colorado State Patrol Master Trooper William Moden, Colorado State Patrol Corporal Daniel Groves, Colorado Department of Corrections Sergeant Joshua Voth, and Summit County firefighter Ken Jones, who died in the line of duty this year while serving Coloradans. Gardner also honored South Metro Fire Rescue former Chief of Operations Troy Jackson, who passed away yesterday from a rare cancer believed to be job-related.\r\n\r\nNOTE: Click here or the picture above to view Senator Gardner's remarks.\r\nThis time of the year, I am reminded of the sacrifices that these brave officers make in order to make sure that everyone's holiday season is enjoyed safely, said Senator Gardner. Jaime and I would also like to send our thanks to the families of our law enforcement and first responders. Every day these men and women say goodbye to their loved ones, unsure of what the day will hold. I'm sure these goodbyes are much more difficult during the holiday season but without the love and support of those at home, the jobs of law enforcement would be that much harder. We thank them for their continued sacrifice.\r\n\r\nRemarks as delivered:\r\nMadam President, today I rise to give my thanks to the brave men and women of law enforcement in Colorado and across this country.\r\nEvery holiday season I am reminded of the sacrifice that these brave officers make in order to make sure that everybody's holiday season is enjoyed safely. And that every day is enjoyed safely and securely.\r\nAcross the United States this year, 115 law enforcement officers have paid the ultimate sacrifice in the line of duty.\r\nIn Colorado, we honor those who lost their lives this year:\r\nMaster Trooper William Moden, who was killed earlier this year when he was struck by a vehicle as he was investigating a crash. He served with the Colorado State Patrol for 12 years.\r\nCorporal Daniel Groves who was also killed by a passing vehicle while assisting another driver during the blizzard last winter. Corporal Groves also served the State Patrol in Colorado for 12 years.\r\nUnfortunately, I also come to the floor to honor three other brave men and women, you can see them here, who have given their lives just this past month.\r\nSergeant Joshua Voth served the Colorado Department of Corrections and was stationed at the Canon City Correctional Facility. He was killed this month when an issue with a boiler caused an explosion.\r\nSergeant Voth was 28 years old and leaves behind his wife and three children. He served at the Canon City facility for three years and helped teach inmates valuable trade skills to help smooth the plan to rehabilitation.\r\nWe also lost other beloved members of our first responder community, they need to be remembered and honored as well.\r\nKen Jones, a member of the Summit Fire and EMS was killed on December 7th while responding to a fire at Copper Mountain.\r\nKen served with that department for 20 years and was known by his colleagues as a firefighter's firefighter.\r\nTravis Davis, the Deputy Chief of Operations for Summit Fire and EMS, remembers him as an Oak and said everyone in the organization learned something from Ken's steady and calm demeanor.\r\nWe thank Ken and his family for two decades of service and send our sincerest thoughts to all those who knew him.\r\nI would also like to recognize Troy Jackson, a former assistant Chief of Operations with the South Metro Fire Rescue, who passed away just yesterday morning after a battle with what is believed to be a job-related cancer.\r\nChief Jackson was first hired in 1990 and served nearly three decades before stepping away in 2016 due to his health. He was open about his battle with cancer in the hopes that he could teach other firefighters how to avoid these risks.\r\nWe thank Chief Jackson for his service and send our thoughts and prayers along to his wife and two children.\r\nEach one of these officers and firefighters we lost was a neighbor, a loved one, a member of the communities, extraordinary Coloradans who gave their life to protect their communities.\r\nAnd while we remember those that we lost this year, we must also continue to celebrate those who continue to serve today.\r\nIn August, I was fortunate to award Officer Micheal Lohman of the Greeley Police Department with the Congressional Badge of Bravery for his heroic actions apprehending the driver of a stolen vehicle in 2017.\r\nWhile at the driver-side window of the vehicle, the driver pulled a gun on Officer Lohman who immediately engaged with the driver to take the weapon.\r\nThe driver pulled Officer Lohman into the vehicle and began accelerating, dragging him along the street. Officer Lohman kept his cool and was able to pull the suspect from the vehicle while it was still moving, and apprehend him with the help of other officers.\r\nThese actions saved the lives of anyone and everyone in the path of that vehicle, as well as the life of his partner who was at the passenger side of the vehicle when the gun was pulled.\r\nThese actions give our communities piece of mind knowing that heroes like Officer Lohman continue to keep all of us safe.\r\nBut we know that every brave action doesn't get the recognition that it deserves. Every day there are law enforcement and first responders who act with complete selflessness. They do this not to seek recognition or praise, but simply because it is what they were called to do.\r\nJaime and I would also like to send our thanks to the families of our law enforcement and first responders. Every day these men and women say goodbye to their loved ones, unsure of what that day will hold for them.\r\nI'm sure these goodbyes are much more difficult during the holiday season, but without the love and support of those at home, the jobs of law enforcement, our first responders would be that much more difficult. We thank them for their continued sacrifice.\r\nI would also like to take a moment to say thanks to the men and woman of the U.S. Capitol Police. They work long hours to ensure that members of the staff and members themselves are able to carry out their duties safely.\r\nAnd on top of that important duty, they also protect the public who come to visit, to express their opinion, to express their right to assemble and speech, in the Capitol and beyond, not only to tour this beautiful Capitol building, but to make sure their thoughts are heard on our nation's policy issues.\r\nI know every one of my colleagues will join us in expressing our gratitude to law enforcement and first responders, not only in Colorado, but across this nation this holiday season. They will give up time with their own families to make sure others are safe.\r\nTo all those who defend that thin blue line, thank you and God bless. You have my enduring support. May you all have a happy and blessed holiday season.\r\nAnd I yield the floor.\r\n###\r\nCory Gardner is a member of the U.S. Senate serving Colorado. He sits on the Energy & Natural Resources Committee, the Foreign Relations Committee, the Commerce, Science, & Transportation Committee, and is the Chairman of the Subcommittee on East Asia, the Pacific, and International Cybersecurity Policy.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.gardner.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/gardner-secures-repeal-of-costly-obamacare-taxes", "Gardner Secures Repeal of Costly Obamacare Taxes", "2019-12-16", "2019", "2019-12", "Republican", "House", "CO", "Cory Gardner", "G000562", "www.gardner.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Washington, D.C.  U.S. Senator Cory Gardner (R-CO) today applauded the announcement of an agreement to repeal the costly Health Insurance Tax (HIT) and Medical Device Tax with passage of the year-end federal spending package. Gardner is championing efforts to safeguard Coloradans from these taxes and previously introduced S. 172, a Senate bill to stop the HIT from raising costs on Coloradans.\r\n\r\nToday's announcement is a major victory towards fostering innovation, protecting Colorado jobs, and fighting rising health care costs for Colorado families and small businesses. A tax on medical devices is a tax on innovation, on small businesses, and on our collective ability to discover the new medical breakthroughs that could improve the lives of patients, said Senator Gardner. Congressional action to repeal the Health Insurance Tax will mean lower costs for approximately 142 million Americans. These are issues I have worked on going back to my time in the House of Representatives, and I'm proud to be a leader in the successful effort to protect Coloradans from these costly taxes.\r\n\r\nAbout the Health Insurance Tax:\r\nThe HIT is a fee to health insurers on their health policy premiums that increases costs on families, small businesses, seniors, Americans with disabilities, and state Medicaid programs. A recent report from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services found that the HIT was the primary driver of the rise in health care costs when it was in effect in 2018. Estimates show that repeal of the HIT will save families hundreds of dollars a year.\r\n\r\nIn January, Senators Gardner, Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), John Barrasso (R-WY), Doug Jones (D-AL), Tim Scott (R-SC), and Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ) introduced S. 172, the Health Insurance Tax Relief Act of 2019, to suspend the HIT for two years. Last week, Senator Gardner led a bipartisan group of colleagues in sending a letter to leadership of the U.S. Senate and U.S. House of Representatives requesting relief from the HIT. Gardner is also an original cosponsor of S. 80, the Jobs and Premium Protection Act, which would fully repeal the HIT.\r\nAbout the Medical Device Tax:\r\nObamacare created a 2.3 percent medical device excise tax. Colorado is home to a rapidly growing medical device industry, which directly employs nearly 10,000 individuals and contributes $6.4 billion to Colorado's economy. Senator Gardner is an original cosponsor of S. 692, the Protect Medical Innovation Act of 2019, to repeal the Medical Device Tax. In December, Gardner sent a letter to the leadership of the U.S. Senate and U.S. House of Representatives urging a delay or full repeal of the Medical Device Tax.\r\n\r\n###\r\n\r\nCory Gardner is a member of the U.S. Senate serving Colorado. He sits on the Energy & Natural Resources Committee, the Foreign Relations Committee, the Commerce, Science, & Transportation Committee, and is the Chairman of the Subcommittee on East Asia, the Pacific, and International Cybersecurity Policy.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.gardner.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/gardner-urges-congressional-leadership-to-pass-no-budget-no-pay", "Gardner Urges Congressional Leadership to Pass No Budget, No Pay", "2019-12-16", "2019", "2019-12", "Republican", "House", "CO", "Cory Gardner", "G000562", "www.gardner.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Washington, D.C.  U.S. Senators Cory Gardner (R-CO), Rick Scott (R-FL), and Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ), along with U.S. Representatives Jack Bergman (MI-1) and Gil Cisneros (CA-39) and 16 of their colleagues, sent a bipartisan letter to congressional leadership urging them to pass No Budget, No Pay to prevent members of Congress from receiving pay if they don't pass legislation to fund the federal government.\r\nWhen Congress fails to pass appropriations, American people are hurt. Just this year, American families suffered under the longest government shutdown in U.S. history. Air traffic controllers, members of the Coast Guard, and fire safety officials worked without pay, while Members of Congress continued to receive their paychecks, Gardner and his colleagues wrote. That is wrong, and we're urging you to move forward with No Budget, No Pay before the end of the year. The concept is simple: Members of Congress should not be paid if they don't pass appropriations. If Congress can't do its most basic task, then Members of Congress shouldn't get a paycheck.\r\nThe full letter is available here and below:\r\nThe Honorable Mitch McConnell\r\nMajority Leader\r\nUnited States Senate\r\n\r\nThe Honorable Charles Schumer\r\nMinority Leader\r\nUnited States Senate\r\n\r\nThe Honorable Nancy Pelosi\r\nSpeaker of the House\r\nUnited States House of Representatives\r\n\r\nThe Honorable Kevin McCarthy\r\nRepublican Leader\r\nUnited States House of Representatives\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nDear Congressional Leadership:\r\nAs we wrap up the year and finalize the negotiations on Fiscal Year 2020 appropriations, we urge you to include No Budget, No Pay as part of any end-of-year spending package.\r\nAppropriating funds is the most basic duty of Congress, but for the past 40 years, Congress has cut corners by passing short-term spending bills  Continuing Resolutions  that just keep government funded at existing levels.\r\nWhen Congress fails to pass appropriations, American people are hurt. Just this year, American families suffered under the longest government shutdown in U.S. history. Air traffic controllers, members of the Coast Guard, and fire safety officials worked without pay, while Members of Congress continued to receive their paychecks.\r\nThat is wrong, and we're urging you to move forward with No Budget, No Pay before the end of the year. The concept is simple: Members of Congress shouldnot be paid if they don't pass appropriations. If Congress can't do its most basic task, then Members of Congress shouldn't get apaycheck.\r\nThis proposal has bipartisan support and is already moving through Congress. It was approved by the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee in June, and is included as part of the Prevent Government Shutdowns Act (S. 1877).\r\nWithholding paychecks from Members of Congress who fail to pass appropriations is an important step to prevent government shutdowns, which hurt the economy and millions of everyday Americans. But it's also an important step to promote fiscal responsibility.\r\nWe are elected to represent the citizens of our states and districts. When they don't do their job, there are consequences, and that same standard should apply to Congress. We look forward to continuing to work with you to make important reforms so Washington works better for all Americans.\r\n###\r\nCory Gardner is a member of the U.S. Senate serving Colorado. He sits on the Energy & Natural Resources Committee, the Foreign Relations Committee, the Commerce, Science, & Transportation Committee, and is the Chairman of the Subcommittee on East Asia, the Pacific, and International Cybersecurity Policy.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.gardner.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/senate-passes-gardner-resolution-commemorating-the-75th-anniversary-of-the-battle-of-the-bulge", "Senate Passes Gardner Resolution Commemorating the 75th Anniversary of the Battle of the Bulge", "2019-12-16", "2019", "2019-12", "Republican", "House", "CO", "Cory Gardner", "G000562", "www.gardner.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Washington, D.C.In recognition of the Battle of the Bulge beginning 75 years ago today, the U.S. Senate passed a resolution last week introduced by U.S. Senators Cory Gardner (R-CO), Kevin Cramer (R-ND), and Joe Manchin (D-WV) commemorating this anniversary.S. Con. Res 23honors the valiant efforts of the Allied Forces in December 1944, as well as those who made the ultimate sacrifice in this last major German offensive in Western Europe during World War II.\r\nThe 4th Infantry Division of the U.S. Army, which is currently based at Fort Carson, fought in the Battle of the Bulge and played a major role in the Allied victory. There were 89,000 American casualties in this 38-day battle, and 19,000 American soldiers lost their lives. The Allied victory in this battle helped make possible the final defeat and surrender of Germany in May 1945.\r\nNow therefore be it resolved,the resolution states,that the Senate commemorates, on December 16, 2019, the 75thAnniversary of the Battle of the Bulge in World War II; recognizes the valiant efforts of the various Allied Forces; and remembers the individuals who made the ultimate sacrifice, which contributed to the Allied victory in the European Theater.\r\nSenators Gardner, Cramer, and Manchin were joined in introducing this resolution by Senators Dan Sullivan (R-AK), Steve Daines (R-MT), Johnny Isakson (R-GA), John Cornyn (R-TX), Bill Cassidy (R-LA), Shelley Moore Capito (D-WV), Ted Cruz (R-TX), Pat Roberts (R-KS), Marco Rubio (R-FL), John Hoeven (R-ND), Susan Collins (R-ME), Joni Ernst (R-IA), Jerry Moran (R-KS), Mike Rounds (R-SD), Roger Wicker (R-MS), Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-MS), Lindsey Graham (R-SC), Jim Risch (R-ID), Todd Young (R-IN), John Boozman (R-AR), Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), John Kennedy (R-LA), John Barasso (R-WY), Rick Scott (R-FL), Pat Toomey (R-PA), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Chris Coons (D-DE), Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Chris Murphy (D-CT), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Doug Jones (D-AL), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Michael Bennet (D-CO), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Maggie Hassan (D-NH), Jon Tester (D-MT), Jacky Rosen (D-NV), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Roy Blunt (R-MO), Thom Tillis (R-NC), and Benjamin Cardin (D-MD).\r\nClickhereto read the full resolution.\r\n###\r\nCory Gardner is a member of the U.S. Senate serving Colorado. He sits on the Energy & Natural Resources Committee, the Foreign Relations Committee, the Commerce, Science, & Transportation Committee, and is the Chairman of the Subcommittee on East Asia, the Pacific, and International Cybersecurity Policy.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://buck.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/ken-buck-votes-against-articles-impeachment-house-judiciary-committee", "Ken Buck Votes Against Articles of Impeachment Before the House Judiciary Committee", "2019-12-13", "2019", "2019-12", "Republican", "House", "CO", "Ken Buck", "B001297", "buck.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "For Immediate Release  \n\tFriday, December 13, 2019  Contact: 202-225-4676\nWashington, D.C.  Today, Congressman Ken Buck released the following statement after a vote in the House Judiciary Committee approving Articles of Impeachment against Donald J. Trump:\nToday's partisan vote in the Judiciary Committee will have lasting negative consequences for the American government. I did not support impeaching President Trump because I do not believe his actions rise to the level of an impeachable offense.\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://tipton.house.gov/media/in-the-news/blm-will-study-environmental-impact-quarry-wells", "BLM will study environmental impact of quarry wells", "2019-12-13", "2019", "2019-12", "Republican", "House", "CO", "Scott Tipton", "T000470", "tipton.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "The Bureau of Land Management will conduct an environmental assessment on the potential impacts of five water wells at the RMR Industrial quarry.\nAfter reviewing the public comments received on the drilling proposal, the BLM is preparing an environmental assessment, which will include a detailed analysis of the potential impacts of the drilling proposal, BLM spokesman David Boyd said in an email.\nThe five wells are required to establish a baseline for the BLM to begin environmental review of the quarry expansion proposal.\nIn October, the BLM began seeking comment on whether they could approve the five test wells under a categorical exclusion, the lowest form of environmental review.\nThe BLM received 250 comments, all opposed to the categorical exclusion, during the comment period. On Dec. 5, Rep. Scott Tipton (R-Colo.) wrote to state BLM director Jamie Connellasking for a more rigorous environmental review.\nTipton urged the BLM to operate under an abundance of caution in the area, especially regarding any activity that may impact the hydrology of the hot springs, and referred tocomments from Glenwood Springs City Council on the five proposed wells.\nAs a community, we are especially grateful to Rep. Scott Tipton, who raised his concerns directly with the BLM as they were making this decision, said Glenwood Springs Mayor Jonathan Godes.\nAnd while the Glenwood Springs community remains steadfastly opposed to the quarry expansion, we applaud the BLM for listening to the public's concerns. An environmental assessment will provide the more thorough analysis necessary to understand potential impacts the drilling will have on the hydrological sources of our hot springs, Godes said.\nThe owners of the hot springs resorts in Glenwood Springsraised one of the more concerning potential impactsof the five test wells.\nDrilling at the quarry site could irreparably damage the fragile and complex underground water pathways that feed the hot springs, the hot springs resort owners said.\nSteve Beckley, owner of Iron Mountain Hot Springs, applauded the BLM's decision.\nWe think the BLM made the right decision, and we believe it's best that people get the opportunity to review the impacts of things that happen next door to us, Beckley said.\nAfter the environmental assessment, the BLM will make a decision on whether to approve the five wells. Boyd said he expects the decision to come in early 2020.\nThe BLM is requiring the hydrologic baseline study so that it can better determine what impacts the proposed quarry expansion could have on the hydrology and water resources in the area, Boyd said.\nA larger environmental review of the quarry expansion proposal, including public meetings, is expected to begin later in 2020.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://tipton.house.gov/media/press-releases/tipton-us-china-trade-deal-just-what-americans-needed-christmas", "Tipton: U.S. China Trade Deal Just What Americans Needed for Christmas", "2019-12-13", "2019", "2019-12", "Republican", "House", "CO", "Scott Tipton", "T000470", "tipton.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "WASHINGTONToday, trade representatives from U.S. and China agreed upon phase one' of a larger long-term trade deal. Following the announcement, Congressman Scott Tipton (CO-03) released the following statement:\n \n\tThe U.S. economy is booming and Coloradans, especially those in rural areas, are starting to feel the benefits of our historic economic growth. At 2.6 percent unemployment, Colorado's economy is strong, and today's trade deal news has the potential to make the economy even stronger. Greater trade certainty between the U.S. and China will mean a reduction in tariffs, increased market access, and include good-faith promises that China will end its human rights abuses and intellectual property theft from American businesses. Combined, these elements will stoke confidence for small businesses on Main Street and provide a needed boost, especially in the agricultural community. I applaud the Trump Administration's work to provide greater trade certainty between the world's two biggest economies and look forward to ensuring that the remaining phases are finalized. This news is just what Americans needed for Christmas.\n \nBackground:\nPhase one of the deal would reduce tariffs on $360 billion worth of Chinese goods and cancel the next round of tariffs scheduled to take effect on December 15.\nChina's Vice Minister of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Han Jun also stated that China will significantly increase American agricultural purchases and details will come in the ensuing phases of the trade negotiations.\nChina is Colorado's fifth largest export partner for agricultural goods, receiving more than $89 million of exports from the state in 2018.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://tipton.house.gov/media/press-releases/tipton-welcomes-blm-s-decision-conduct-environmental-assessment-mine-expansion", "Tipton Welcomes BLMs Decision to Conduct Environmental Assessment of Mine Expansion Plan Near Glenwood Springs", "2019-12-13", "2019", "2019-12", "Republican", "House", "CO", "Scott Tipton", "T000470", "tipton.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "WASHINGTONYesterday, the BLM confirmed with the office of Representative Scott Tipton (CO-03) that it was preparing to conduct an Environmental Assessment of a well-drilling proposal at a limestone quarry mine near Glenwood Springs. Following the announcement, Tipton gave the following response:\n \n\tWith any decision that could have significant impacts on the natural environment and economy of a community, it is critically important to listen to those who live there and address their concerns. The Glenwood Springs community has raised legitimate concerns how the hydrology that feeds the Glenwood Hot Springs could be impacted by drilling of test wells, and as I said in my letter, BLM should move with an abundance of caution in such a potentially fragile and not fully known hydrologic area. I am grateful that the BLM has listened to the community and am proud to have taken part in the conversations that led to this decision.\n \nBackground:\nIn June, Tipton sent a letter to the BLM's Colorado State Director Jamie Connell asking to review the concerns that Mayor of Glenwood Springs, Jonathan Godes, had addressed in regards to the mining expansion proposal.\nEarlier this month, Tipton spoke with Connell over the phone regarding the mine owner's intent to seek a categorical exclusion from the National Environmental Policy Act for drilling five wells as part of their overall expansion plan\nTipton followed up with the phone call with an additional letter to Connell citing the concerns the community had raised on the exclusion. In the letter Tipton specifically called for an Environmental Assessment and that BLM should not move forward with the categorical exclusion.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.gardner.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/gardner-bennet-to-devos-extend-closed-school-discharge-eligibility-for-colorado-students", "Gardner, Bennet to DeVos: Extend Closed School Discharge Eligibility for Colorado Students", "2019-12-13", "2019", "2019-12", "Republican", "House", "CO", "Cory Gardner", "G000562", "www.gardner.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Washington, D.C. Colorado U.S. Senators Cory Gardner (R) and Michael Bennet (D) today sent a letter to Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos urging her to extend the closed school discharge eligibility lookback period for Dream Center Education Holding's (DCEH) Art Institute of Colorado and Illinois Institute of Art students who attended or withdrew on or after January 20, 2018. In November, the Department of Education announced it would cancel the loans taken out by students to attend the Art Institute of Colorado and Illinois Institute of Art between January 20, 2018when the schools lost accreditationand December 31, 2018when theyshut their doors. This relief is incomplete and does not relieve students of any of the debt they took on to attend the schools prior to January 20, 2018 which is now worthless. DeVos has the authority in exceptional circumstances to extend the closed school discharge lookback period beyond 120 days.\r\n\r\nIn other words, you have the benefit of hindsight when it comes to establishing the effective date of closure of an institution for purposes of ensuring closed school discharge eligibility is fair to students. In this case, hindsight is clear. For the intents and purposes of students attending the Illinois Institute of Art and Art Institute of Colorado, the schools effectively closed on January 20, 2018. After that point, the best case scenario for these students was to graduate with a worthless degree from a non-accredited institutionbut the schools' closure prevented even that for many, the senators wrote.\r\n\r\nIn addition to Gardner and Bennet, Illinois U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D) and Tammy Duckworth (D) signed the letter.\r\n\r\nThe full letter is available here and below:\r\n\r\nDear Secretary DeVos:\r\n\r\nWe write today to ask you to extend the closed school discharge eligibility lookback period for Dream Center Education Holding's (DCEH) Illinois Institute of Art and Art Institute of Colorado to students who attended or withdrew on or after January 20, 2018.\r\n\r\nOn January 20, 2018, the Higher Learning Commission (HLC) officially transitioned the Illinois Institute of Art and Art Institute of Colorado to Change of Control Candidacy (CCC) status. At the time, HLC noted that the loss of accreditation could have serious consequences for current and prospective students and that students should know that their courses or degrees are not accredited by HLC and may not be accepted in transfer to other colleges and universities or recognized by prospective employers. From that date forward, students who attended these two institutions faced a constant state of uncertainty and harmregardless of when they became aware of it.\r\n\r\nAs you know, 34 C.F.R.  685.214(c)(l)(i)(B), gives you the authority in exceptional circumstances to extend the closed school discharge lookback period beyond 120 days. In other words, you have the benefit of hindsight when it comes to establishing the effective date of closure of an institution for purposes of ensuring closed school discharge eligibility is fair to students. In this case, hindsight is clear. For the intents and purposes of students attending the Illinois Institute of Art and Art Institute of Colorado, the schools effectively closed on January 20, 2018. After that point, the best case scenario for these students was to graduate with a worthless degree from a non-accredited institutionbut the schools' closure prevented even that for many.\r\n\r\nIn November, the Department announced it would cancel the loans taken out by students to attend the Illinois Institute of Art and Art Institute of Colorado between January 20, 2018 and December 31, 2018when they shut their doors. This relief is incomplete and does not relieve students of any of the debt they had previously taken on to attend the schools and which became worthless on January 20, 2018. Extending the closed school discharge eligibility lookback period for the Illinois Institute of Art and Art Institute of Colorado to January 20, 2018, would allow these students to be fully relieved of the debt they took on to attend these schools.\r\n\r\nPlease provide a response to our request no later than January 3, 2020. Thank you for your consideration.\r\n\r\n###\r\nCory Gardner is a member of the U.S. Senate serving Colorado. He sits on the Energy & Natural Resources Committee, the Foreign Relations Committee, the Commerce, Science, & Transportation Committee, and is the Chairman of the Subcommittee on East Asia, the Pacific, and International Cybersecurity Policy.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.gardner.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/gardner-rubio-mcgovern-and-45-lawmakers-urge-trump-administration-to-expand-sanctions-in-response-to-chinas-mass-internment-of-uighurs", "Gardner, Rubio, McGovern, and 45 Lawmakers Urge Trump Administration to Expand Sanctions in Response to China\u2019s Mass Internment of Uighurs", "2019-12-13", "2019", "2019-12", "Republican", "House", "CO", "Cory Gardner", "G000562", "www.gardner.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Washington, D.C.  U.S. Senator Cory Gardner (R-CO), Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on East Asia, the Pacific, and International Cybersecurity Policy, sent a bipartisan letter with U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL), U.S. Representative James P. McGovern (D-MA), the Co-Chair and Chairman of the Congressional Executive Committee on China (CECC), and a bipartisan and bicameral group of 45 lawmakers to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, Secretary of the Treasury Steven Mnuchin, and Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross to respond strongly and decisively to the Chinese government and Communist Party's ongoing mass internment and forced labor of ethnic Uighurs and other Turkic Muslims in the Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region (XUAR).\r\n\r\nThe United States must lead the free world in addressing what may be crimes against humanity being committed in the XUAR, Senator Gardner and his 47 colleagues wrote. If never again' is to mean anything in the 21st century, then we must respond to one of the greatest ongoing tragedies of our time. If the U.S. and American companies refuse or fail to act, it will be a stain on our history.\r\n\r\nThe letter was signed by 28 U.S. Senators, including Gardner: Marco Rubio (R-FL), John Cornyn (R-TX), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), Angus King (I-ME), Jerry Moran (R-KS), Tim Kaine (D-VA), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Tom Cotton (R-AR), Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Susan Collins (R-ME), Steve Daines (R-MT), Ed Markey (D-MA), Ben Sasse (R-NE), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), John Boozman (R-AR), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV), Todd Young (R-IN), Mark Warner (D-VA), Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Chuck Grassley (R-IA), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Bob Casey (D-PA), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), and Ben Cardin (D-MD).\r\n\r\nIn the U.S. House of Representatives, 20 Members of Congress signed the letter: James P. McGovern (D-MA), Eliot Engel (D-NY), Michael McCaul (R-TX), Brad Sherman (D-CA), Chris Smith (R-NJ), Jan Schakowsky (D-IL), Ted Yoho (R-FL), Gerry Connolly (D-VA), Joe Wilson (R-SC), Jackie Speier (D-CA), Ann Wagner (R-MO), Jamie Raskin (D-MD), Mark Meadows (R-NC), Tom Suozzi (D-NY), Vicky Hartzler (R-MO), Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-NJ), Mike Gallagher (R-WI), Don Beyer (D-VA), Tom Malinowski (D-NJ), and Jennifer Wexton (D-VA).\r\n\r\nThe full letter is available here and below:\r\n\r\nDear Secretaries Pompeo, Mnuchin, and Ross:\r\n\r\nWe write today regarding the ongoing mass internment and forced labor of ethnic Uyghurs and other Turkic Muslims in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR) in the People's Republic of China (PRC). Congress has urged the Administration to respond strongly and decisively, and in light of recent reports, we are renewing that call. On November 16, 2019, The New York Times published leaked Chinese government documents that shed new light on the role of the Chinese Communist Party, including its General Secretary Xi Jinping, in the ongoing human rights abuses in the XUAR. While we were pleased to see the Administration announce the imposition of sanctions against Chinese individuals and entities on October 7-8, 2019, these measures were a first step that do not go far enough in ensuring accountability for China's government and Communist Party.\r\nWe urge you to publicly impose Global Magnitsky Act sanctions against Chen Quanguo, the XUAR Community Communist Party Secretary, as well as other senior party leaders who have had a role in setting and implementing China's ethnic and religious policies, including those in the Central Committee and XUAR united front work departments, political-legal commissions, and state security commissions. The continued inaction on Global Magnitsky Act sanctions in light of the voluminous evidence showing Chen, in particular, to be a key architect of the current system of internment camps is simply inexcusable. The Treasury Department should move to approve and implement these sanctions immediately.\r\n\r\nSince a bipartisan group of Members sent a letter on this issue in April 2019, journalists and researchers have revealed that senior officials in the PRC, from Xi Jinping down, are ordering and coordinating the mass internment and forced labor policies we are witnessing in the XUAR. The leaked documents acquired by The New York Times include previously undisclosed speeches by General Secretary Xi and reveal the dehumanizing terms used to justify the crimes against Uyghurs and other religious groups. These documents show that the Party views these groups as possessing a virus in their thought that must be eliminated, using, in Xi's words, the organs of dictatorship and showing absolutely no mercy. Moreover, the system of forced labor that accompanies mass internment in the XUAR has effectively turned the region into a massive labor camp that cruelly exploits ethnic minority labor as part of a program of political indoctrination.\r\n\r\nWe urge you to expand the scope of the sanctions and Bureau of Industry and Security Entity List designations already applied to Chinese government departments and companies responsible for this tragic situation. Since each of you plays a role on the End-User Review Committee on Entity List Decisions, we ask that you expand the Entity List to ensure that U.S. companies are not contributing to, directly or indirectly, the gross human rights violations in the XUAR.\r\n\r\nThe list's expansion should include all Chinese companies involved in the pairing assistance program in XUAR, which subsidizes the establishment of manufacturing facilities in Xinjiang, and any company otherwise benefiting from the system of forced labor in the XUAR. The PRC government reportedly has begun to employ large numbers of Uyghurs, including many former detainees, in these enterprises, particularly labor-intensive textile and apparel factories, where they are strictly supervised. Uyghurs who refuse to accept such employment may be threatened with detention. Oppressive surveillance in the XUAR coupled with the government's policies of forced labor prevent companies from conducting meaningful due diligence to ensure their supply chains are free from forced labor.\r\n\r\nWe ask that expansion of the Entity List supplement the efforts of U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to investigate and block U.S. imports of goods made with forced labor from the XUAR, pursuant to Section 307 of the Tariff Act of 1930. In October, the CBP placed a Withhold Release Order (WRO) on garments produced by XUAR-based Hetian Taida Apparel Company, Ltd. based on the fact that those garments are being produced with prison or forced labor. Members of Congress recently encouraged the CBP to issue additional WROs on Chinese companies using forced labor, particularly in the textile industry. Because forced labor is part of a larger Chinese government policy of social control, it is time for the Administration to take aggressive action to enforce U.S. law and eliminate illegal imports of goods made with forced labor and assembled or manufactured in the XUAR. A copy of the Congressional letter to Acting Commissioner Mark Morgan is included for your reference.\r\nWe also believe the United States should establish stronger disclosure requirements to alert American investors about the presence in U.S. capital markets of Hikvision, Dahua Technology, and other Chinese enterprises complicit in human rights abuses. Such disclosure requirements should also include American and foreign companies listed on U.S. exchanges that source their products from or have a presence in the XUAR. The failure to disclose their business in the XUAR poses material, asymmetric risks to corporate reputation and shareholder valueespecially now that the U.S. government has shown it is prepared to use the Entity List to sanction companies contributing to human rights abuses.\r\n\r\nChinese authorities have detained dozens of family members of U.S. government employees and U.S. citizens and permanent residents in a bid to thwart any effort to expose the details of human rights abuses occurring in the XUAR. In particular, we encourage you to actively seek the release of the family memberssuch as Gulshan Abbas and Kaisar Keyumof Radio Free Asia (RFA) Uyghur language service journalists and prominent Uyghur rights activists Rushan Abbas and Rebiya Kadeer. Efforts to intimidate U.S. residents through detention of their family members is unacceptable and requires a strong response from the Administration.   \r\nThe United States must lead the free world in addressing what may be crimes against humanity being committed in the XUAR. If never again is to mean anything in the 21st century, then we must respond to one of the greatest ongoing tragedies of our time. If the U.S. and American companies refuse or fail to act, it will be a stain on our history.\r\n\r\nWe look forward to working with you on these timely and important issues.\r\n\r\n###\r\nCory Gardner is a member of the U.S. Senate serving Colorado. He sits on the Energy & Natural Resources Committee, the Foreign Relations Committee, the Commerce, Science, & Transportation Committee, and is the Chairman of the Subcommittee on East Asia, the Pacific, and International Cybersecurity Policy.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.gardner.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/senate-passes-gardner-menendez-cruz-resolution-recognizing-armenian-genocide", "Senate Passes Gardner, Menendez, Cruz Resolution Recognizing Armenian Genocide", "2019-12-13", "2019", "2019-12", "Republican", "House", "CO", "Cory Gardner", "G000562", "www.gardner.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Washington, D.C.  The United States Senate unanimously passed S. Res. 150, led by U.S. Senators Cory Gardner (R-CO), Bob Menendez (D-NJ), and Ted Cruz (R-TX), to officially recognize and remember the Armenian Genocide. This was the first time in history the U.S. Senate recognized the Armenian Genocide. Gardner has also co-sponsored similar resolutions in the 114th Congress and the 115th Congress. \r\nThe Armenian Genocide was one of the greatest crimes against humanity, and I am glad the United States is finally on the record recognizing this incontrovertible fact, said Senator Gardner. As many as 1.5 million men, women, and children were brutally murdered, leaving lasting scars on the families and communities affected. This resolution honors the memory of those who were killed and helps us resolve to never allow such an atrocity to ever happen again. \r\nS. Res. 150 is cosponsored by: U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), Ed Markey (D-MA), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Gary Peters (D-MI), Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), Ron Wyden (D-OR), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Marco Rubio (R-FL), Jack Reed (D-RI), Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Tom Udall (D-NM), Kamala Harris (D-CA), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Bernie Sanders (D-VT), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Ben Cardin (D-MD), Cory Booker (D-NJ), John Cornyn (R-TX), Mitt Romney (R-UT), Bob Casey (D-PA), Michael Bennet (D-CO), Jacky Rosen (D-NV), Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV), and Rob Portman (R-OH).\r\n###\r\nCory Gardner is a member of the U.S. Senate serving Colorado. He sits on the Energy & Natural Resources Committee, the Foreign Relations Committee, the Commerce, Science, & Transportation Committee, and is the Chairman of the Subcommittee on East Asia, the Pacific, and International Cybersecurity Policy.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.gardner.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/what-they-are-saying-gardners-9-8-8-suicide-hotline-moves-forward", "What They Are Saying: Gardner\u2019s 9-8-8 Suicide Hotline Moves Forward", "2019-12-13", "2019", "2019-12", "Republican", "House", "CO", "Cory Gardner", "G000562", "www.gardner.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Washington, D.C.  U.S. Senator Cory Gardner's (R-CO) push to establish 9-8-8 as the national suicide prevention and mental health crisis hotline took two critical steps forward this week. On Wednesday, the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation unanimously approved Gardner's National Suicide Hotline Designation Act, S. 2661. On Thursday, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) unanimously approved a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking to designate 9-8-8 as the three-digit number for a national suicide prevention and mental health crisis hotline.\r\n\r\nWhat mental health groups and veterans service organizations are saying about Senator Gardner's legislation:\r\n\r\nWe are thrilled that the bipartisan National Suicide Hotline Designation Act passed unanimously out of committee this week. The rate of suicide continues to increase in Colorado. Addressing mental health services is critically important, and with that comes quick access to resources. Colorado Access strongly supports the creation of a three-digit, universal number for those who are experiencing a mental health crisis to more easily reach the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, said Gretchen McGinnis, senior vice president of healthcare systems and accountable care at Colorado Access.\r\nThe Association for Behavioral Health and Wellness (ABHW) commends Senator Cory Gardner's (R-CO) tireless efforts and leadership in championing the bipartisan bill, National Suicide Hotline Designation Act of 2019 (S. 2661), to designate 9-8-8 as the national suicide prevention and mental health crisis hotline. A dedicated, easily recognizable number for suicide prevention would not only quickly connect those in need with someone who can help, but also attenuate the stigma surrounding mental health conditions, said Pamela Greenberg, MPP, President and CEO, Association for Behavioral Health and Wellness (ABHW).\r\n\r\nAs suicide rises to the tenth-leading cause of death in the U.S., we want to thank Senator Cory Gardner for his commitment to finding a meaningful solution to our nation's suicide crisis by establishing a new, national suicide prevention hotline, said Chuck Ingoglia, president and chief executive officer of the National Council for Behavioral Health. The decision by the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation this week to approve Senator Gardner's bipartisan bill designating 9-8-8 as the national suicide prevention and mental health crisis hotline will make it substantially easier for people to obtain help in a time of crisis and ultimately save lives.\r\n\r\nIt's incredible to see the bipartisan support for this lifesaving bill come from across the Hill, ensuring the critical nature of what it provides is held intact, said Colleen Creighton, Executive Director of American Association of Suicidology. We know this unique, three-digit hotline will provide Americans with the support they desperately need and are happy to see our legislators agree.\r\n\r\nIn a recent op-ed, leaders from Centerstone, Mental Health America, RI International, National Council for Behavioral Health, National Alliance for Mental Illness, The Trevor Project, American Association of Suicidology, and Behavioral Health Link wrote: For too long, our system for mental health crisis services has been underfunded and undervalued. The current responsibility for 9-1-1 to handle mental health and suicide crises creates confusion, unnecessary delays and insufficient responses during people's most difficult moments. Establishing 9-8-8 as a separate, universal three-digit telephone number will reach those in need while simultaneously reducing the burden on 9-1-1 for mental health emergencies. Connecting a person in crisis with mental health care to address their immediate needs will also increase access to a continuum of care that can often feel out of reach for people with mental illness. A direct line to mental health professionals through a 3-digit number will provide unprecedented access to care and undoubtedly save lives.\r\n\r\n\"The Senate Commerce Committee took an important step to advance suicide prevention resources for all Americans with the markup of S. 2661. The Trevor Project is especially encouraged by the inclusion of language requiring the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) to create a distinct plan for LGBTQ youth  who are disproportionately impacted by the suicide crisis in the U.S.  to access specialized service through the Lifeline. We thank Senators Gardner and Baldwin for listening to the voices of LGBTQ Americans, and look forward to working with SAMHSA to strengthen the Lifeline for the future,\" said Sam Brinton, Head of Advocacy and Government Affairs for The Trevor Project.\r\n\r\nEnsuring Veterans and at-risk groups have a simple, reliable way to access mental health services is vital to combatting our nation's suicide crisis, said Melissa Bryant, National Legislative Director of The American Legion. Interventions work. We are proud to support this legislation as a critical step toward tackling this public health crisis.\r\n\r\nThe American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP) applauds the Senators' efforts to establish a national three-digit suicide prevention hotline number. Having an easy to remember number will ensure that individuals across the country who are in emotional distress will have ready access to crisis services that can save lives, said American Foundation for Suicide Prevention CEO Bob Gebbia.\r\n\r\nAMVETS realizes the importance of establishing barrier-free communication channels for veterans who need immediate help, which is why we created a helpline for veterans who need to talk to someone immediately. When a veteran in crisis calls us, we work closely with the Veterans Crisis Line and refer those veterans regularly. Every day we encourage veterans to reach out for help when they need it, whether that means calling their fellow servicemembers or calling a helpline. Changing the number of the Veteran Crisis Line to 9-8-8 gives veterans or loved ones an easy number to remember in the midst of a crisis. We hope this will encourage more people to take advantage of this resource and make the call when they are in need of help, said Sherman Gillums, Chief Advocacy Officer for American Veterans (AMVETS).\r\nThe APA strongly supports the creation of a 3-digit dialing code for mental health emergencies, said American Psychiatric Association (APA) CEO and Medical Director Saul Levin, M.D., M.P.A. In 2015, without such a number, suicide and self-injury costs the nation $69 billion according to government data. We need a simple, 3-digit number to connect people in crisis to care. Quick access to care can save lives.\r\n\r\nNearly half of American lesbian, gay and bisexual youth and 34 percent of transgender students have seriously considered suicide, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. These young people are more likely to experience violence, bullying at school and mental health concerns than their heterosexual peers. This bill proposes common-sense measures that would improve the national response to this serious mental health challenge or nation faces, said Arthur C. Evans, Jr., PhD, Chief Executive Officer and Executive Vice President of the American Psychological Association.\r\n\r\nTAPS supports the implementation of a 3 digit number for the National Crisis Line. We want to make it as simple as possible for those at risk to reach out and connect with care, said Kim Ruocco MSW, Vice President of Suicide Prevention and Postvention at the Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS).\r\n\r\nIf you are in a car accident, you don't have to remember a 7-digit number to get immediate help - a mental health emergency should be no different, said National Alliance on Mental Illness' Acting CEO Angela Kimball. That's why NAMI supports the introduction of both the House and Senate versions of a bill that would establish a 3-digit, easy to remember universal number for those seeking help during a mental health crisis and for suicide prevention. The creation of a nationwide 988' number could mean the difference between life and death by diverting people from the criminal justice system and instead get them the right care when they need it most.\r\n\r\nMental Health America strongly supports the implementation of a 3-digit hotline for those in mental health crisis, said Paul Gionfriddo, president and CEO of Mental Health America. We need to remove barriers for people seeking help in times of a mental health crisis  by designating 988 as the national phone number for the national suicide prevention and mental health crisis hotline, we will absolutely save lives. Almost half of teens who take Mental Health America's online mental health screen report thinking about suicide. We have got to make it easier for them to get help, and the three-digit 988 is a leap forward in accomplishing this.\r\n\r\nAnything we can do to make it easier for someone in crisis to gain help is vital. This bill takes a tremendous step in the right direction to connect those in need with those who can help, said Dr. Jerry Reed, Senior Vice President for Practice Leadership at Education Development Center and Executive Committee Member of the National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention.\r\n\r\n\"A simple 3-digit number to call for help can save lives. Why wouldn't we make it easier to obtain help? It just seems like the right thing to do,\" said Kevin Hines, founder of the Kevin and Margaret Hines Foundation.\r\nI know from my days in the military that in a crisis, simple is better. This is why Wounded Warrior Project supports S. 2661  the National Suicide Hotline Designation Act of 2019, said Wounded Warrior Project (WWP) CEO Lt. Gen. (Ret.) Mike Linnington. This important legislation, sponsored by Sen. Cory Gardner and co-sponsored by Sen. Tammy Baldwin, would simplify access to the National Suicide Hotline by providing a three-digit phone number to dial to connect those experiencing suicidal ideations with life-saving resources. As we work to remove barriers to mental health care and employ public health approaches to prevent tragedy before it strikes, an easy-to-remember hotline for connecting veterans in distress to experts who can help is overdue. On the behalf of Wounded Warrior Project and the veterans we serve, we thank Sens. Gardner and Baldwin for their leadership on this important issue.\r\nA dedicated three-digit number for those experiencing a mental health crisis would be a landmark step for the field of mental health; making it easier to support those in emotional pain and begin the journey toward healing, said David C. Guth, Jr., CEO of Centerstone.\r\n\r\nWe applaud this legislation and support its passage because it will save lives. Over 600,000 American women who are pregnant or give birth each year suffer from a mental health disorder that can be treated. Some of those that are untreated may result in death by suicide. Having a simple 3-digit national number will be a powerful tool in our collective suicide prevention efforts which our national organization and chapters in communities will deploy, Dr. Wendy Davis, Executive Director, Postpartum Support International.\r\n\r\nGardner's legislation is endorsed by:\r\n\r\nAmerican Association for Geriatric Psychiatry, American Association of Suicidology, American Counseling Association, American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, American Legion, American Psychological Association, American Psychiatric Nurses Association, American Telemedicine Association, AMVETS, Anxiety and Depression Association of America, Association For Ambulatory Behavioral Health, Association for Behavioral Health and Wellness, Behavioral Health Association of Providers, Behavioral Health Link, Centerstone, College of Psychiatric and Neurologic Pharmacists,Colorado Access, Confederation of Independent Psychoanalytic Societies (CIPS), Depression Association of America, Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance, Eating Disorders Coalition, Education Development Center, Global Alliance for Behavioral Health and Social Justice, Illinois Association of Behavioral Health, Kennedy Forum, Kevin & Margaret Hines Foundation, Mental Health America, Mental Health Colorado, National Alliance on Mental Illness, National Association for Rural Mental Health, National Association of Social Workers, National Association of State Mental Health Program Directors, National Board for Certified Counselors, National Council for Behavioral Health, National Federation of Families for Children's Mental Health, National Health Care for the Homeless Council, NowMattersNow.org, Open Minds, Postpartum Support International, Residential Eating Disorders Consortium, RI International, SMART Recovery, Suicide Awareness Voices of Education, Tourette Association of America, The Trevor Project, United Suicide Survivors International, Wounded Warrior Project, 2020 Mom.\r\n\r\n###\r\n\r\nCory Gardner is a member of the U.S. Senate serving Colorado. He sits on the Energy & Natural Resources Committee, the Foreign Relations Committee, the Commerce, Science, & Transportation Committee, and is the Chairman of the Subcommittee on East Asia, the Pacific, and International Cybersecurity Policy.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://tipton.house.gov/media/press-releases/column-pass-usmca-christmas", "COLUMN: Pass USMCA Before Christmas", "2019-12-12", "2019", "2019-12", "Republican", "House", "CO", "Scott Tipton", "T000470", "tipton.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "It has now been over a year since the United States Mexico Canada Agreement (USMCA) was agreed to by both Canada and Mexico, yet Speaker Nancy Pelosi has so far refused to bring the legislation needed to ratify the deal to the floor for a vote. During that time, Colorado has benefited from the historic economic growth seen across the country, even in rural areas of the state that our district encompasses. Currently, Colorado is enjoying a 2.6 percent unemployment rate while over 43,000 jobs have been created and nearly 67,000 Coloradans have found new jobs. It's clear that the economy in Colorado is booming, but the reality is that passing USMCA would make the economy even better.\nFollowing the 2008 recession, the federal government was quick to pass bailouts, overhaul the health insurance industry, and overregulate the financial sector to the point where economic recovery took an unusually long time. All these efforts combined led to years of stagnant growth and an arduous recovery, especially in rural areas. Beginning in 2017, the approach changed and instead the government focused on allowing families and businesses to make their own decisions by lessening the burden of federal regulations. Part of this strategy led to the historic Tax Cuts and Jobs Act getting signed into law, a continued deregulatory agenda, and over the last year, a focus on renegotiating the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).\nNAFTA was first signed into law in 1994 under President Bill Clinton. The agreement was initially set to strengthen the bonds between two of the United States' biggest trading partners. With newly added trade flows for automobiles, computers, and perhaps most importantly for Coloradans, agriculture products, NAFTA significantly improved trade flows between our North American allies. In the 25 years since NAFTA was ratified, it has not kept up with an ever-changing economy. In some respects, NAFTA has failed to uphold important trade provisions, especially for Colorado's agricultural industry.\nFor instance, in 2003, Mexico and the U.S. made an agreement on reciprocal market access for American potatoes, in exchange for Mexican avocados. Honoring this commitment potentially means a boost of nearly $100 million exports for the Colorado potato industry. Over that time frame, Americans have been purchasing more avocados, yet the potato exports to Mexico have remained relatively the same in part to legal challenges in the Mexican court system. Considering that the average American consumes more avocados in a year than peaches, pears, prunes and nectarines combined, asking Mexico to increase market access for American potatoes seems like a reasonable ask.\nEarlier this year, I sent a letter to U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue, requesting that the Trump Administration take into consideration how important the potato industry is for Colorado and that a reciprocal agreement with Mexico be enforced. This is especially relevant while our nation continues finalizing the USMCA. I am happy to announce that Secretary Perdue responded to my letter recently and shares my concerns on market access for American potato growers. Secretary Perdue acknowledged that Mexico's Supreme Court intends to consolidate these challenges into one case which should expedite the time frame that this reciprocal deal could be achieved.\nWhile opening access to potato growers in Colorado would be a big win for the local economies, passing larger trade deals with broader sweeping impacts on the American economy and should be Congress' focus before the year ends. We are in a period of strong economic growth, a 50-year historically low unemployment, wages have increased by more than 3 percent across the country in the last year, and small business confidence remains near all-time highs. Studies show that passing the USMCA would have a significant impact on the economy, building upon much of the success we've seen over the last few years.\nAccording to the office of the U.S. Trade Representative, Colorado exported $2.7 billion between Canada and Mexico in 2018 alone. Passing the USMCA will improve trade flows to our allies and greatly benefit small businesses, farmers and all Coloradans who rely on these long-standing trade agreements that bring every day products to their homes at affordable prices. A free and fair trade deal is essential in to economic certainty in American. Passing the USMCA would be a welcome Christmas present for Coloradans, and we should all continue pressuring Speaker Pelosi to take up a vote before Congress heads home for the holidays.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.gardner.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/gardner-statement-on-the-fccs-vote-to-move-forward-with-the-9-8-8-suicide-hotline", "Gardner Statement on the FCC\u2019s Vote to Move Forward with the 9-8-8 Suicide Hotline", "2019-12-12", "2019", "2019-12", "Republican", "House", "CO", "Cory Gardner", "G000562", "www.gardner.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Washington, D.C. U.S. Senator Cory Gardner (R-CO), who is leading the bipartisan effort in the Senate to establish 9-8-8 as the national suicide prevention hotline, released the following statement today regarding the Federal Communications Commission's (FCC) approval of a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking to designate 9-8-8 as the 3-digit number for a national suicide prevention and mental health crisis hotline.\r\n\r\nNOTE:Clickhereor the pictureabove to view Senator Gardner's remarks.\r\nToday the Federal Communications Commission took an important step in our efforts to establish 9-8-8 as the national suicide prevention hotline. This hotline will be critical to make sure that every American has access to mental health support with a number that's easy to remember in a time of crisis,said Senator Gardner.I am encouraged that the Senate Commerce Committee yesterday passed my legislation to provide oversight for the establishment of the three-digit hotline and look forward to its full consideration by the U.S. Senate. I applaud the FCC's action, and I will continue working with my colleagues to establish the 9-8-8 suicide hotline and ensure critical mental health support is three buttons away.\r\nBackground:\r\n \r\nIn 2018, Gardner voted for the National Suicide Hotline Improvement Act, which directed the Federal Communications Commission to evaluate using a three-digit dialing code for the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline.\r\nThis August, the FCC released theirreport, which found that a national three-digit line would improve suicide prevention and recommended a simple number that Americans could dial in times of crisis: 9-8-8.\r\nIn October, Senators Gardner, Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Jerry Moran (R-KS), and Jack Reed (D-RI) introduced S. 2661, theNational Suicide Hotline Designation Act, which designates 9-8-8 for a national suicide prevention and mental health crisis hotline and ensures states have the flexibility to strengthen local crisis call centers. The bill ensures states are able to collect fees for the line, similar to the way they do for the 911 emergency line, and requires reports to Congress to help ensure effectiveness and operability of the line.\r\nNearly 50 mental health organizations and veterans supportorganizations announced their support and urged Congress to pass the National Suicide Hotline Designation Act.\r\nAt a press conferencein November with Senator Gardner, Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Ajit Pai announced the FCC would consider establishing 9-8-8 as the national suicide prevention hotline at their meeting on December 12, 2019.\r\nYesterday, theSenate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation passedSenator Gardner's bipartisan bill to designate 9-8-8 as the national suicide prevention and mental health crisis hotline.\r\n \r\n###\r\nCory Gardner is a member of the U.S. Senate serving Colorado. He sits on the Energy & Natural Resources Committee, the Foreign Relations Committee, the Commerce, Science, & Transportation Committee, and is the Chairman of the Subcommittee on East Asia, the Pacific, and International Cybersecurity Policy.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.gardner.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/senate-committee-passes-gardner-backed-bills-to-improve-pilt-extend-secure-rural-schools-program-expand-yucca-house-national-monument", "Senate Committee Passes Gardner-Backed Bills to Improve PILT, Extend Secure Rural Schools Program, Expand Yucca House National Monument", "2019-12-12", "2019", "2019-12", "Republican", "House", "CO", "Cory Gardner", "G000562", "www.gardner.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Washington, D.C.  Today the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources approved three bills backed by Senator Cory Gardner (R-CO) to provide funding for critical services in counties with large amounts of federal land and protect Ancestral Pueblo cultural sites near the Yucca House National Monument. The Small County PILT Parity Act, S. 2108, would provide greater parity for small counties that receive Payment in Lieu of Taxes (PILT) funding from the federal government. S. 430 would extend the Secure Rural School (SRS) program, which provides funding for critical services in counties with large amounts of tax-exempt forestlands.\r\n\r\nThe PILT and SRS bills will improve the funding for essential services for counties with large amounts of tax-exempt federal lands, said Senator Gardner. I applaud the committee for approving these critical programs to support counties with a limited tax base because they have large amounts of federal land. These bills will make sure critical services like search and rescue, emergency medical services, law enforcement, schools, and maintenance of roads can continue.\r\n\r\nHinsdale County is in support of any effort to enact a PILT formula fix. Small counties are adversely affected by large federal land holdings. Such large land holdings make it impossible to have large population sizes. As a result, counties are now penalized by the current PILT formula that does not account enough for small population counties with large federal land holdings. Any efforts to rectify this situation is not only fair but the right thing to do for our citizens, said Susan Thompson, Chair of the Hinsdale County Board of County Commissioners.\r\nThe Small County PILT Parity Act creates four new population tiers so eligible low population counties could receive a higher annual PILT payment. The current formula makes no distinction between counties that have 500 people or 4,999 people. The formula adjustment will help bring parity to counties with fewer than 5,000 people and help address rising costs for infrastructure and emergency services. In Fiscal Year 2019, 56 local governments in Colorado received a total of $40.9 million under the Payments in Lieu of Taxes (PILT) program.\r\n\r\nThe SRS legislation approved by the committee reauthorizes the program, which expired at the end of Fiscal Year 2018, through the end of 2020.\r\n\r\nThe committee also advanced Gardner's legislation to expand and protect cultural sites near the Yucca House National Monument in southwest Colorado. A private landowner is seeking to donate 160 acres of land adjacent to the national monument to further protect archaeological sites and cultural resources, but a donation must be facilitated through an Act of Congress.\r\n\r\nProtecting Colorado's public lands for future generations to cherish is one of my top priorities on the Energy and Natural Resources Committee, said Senator Gardner. The Yucca House National Monument is one of the most well-preserved ancient dwellings in the country. This bill will help preserve these Ancestral Pueblo sites and protect a piece of our state's great history.\r\n\r\nThe Yucca House National Monument was established in 1919 by President Woodrow Wilson, following an initial donation of 9.6 acres by Henry Van Kleeck. The monument was further expanded by approximately 24 acres in 1996.\r\n\r\n###\r\n\r\nCory Gardner is a member of the U.S. Senate serving Colorado. He sits on the Energy & Natural Resources Committee, the Foreign Relations Committee, the Commerce, Science, & Transportation Committee, and is the Chairman of the Subcommittee on East Asia, the Pacific, and International Cybersecurity Policy.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://lamborn.house.gov/media/press-releases/big-wins-pikes-peak-region-ndaa", "Big Wins for the Pikes Peak Region in NDAA", "2019-12-11", "2019", "2019-12", "Republican", "House", "CO", "Doug Lamborn", "L000564", "lamborn.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Contact: Cassandra Sebastian (719) 520-0055\nWashington, D.C.- Today, the House of Representatives passed S. 1790, the Conference Report for Fiscal Year 2020 National Defense Authorization Act, by a vote of 377-48. Congressman Doug Lamborn, Ranking Member of the Readiness Subcommittee, served as a core conferee to the Conference Committee again this year and was one of the Members, Senators, and staff negotiating the final language of the bill. He issued the following statement upon passage:\n\n\t\"I was happy to vote YES for the FY20 NDAA conference report. This is a very solid defense bill which strengthens our national defense, continues to rebuild and modernize our forces, and improves the quality of life for our wonderful men and women in uniform and their families.\n\n\n\t\"Like many of my colleagues, I couldn't vote for the bill when it passed on the House floor because the large amount of partisan nonsense jammed into it which had nothing to do with defense. However, after a tough and lengthy negotiation process between the House, Senate, and White House, this conference report now represents a pro-defense bill that will massively improve our military's ability to deter, confront, and defeat current and future threats.\n\n\n\t\"I was especially pleased to include the 3.1% pay raise for our troops: the largest in a decade. Equally important to me were the reforms and fixes to the privatized Military Family Housing program we enacted in the Readiness Subcommittee. With our brave soldiers, sailors, airmen, Marines and their noble families occupied with years of sacrifice in service to our nation, the last thing they deserve is having their homes serve as a point of stress and discomfort rather than a sanctuary where they may relax and nurture a family. To this end, we have enacted reforms to this program by establishing a Tenants' Bill of Rights, requiring each of the military departments to develop a formal dispute resolution process, reinforcing Government oversight, and requiring new quality control measures for repairs and mold remediation.\n\n\n\t\"Additionally, the $148 million authorized to begin construction of the Combine Space Operations Facility at Schriever Air Force Base in FY20 will serve as the beating heart our nation's space warfighting enterprise. Most significantly, this bill creates the United States Space Force-the first time since 1947 that our nation has created a new military Service. This new Service, designed to maintain America's dominance in space, will be carved out of Air Force Space Command. With U.S. Space Command established in Colorado Springs earlier this year, and the bulk of the Space Force personnel currently serving on Peterson and Schriever Air Force Bases, this NDAA solidifies our community's position as the premier defense space community of the United States.\n\n\n\t\"I was not simply comfortable voting yes for this defense bill-I was eager to vote for its passage and look forward to the exciting implications it has for the PikesPeak region.\"\n\n\n\tA full summary of the conference report can be found here.\n\n\n\tThe House GOP's summary can be found here.\n\n\n\tThe full language of the conference report can be found here.\n\n\n\t $738 billion base + OCO\n\t\t$5.3 billion for emergency MILCON funding natural disaster relief\n\t\t$743.3 billion total\n\t \n\n\tMilitary Construction for Pike's Peak Region:\n\n\n\t $148 million: Combined Space Operations Facility (CSOF) on Schriever AFB\n\t\t$54 million: SOCNORTH on Peterson AFB\n\t\t$49 million: cadet prep dormitories on USAFA\n\t\t$71 million: company operations facilities on Fort Carson\n\t \n\n\t 3.1% pay raise for troops; includes special pay and bonuses\n\t\tPrivatized Military Family Housing provisions includes:\n\t\t\tEstablishment of a Tenant Bill of Rights that sets minimum acceptable livability standards\n\t\t\t\tRequirement for better communication between Services, providers, and tenants\n\t\t\t\tAddresses establishment of a formal dispute resolution process\n\t\t\t\tBans the use of non-disclosure agreements as a condition of moving out of military housing\n\t\t\t\tEnhances protections against reprisal.\n\t\t\t\n\t\tDoubling licensure reimbursement for military spouses\n\t\tInclusion of Widow's Tax removal\n\t\tFull funding of nuclear modernization\n\t\tProhibition on transferring GTMO detainees to the U.S.\n\t\tThe NDAA addresses DOD PFAS contamination by:\n\t\t\tProhibiting non-emergency use of fire-fighting foams containing PFOS and PFOA;\n\t\t\t\tRequiring DOD to accelerate fielding a PFAS-free replacement;\n\t\t\t\tAllowing National Guard units to access DOD environmental funds; and\n\t\t\t\tRequiring expedited cooperative agreements with states.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://lamborn.house.gov/media/press-releases/congressman-lamborn-opposes-articles-impeachment", "Congressman Lamborn Opposes Articles of Impeachment", "2019-12-11", "2019", "2019-12", "Republican", "House", "CO", "Doug Lamborn", "L000564", "lamborn.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "\"The announcement of articles of impeachment by Speaker Pelosi and House Democrats is a continuation of a baseless witch hunt, which started only days after the President's inauguration. This impeachment investigation has followed no precedent and has moved with haste as Democrats attempt to impeach the duly elected President eleven months before an election. Impeachment should be the most serious constitutional process, but yet Democrats have continually made a mockery of it and our constitution. Democrats have failed to produce any evidence that President Trump engaged in bribery, extortion, or any other high crimes or misdemeanors. Despite the facts, Speaker Pelosi, Chairman Schiff, and Chairman Nadler continue their agenda-driven abuse of power. This is a shameful time in the history of the House of Representatives. I will strongly oppose these articles of impeachment.\"", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.gardner.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/gardner-and-bipartisan-colleagues-introduce-legislation-to-help-prevent-suicides", "Gardner and Bipartisan Colleagues Introduce Legislation to Help Prevent Suicides", "2019-12-11", "2019", "2019-12", "Republican", "House", "CO", "Cory Gardner", "G000562", "www.gardner.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Washington, D.C.  In an effort to curb the rising suicide rate across the country, U.S. Senators Cory Gardner (R-CO), Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Doug Jones (D-AL), and Angus King (I-ME) introduced the bipartisan, bicameral Effective Suicide Screening and Assessment in the Emergency Department Act of 2019. The legislation establishes a grant program to improve suicide screening and prevention practices in emergency departments with a focus on increasing identification, assessment, and treatment of patients who are at risk for suicide. U.S. Representatives Gus Bilirakis (R-FL) and Eliot Engel (D-NY) introduced companion legislation in the House of Representatives.\r\nMore than 50,000 visits to Colorado emergency rooms in the last three years were due to a mental health crisis, said Senator Gardner. Data shows that around 40 percent of people who die by suicide visited an emergency department in the year leading up to their death. This bipartisan legislation will help emergency department professionals identify and treat patients with a high risk of suicide, improving prevention. It will also help recruit behavioral health professionals and develop innovative solutions for suicide prevention, through tools like telehealth, which will help provide critical mental health support for rural and underserved areas.\r\n\r\nThis bill addresses a prominent need  equipping Alaska emergency departments with the tools needed to assess for and treat suicidal patients, as well as strengthening connections to follow up care. As Alaska continues to face one of the highest rates of suicide in the country, additional resources dedicated to implementing suicide prevention programs in our emergency rooms can go a long way. Programs that include assessments, treatment, and care coordination can make a tremendous impact in our state, said Senator Murkowski. Our hearts break for those thinking about suicide or seeking to take their own life, and it's critical that we take every step we can to provide help before it is too late.\r\nOn average, someone dies by suicide every 10 hours in Alabama. We need all hands on deck to save lives and confront this tragic epidemic. This bill will help hospital emergency rooms better identify people who are at risk for suicide and make sure they have the care they need after they are discharged from the hospital, said Senator Jones.\r\nThe bill authorizes $20 million for Fiscal Year 2020 through 2024 for the new grant program with preference given to critical access hospitals, sole community hospitals, tribally operated hospitals, or sites located in geographic areas with suicide rates higher than the national rate.\r\n\r\nThe bill text is available here.\r\n\r\nSenator Gardner has made it a priority to address rising suicide rates in Colorado and across the nation:\r\n\r\n\r\n###\r\nCory Gardner is a member of the U.S. Senate serving Colorado. He sits on the Energy & Natural Resources Committee, the Foreign Relations Committee, the Commerce, Science, & Transportation Committee, and is the Chairman of the Subcommittee on East Asia, the Pacific, and International Cybersecurity Policy.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.gardner.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/gardner-honors-senator-johnny-isaksons-distinguished-career-on-senate-floor", "Gardner Honors Senator Johnny Isakson\u2019s Distinguished Career on Senate Floor", "2019-12-11", "2019", "2019-12", "Republican", "House", "CO", "Cory Gardner", "G000562", "www.gardner.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Washington, D.C. U.S. Senator Cory Gardner (R-CO) spoke on the floor of the United States Senate today in honor of Senator Johnny Isakson (R-GA), who announced he would leave the Senate at the end of the year due to health complications.\r\n\r\nNOTE: Click here or the picture above to view Senator Gardner's remarks.\r\nAnyone who has ever worked with Johnny knows him as a kind, thoughtful, and compassionate colleague, said Senator Gardner. I wish Johnny and his wife Dianne the best as they get ready to begin a new chapter in their lives. I know they're looking forward to having more time to spend with their three children and eight grandchildren, but we are very grateful for Johnny's time and his service in the United States Senate, for all of his work to take care of our nation's veterans, and for the quality of person that he is.\r\nRemarks as delivered:\r\nMr. President, I want to agree with my colleague from Alabama, Senator Jones. Now Senator Jones and I haven't been here as long as some of our other colleagues have been, but I think it's probably fair to say that when Senator Jones and I have a colleague who is departing or the presiding officer has a colleague who's departing, there's one day of farewell, maybe there's an hour window where we can come to the floor or a reception in the Mansfield room to say thank you.\r\nI think it's fair to say that I've been in line for a long time to get to this day to say thank you to Johnny Isakson, as has my colleague Senator Jones. These tributes started when you first announced that you would be retiring from the Senate, and it is very fitting that they continue through this day because of the work that you have pursued, the accomplishments that you have made, but also the humanity that rests in your heart. All of us are better off because of your work, knowing you, and I hope that a little bit of Johnny Isakson rubs off on all of us that we can be here today knowing that we're a better institution, better leaders, better public servants because of your model.\r\nJohnny Isakson, Senator Isakson, has done a lot of things that have been discussed on the Senate floor, so I don't know how much I can add but I'm going to add a few I think to the kind words that have been said.\r\nYou know, so many people have said such great things, the first time that you and I had an opportunity to really work together though, was something that will benefit generations of Coloradans. And that was the VA Hospital in Colorado  something that may have shaved off some of the patience that Senator Isakson has, seemed to be unending patience at times, this one though, I'm sure, took a little bit of a toll. Frustration with a very crazy collapse of a VA facility that had taken over a decade and hundreds of millions of dollars to complete. A project that started out in the nineties that didn't get done until about a year ago or so. A project that started out at $300 million that ended up at over two billion dollars. \r\nBut through it all, you were mindful of a very simple purpose, Senator Isakson was mindful of a very simple purpose, and that is that this facility is to benefit the veterans who have given so much to this country. And the first thing you said to me, that Senator Isakson said to me, was that don't worry, we're going to get this done, and we're going to make reforms so that this never happens again.\r\nUnder Senator Isakson's leadership, we've seen changes at the VA and we've also seen changes about how new facilities are going to be completed and built so that we can avoid the kinds of mistakes that led to the delays in Colorado. But ultimately, Senator Isakson knew that this would be the crown jewel in the Rocky Mountain region for veteran service and veteran care. And that's exactly what it continues to do, and we have Senator Isakson to thank for the completion of that and the time on task it took to get the job done.\r\nSenator Isakson held a field hearing in Aurora, Colorado with I think at the time the undersecretary Sloan Gibson to find out what had happened, why the delays occurred and then to fix it and to hold the people who were responsible for the delays accountable. That's the kind of leadership that Senator Isakson provided. And you know throughout that process, Senator Isakson, I think I threatened to rename the colonoscopy unit after a couple of people. But to you, we should name the town after you for the work you did to complete that facility.\r\nI remember the first time I gave him a little bit of a treat from Colorado to thank him for his work. It was a box of Enstrom toffee, a family company in Western Colorado. It's a pretty incredible treat and I gave it to him thinking that he'd never had this before and he looks at it and he says, Oh, Enstrom toffee, I love this stuff. I used to give this out to my clients when I was in real estate. And so I couldn't even surprise him with what I thought was a very special Colorado treat.\r\nJohnny is the kind of person that has the ability to cut through a problem, to cut through the smoke, to cut through the haze and the fog of a challenge and to go right to the merits of it and to be able to very concisely riff on any issue at a moment's notice and cut to the heart of a problem, and to provide a solution to that problem and to that challenge. So you know the old saying goes, you're known by the company you keep. And you look around this chamber, and you see the people who came to pay their thanks to Senator Isakson. It was pretty good company. And you've done such great things for Georgia, for this country, I can't thank you enough, Senator Isakson enough, for his leadership for helping us all out in Colorado and making this country a better place. Senator Isakson, thank you for all that you have done.\r\nI yield the floor.\r\n###\r\nCory Gardner is a member of the U.S. Senate serving Colorado. He sits on the Energy & Natural Resources Committee, the Foreign Relations Committee, the Commerce, Science, & Transportation Committee, and is the Chairman of the Subcommittee on East Asia, the Pacific, and International Cybersecurity Policy.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.gardner.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/gardner-measure-to-provide-substantial-funding-for-rural-broadband-clears-senate-committee", "Gardner Measure to Provide Substantial Funding for Rural Broadband Clears Senate Committee", "2019-12-11", "2019", "2019-12", "Republican", "House", "CO", "Cory Gardner", "G000562", "www.gardner.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Washington, D.C. Today the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation passed a measure authored by U.S. Senator Cory Gardner (R-CO) to provide potentially billions to expand access to broadband in rural areas. \r\nBy approving this legislation, the Senate Commerce Committee took a great step toward bridging the divide between urban and rural Colorado, said Senator Gardner. My proposal would ensure that at least 10 percent of the proceeds from a sale of C-band spectrum would be allocated for rural buildout in unserved and underserved areas throughout Colorado and the country.\r\nGardner's measure was included in S. 2881, the 5G Spectrum Act, which was approved by the Senate Commerce Committee. The measure requires 10 percent of all of the proceeds from the C-Band spectrum auction in the bill to go directly to wireless broadband infrastructure buildout in unserved and underserved areas throughout rural communities across the country. Gardner first proposed the idea of a rural dividend provision in 2017 with his legislation known as the Advancing Innovation and Reinvigorating Widespread Access to Viable Electromagnetic Spectrum (AIRWAVES) Act, under which 10 percent of proceeds from spectrum auctions would be devoted to increasing broadband access in rural areas. \r\nGardner's efforts to expand broadband deployment in rural Colorado include:\r\n \r\nIn August, Gardner introduced the bipartisan TOWER Infrastructure Deployment Act with Senator Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ), which requires the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to improve and streamline workforce development programs to prepare for next-generation communications infrastructure.\r\nIn July, Gardner introduced the bipartisan AIRWAVES Act with Senator Maggie Hassan (D-NH), which could provide roughly $6.5 billion to expand broadband access in rural areas.\r\nIn May, Gardner introduced the bipartisan Map Improvement Act of 2019 with Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV) to update broadband deployment maps so federal funding will go where it is needed most.\r\nIn March, Gardner introduced bipartisan legislation to expand wireless internet to school buses, which would help students in rural areas who have long commutes and may not have broadband internet at home.\r\n \r\n### \r\nCory Gardner is a member of the U.S. Senate serving Colorado. He sits on the Energy & Natural Resources Committee, the Foreign Relations Committee, the Commerce, Science, & Transportation Committee, and is the Chairman of the Subcommittee on East Asia, the Pacific, and International Cybersecurity Policy.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.gardner.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/gardners-bill-to-determine-if-russia-is-a-state-sponsor-of-terrorism-passes-foreign-relations-committee", "Gardner\u2019s Bill to Determine if Russia is a State Sponsor of Terrorism Passes Foreign Relations Committee", "2019-12-11", "2019", "2019-12", "Republican", "House", "CO", "Cory Gardner", "G000562", "www.gardner.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Washington, D.C. U.S. Senator Cory Gardner's (R-CO) legislation to determine if Russia is a state sponsor of terror was approved by the Senate Foreign Relations Committeetoday. The legislation, the Stopping Malign Activities from Russian Terrorism (SMART) Act,requires the State Department to determine within 90 days and report to Congress whether the Russian Federation meets the criteria under U.S. law to be designated as a State Sponsor of Terrorism. This designation is made by the Secretary of State for countries that have repeatedly provided support for acts of international terrorism and currently includes North Korea,Iran, Syria, and Sudan. According to the State Department, sanctions resulting from designation under these authorities include restrictions on U.S. foreign assistance; a ban on defense exports and sales; certain controls over exports of dual use items; and miscellaneous financial and other restrictions.\r\nVladimir Putin continues to try to cause grievous harm to international peace and stability, and I'm pleased today the Senate Foreign Relations Committee advanced my critical legislation directing the State Department to consider naming Russia what they are  a state sponsor of terror,said Senator Gardner.Putin's Russia has invaded its neighbors Georgia and Ukraine, supports the murderous regime of Bashar al-Assad and many of our adversaries around the globe, and is engaged in election meddling and active information warfare against Western democracies. Russia is also directly responsible for heinous terrorist actions, such as the downing of Malaysia Flight 17 over Ukraine in 2014 that killed 298 people, including an American citizen, and the chemical weapons attacks in United Kingdom in 2018 that killed two people, including a British citizen. Unless Russia fundamentally changes its behavior, we must not repeat the mistakes of past Administrations of trying to normalize relations with a nation that continues to pose a serious threat to the United States and our allies.\r\nReadSenator Gardner's Op-ed in the New York Timeson why the State Department should support designating Russia as a State Sponsor of Terrorism.\r\nThe Senate Foreign Relations Committee approved other Gardner-backed legislation today, including:\r\n \r\nS.J.RES.4, the Kaine-Gardner joint resolution requiring the advice and consent of the Senate or an Act of Congress to suspend, terminate, or withdraw the United States from the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). In April, the Senators authored anopinion editorialin theAtlanticcommemorating the 70thanniversary of NATO.\r\nS.RES.152, a resolution expressing the importance of the United States alliance with the Republic of Korea and the contributions of Korean Americans in the United States, which reinforces the importance of the Gardner-authored Asia Reassurance Initiative Act of 2018;\r\nS.1830, bipartisan legislation to enhance energy security in Europe, including reducing energy dependence on Russia and expediting approval of exportation of U.S. natural gas to U.S. allies; and\r\nS.2641, bipartisan legislation that will promote stability in Syria and impose additional sanctions against Turkey, among other provisions.\r\n \r\n###\r\nCory Gardner is a member of the U.S. Senate serving Colorado. He sits on the Energy & Natural Resources Committee, the Foreign Relations Committee, the Commerce, Science, & Transportation Committee, and is the Chairman of the Subcommittee on East Asia, the Pacific, and International Cybersecurity Policy.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.gardner.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/senate-committee-approves-gardners-9-8-8-suicide-hotline-bill", "Senate Committee Approves Gardner\u2019s 9-8-8 Suicide Hotline Bill", "2019-12-11", "2019", "2019-12", "Republican", "House", "CO", "Cory Gardner", "G000562", "www.gardner.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Washington, D.C. Today the SenateCommittee on Commerce, Science, and Transportationpassed U.S. Senator Cory Gardner's (R-CO) bipartisan bill to designate 9-8-8 as the national suicide prevention and mental health crisis hotline.\r\nGardner's National Suicide Hotline Designation Act, S. 2661, designates 9-8-8 as the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, which would include the Veterans Crisis Line for veteran-specific mental health support. The current National Suicide Prevention Lifeline and Veterans Crisis line are 10-digits long, which is a barrier to Americans in crisis seeking support. The language that cleared the Senate Commerce Committee included a report to improve support services for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and questioning (LGBTQ) youth and other high risk populations. \r\n\r\nNOTE:Clickhereor the picture above to view Senator Gardner's remarks.\r\nSuicide has tragically impacted too many families in Colorado,said Senator Gardner.This easy-to-remember number would make it easier for Americans dealing with a mental health crisis to receive life-saving support. With the Senate Commerce Committee's approval today, this bipartisan bill to create a three-digit suicide hotline became one step closer to becoming reality. I will continue to push Congress to create this three-digit hotline, because too many people are suffering and don't know where to turn to for help.\r\n\"Today, the Senate Commerce Committee took an important step to advance suicide prevention resources for all Americans with the markup of S. 2661. The Trevor Project is especially encouraged by the inclusion of language requiring the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) to create a distinct plan for LGBTQ youth  who are disproportionately impacted by the suicide crisis in the U.S.  to access specialized service through the Lifeline. We thank Senators Gardner and Baldwin for listening to the voices of LGBTQ Americans, and look forward to working with SAMHSA to strengthen the Lifeline for the future.\"said Sam Brinton, Head of Advocacy and Government Affairs for The Trevor Project.\r\nGardner introduced this bipartisan legislationwith Senators Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Jerry Moran (R-KS) and Jack Reed (D-RI).\r\nBackground:\r\n \r\nIn 2018, Gardner voted for the National Suicide Hotline Improvement Act, which directed the Federal Communications Commission to evaluate using a three-digit dialing code for the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline.\r\nThis August, the FCC released theirreport, which found that a national three-digit line would improve suicide prevention and recommended a simple number that Americans could dial in times of crisis: 9-8-8.\r\nIn October, Senators Gardner, Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Jerry Moran (R-KS), and Jack Reed (D-RI) introduced S. 2661, theNational Suicide Hotline Designation Act, which designates 9-8-8 for a national suicide prevention and mental health crisis hotline and ensures states have the flexibility to strengthen local crisis call centers. The bill ensures states are able to collect fees for the line, similar to the way they do for the 911 emergency line, and requires reports to Congress to help ensure effectiveness and operability of the line.\r\nNearly 50 mental health organizations and veterans supportorganizations announced their support and urged Congress to pass the National Suicide Hotline Designation Act.\r\nAt a press conferencein November with Senator Gardner, Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Ajit Pai announced the FCC will consider establishing 9-8-8 as the national suicide prevention hotline at their meeting on December 12, 2019.\r\n \r\n###\r\nCory Gardner is a member of the U.S. Senate serving Colorado. He sits on the Energy & Natural Resources Committee, the Foreign Relations Committee, the Commerce, Science, & Transportation Committee, and is the Chairman of the Subcommittee on East Asia, the Pacific, and International Cybersecurity Policy.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://lamborn.house.gov/media/press-releases/congressman-lamborns-statement-fy20-ndaa-conference-report", "Congressman Lamborn's Statement on the FY20 NDAA Conference Report", "2019-12-10", "2019", "2019-12", "Republican", "House", "CO", "Doug Lamborn", "L000564", "lamborn.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Contact: Cassandra Sebastian (719) 520-0055\n\tWashington, D.C. - On Monday, Chairman Smith filed the Conference Report for the FY20 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). The House of Representatives will vote on the Conference Report tomorrow. Congressman Lamborn, ranking member of the Readiness Subcommittee and a core conferee on the Conference Committee, issued the following statement:\n\n\n\t\"It has been an honor to once again serve as a core conferee for the NDAA Conference Committee. This is a solid defense bill, which continues the process of modernizing our military against current and future threats posed by our near-peer competitors, including the creation of a Space Force. It includes a much deserved 3.1% pay raise for our troops, a topline budget of $743.3 billion, and a great deal of funding that will go towards space and missile defense programs in our community. It provides $322 million in construction for the Pikes Peak region.Of that,$148 million isauthorized for a Combined Space Operations Facility on Schriever Air Force Base, which will provide the next generation space command and control center for our space warfighters and intelligence community.The CSOF will solidify Colorado Springs' position as the home of Space Command and the preeminent defense space community in the nation. It also provides $54 million for a SOCNORTH support facility on Peterson Air Force Base, $49 million to consolidate the cadet prep school dormitories at the Air Force Academy, and $71 million for a company operations facility on Fort Carson. As the representative of Colorado's 5th Congressional District, one of my core constitutional responsibilities is toprovide for the common defense. I know so many in our community share this priority having served themselves. I look forward to voting YES on this bill tomorrow. I am excited to have been a part of its creation and passage.\"\n\n\n\tA full summary of the conference report can be found here.\n\n\n\tThe House GOP's summary can be found here.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.gardner.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/gardner-celebrates-100-years-of-the-colorado-farm-bureau", "Gardner Celebrates 100 Years of the Colorado Farm Bureau", "2019-12-10", "2019", "2019-12", "Republican", "House", "CO", "Cory Gardner", "G000562", "www.gardner.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Washington, D.C. U.S. Senator Cory Gardner (R-CO) spoke on the floor of the United States Senate today, recognizing the 100thanniversary of the Colorado Farm Bureau Federation and celebrating the long history of the Farm Bureau representing the farmers and ranchers of Colorado.\r\n\r\nNOTE:Clickhereor the picture above to view Senator Gardner's remarks.\r\nAgriculture is personal to me. I grew up in Yuma on Colorado's Eastern Plains, a town whose heart lies in agriculture. Our livelihoods and our neighbors livelihoods depend on a strong agriculture industry,said Senator Gardner.Congratulations to the Colorado Farm Bureau for 100 years of being a strong voice for farmers, ranchers, and our rural communities in the Centennial State, and for all your work to protect the Colorado Way of Life. I look forward to continuing our work together with the Farm Bureau and seeing what we can accomplish for the next 100 years of agriculture in Colorado.\r\nRemarks as delivered:\r\nThank you, Mr. President. I come to the floor to recognize a very historic milestone in the Colorado agricultural community. The Colorado Farm Bureau is celebrating 100 years of representing farmers, ranchers, rural communities, and every aspect of agriculture in Colorado.\r\nI grew up in the Eastern Plains, in the very heart of agriculture. In fact, the county that I grew up in is one of the largest corn producing counties in the country and certainly one of the top economic, agricultural economically speaking, communities in the state. Our livelihood, our neighbors, everything depends on agriculture. In fact, when there's a downturn in agriculture, it's not just the next day that our community feels that, it's that next hour the community feels the impact. The same with a good agriculture economy, it's not just tomorrow that we'll feel the impact, but immediately we'll feel the impact.\r\nI grew up working in a family farm equipment dealership where you got to know everybody in the community, not because of the kind of operation that they had, but because the kind of person that they were, the kind of relationships that you built. And then of course the opportunities to do business in those communities. There's ebbs and flows, good times and bad times, times of prosperity and times of difficult predicaments in rural America in agriculture.\r\nIn the 1980's, I grew up watching one of the hardest times agriculture faced, watching a number of banks face foreclosures, a number of farmers face foreclosures. I watched as people I knew my whole life sold their farms, gave up farming, closed their businesses. It wasn't that long ago, it was just a few years ago in fact, that we saw some of the highest priced commodities this country has ever seen for a very long time. The golden years of agriculture occurred just a couple of years ago because of all-time high prices. That's not the situation that we're facing today. But once you've worked in the agriculture industry I think you develop a very deep understanding and appreciation for the men and women who have our farmers backs through the good times and the bad times, like the Colorado Farm Bureau.\r\nThe Farm Bureau plays a vital role in the wellbeing of all aspects of agriculture, gives rural communities a prominent voice when the government is debating policies that impact their farms, their finances, and their families.\r\nThe Colorado Farm Bureau began in 1919, when a group of farmers, ranchers, veterinarians, rural doctors, shopkeepers, and tradesmen in 10 local counties met to form what was termed a farm bureau. Their goal was to make the business of farming more profitable and the community a better place to live. The organization struggled through the years and almost died out in the 1930's. In the late 1930's and early 1940's, a group of people across Colorado organized to breathe new life into that farm bureau in Colorado.\r\nEzra Alishouse, C.J. Phillips, Arthur Andersen, and others sold memberships to rebuild the organization. And as a group of farmers naturally would, the Farm Bureau persisted and grew. They grew the Farm Bureau to become the largest farm organization in the state of Colorado and expanded the support they provided to ag communities throughout the state. In the 1940s farmers and ranchers were having a difficult time insuring their operations, so the Colorado Farm Bureau created a farm insurance casualty company. They began offering farm insurance in 1948, and later in the 1950s, they began offering life insurance for those in the agriculture community.\r\nToday the Colorado Farm Bureau represents 23,000 member families, 45 local county farm bureaus, and is one of the largest farmer-led organizations in the state of Colorado. The Colorado Farm Bureau has a simple mission: to promote and protect the future of agriculture and rural values. They show the people the agriculture industry up close and why it's important to all of us, the success of our rural communities. The Farm Bureau offers leadership training for young professionals, scholarships, college programs, health and safety trainings, helpful resources to farmers, and support when it's needed most. Through the Colorado Farm Bureau Foundation, the Farm Bureau has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars to support victims of natural disasters in Colorado, whether that's drought, whether that's severe blizzards. They represent, improve, and promote all aspects of agriculture in Colorado and develop the industry into the economic powerhouse that it is and one of the strongest drivers of Colorado's economy.\r\nEvery year I've been honored to join the Colorado Farm Bureau and have the Colorado Farm Bureau join me on our annual Farm Tour. It's a tradition that I first started when I first came to the House of Representatives every fall when we would go out to the Eastern Plains of Colorado, the Western Slopes of Colorado, and talk to everyone from peach growers in Palisade to corn growers in Kiowa and beyond, opportunities to learn how we can help every nook and cranny of the state when it comes to agriculture. We've traveled this year to 15 different counties across Colorado, visiting family farms, ranches, agricultural businesses, we held roundtables with local elected officials, we went out to a wind farm and talked about the impact that renewable energy is having in positive aspects for our farmers and ranchers.\r\nThis Farm Tour wouldn't be possible without Farm Bureau and the others who helped put it together and making sure that we see these important issues that we're facing. In the past, we've turned to them for their expertise in policy, their insights, experience, their partnerships as we champion efforts that will help and benefit rural Colorado. They've been a great partner in providing agricultural producers with the resources and certainty that they need to protect private property rights, to protect our water rights. To ensure that farmers are treated fairly in the tax code, and recently in helping to relocate the headquarters of the Bureau of Land Management to Grand Junction.\r\nThe Farm Bureau is a regular presence Washington, I think all of us know that, and certainly the Colorado Farm Bureau members have played an important role in developing policy. They're not afraid to get their hands dirty and the hard work that it takes to get legislation passed. Colorado Farm Bureau takes on difficult issues and have a real impact on people's lives. Their dedicated work and their willingness to take on difficult issues has also earned them national recognition. In 2005, the Colorado Farm Bureau was recognized by the Department of Interior in Washington for their work with the Colorado Department of Natural Resources to protect the mountain plover. This created a win-win partnership that the government and private sector could work on together, to preemptively protect a species without listing it on the Endangered Species Act. The Colorado Farm Bureau was instrumental in opening up 300,000 acres of land for data collection and research on the mountain plover's nesting and population status. Through that effort they were able to avoid listing, develop better management practices, and help grow the mountain plover population.\r\nSo I look forward to continuing to hear from Colorado Farm Bureau members, the farmers and ranchers across our state as this chamber, this body, debates new trade opportunities, new agricultural policies, and anything that could impact farmers back home. Their contributions will be especially valuable as we continue to open up new markets for Colorado producers, invest in rural communities, and manage our public lands.\r\nLast month, the Senate passed a resolution I introduced with my colleague Senator Bennet from Colorado, celebrating this historic 100th anniversary, recognizing all the Colorado Farm Bureau's past, present, and future efforts to promote and advocate farm and ranch interests. I ask my colleagues in the Senate to join me today in celebrating Colorado Farm Bureau's rich history and contributions to the ag industry  not just in Colorado, but across the United States.\r\nSo congratulations to the Colorado Farm Bureau for your 100 years of being a strong voice for farmers, ranchers, and our rural communities in the Centennial State, and for all your work to protect the Colorado Way of Life. I look forward to continuing our work together with the Farm Bureau and seeing what we can accomplish for the next 100 years of agriculture in Colorado.\r\nMr. President, I yield the floor.\r\n###\r\nCory Gardner is a member of the U.S. Senate serving Colorado. He sits on the Energy & Natural Resources Committee, the Foreign Relations Committee, the Commerce, Science, & Transportation Committee, and is the Chairman of the Subcommittee on East Asia, the Pacific, and International Cybersecurity Policy.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.gardner.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/gardner-leads-bipartisan-group-of-colleagues-to-request-health-insurance-tax-delay", "Gardner Leads Bipartisan Group of Colleagues to Request Health Insurance Tax Delay", "2019-12-10", "2019", "2019-12", "Republican", "House", "CO", "Cory Gardner", "G000562", "www.gardner.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Washington, D.C.  Today U.S. Senator Cory Gardner (R-CO) and several of his colleagues sent a bipartisan letter to leadership of the U.S. Senate and U.S. House of Representatives urging a delay in the Health Insurance Tax before it goes into effect again on January 1, 2020. The tax is a fee to health insurers on their health policy premiums that increases costs on families, small businesses, seniors, Americans with disabilities, and state Medicaid programs.\r\n\r\nWe write to request relief from the costly Health Insurance Tax (HIT) before it goes into effect January 1, 2020. Without Congressional action, the HIT will raise health care costs for consumers and small businesses across the country, the Members of Congress wrote. At a time when increasing healthcare costs are a burden on American families, we urge continued bipartisan cooperation to ensure this costly tax does not go into effect.\r\n\r\nA recent report from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services found that the Health Insurance Tax was the primary driver of the rise in health care costs when it was in effect in 2018. Without action from Congress, the HIT is schedule to go into effect again on January 1, 2020.\r\n\r\nIn January, Senators Gardner, Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), John Barrasso (R-WY), Doug Jones (D-AL), Tim Scott (R-SC), and Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ) introduced S. 172, the Health Insurance Tax Relief Act of 2019, to delay the HIT for 2020 and 2021. H.R. 1398 is the companion legislation in the U.S. House of Representatives, and is championed by Representatives Bera (D-CA), Gottheimer (D-NJ), Walorski (R-IN), Marchant (R-TX), and Brindisi (D-NY).\r\nThe full letter is available here and below:\r\n\r\nDear Leader McConnell, Leader Schumer, Speaker Pelosi, and Leader McCarthy,\r\n\r\nWe write to request relief from the costly Health Insurance Tax (HIT) before it goes into effect January 1, 2020. Without Congressional action, the HIT will raise health care costs for consumers and small businesses across the country.\r\n\r\nThe Internal Revenue Service estimates that in 2020 alone this tax would impose a $15.5 billion fee on health insurance plans. That fee would be passed down to families, small businesses, seniors, Americans with disabilities, and state Medicaid programs.\r\n\r\nAs costs continue to rise, Americans are being forced to spend an unbearable percentage of their income on health insurance premiums. A December 5, 2019 Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Office of the Actuary report on national health care spending demonstrates that when the tax was in effect for 2018 it was a main driver of rising health care costs. According to the report, the net cost of health insurance grew 13.2 percent in 2018, compared to only 4.3 percent in 2017 when the tax was not in effect.\r\n\r\nAccording to the actuarial firm, Oliver Wyman, if the HIT went into effect for 2020 it would raise costs for approximately 142 million Americans. The price increases would particularly impact seniors and Americans with disabilities that utilize Medicare Advantage (MA). Oliver Wyman reports that had the HIT been levied in 2019, MA premiums would have climbed from $393.05 to $612.09a 55.7% increase.\r\n\r\nCongress worked together in a bipartisan fashion to suspend the tax for 2017 and 2019. Our bipartisan legislation, S. 172 and H.R. 1398, the Health Insurance Tax Relief Act of 2019, would delay this tax for two years, 2020 and 2021, and has support from 33 senators and 165 members of the House of Representatives.\r\n\r\nAt a time when increasing healthcare costs are a burden on American families, we urge continued bipartisan cooperation to ensure this costly tax does not go into effect.\r\n\r\n###\r\nCory Gardner is a member of the U.S. Senate serving Colorado. He sits on the Energy & Natural Resources Committee, the Foreign Relations Committee, the Commerce, Science, & Transportation Committee, and is the Chairman of the Subcommittee on East Asia, the Pacific, and International Cybersecurity Policy.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.gardner.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/gardner-risch-menendez-coons-mark-anniversary-of-the-chinese-governments-unlawful-detention-of-canadian-citizens", "Gardner, Risch, Menendez, Coons Mark Anniversary of the Chinese Government\u2019s Unlawful Detention of Canadian Citizens", "2019-12-10", "2019", "2019-12", "Republican", "House", "CO", "Cory Gardner", "G000562", "www.gardner.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Washington, D.C.  U.S. Senators Cory Gardner (R-CO),Jim Risch (R-ID), Bob Menendez (D-NJ), and Chris Coons (D-DE), who serve on the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, today recognized the anniversary of the Chinese government's detention of Canadian citizens Michal Kovrig and Michael Spavor in retaliation for Huawei Technologies Co, Ltd. Chief Financial Officer Meng Wanzhou's arrest by Canadian authorities. Kovrig and Spavor were detained on December 10, 2018, just nine days after Meng's arrest in Canada on December 1, 2018.\r\n\r\nEarlier this year, the Senate unanimously passed a resolution, S.Res.96, led by Risch and Menendez and cosponsored by GardnerandCoons, commending Canada for upholding the rule of law and expressing deep concern over the Chinese government's retaliation against Canada for responding to the United States' request that Canada extradite Meng.\r\nThe Chinese Communist Party has unlawfully detained Mr. Kovrig and Mr. Spavor for a year now, robbing them of time with their families and fundamental human rights, said Senator Gardner. We stand shoulder-to-shoulder in support of Canada upholding the rule of law, and we call on the CCP to end this unjust and unlawful detainment.\r\n\r\nThe Chinese government's ongoing arbitrary detention and mistreatment of Canadian nationals is unacceptable, said Senator Risch. It has been a full year since the unlawful detainment of Mr. Kovrig and Mr. Spavor in China. Today we reaffirm our unwavering support for Canada's decision to uphold the rule of law with respect to Ms. Meng's arrest, and reiterate that the Chinese government should immediately release Mr. Kovrig and Mr. Spavor.\r\n\r\nChina's continued incarceration of Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor tells us everything we need to know about the lack of respect for the rule of law in Xi Jinping's China, said Senator Menendez. While Ms. Meng luxuriates under house arrest' in her multi-million dollar mansion, Mr. Spavor and Mr. Kovrig, who have done nothing wrong, are subject to inhumane conditions and even denied a single visit by their family. China's behavior in taking these two men hostage is not that of a culture of 5000 years of civilization, but cruel, capricious, and barbaric. The world must unite in condemning the practice of political hostage-taking. That is why I have authored the Robert Levinson Hostage Recovery and Hostage-taking Accountability Act, a bipartisan bill to provide more tools for the United States government to rescue hostages and punish their captors.\r\n\r\nI support Chairman Risch and Ranking Member Menendez's efforts to continue to draw attention to the unjust detention of two Canadian nationals in China, said Senator Coons. China's actions are politically motivated and deprive Canadian citizens of the due process they deserve. Canada, by contrast, continues to uphold the rule of law with respect to Ms. Meng's case, and I encourage Beijing to do the same.\r\nAdditional cosponsors of S.Res.96 include Senators Mitt Romney (R-UT), Ted Cruz (R-TX), Ron Johnson (R-WI), Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), Johnny Isakson (R-GA), Marco Rubio (R-FL), and Jim Inhofe (R-OK).\r\n\r\n###\r\nCory Gardner is a member of the U.S. Senate serving Colorado. He sits on the Energy & Natural Resources Committee, the Foreign Relations Committee, the Commerce, Science, & Transportation Committee, and is the Chairman of the Subcommittee on East Asia, the Pacific, and International Cybersecurity Policy.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://lamborn.house.gov/media/press-releases/congressman-lamborns-statement-long-awaited-fisa-report", "Congressman Lamborn's Statement on the Long-awaited FISA Report", "2019-12-09", "2019", "2019-12", "Republican", "House", "CO", "Doug Lamborn", "L000564", "lamborn.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Contact: Cassandra Sebastian (719) 520-0055\n\nWashington, D.C. Congressman Doug Lamborn released the following statement after Justice Department Inspector General Michael Horowitz released his report today, on the origins of the FBI investigation into President Trump's 2016 election campaign:\n\n\"Inspector General Michael Horowitz's report confirms that Republican warnings about abuses of the FISA court process were justified. The findings of the report indicate that the investigations into President Trump's election campaign were prompted by Obama administration officials, who were unjustified in their actions and misusing their power. The report confirms that the Justice Department found \"serious performance failures\" in the FBI's handling of the Russia probe and, \"at least seventeen significant errors or omissions\" occurred as James Comey's FBI abused its power to spy on the Trump campaign. In their desire to surveil Trump campaign associates, FBI officials misled the FISA court, omitted critical exculpatory facts from their filings, and ignored information nullifying the reliability of their principal source. For the last four years, the American people have witnessed that the Washington D.C. establishment are willing to break any rule, ignore any precedent, and twist any fact to attack President Trump.\"", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://tipton.house.gov/media/in-the-news/mlb-proposal-eliminates-minor-leagues-colorado-grand-junction-and-colorado-springs", "MLB proposal eliminates the minor leagues in Colorado. But Grand Junction and Colorado Springs are pushing back", "2019-12-08", "2019", "2019-12", "Republican", "House", "CO", "Scott Tipton", "T000470", "tipton.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Branch Rickey, who invented baseball's farm system nearly 100 years ago, once said a baseball club in any city in America is a quasi-public institution.\nThat belief, and the concept of minor league baseball as fans have long known it, appears near an end. Major League Baseball owners recently proposed a radical restructuring of its farm systems, one that would eliminate the two minor league teams in Colorado in addition to 40 other lower-level affiliates following the 2020 season.\nOwners say drastic change is necessary to ensure professional-grade facilities for all minor league players, reduce travel by reorganizing leagues by geography and to improve compensation, accommodations, and amenities for minor league players. The proposal includes dropping the Rockies' rookie-league team in Grand Junction as well the Colorado Springs-based Rocky Mountain Vibes, a rookie-league affiliate of the Brewers.I'm in favor of restructuring Minor League Baseball, and hopefully getting a better situation for the development process and a better situation for the communities where we have Minor League Baseball, said Dick Monfort, the majority owner of both the Colorado and Grand Junction Rockies. It's the whole development process that needs to be re-looked at.\nOn the other side, Minor League Baseball  a separate entity bound to Major League Baseball by the Professional Baseball Agreement (PBA), which expires Sept. 15, 2020  paints a different picture. That view is one of the communities across the country losing an important cultural and economic engine should their local teams be disbanded.\nAn expansive farm system has been an integral part of baseball since Rickey laid the groundwork with the St. Louis Cardinals in the 1920s.\nIt would be a total tragedy it something like this were to happen, Vibes President Chris Phillips said. When you think about what (minor league baseball) is about, baseball is a part of it, but it's community. Everything we do is somehow entrenched in engaging with the community. The proposal would not only affect us here in Colorado Springs, but you multiply that by 42 across the country, it's a big deal.\nThe issue boils down to MLB weighing a trimmed down, modernized approach to player development versus Rickey's farm philosophy of quality in quantity. A century of heritage in mostly small-town America is at risk.\nAnd the debate will unfold with high stakes here in Colorado.\nTo understand how Major League Baseball and Minor League Baseball arrived at an impasse where entire lower-lever leagues might be axed  including the 80-year-old Pioneer League, in which the Grand Junction Rockies and Vibes play  fans should first understand the owners' position.\nThough the last 10 years, organizations have continued to add additional farm teams, thinking that the more players you have in the system, the better chance a few might develop enough to become major-league players, said former Rockies general manager Bob Gebhard, now a special assistant for the Cardinals. The downside of it is, I think we've probably gone a little overboard. Recently there were 126 minor league teams, and now there's (160). We might have gone a bit too far.\nThe last contentious PBA negotiation came in 1990-91. It resulted in MLB taking over player contracts and development while minor league teams were tasked with facility upkeep and player care. Monfort said owners voted unanimously in support of the restructuring ahead of the PBA expiring next year.\nWe've rolled over the agreement with Minor League Baseball since 1990, and during that time, there have been 80 shifts in minor league teams going to different cities, Monfort said. One of those relocations was Casper to Grand Junction. We've just sort of allowed it to happen as they restructure leagues and re-jigger things, and it needs to be addressed.\nThe reduction of the Rockies' farm system from six teams to four won't hurt the big league club, Monfort said. He argues that by concentrating the club's analytics, scouting and development on fewer players, the Rockies can be more efficient.\nWe'd still have enough prospects, Monfort said. And we'd get better development out of fewer players.\nThe potential of the disruption, though, is widespread, and already being felt in Colorado Springs, Grand Junction and beyond, where stakeholders in minor league teams are bracing for a drawn-out negotiation.\nThere's usually some changes each side has to make when this comes up, but just as both sides are getting ready to start negotiations, this is what Major League Baseball comes out with, Phillips said. The timing is making things difficult to start promoting the 2020 season when we're getting questions from fans, sponsors and people who are in multi-year agreements with us. It's (Major League Baseball) not coming to the table in good faith.\nGrand Junction manager Jake Optiz said MLB's ideas regarding restructuring have some merit.\nYou're trying to develop players, and you go to some different facilities, and you can't even hit in the batting cage because it's run down and there are holes in the nets, he said. That type of stuff needs to improve. And the travel can get really tough, because when you're talking a (13-hour) one-way bus ride from Grand Junction to Great Falls (Mont.) for a three-game series, that wears you out.\nThe majority of minor league teams are not owned by major league owners (the Grand Junction Rockies are an anomaly in that regard), and MLB is looking at cost savings with the reorganization between $600,000 and $1 million per year, per team, in salary expense. That figure doesn't include other subsidies and bonuses that racks up the total tab to nearly $500 million, according to MLB.\nMonfort, however, stressed that the owners aren't looking to contract as a monetary move, but rather as an effort to overhaul a stale system, and possibly increase pay for minor leaguers.\nThe player salaries have not been addressed in a long time, so yes, if you went from 220 players to 150 players in the system, you'd probably spend the same salary, Monfort said. It's just the 150 remaining guys would be making more.\nFor those cities and towns losing teams, MLB has said it will take responsibility for providing viable options to preserve organized baseball in places that currently have affiliated MLB teams.\nThe alternatives pitched by the league to the 42 communities in danger of losing their minor league teams are a collegiate summer team, an independent league team or a Dream League team. MLB said the Dream League concept would serve as a platform for programs designed to increase the number of children and adults from traditionally underrepresented groups playing baseball in the U.S.\nThere'd be organized baseball in these cities, and the players wouldn't be part of a major league team, but they'd be available (to get signed), Monfort said. Figure it as a glorified college system, or junior college system, to where we continue to have the same amount of organized baseball, just none of them are affiliated with the MLB teams.\nThat explanation isn't flying in Grand Junction or Colorado Springs, or in some cities where the stadium is owned by the city or county and millions of dollars of upgrades have been made.\nIt's just not a substitute, said Grand Junction city councilwoman Anna Stout, who has been a host family for Rockies players the past three seasons. We already benefit from having Colorado Mesa University here, and they have a fantastic baseball team. And the JuCo World Series has become a cultural phenomenon. Another (amateur) team won't draw.\nIn Colorado Springs, the Vibes franchise has been through the minor league baseball ringer. The city was previously home to the Triple-A Sky Sox from 1988-2018, a Colorado Rockies affiliate for much of that time before the Sky Sox left for San Antonio last year. That led to the rookie-league Helena Brewers relocating to Colorado Springs as the Vibes.\nLast year, with the re-brand that we went through, and really coming up with something fun and creative  it breathed a whole shot of life back into the franchise here, Phillips said. To get this kind of proclamation that this is happening, and there's nothing we can do about it  that's basically the stance that Major League Baseball is taking  it's ridiculous.\nTeams scheduled to be shuttered are looking for political help.\nCongressmen Scott Tipton (District 3, which includes Grand Junction) and Doug Lamborn (District 5, which includes Colorado Springs) were among 106 congressmen nationwide who signed a letter of opposition to the proposal, citing the cultural and economic drawbacks of losing their district's respective teams.\nThe turnover of people to see players who will eventually be on the major league team, and some of the future stars of the team, we can't overstate that cultural importance, Tipton said. The direct affiliation with the major team, especially right within our state, is huge  The Rockies are a point of pride for Grand Junction, and have been since Day 1.\nThe Grand Junction Rockies drew 88,476 in 37 home games in 2019, an average of 2,391. The Vibes drew 137,294 in 35 home games, an average of 3,923 and an increase of 106,208 from the 2018 attendance of the Helena Brewers.\nPhillips said the Vibes, who have 14 full-time employees, had an approximate total economic impact of $20 million on the area in 2019. And according to an estimate by the Grand Junction Chamber of Commerce, the Rockies had a $3.8 million direct impact on the city in 2019, with a total economic impact of $13.68 million. The team has 25-35 full-time and seasonal employees.\nAs the annual Winter Meetings convene next week in San Diego, the contraction issue will be front and center. Those within baseball believe a combative negotiation process lies ahead. And Gebhard is not alone in his belief that the proposal to cut 42 teams might be a bargaining chip to pressure Minor League Baseball to take on more financial responsibility in the next PBA.\nMaybe they'll take this to the bargaining table and use it as leverage, or maybe they're serious about redoing the PBA and they still cut the teams anyways, Gerhard said. Either way there's going to be a lot of conflict; there's going to be lawsuits.\nMinor league teams in line to be cut won't close down without a fight.\nI've dealt with enough years of uncertainty and influx, and we finally got this thing to where we wanted it  so I'm not going to sit back and let it just die on the vine, Phillips said.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.gardner.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/gardner-responds-to-north-koreas-statement-that-it-will-not-denuclearize", "Gardner Responds to North Korea\u2019s Statement That It Will Not Denuclearize", "2019-12-08", "2019", "2019-12", "Republican", "House", "CO", "Cory Gardner", "G000562", "www.gardner.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Washington, D.C.  U.S. Senator Cory Gardner (R-CO), Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on East Asia, the Pacific, and International Cybersecurity Policy, released the following statement today regarding an announcement from North Korea's ambassador to the United Nations that North Korea has no intentions to denuclearize. The comments come as an end-of-the-year deadline set by dictator Kim Jong Un approaches to see progress in negotiations with the United States. Earlier this week, a North Korean official warned it was up to the U.S. to choose what it would receive as a Christmas gift from Pyongyang.\r\n\r\nThe maniac in Pyongyang continues to be a threat to global security and U.S. service members around the world, said Senator Gardner. Today's announcement confirms North Korea never had any intention of ending their nuclear ambitions and shows why the U.S. should return to maximum pressure on the Kim regime. I'm calling on Congress to pass the bipartisan LEED Act, which Senator Markey and I introduced to increase diplomatic and economic pressure on North Korea. North Korea will remain a global outcast until it reverses course from a long history of human rights abuses, aggression, and defying international law. I will continue to work with my colleagues and the administration toward peaceful denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula that is complete, verifiable, and irreversible.\r\n\r\nGardner introduced the Leverage to Enhance Effective Diplomacy (LEED) Act, comprehensive bipartisan legislation to economically and diplomatically pressure North Korea and its enablers through the imposition of sanctions; to authorize efforts to combat Pyongyang's widespread human rights and labor trafficking abuses; and to support the administration's efforts to find a diplomatic solution to achieve the complete, verifiable, and irreversible denuclearization of the North Korea regime. The legislation also calls on North Korea to immediately return the U.S.S. Pueblo, which was illegally seized in international waters in January 1968.\r\n\r\n###\r\nCory Gardner is a member of the U.S. Senate serving Colorado. He sits on the Energy & Natural Resources Committee, the Foreign Relations Committee, the Commerce, Science, & Transportation Committee, and is the Chairman of the Subcommittee on East Asia, the Pacific, and International Cybersecurity Policy.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://buck.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/ken-buck-passing-kimmi-lewis", "Ken Buck on the Passing of Kimmi Lewis", "2019-12-06", "2019", "2019-12", "Republican", "House", "CO", "Ken Buck", "B001297", "buck.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "For Immediate Release  \n\tFriday, December 6, 2019  Contact: Brittany Yanick, 202-225-4676\nWashington, D.C.  Today, Congressman Ken Buck (R-CO) released the following statement on the passing of Kimmi Lewis who represented Colorado House District 64, which includes nine counties in Eastern Colorado.\nKimmi has been a strong advocate for our state's farmers and ranchers. She will be remembered as a treasured member of the community who worked tirelessly to improve the lives of Coloradans, stated Congressman Buck.\nAside from her role in the state legislature, Kimmi Lewis served as the President of the Trinidad/Las Animas County Republican Women's Club over the last thirty years. In 2007, she received the La Junta Chamber of Commerce Agricultural Award for her efforts to prevent the expansion of the Pinon Canyon Maneuver Site, and in 2009, she received the Southern Colorado Livestock Association Cattlewoman of the year award in honor of her dedication and lifetime commitment to our industry, community and our country.\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.gardner.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/gardner-coons-bipartisan-colleagues-demand-education-department-investigation-into-loan-forgiveness-process-", "Gardner, Coons, Bipartisan Colleagues Demand Education Department Investigation into Loan Forgiveness Process", "2019-12-06", "2019", "2019-12", "Republican", "House", "CO", "Cory Gardner", "G000562", "www.gardner.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Washington, D.C.  U.S. Senators Cory Gardner (R-CO), Chris Coons (D-DE), and a bipartisan group of lawmakers sent a letter to the U.S. Department of Education (ED) urging the department's Acting Inspector General Sandra Bruce to investigate the federal student loan discharge process for Americans with total and permanent disabilities (TPD). The members' letter comes after multiple letters requesting the discharges go forward and a report from National Public Radio (NPR), aired earlier this week, that found that hundreds of thousands of Americans with qualifying disabilities have not received the student loan relief they are entitled to by law. In addition to Senators Gardner and Coons, the letter was signed by U.S. Senators Angus King (I-ME), Susan Collins (R-ME), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), and Rob Portman (R-OH), along with U.S. Representatives Ron Kind (D-WI), Jim Langevin (D-RI), Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA), and Don Young (R-AK).\r\n\r\nWe are alarmed by the findings in this NPR investigation, the reported extremely low rate of loan discharges for eligible borrowers, and the contrast between the NPR report and the information previously provided by ED, Senator Gardner and his colleagues wrote. We are also concerned by ED's lack of transparency with Congress and failure to provide timely, verifiable information. Most importantly, it appears that ED's process for TPD loan discharges is failing to provide student loan relief to hundreds of thousands of Americans, including veterans, who are entitled to this relief under the law.\r\n\r\nRead the full letter here or below:\r\nDear Acting Inspector General Bruce:\r\n\r\nWe write with serious concern about the Department of Education's (ED) process to discharge federal student loans for totally and permanently disabled Americans, including veterans.\r\n\r\nUnder the Higher Education Act of 1965, individuals who are totally and permanently disabled (TPD) are eligible to have their outstanding federal student loans forgiven. Under the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017, federal student loans that are discharged due to death or TPD are exempt from federal income tax. ED currently utilizes data provided through matching agreements with the Social Security Administration (SSA) and the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to identify disabled federal student loan borrowers who may be eligible for TPD loan discharge. In August 2019, the Trump Administration announced that borrowers identified through VA data would automatically have their loans discharged. Yet borrowers matched with SSA data, including veterans with non-service-connected disabilities, still must submit a discharge application. As we have said before, despite the existing legal benefit for loan discharge and the removal of the federal tax penalty two years ago, many borrowers, in applying for relief, face significant challenges that are both administratively burdensome and unnecessary.\r\n\r\nWe wrote to ED on a bipartisan basis several times urging the Administration to automatically discharge these federal student loans, including in letters sent on February 15, 2018, and October 9, 2019. Our letter in October cited data provided to our staff by ED that as of March 2019, only 40% of eligible borrowers identified in the SSA match have had their loans discharged. However, according to a National Public Radio (NPR) report that aired on December 4, 2019, that is not the case[1]. The investigation found that between March 2016 and September 2019, 555,000 borrowers were identified through the SSA data match as eligible for TPD discharge and were sent a letter in the mail. Ultimately, only 156,000, or 28%, of those borrowers had their loans discharged or are on track for that to happen. These numbers do not include borrowers matched through VA data, information we still have not seen.\r\n\r\nWe are alarmed by the findings in this NPR investigation, the reported extremely low rate of loan discharges for eligible borrowers, and the contrast between the NPR report and the information previously provided by ED. We are also concerned by ED's lack of transparency with Congress and failure to provide timely, verifiable information. Most importantly, it appears that ED's process for TPD loan discharges is failing to provide student loan relief to hundreds of thousands of Americans, including veterans, who are entitled to this relief under the law. We urge ED's Office of Inspector General to investigate the TPD loan discharge process immediately and answer the following questions:\r\n\r\n \r\nHow many individuals in total have been identified through ED's data match with the SSA and the VA since March 2016? Please list the numbers for SSA and VA separately.\r\nHow many of these matched borrowers have received a loan discharge?\r\nOf those borrowers who were matched but ultimately did not receive a loan discharge, what are the reasons the discharge did not occur? How many borrowers are associated with each reason, including income monitoring?\r\nWhy has the Administration rejected bipartisan calls to pursue automatic discharge for Americans with non-service-related disabilities?\r\nHow can ED improve its data system for the TPD process and ensure this information is communicated with Congress in a transparent and timely manner?\r\nWhat steps does ED need to take to make this process automatic, meaning once a borrower is flagged as eligible, the discharge is not contingent upon administrative work by the borrower at the point of discharge or any point thereafter?\r\n \r\n\r\nEnclosed are the cited letters from February 15, 2018, and October 9, 2019. We appreciate your attention to this important matter and request a commitment to investigate these questions by December 31, 2019.\r\n\r\n###\r\nCory Gardner is a member of the U.S. Senate serving Colorado. He sits on the Energy & Natural Resources Committee, the Foreign Relations Committee, the Commerce, Science, & Transportation Committee, and is the Chairman of the Subcommittee on East Asia, the Pacific, and International Cybersecurity Policy.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.gardner.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/gardner-scott-grassley-colleagues-introduce-bill-to-enhance-opportunity-zones", "Gardner, Scott, Grassley, Colleagues Introduce Bill to Enhance Opportunity Zones", "2019-12-06", "2019", "2019-12", "Republican", "House", "CO", "Cory Gardner", "G000562", "www.gardner.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Washington, D.C.  U.S. Senators Cory Gardner (R-CO), Tim Scott (R-SC), Chuck Grassley (R-IA), Marco Rubio (R-FL), Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), Todd Young (R-IN), Joni Ernst (R-IA), and Bill Cassidy (R-LA) introduced the IMPACT Act, which would reinstate and expand reporting requirements to determine the impact of the more than 8,700 Opportunity Zones across the country.\r\n\r\nThe Improving and Reinstating the Monitoring, Prevention, Accountability, Certification, and Transparency Provisions of Opportunity Zones (IMPACT) Act includes a variety of reporting requirements, fully listed below, to provide for the most robust and granular analysis over time on the targeted impacts of investments in Opportunity Zones. With more than $63 billion already in anticipated investments, it is critical that this analysis is in place. The IMPACT Act's requirements do this while protecting taxpayer privacy laws and preserving the ability of communities to utilize a wide-variety of possible investments without overburdening entrepreneurs and local governments with mountains of unnecessary paperwork.\r\n\r\nAs a fifth generation Coloradan who grew up on the Eastern Plains, I know how important it is to attract growth to local communities, and particularly rural communities, in Colorado and throughout the country, said Senator Gardner. The IMPACT Act will provide new data on Opportunity Zones, so we can make them as effective as possible at encouraging investment, inciting growth, and extending opportunities for communities across all four corners of Colorado.\r\n\r\nOpportunity Zones provide thousands of low-income communities, both urban and rural, across the country with the potential to transform the future for generations to come, said Senator Scott. The IMPACT Act's reporting requirements will help show communities and investors that the initiative is working, as well as help root out any fraud or abuse. This is an important piece of the puzzle to help the more than 31 million Americans living in Opportunity Zones experience a brighter future.\r\n\r\nOpportunity Zones have the potential to transform some of the most economically underdeveloped parts of the country and lift millions of Americans out of poverty. Everyone deserves a shot at the American Dream. This legislation will help make sure the federal government has the information it needs to track the success of Opportunity Zones, said Senator Grassley.\r\nI was proud to support Opportunity Zones in 2017 with the goal of spurring economic innovation in communities across our nation, giving all Americans the chance to succeed, said Senator Rubio. The IMPACT Act will increase accountability to ensure Opportunity Zones are having the positive effect on distressed communities that they were created to.\r\n\r\nThis bill would help us monitor and better understand what's working and what's not in the Opportunity Zone program. This program can really be a game-changer for West Virginia because of the chance to leverage investments. Having this information will help the program become more robust and aid the communities that need it the most, said Senator Capito.\r\nWhen we passed tax reform, I was proud to support the creation of Opportunity Zones to incentivize new investment in distressed communities across the country, said Senator Young. The IMPACT Act will help strengthen Opportunity Zones by increasing transparency within the program and creating metrics to measure and improve on its success.\r\n\r\nOpportunity Zones are a promising tool for driving investment in distressed communities, said Senator Ernst. This important legislation will ensure that we can effectively measure its success in communities across Iowa.\r\n\r\nInstead of utilizing a Band-Aid method or temporary fix, the Opportunity Zones initiative aims to lift up entire neighborhoods by attracting private investment to areas most in need. With about $6 trillion of capital gains sitting on the sidelines, investors can now take advantage of a tax incentive if they elect to invest resources in the more than 8,700 designated distressed communities across the country.\r\n\r\nThe law is also written in a way that encourages long-term investment by allowing for a step-up approach: There is a greater financial benefit for investing over a 10-year time period, rather than just five years. This type of structure will encourage investors to establish meaningful relationships with the communities they are investing in.\r\nNOTE: Click here to read the full bill text.\r\n\r\nSpecifically, the IMPACT Act:\r\n \r\nCodifies requirements for Qualified Opportunity Funds to report information on the value of total assets held by the fund, the location and value of Opportunity Zone property held by the fund, whether the property is owned or leased, information on disposed investments during the tax year, information on the location and industry classification codes of businesses receiving equity investments as well as the value of those investments. The IMPACT Act also requires reporting on the number of persons employed through OZ investments, thereby providing data on job creation and firm growth without burdening small businesses and funds alike.\r\n \r\n \r\nCodifies requirements for investors to report critical information on Opportunity Zone investments including funds receiving investments, relevant dates on which investments and dispositions are made, descriptions of Opportunity Zone investments, and measures that will continue to allow IRS to track both the deferral and recognition of gains, the trajectory of OZ investments over time, and compliance more broadly.\r\n \r\n \r\nAdds penalties for both individuals and funds that fail to accurately and appropriately file the required returns or statements and also significantly enhances penalties for any individual who attempts to take advantage of the OZ incentive for fraudulent purposes.\r\n \r\n \r\nRequires that Treasury make public as soon as practicable and annually thereafter timely, comprehensive information tracking Qualified Opportunity Funds and their corresponding investments into zones.\r\n\r\nSpecifically, Treasury shall make public in the aggregate the total number of funds, the total assets of all funds, the distribution of Opportunity Zone investments across different industry classification codes, the percentage of all Opportunity Zones that have received investment through the incentive, the total amount of Opportunity Fund investments made in each census tract, the distribution of investments in real property and active businesses, data deciphering the sizes of businesses receiving OZ investment, and numbers of jobs created or sustained by those businesses in light of Opportunity Zone investments.\r\n\r\n \r\n \r\nIn addition to that, this legislation requires the most comprehensive community impact report on Opportunity Zones, which will provide granular data on the real impacts we're seeing in OZ's over time. Specifically, in addition to the annual reporting Treasury is required to produce, in five years and again five years thereafter, Treasury shall work with relevant agencies to provide a comprehensive report on an exhaustive list of economic and demographic data points to provide a holistic view on the impact to each census tract over time. This includes but is not limited to the unemployment rate of the zone, education levels of zone residents, the availability of affordable housing and percentage of income used for rent, impacts to median family income, the presence of specific industries and new business starts that create jobs, home equity impacts for residents, and more.\r\n \r\n \r\nBut the IMPACT Act doesn't stop there, it also compares these data points with the time periods before these specific tracts were designated as Opportunity Zones and also compares them against other low-income communities that are similarly situated but were not selected for OZ designation. This will ultimately provide us with a holistic understanding of the real impacts to zone residents as well as the benefits and potential of the Opportunity Zones.\r\n \r\n \r\nThe IMPACT Act also ensures the protection of private taxpayer information currently safeguarded under federal law, thereby protecting competitive and proprietary information critical to the marketplace.\r\n \r\n###\r\nCory Gardner is a member of the U.S. Senate serving Colorado. He sits on the Energy & Natural Resources Committee, the Foreign Relations Committee, the Commerce, Science, & Transportation Committee, and is the Chairman of the Subcommittee on East Asia, the Pacific, and International Cybersecurity Policy.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.gardner.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/senate-passes-gardners-bill-simplifying-fafsa", "Senate Passes Gardner\u2019s Bill Simplifying FAFSA", "2019-12-06", "2019", "2019-12", "Republican", "House", "CO", "Cory Gardner", "G000562", "www.gardner.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Washington, D.C.  The United States Senate recently passed bipartisan legislation introduced by U.S. Senator Cory Gardner (R-CO), Lamar Alexander (R-TN), Patty Murray (D-WA), and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) last Congress to simplify the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) filing process for nearly 20 million students and their families. The Faster Access to Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) Act will allow students to answer at least 11 and as many as 22 questions with just one click.\r\nGardner's legislation was included in a bipartisan agreement to permanently fund historically black colleges and universities and minority serving institutions.\r\nI applaud the bipartisan agreement this week that will provide funding certainty to historically black colleges and universities and other minority serving institutions, while also improving the FAFSA. Ensuring students are able to complete their FAFSA forms each year is crucial to continuing their education, said Senator Gardner. This bipartisan legislation makes the complex process easier for students and their parents so that no student has to miss out on educational opportunities because completing their forms was more difficult than it needed to be.\r\nWith the FAFSA Act, students will be able to let the IRS securely send the Department of Education their federal tax information with one click. The bill will also help simplify the process for getting through income-driven repayment applications and the student aid verification process.\r\nAccording to the Colorado Department of Higher Education, during the 2015-2016 academic year over 50 percent of Colorado high school graduates did not finish their FAFSA. The current system is unnecessarily burdensome, and those students could have been eligible for almost $50 million more in federal support to further their education had they completed the form. The FAFSA Act is an important step towards making this overcomplicated process easier for students and families.\r\nThe Faster Access to Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) Act will make FAFSA completion easier and more secure for nearly 20 million students by:\r\n \r\nImproving and securing the way individuals' IRS tax information is sent to the Department of Education.\r\nTurning a seven-click process into a single-click process  that answers at least 11 and up to 22 questions  to transfer IRS tax filling data to the Department of Education.\r\nReducing the burdensome verification processes for students and parents filing for aid.\r\nAutomating the annual process for over 7 million borrowers in income driven repayment to recertify their income and remain in their repayment plan.\r\nThe current process for students or parents to transfer tax information to the FAFSA requires the applicant to give direct permission to the IRS to send tax information to ED. This requires the applicant to jump from the FAFSA website to the IRS website and back to the ED website, which takes a total of seven clicks.\r\n \r\n###\r\nCory Gardner is a member of the U.S. Senate serving Colorado. He sits on the Energy & Natural Resources Committee, the Foreign Relations Committee, the Commerce, Science, & Transportation Committee, and is the Chairman of the Subcommittee on East Asia, the Pacific, and International Cybersecurity Policy.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://lamborn.house.gov/media/press-releases/congressman-lamborn-comments-military-housing-hearing", "Congressman Lamborn Comments On Military Housing Hearing", "2019-12-05", "2019", "2019-12", "Republican", "House", "CO", "Doug Lamborn", "L000564", "lamborn.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Contact: Cassandra Sebastian (719) 520-0055\n\nToday the House Armed Services Subcommittee on Readiness held a hearing on privatized military housing. The military housing privatization initiative began as a public-private venture (PPV) in 1996.\n\nCongressman Lamborn, Ranking Member on the House Armed Services Subcommittee on Readiness released the following statement:\n\n\"With almost 48,000 military personnel in my district, I have been deeply troubled by the lack of oversight in the military housing program. My sincere hope is that the attention that military family housing has received over the last year will serve as a wake-up call to both the military services and to the private housing partners. We must work to improve the overall program and establish a higher quality of life for our military. Our military families deserve better.\"\n\nTo read my full remarks from the hearing, click here.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.gardner.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/gardner-recognizes-pearl-harbor-anniversary-and-survivors-on-senate-floor", "Gardner Recognizes Pearl Harbor Anniversary and Survivors on Senate Floor", "2019-12-05", "2019", "2019-12", "Republican", "House", "CO", "Cory Gardner", "G000562", "www.gardner.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Washington, D.C.  U.S. Senator Cory Gardner (R-CO) spoke on the floor of the United States Senate today recognizing the upcoming 78th anniversary of the attacks on Pearl Harbor and the three remaining survivors of the USS Arizona.\r\n\r\nNOTE: Click here or the picture above to view Senator Gardner's remarks.\r\n\r\nOn Saturday, December 7th, millions of Americans across the country will pay tribute to the attack at Pearl Harbor to commemorate what happened that morning that brought the United States fully into the Second World War, said Senator Gardner. On Saturday as we join our families, I hope that we'll take a little bit of time to reflect once again on a dark chapter in American history that lead to a great American century. To be thankful to the men and women who serve our country, to the men and women who fight for our nation each and every day. To the people like Ken Potts, and Lou Conter, and Donald Stratton, who continue to remind us each and every moment why this nation is worth fighting for.\r\n\r\nRemarks as delivered:\r\n\r\nThank you, Mr. President.\r\n\r\nOn September 10thjust a few months ago, Lauren Bruner, a veteran of Pearl Harbor, December 7th, 1941, passed away. Mr. Bruner wasn't just any veteran, he was a veteran who served on the USS Arizona during the attack that morning.\r\n\r\nOn Saturday, December 7th, millions of Americans across the country will pay tribute to the attack at Pearl Harbor to commemorate what happened that morning that brought the United States fully into the Second World War.Aboard the USS Arizona were 1,512 officers, sailors, marines. The attack that day, December 7th, killed 1,177 of them. 335 brave people survived that morning.\r\n\r\nBut Lauren Bruner, who passed away September 10th, was one of four who survive today that were on that ship that December morning in 1941. Lauren Bruner passed away at the age of 98, and on this Saturday, his ashes will be interred at the USS Arizona to join his shipmates: those who were lost that morning and others who have joined their fellow sailors, marines, and officers since.\r\n\r\nThree men remain, veterans of that war, from the USS Arizona. Lou Conter, 98 years old, and Ken Potts, 98 years old, and Donald Stratton, Colorado Springs, Colorado, a 97-year-old. Ken Potts and Don Stratton will join together for most likely the last time this Saturday, as they will watch a live video feed of the ceremony at Pearl Harbor at the USS Arizona memorial to view the internment of their shipmate Lauren Bruner at the USS Arizona.\r\n\r\nThe Senate was able to play a small role in recognizing what brought Don Stratton, Lauren Bruner, and the others together. You see on that morning when their ship was bombed, Lauren Bruner had been shot in the leg, Donald Stratton was on fire, the two of them and four of their other shipmates were on a control tower as the ship was on fire, when a rope appeared - a line from a USS Vestal, a ship next to the USS Arizona, line was thrown from a sailor named Joe George. They tied to the tower, and were able to shimmy across 70 feet from the burning Arizona while they were on fire to the Vestal to their safety. Lauren Bruner, 70 percent of his body was burned, shot in the leg. Don Stratton suffered bodily burns, spent a year in the hospital as a result, went back into the service to continue the rest of the war.\r\n\r\nThis chamber, Congress, we helped make sure that the gentleman who threw that rope, that lifeline, from the Vestal to the Arizona received final recognition for his act of heroism. Joe George, who went for decades without recognition for his act of bravery that saved these six sailors, was able to receive just a couple of years ago, December 7th, 2017, the Bronze Star and V for valor device, recognition of his acts. December 7th, 2017 also marked the last time that Donald Stratton was able to join the memorial service, to commemorate December 7th, Pearl Harbor. And I have this picture here that I'll show of Donald Stratton, who again this weekend will be joining Ken Potts as Lauren Bruner is interred to join the other men and women who lost their lives that morning.\r\n\r\nThis is an opportunity for us to once again say thank you to the 2,403 people overall at Pearl Harbor who were killed. The people who survived, who went on to fight the Second World War. Our veterans today who live, and continue to live the legacy that was given to them that December 7th morning.\r\n\r\nSo on Saturday as we join our families and weekend work, I hope that we'll take a little bit of time to reflect once again on a dark chapter in American history that lead to a great American century. To be thankful to the men and women who serve our country, to the men and women who fight for our nation each and every day. To the people like Ken Potts, and Lou Conter, and Donald Stratton, who continue to remind us each and every moment why this nation is worth fighting for.\r\n\r\nMr. President, I yield the floor.\r\n\r\n###\r\nCory Gardner is a member of the U.S. Senate serving Colorado. He sits on the Energy & Natural Resources Committee, the Foreign Relations Committee, the Commerce, Science, & Transportation Committee, and is the Chairman of the Subcommittee on East Asia, the Pacific, and International Cybersecurity Policy.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://tipton.house.gov/media/press-releases/house-takes-stand-against-anonymous-robocalls", "House Takes Stand Against Anonymous Robocalls", "2019-12-04", "2019", "2019-12", "Republican", "House", "CO", "Scott Tipton", "T000470", "tipton.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "WASHINGTONToday, the U.S. House of Representatives passed S. 151, the Telephone Robocall Abuse Criminal Enforcement and Deterrence Act, that allows the FCC to better crack down on illegal robocalls. Representative Scott Tipton (CO-03) released the following statement after the vote:\nColoradans are tired of receiving anonymous phone calls and feel helpless that there isn't enough being done to stop the malpractice. Without the ability to trace the source the origin of robocalls, connecting with a real person is nearly impossible, making it difficult to put an end to receiving these types of calls. This bill is an important part of the House's recent efforts to combat spoofing, misleading phone calls and other scammers' efforts to steal personal information from Americans.\nBackground:\n \nThe TRACED Act would allow the FCC to fine spoofing violators up to $10,000 per violation, and larger violations for any holders of FCC licenses or authorizations.\n\tCreates a third-party consortium that would track suspected illegal robocalls back to their origin.\n\tEstablishes an advisory committee to focus on protecting hospitals and emergency rooms from illegal robocalls.\n \nThe Senate cleared the bill in May of this year on a vote of 97-1. The House also passed another bill aimed to cease robocalls, H.R. 3375, the Stopping Bad Robocalls Act, in July 2019.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.gardner.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/gardner-discusses-consumer-privacy-legislation-at-senate-hearing", "Gardner Discusses Consumer Privacy Legislation at Senate Hearing", "2019-12-04", "2019", "2019-12", "Republican", "House", "CO", "Cory Gardner", "G000562", "www.gardner.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Washington, D.C.  Today U.S. Senator Cory Gardner (R-CO) spoke about his work to protect consumer data privacy at a hearing held by the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.\r\nNOTE: Click hereto view Senator Gardner's remarks.\r\n\r\nIn Colorado, we cherish our personal privacy, which is at the core of our Rocky Mountain values, said Senator Gardner. That's why I strongly support efforts to support a national, bipartisan privacy policy that respects Colorado's values, respects America's values, consumer choice, and the appropriate safeguarding of our private lives.\r\n\r\nGardner spoke with the panel of witnesses about his bipartisan Protecting Privacy in our Homes Act, privacy as a fundamental human right, and the use of facial recognition technology by the Chinese Communist Party.\r\n\r\nThe full hearing can be viewed here.\r\n###\r\nCory Gardner is a member of the U.S. Senate serving Colorado. He sits on the Energy & Natural Resources Committee, the Foreign Relations Committee, the Commerce, Science, & Transportation Committee, and is the Chairman of the Subcommittee on East Asia, the Pacific, and International Cybersecurity Policy.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.gardner.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/statement-of-senate-cybersecurity-caucus-co-chairs-gardner-and-warner", "Statement of Senate Cybersecurity Caucus Co-Chairs Gardner and Warner", "2019-12-04", "2019", "2019-12", "Republican", "House", "CO", "Cory Gardner", "G000562", "www.gardner.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Washington, D.C.U.S. Senators Cory Gardner (R-CO) and Mark R. Warner (D-VA), the bipartisan co-chairs of the Senate Cybersecurity Caucus, issued a statement after convening a classified briefing with Senators and Chris Krebs, Director of the Department of Homeland Security's Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), to discuss the growing threat posed by ransomware attacks:\r\nThe continued prevalence of ransomware should really capture our attention. It's costly, devastatingly high-impact, growing, and, in most cases, easily preventable with basic responsible cybersecurity practices.\r\nRansomware and its destructive cousin wiperware are designed to inflict fear and uncertainty, disrupt vital services, and sow distrust in public institutions. While often viewed as basic digital extortion, ransomware has had materially adverse impacts on markets, social services like education, water, and power, and on healthcare delivery, as we have seen in a number of states and municipalities across the United States.\r\nWe are glad our colleagues in the Senate Cybersecurity Caucus could join Director Krebs for this much-needed conversation about ways Congress and the federal government can better address this important issue.\r\n###\r\nCory Gardner is a member of the U.S. Senate serving Colorado. He sits on the Energy & Natural Resources Committee, the Foreign Relations Committee, the Commerce, Science, & Transportation Committee, and is the Chairman of the Subcommittee on East Asia, the Pacific, and International Cybersecurity Policy.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://lamborn.house.gov/media/press-releases/congressman-lamborn-responds-republican-impeachment-report", "Congressman Lamborn Responds to Republican Impeachment Report", "2019-12-03", "2019", "2019-12", "Republican", "House", "CO", "Doug Lamborn", "L000564", "lamborn.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Contact: Cassandra Sebastian (719) 520-0055\nWashington D.C.- This week, Republicans on the three House committees overseeing impeachment, Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, Committee on Oversight and Reform, and Committee on Foreign Affairs released a report on their findings from their hearings.\n\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\tCongressman Lamborn released the following statement after the release of the Republican report:\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\"The report clearly shows how weak the Democrat's case for impeachment is. They have failed to provide a single, legitimate reason to impeach President Trump. Democrats have pursued a baseless partisan hit job on the President for weeks now. It is time to stop this sham and get back to working for the American people.\"", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://tipton.house.gov/media/in-the-news/telluride-student-s-focus-service-earns-congressional-recognition-rep-tipton", "Telluride Students Focus On Service Earns Congressional Recognition From Rep. Tipton", "2019-12-02", "2019", "2019-12", "Republican", "House", "CO", "Scott Tipton", "T000470", "tipton.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "The Congressional Awardis Congress' non-partisan, non-competitive, voluntary award program for young Americans between the ages of 13 and 24.\nBraving Tuesday's snow, Telluride native and Dartmouth College sophomore Soleil Gaylord and her family visited Republican Rep. Scott Tipton's Durango office. Once there, Tipton awarded Gaylord two Congressional Awards. A silver medal for community public service and a bronze for personal goal setting.\nI thought it was a neat way to outline my goals and be able to achieve them, Gaylord said. And being awarded through the government is a really neat recognition, very special recognition.\nThis was the third time Tipton was able to give out these awards in person. He said this a great program through Congress that shows and encourages public service. Applicants challenge themselves in four areas: voluntary public service, personal development, physical fitness and expedition/exploration.\nWe have students that are willing to be able to take up that challenge, to be able to meet those goals and receive these medals, Tipton said. I think it's a very admirable thing you see out of the quality of people that we have.\nAccording to the Congressional Awards program, 51 medals and certificates have been awarded to young Americans in Colorado this year.\nGaylord first heard of the program as a high school junior. That's when she set out her goals. She volunteered at her local school greenhouse, working with students K-12 to grow and harvest vegetables which were later brought to the school cafeteria.\nBut Gaylord, who ran up her first mountain when she was 5 years old, is not settling for silver. She said she'd like to achieve the Congressional Award Gold Medal for public service.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.gardner.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/gardner-sends-bipartisan-letter-raising-alarm-on-chinas-corporate-social-credit-system", "Gardner Sends Bipartisan Letter Raising Alarm on China\u2019s Corporate Social Credit System", "2019-12-02", "2019", "2019-12", "Republican", "House", "CO", "Cory Gardner", "G000562", "www.gardner.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Washington, D.C.  Today U.S. Senators Cory Gardner (R-CO), Mike Braun (R-IN), Rob Portman (R-OH), Chris Coons (D-DE), Michael Bennet (D-CO) and 20 of their colleagues sent United States Trade Representative (USTR) Ambassador Robert Lighthizer a letter outlining their concerns with the Chinese government's efforts to develop and deploy its Corporate Social Credit System (Corporate SCS). The Corporate SCS represents China formalizing a system to punish American companies and workers for speaking out against the Chinese government. The letter asks Ambassador Lighthizer to prioritize research and analysis into the Corporate SCS and the implications such a system may pose for American workers, companies, and investors.\r\n\r\nI have serious concerns about what China's Corporate Social Credit System could mean for American workers and businesses, said Senator Gardner. Our American values are not for sale  and that's why we should track China's efforts to coerce American companies into complying with their flawed system.\r\n\r\nRead the full letter here or below:\r\n\r\nDear Ambassador Lighthizer:\r\n\r\nWe write to express grave concern over the Chinese government's continued efforts to develop and deploy its Corporate Social Credit System (Corporate SCS), and the implications such a system may pose for American workers, companies, and investors. Specifically, we ask that the Administration include research and analysis of China's Corporate SCS in future reports produced about China and the conditions of commerce between our two nations.\r\n\r\nIn 2014, the Chinese Communist Party issued its Planning Outline for the Construction of a Social Credit System (2014-2020), which telegraphed the Party's efforts to create a unified algorithmic system to grade both domestic and international firms against more than 300 state-determined criteria, with the goal of building a Socialist harmonious society. In practice, we worry that many of the criteria envisioned under the Corporate SCS could be used to:\r\n\r\n \r\nCoerce the onshoring of research and development by U.S. companies within China's borders;\r\nRequire technology transfer or otherwise make it easier for Chinese interests to steal American intellectual property; and\r\nCoerce American corporate support to China's industrial and foreign policies (like Made in China 2025, the upcoming 14th Five-Year Plan, and policies towards Taiwan).\r\n \r\n\r\nIndeed, all corporate data collected and processed through the Corporate SCS will travel through basic infrastructure, databases, and algorithms managed by a consortium that includes Taiji Computer, Huawei, Alibaba, Tencent, and VisionVera. Key criteria informing the algorithms of the system could also be implemented in a manner that allows the Communist Party to extraterritorially pressure compliance with party doctrine and to suppress dissent. An August 2019 report prepared by the European Chamber of Commerce in China stresses that the [Corporate SCS] will fundamentally change how business is done in China for every company and stakeholder in the Chinese market.\r\n\r\nOnce the Corporate SCS is fully operational, firms with scores below a certain state-determined threshold will face an interlocking series of sanctions across multiple Chinese government agencies, including restrictions on procurement and business licenses, less favorable interest rates, higher inspection rates, and even potential debarment from the Chinese market. Scores can be affected not only by the actions of the company and its employees, but also by the actions of supplier or partner companies, extending the threat of Chinese retaliation to any American firm with a presence, or supplier, in China. In short, the Corporate SCS raises fundamental questions about whether promised market openings and regulatory reforms on paper will yield a level playing field in practice for American firms doing business in and with China.\r\n\r\nEqually, if not more concerning, penalties under the Chinese Corporate SCS could extend to the employees of American firms, including U.S. nationals. As a punishment for individuals representing companies deemed untrustworthy, the Chinese government envisions levying travel restrictions, tax discrimination, personal sanctions, and other retributions. In this respect, there are few punishments that can be ruled off the table, as the Communist Party's disregard for the rule of law, checks and balances, transparency, and a free press could result in a broad array of unjustified punishments.\r\n\r\nWhile the Corporate SCS is still in development, the skeleton of the system is coming online and already presenting serious challenges for U.S. companies. In September, news reports indicated that the Chinese Communist Party threatened to reduce the social credit scores of American companies unless those companies acknowledge Macau, Hong Kong, and Taiwan as part of China.\r\n\r\nWhat our country witnessed recently with respect to the National Basketball Association (NBA) over a tweet by one American team's general manager is not an aberration, but the latest in a litany of attempts by China to deploy its state and economic power to bend American entities to its will. It seems the SCS is designed, in part, to further and formalize this practice. For these reasons, formal U.S. government research, reporting, and analysis about China's Corporate SCS is critical to examining the terms of competition for our companies operating in and competing with China. Given the high stakes for open markets and our free market system, we urge you to ensure that this system is closely examined and considered in all relevant U.S. government reports.\r\n###\r\nCory Gardner is a member of the U.S. Senate serving Colorado. He sits on the Energy & Natural Resources Committee, the Foreign Relations Committee, the Commerce, Science, & Transportation Committee, and is the Chairman of the Subcommittee on East Asia, the Pacific, and International Cybersecurity Policy.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://lamborn.house.gov/media/press-releases/thanksgiving-message-congressman-lamborn-1", "A Thanksgiving Message from Congressman Lamborn", "2019-11-28", "2019", "2019-11", "Republican", "House", "CO", "Doug Lamborn", "L000564", "lamborn.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "\"On this day, as a nation, we join in celebration and thanks for family, freedom, and faith in one of our most treasured American holidays. As we gather around tables surrounded by friends and loved ones, let's keep in close memory, our men and women in uniform, law enforcement personnel, and first responders who selflessly serve and protect our Nation. Let us be mindful of the reasons we are grateful for our lives, for those around us, and our community. Let us celebrate in humble gratitude, the bountiful gifts we have received as a Nation and pray for those around us who are facing hardships. May your home be filled with joy, faith, laughter, and freedom. God bless you and God bless the United States of America.\"", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.gardner.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/senator-gardner-issues-thanksgiving-message", "Senator Gardner Issues Thanksgiving Message", "2019-11-28", "2019", "2019-11", "Republican", "House", "CO", "Cory Gardner", "G000562", "www.gardner.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Washington, D.C.  U.S. Senator Cory Gardner (R-CO) released the following statement today celebrating Thanksgiving:\r\nThanksgiving is a time to reflect and show our appreciation for all of life's blessings. I feel blessed to live in the greatest state in the greatest country in the world. As we sit down with loved ones, we remember the sacrifices of our service members who are spending this holiday far from home and their loved ones. Our nation is eternally grateful, said Senator Gardner.\r\n###\r\nCory Gardner is a member of the U.S. Senate serving Colorado. He sits on the Energy & Natural Resources Committee, the Foreign Relations Committee, the Commerce, Science, & Transportation Committee, and is the Chairman of the Subcommittee on East Asia, the Pacific, and International Cybersecurity Policy.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.gardner.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/gardner-applauds-4m-grants-to-improve-colorado-airports", "Gardner Applauds $4M Grants to Improve Colorado Airports", "2019-11-26", "2019", "2019-11", "Republican", "House", "CO", "Cory Gardner", "G000562", "www.gardner.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Washington, D.C. U.S. Senator Cory Gardner (R-CO), a member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, applauded the Department of Transportation's (DOT)announcementthat Colorado will receive $4 million in Airport Improvement Program (AIP) grant funding. The Durango-La Plata County Airport will receive $2,500,000 to acquire land for development, and the Yampa Valley Airport in Hayden will receive $1,500,000 to expand the terminal building.\r\nWith Colorado's growing economy and population, it's important to modernize our infrastructure and transportation systems to better serve the people of Colorado,said Senator Gardner.This funding announcement is welcome news, and I will continue to support the transportation priorities of local Colorado communities at the federal level.\r\n###\r\nCory Gardner is a member of the U.S. Senate serving Colorado. He sits on the Energy & Natural Resources Committee, the Foreign Relations Committee, the Commerce, Science, & Transportation Committee, and is the Chairman of the Subcommittee on East Asia, the Pacific, and International Cybersecurity Policy.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://tipton.house.gov/media/in-the-news/capitol-tree-be-chosen-summer", "Capitol tree to be chosen in summer", "2019-11-25", "2019", "2019-11", "Republican", "House", "CO", "Scott Tipton", "T000470", "tipton.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Gardunio said there may be an essay-writing contest for schoolchildren, with the opportunity for the winner to read the essay at the lighting ceremony.\n\t\t\t\t\t\tThe tree also will be feted elsewhere in Washington at events including receptions at the National Press Club, with the agriculture secretary, and at the Library of Congress and the U.S. Botanical Garden.\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\tGov. Jared Polis said in a news release, \"Coloradans cherish our public lands, forests and outdoor spaces, and we're excited to announce that one of our magnificent trees is headed to Washington to help our nation celebrate the holidays. Colorado's spirit and beauty will be on full display, and we're proud to introduce our country to a reminder of the many things our Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre and Gunnison national forests offer.\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tU.S. Rep. Scott Tipton, R-Cortez, said in a statement, \"The People's Tree, selected from one of the most naturally beautiful places in the country, will be enjoyed by thousands of people who visit (Washington) next year. I look forward to seeing the tree from Colorado's Third Congressional District on the west lawn of the Capitol Building again.\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tThe 2012 tree also came from his district.\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tAt Friday's news conference, Betsy Bair, regional director for U.S. Sen. Cory Gardner, playfully invoked the writings of Dr. Seuss, comparing Coloradans' love of Christmas to that of the Whos down in Whoville from the classic \"How the Grinch Stole Christmas!\".\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"Like the Whos, Coloradans know that Christmas doesn't come from a store, but it comes from our national forests with Christmas trees galore,\" Bair said.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://tipton.house.gov/media/press-releases/tipton-welcomes-usda-broadband-grant-western-colorado", "Tipton Welcomes USDA Broadband Grant for Western Colorado", "2019-11-25", "2019", "2019-11", "Republican", "House", "CO", "Scott Tipton", "T000470", "tipton.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "WASHINGTON Today, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced a $2.7 million grant award to a broadband infrastructure project in western Colorado that will create or improve broadband connectivity for over 528 households in Colorado and Utah. Congressman Scott Tipton (CO-03) released the following statement after the announcement:\n \n\tFrom doing homework, to managing small businesses, to providing telehealth services, broadband access is more important than ever for Americans' day-to-day living. For many Coloradans living in rural areas, access to reliable broadband has been largely unavailable or too expensive to implement. This is an issue we have been working tirelessly on, and this grant announcement is a welcome step to help get rural Colorado communities connected just the same as their urban counterparts. I appreciate the USDA considering the needs of western Colorado and using the successes of the ReConnect Pilot Program to bring rural families and businesses to the 21st Century.\n \nThe USDA announcement can be found here.\nBackground:\n \nTipton introduced the RURAL Broadband Act earlier this year the bill seeks to eliminate duplicative measures by the USDA and the Federal Communications Committee on broadband buildout areas.\n\tTipton is a co-sponsor of the Gigabit Opportunity Act which seeks to encourage broadband development in low-income communities.\n\tIn the 115th Congress, Tipton also voted to support the Rural Broadband Permitting Act which passed the House last year. The bill sought to streamline the permitting process for broadband deployment by excluding eligible projects from National Environmental Policy Act reviews.\n \n###", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.gardner.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/gardner-bennet-announce-27-million-reconnect-grant-to-expand-broadband-in-dove-creek", "Gardner, Bennet Announce $2.7 Million ReConnect Grant to Expand Broadband in Dove Creek", "2019-11-25", "2019", "2019-11", "Republican", "House", "CO", "Cory Gardner", "G000562", "www.gardner.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Washington, D.C. Colorado U.S. Senators Cory Gardner (R) and Michael Bennet (D) announced today that Emery Telecom will receive $2.7 million in grant funding from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) ReConnect Loan and Grant Program.With new USDA funding, Emery Telecom will provide nearly500 fiber-to-the-premise (FTTP) connections to homes, farms and ranches,smallbusinesses, educational facilities, andcommunity anchor institutionsinand aroundDove Creek, Colorado. \r\nIncreasing broadband access is critical to continuing economic development in Colorado's rural communities and ensuring all four corners of Colorado are connected to the world,said Senator Gardner.These investments will provide necessary resources to continue deploying broadband in unserved and underserved areas in Colorado, helping to bridge the urban-rural divide.\r\nFor residents in Dove Creek or anywhere in Colorado, high-speed broadband is not a luxury in the modern economy  it is a necessity,said Senator Bennet. That's why I've fought to secure USDA funding to expand broadband in our rural communities through my position on the Senate Agriculture Committee, and I am glad to see these investments finally coming to the Western Slope. \r\nIn Dove Creek, residents and businesses generally lack access to broadband speeds above 10/1 Mbps, and most critical institutions and businesses lack access to broadband entirely. The regional economy relies heavily onagriculture,energy production,mining, and tourism,which have become increasingly reliant on broadband to stay competitive and reach distant markets.\r\nUSDA's ReConnect Loan and Grant Programis apilot programlaunched in 2018 to expand broadband service toprimarilyunservedrural areas, defined as those with access to internet speeds lower than 10/1 Mbps. Nonprofits, private companies, cooperatives,tribes, and stateand local governments are eligible for ReConnect grants and loans.\r\n###\r\nCory Gardner is a member of the U.S. Senate serving Colorado. He sits on the Energy & Natural Resources Committee, the Foreign Relations Committee, the Commerce, Science, & Transportation Committee, and is the Chairman of the Subcommittee on East Asia, the Pacific, and International Cybersecurity Policy.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.gardner.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/gardner-discusses-9-8-8-hotline-with-rocky-mountain-crisis-partners", "Gardner Discusses 9-8-8 Hotline with Rocky Mountain Crisis Partners", "2019-11-25", "2019", "2019-11", "Republican", "House", "CO", "Cory Gardner", "G000562", "www.gardner.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Washington, D.C.  U.S. Senator CoryGardner (R-CO) recently met with Rocky Mountain Crisis Partnersin Denver to discuss his bipartisan bill to establish 9-8-8 as the national suicide prevention hotline.\r\n\r\nIt was great to meet with Rocky Mountain Crisis Partners to discuss how we can best deliver mental health services and learn more about the ways in which they support Coloradans in need,said Senator Gardner.Approximately every seven hours, a Coloradan dies by suicide. We must do more to destigmatize access to mental health resources and prevent suicides in our country. Establishing 9-8-8 as a national suicide prevention hotline will save lives and help more Americans in need access critical mental health support.\r\nAt Rocky Mountain Crisis Partners, we are proud to be the provider of Colorado Crisis Services and Suicide Prevention Lifeline for Colorado. It is critical that all Coloradoans and everyone have easy access to professional and effective suicide prevention services. A three-digit number will definitely be easier to remember and will result in significant utilization for a whole continuum of questions and needs related to behavioral health. It iscritical to have adequate capacity, expertise and follow-up for this service to move the needle in suicide prevention. The ease of number conversation cannot be had without the discussion of funding, infrastructure and evaluation,said Bev Marquez, CEO of Rocky Mountain Crisis Partners.\r\nBackground:\r\n \r\nIn 2018, Gardner voted for the National Suicide Hotline Improvement Act, which directed the Federal Communications Commission to evaluate using a three-digit dialing code for the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline.\r\nThis August, the FCC released theirreport, which found that a national three-digit line would improve suicide prevention and recommended a simple number that Americans could dial in times of crisis: 9-8-8.\r\nIn October, Senators Gardner, Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Jerry Moran (R-KS), and Jack Reed (D-RI) introduced S. 2661, theNational Suicide Hotline Designation Act, which designates 9-8-8 for a national suicide prevention and mental health crisis hotline and ensures states have the flexibility to strengthen local crisis call centers. The bill ensures states are able to collect fees for the line, similar to the way they do for the 911 emergency line, and requires reports to Congress to help ensure effectiveness and operability of the line.\r\nThis month, nearly 50 mental health organizations and veterans support organizationsannounced their support and urged Congress to pass the National Suicide Hotline Designation Act.\r\nAt a press conference last week with Senator Gardner, Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Ajit Pai announced the FCC will consider establishing 9-8-8 as the national suicide prevention hotline at their meeting on December 12, 2019.\r\n \r\n###\r\nCory Gardner is a member of the U.S. Senate serving Colorado. He sits on the Energy & Natural Resources Committee, the Foreign Relations Committee, the Commerce, Science, & Transportation Committee, and is the Chairman of the Subcommittee on East Asia, the Pacific, and International Cybersecurity Policy.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.gardner.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/gardner-statement-on-fccs-decision-to-ban-huawei-technology", "Gardner Statement on FCC\u2019s Decision to Ban Huawei Technology", "2019-11-25", "2019", "2019-11", "Republican", "House", "CO", "Cory Gardner", "G000562", "www.gardner.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Washington, D.C.  U.S. Senator Cory Gardner (R-CO), Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on East Asia, the Pacific, and International Cybersecurity Policy, released the following statement regarding the Federal Communications Commission's (FCC) decision to ban telecommunications providers from using federal subsidies to purchase equipment or services from Huawei and ZTE.\r\n\r\nHuawei and ZTE telecommunications products are not safe for the U.S. or any of our allies around the globe, said Senator Gardner. While we must ensure any American providers who are impacted by this decision are made whole for equipment they have previously installed using federal dollars, I applaud the FCC for taking action today. It is concerning that allies like Germany are considering relying on their products. I hope our allies in Europe and around the globe hear us loud and clear.\r\n\r\nIn June, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee unanimously passed Gardner's bipartisan resolution warning allies of the risks of using Chinese 5G networks.\r\n\r\n###\r\nCory Gardner is a member of the U.S. Senate serving Colorado. He sits on the Energy & Natural Resources Committee, the Foreign Relations Committee, the Commerce, Science, & Transportation Committee, and is the Chairman of the Subcommittee on East Asia, the Pacific, and International Cybersecurity Policy.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.gardner.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/gardner-united-health-foundation-colorado-center-for-nursing-excellence-announce-behavioral-health-care-services-grant", "Gardner, United Health Foundation, Colorado Center for Nursing Excellence Announce Behavioral Health Care Services Grant", "2019-11-25", "2019", "2019-11", "Republican", "House", "CO", "Cory Gardner", "G000562", "www.gardner.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Washington, D.C.U.S. Senator Cory Gardner (R-CO) joined United Health Foundation and the Colorado Center for Nursing Excellence (the Center) to announce a three-year, $1.5 million grant to address the shortage of mental health providers in rural Colorado communities. United Health Foundation will make funds available to the Center to recruit and support 39 currently-employed rural Advanced Practice Registered Nurse Behavioral Health Fellows (APRNs), who will provide behavioral health care services to as many as 12,000 rural Colorado residents annually, increasing the rural clinics behavioral health care services capacity by approximately 25 percent.\r\n\r\n\r\nUnitedHealthcare CEO ofGovernment Programs Brian Thompson, Senator Gardner, North Range Behavioral Health Psychiatric Clinical Nurse Specialist Dan Frantz, Colorado Center for Nursing Board Member and Psychiatric Clinical Nurse Ruby Martinez, Colorado Lieutenant Governor Dianna Primavera, and Colorado Center for Nursing President and CEO Ingrid Johnson at today's grant announcement. \r\nI want to commend the United Health Foundation and the Colorado Center for Nursing Excellence for their innovative partnership to improve access to behavioral health care services,said Senator Gardner.A zip code should never stand in the way of quality health care, and this collaboration will ensure expanded capacity to better serve the needs of Coloradans living in all four corners of our state.\" \r\nThe Center's vision is to transform health care through workforce innovation and this generous grant from the United Health Foundation will help us do that,said Ingrid Johnson, DNP, MPP, RN, Chief Executive Officer and President of the Colorado Center for Nursing Excellence.Colorado's population is growing and changing rapidly so we need new approaches to meet residents' health needs like this behavioral health fellowship program.\r\nAPRNs are essential for providing primary care and behavioral health care in rural and underserved communities, and there is a pressing need for expanded behavioral health services in rural Colorado,said Brian Thompson, Chief Executive Officer, UnitedHealthcare Government Programs.This partnership with the Colorado Center for Nursing Excellence will help rural Colorado residents lead healthier lives by training APRNs to provide the right care in the right place at the right time.\r\nAPRNs will return to graduate school and earn a Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP) certificate. Fellows will receive application assistance, a financial stipend, support in securing their required 600 hours of behavioral health clinical practice and additional support services to ensure they successfully complete the certificate program and are eligible to receive a psychiatric-mental health credential from a national nursing board. Once they are certified, the 39 PMHNPs will commit to providing behavioralhealthcare services for a minimum of two years in rural Colorado areas.\r\nCurrently, Colorado has 750,000 rural residents and its rural youth are twice as likely to commit suicide as their urban peers. In addition, nine of the 10 Colorado counties with the highest drug overdose death rates are rural counties. This grant is a welcome announcement for Colorado's underserved rural communities.\r\nIn September, Senators Gardner and Kamala Harris (D-CA) introduced theMental Health Professionals Workforce Shortage Loan Repayment Actto improve mental health access in underserved areas. Their bipartisan legislation authorizes a new loan repayment program for mental health professionals who agree to practice in an area with a shortage of mental health professionals. \r\nSenator Gardner is leading Senate efforts to establish a national 9-8-8 suicide hotline:\r\n \r\nIn 2018, Gardner voted for the National Suicide Hotline Improvement Act, which directed the Federal Communications Commission to evaluate using a three-digit dialing code for the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline.\r\nThis August, the FCC released theirreport, which found that a national three-digit line would improve suicide prevention and recommended a simple number that Americans could dial in times of crisis: 9-8-8.\r\nIn October, Senators Gardner, Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Jerry Moran (R-KS), and Jack Reed (D-RI) introduced S. 2661, theNational Suicide Hotline Designation Act, which designates 9-8-8 for a national suicide prevention and mental health crisis hotline and ensures states have the flexibility to strengthen local crisis call centers. The bill ensures states are able to collect fees for the line, similar to the way they do for the 911 emergency line, and requires reports to Congress to help ensure effectiveness and operability of the line.\r\nThis month, nearly 50 mental health organizations and veterans support organizationsannounced their support and urged Congress to pass the National Suicide Hotline Designation Act.\r\nAt a press conference last week with Senator Gardner, Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Ajit Pai announced the FCC will consider establishing 9-8-8 as the national suicide prevention hotline at their meeting on December 12, 2019. \r\n \r\nSenator Gardner has made it a priority to fight the rise of opioids and meth in Colorado:\r\n\r\n###\r\nCory Gardner is a member of the U.S. Senate serving Colorado. He sits on the Energy & Natural Resources Committee, the Foreign Relations Committee, the Commerce, Science, & Transportation Committee, and is the Chairman of the Subcommittee on East Asia, the Pacific, and International Cybersecurity Policy.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://lamborn.house.gov/media/press-releases/national-bible-week", "National Bible Week", "2019-11-22", "2019", "2019-11", "Republican", "House", "CO", "Doug Lamborn", "L000564", "lamborn.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Contact: Cassandra Sebastian (719) 520-0055\nWashington D.C. - Congressman Lamborn managed a Special Order on the House floor this week celebrating National Bible Week.\nThis year marks the 78th anniversary of the National Bible Week declaration that President Franklin D. Roosevelt announced just weeks before the United States entered World War II. Every year since, the week of Thanksgiving has hosted a series of celebrations recognizing the spiritual and historical significance of the Bible. Congressman Lamborn and several other Members of Congress expressed the deep impact that the Bible has had on their lives.\nAmid an increasingly divided culture, and as we reflect on the Thanksgiving holiday, let us come together to celebrate this Holy Book that has fundamentally shaped our great nation's history and provides guidance and comfort to the lives of so many. Let us also give thanks that we live in a country where we enjoy the freedom of worship and the freedom to read the Holy Bible without fear of persecution.\n\n\nClick here to watch my remarks on the House Floor regarding Isaiah 40:8", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://tipton.house.gov/media/in-the-news/colorado-congressmen-ask-baseball-commissioner-keep-minor-league-teams", "Colorado congressmen ask baseball commissioner to keep minor league teams", "2019-11-22", "2019", "2019-11", "Republican", "House", "CO", "Scott Tipton", "T000470", "tipton.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Six of Colorado's congressmen have written to the commissioner of Major League Baseball expressing their opposition to the proposed elimination of 42 of the 160 minor league teams.\nHaving access to minor league teams not only has unmatched economic benefits to the areas [outside of Denver], but they allow for families to enjoy professional baseball games in their hometowns,reads the letterdated Thursday.\nU.S. Reps. Scott Tipton, Jason Crow, Doug Lamborn, Joe Neguse, Ed Perlmutter and Ken Buck all signed.\nThey were responding to the announcement that MLB would cut the number of player development contracts, which link a Major League team to a minor league franchise.\nSB Nation reportsthat some teams experience chronically low attendance. The nine Appalachian League teams averaged fewer than 1,100 attendees per game in 2019.\nThis week, 106 members of Congress signed a separate letter warning that the cuts would undermine the health of the minor league system that undergirds talent development and encourages fan loyalty.\nMLB has said that cutting the number of teams will enable them to upgrade their facilities, improve hotel accommodations and pay players more. A minor league player's salary can be as low as $1,100 per month.\nStill, Colorado's representatives wrote, maintaining teams like the Grand Junction Rockies and the Colorado Springs Rocky Mountain Vibes would enable fans to watch baseball's next stars, have a hotdog, and take part in America's pastime without having to drive for many hours to see the Big-League team.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://tipton.house.gov/media/press-releases/tipton-celebrates-2020-capital-christmas-tree-coming-colorado-s-third", "Tipton Celebrates the 2020 Capitol Christmas Tree Coming from Colorados Third Congressional District", "2019-11-22", "2019", "2019-11", "Republican", "House", "CO", "Scott Tipton", "T000470", "tipton.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Delta, Colorado Today, the U.S. Forest Service announced the 2020 Capitol Christmas Tree will be provided from the Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre and Gunnison National Forests. Congressman Scott Tipton (CO-03), the representative for the area the forests that the tree will come from made the following statement:\n \n\tI am incredibly excited to welcome next year's Capitol Christmas Tree to Washington. The Christmas season is a special time in Washington as the city adorns itself in beautiful lights, wreaths and other holiday decorations. The People's Tree selected from one of the most naturally beautiful places in the country, will be enjoyed by thousands of people who visit next year. I look forward to seeing the tree from Colorado's Third Congressional District on the west lawn of the Capitol Building again.\n \nThis year marks the second time is eight years that the Capitol Tree has come from Colorado's Third Congressional District. In 2012, a tree from the White River National Forest was selected.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.gardner.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/conservation-groups-praise-gardners-efforts-to-fully-fund-lwcf", "Conservation Groups Praise Gardner\u2019s Efforts to Fully Fund LWCF", "2019-11-22", "2019", "2019-11", "Republican", "House", "CO", "Cory Gardner", "G000562", "www.gardner.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Washington, D.C. U.S. Senator Cory Gardner's (R-CO) latest effort to fully fund the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) is earning praise from leading conservation groups. This week the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources approvedGardner's bipartisan legislation to provide full, permanent funding for the LWCFat a level of $900 million.\r\nWhat conservation groups are saying:\r\nWe applaud the effective efforts of Sen. Gardner to foster strong bi-partisan support for this vital conservation bill in the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources and now his continued leadership to gain a Floor vote as quickly as possible,said Suzanne O'Neill, Executive Director of Colorado Wildlife Federation.\r\nOver fifty years ago, Congress created the Land and Water Conservation Fund to help conserve the land and water we all rely on and use for recreation. We are excited that we are now one step closer to dedicating full funding for this already successful program,said Patricia Rojas-Ungar, Outdoor Industry Association (OIA) Vice President of Government Affairs.Fully funding LWCF will help even more Americans get access to the outdoors and experience the benefits of spending time in nature. OIA applauds the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee for passing this bill and is particularly thankful to Senators Gardner (R-CO) and Manchin (D-WV) for sponsoring this critical legislation.We laud them all for their leadership and urge the Senate to swiftly pass this bill.\r\nFully and permanently funding the Land and Water Conservation Fund keeps a promise to the American people, that this important and effective conservation tool will be available for future generations,\"said Kameran Onley, Director of U.S. Government Relations at The Nature Conservancy. \"For over 50 years, LWCF has protected national parks, preserved watersheds and created new outdoor recreation opportunities for communities ready to experience the outdoors. We are eager to continue this successful program. The broad, bipartisan support for this bill and today's vote not only demonstrates the importance and benefit of investing in nature, but also that nature unites us. We urge the full Senate to work together and swiftly approve this legislation.\"\r\nWe at BHA thank Sen. Gardner for his leadership in introducing and advancing legislation that dedicates $900 million to the Land and Water Conservation Fund,said John Gale, Conservation Director of Backcountry Hunters & Anglers (BHA).Currently, more than 435,000 acres of state trust lands and 18,000 acres of public lands in Colorado are inaccessible to hunters, anglers and other outdoor recreationists. LWCF dollars could help enhance sportsmen's access in Colorado by acquiring lands and collaborating with local stakeholders.\r\nSecuring dedicated funding for the LWCF would represent one of the biggest legislative accomplishments for America's public lands in recent memory,said Whit Fosburgh, President and CEO of the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership.As conservation's share of the federal budget continues to shrink, it is extremely meaningful to see investments in habitat, access, and outdoor recreation uncoupled from a deeply entrenched federal appropriations process. We encourage lawmakers to move this bill swiftly to the Senate floor.\r\n\"The Congressional Sportsmen's Foundation applauds the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee and members of the Congressional Sportsmen's Caucus for voting to advance S. 1081 to provide permanent and dedicated funding to the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF),\"said Jeff Crane, President of the Congressional Sportsmen's Foundation.Permanently reauthorized earlier this year as part of S.47, LWCF also includes the Making Public Lands Public initiative that requires a portion of LWCF funds be set aside specifically for the purpose of increasing public access for America's sportsmen and women, which makes this program critically important to receive dedicated funding.\r\nToday's Senate Committee vote brings the LWCF Permanent Funding Act one step closer to becoming a reality,said Kristine Stratton, National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA) President and CEO.NRPA thanks Senators Joe Manchin (D-WV), Cory Gardner (R-CO) Maria Cantwell (D-WA) and Richard Burr (R-NC) for taking action and introducing a bill to fully fund LWCF, an important piece of funding our member agencies rely on to help provide access to parks and recreational opportunities in communities across the country. We urge members of Congress to join the House and Senate Committees in support of this bill because everyone deserves a great park.\r\nWith bipartisan support for LWCF and the Restore Our Parks Act from members like Senator Gardner we are one giant leap closer to providing more wildlife habitat, access and suitable infrastructure for recreation on our shared public lands and waters. Whether you ski, snowmobile, dive, ATV, hike, bike, motorcycle, fish, camp or hunt, these bills will open up new and better opportunities to enjoy safe and scenic outdoor experiences today, and for generations to come,said Jessica Wahl, Outdoor Recreation Roundtable Executive Director.\r\nFrom Rocky Mountain to Mesa Verde, America's national parks are falling into disrepair due to billions of dollars in needed repairs and upkeep, while at the same time facing constant threats of development from within their borders,said Theresa Pierno, President and CEO for National Parks Conservation Association.Our parks need and deserve dedicated funding to address their growing maintenance needs and to help protect additional lands through the Land and Water Conservation Fund. Thanks to congressional champions like Senator Gardner and strong bipartisan support, these two important park bills are moving forward to ensure our parks have the resources they need, that will benefit park visitors and communities across the country.\r\n\"The Land Water Conservation Fund is one of our nation's most powerful preservation tools,\"said Thomas J. Cassidy, Vice President for Government Relations and Policy at the National Trust for Historic Preservation.\"Its resources help ensure that national monuments to America's diverse and influential heritage remain permanent symbols of our legacy for generations to come. Historic places, preserved in national parks and public lands, like the battlefield at Gettysburg, Martin Luther King, Jr.'s National Historical Park, and Colorado's Canyons of the Ancients cannot be protected without this legacy of on-going federal investment. We applaud Sen. Gardner's effort to make full funding of LWCF permanent to protect these types of irreplaceable places and call on Congress to take the remaining critical steps to sign this legislation into law.\r\nGardner is a champion for the Land and Water Conservation Fund in the U.S. Senate:\r\n\r\n###\r\nCory Gardner is a member of the U.S. Senate serving Colorado. He sits on the Energy & Natural Resources Committee, the Foreign Relations Committee, the Commerce, Science, & Transportation Committee, and is the Chairman of the Subcommittee on East Asia, the Pacific, and International Cybersecurity Policy.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.gardner.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/gardner-statement-on-south-korea-and-japan-intelligence-sharing-pact", "Gardner Statement on South Korea and Japan Intelligence Sharing Pact", "2019-11-22", "2019", "2019-11", "Republican", "House", "CO", "Cory Gardner", "G000562", "www.gardner.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Washington, D.C. U.S. Senator Cory Gardner (R-CO) released the following statement today regarding South Korea's announcement that it would remain in an intelligence-sharing pact with Japan, which allows South Korea and Japan to share sensitive information including details of North Korean military launches.\r\nThe free world must continue to work together to monitor the madman in Pyongyang and his nuclear ambitions,said Senator Gardner. This announcement is welcome news, and I applaud South Korea and Japan for their commitment to promoting stability in the region and holding Kim Jong Un accountable for his hostile actions. A strong, trilateral relationship between our three countries can arguably provide the most effective policy tool to deter Pyongyang and to promote lasting peace and security in the region.\r\nGardner's Asia Reassurance Initiative Act,signed into law in 2018, established a policy goal to peacefully denuclearize North Korea and supports a trilateralsecuritycooperationbetweenthe United States, the Republic of Korea, and Japan.\r\n###\r\nCory Gardner is a member of the U.S. Senate serving Colorado. He sits on the Energy & Natural Resources Committee, the Foreign Relations Committee, the Commerce, Science, & Transportation Committee, and is the Chairman of the Subcommittee on East Asia, the Pacific, and International Cybersecurity Policy.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://tipton.house.gov/media/press-releases/tipton-members-colorado-delegation-send-letter-rockies-regarding-mlb-milb", "Tipton, Members of Colorado Delegation Send Letter to Rockies Regarding MLB-MiLB Future", "2019-11-21", "2019", "2019-11", "Republican", "House", "CO", "Scott Tipton", "T000470", "tipton.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "WASHINGTON, D.C. Today, Congressman Scott Tipton (CO-03) sent a letter to Colorado Rockies owner Dick Monfort emphasizing the importance of the Minor League (MiLB)-Major League (MLB) relationship in smaller market baseball clubs in Colorado. Tipton was joined by his Colorado House delegation colleagues Reps. Jason Crow, Ed Perlmutter Doug Lamborn, Joe Neguse, and Ken Buck, in a bipartisan effort to support Colorado's Minor League baseball teams.\n\t\t\t\tThe letter follows the news that an MLB proposal would potentially cut ties with over nearly 40 MiLB clubs affecting teams like the Grand Junction Rockies and the Colorado Springs Rocky Mountain Vibes. This proposal could have nation-wide implications, but the letter to Monfort exclusively expresses the desire to protect the existing farm teams in Colorado.\n\t\t\t\tThe letter in part reads:\n\t\t\t\t \n\t\t\t\t\tProfessional baseball is an important aspect for fans of all interest levels, especially fans who live outside of the Denver metro area. Having access to minor league teams not only has unmatched economic benefits to the areas, but they allow for families to enjoy professional baseball games in their hometowns. Since their establishment in 1993, the Colorado Rockies have embraced relationships with other Colorado communities providing an affordable option to watch baseball's next stars, have a hotdog, and take part in America's pastime without having to drive for many hours to see the Big-League team.\n\t\t\t\t\tAs a delegation, we value the relationship that the Rockies baseball club and other MLB teams have built with communities across Colorado over the last three decades. These communities have watched the beginnings of the careers for many of the players that have risen through the ranks to play for teams such as the Blake Street Bombers, the 2007 World Series team, and the perpetual all-stars on the current roster. We are concerned that MLB's decision to cut the number of guaranteed Player Development Contracts from 160 to 120 may have long-lasting negative impacts for baseball fans and their communities.\n\t\t\t\t \n\t\t\t\tThe discussions to determine the future of the MLB-MiLB partnership is in its early phases, but the delegation's letter is intended to reinforce the community support of the existing agreement and improving the local teams' relationship with the MLB.\n\t\t\t\tThe full letter from the Colorado members can be found here.\n\t\t\t\tEarlier this week, 106 members from the House of Representatives sent MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred a separate letter expressing their concerns of the proposal.\n\t\t\t\t###", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.gardner.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/gardner-announces-18m-in-transit-grants-for-colorado", "Gardner Announces $18M in Transit Grants for Colorado", "2019-11-21", "2019", "2019-11", "Republican", "House", "CO", "Cory Gardner", "G000562", "www.gardner.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Washington, D.C. U.S. Senator Cory Gardner (R-CO), a member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, announced today Colorado will receive more than $18 million for several federal grants from the Department of Transportation (DOT) under the Grants for Buses and Bus Facilities Program.\r\nI'm proud to work with communities all over our great state to support their infrastructure projects at the federal level, and I'm pleased the Department of Transportation continues to recognize the importance of these projects to Colorado, said Senator Gardner. With Colorado's population growing at one of the fastest rates in the country, I will continue to advocate for improvements to our transportation systems at the federal level to ensure their safety and efficiency for Coloradans.\r\nAccording to the DOT, the purpose of the Grants for Buses and Bus Facilities Program is to assist in the financing of buses and bus facilities capital projects, including replacing, rehabilitating, purchasing or leasing buses or related equipment, and rehabilitating, purchasing, constructing or leasing bus-related facilities.\r\nThe grants include:\r\n \r\n$12,000,000awarded to the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) for the Winter Park Lift.\r\n$2,015,775awarded to CDOT for the Breckenridge Free Ride.\r\n$1,788,312awarded to CDOT for the Roaring Fork Transportation Authority.\r\n$1,621,500awarded to the City of Colorado Springs for Mountain Metropolitan Transit.\r\n$400,000 awarded to CDOT for the Snowmass Village Shuttle.\r\n$199,500 awarded to CDOT for the Laradon Hall Society for Exceptional Children and Adults in Denver.\r\n \r\n###\r\nCory Gardner is a member of the U.S. Senate serving Colorado. He sits on the Energy & Natural Resources Committee, the Foreign Relations Committee, the Commerce, Science, & Transportation Committee, and is the Chairman of the Subcommittee on East Asia, the Pacific, and International Cybersecurity Policy.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.gardner.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/gardner-applauds-grant-to-fight-opioid-epidemic-in-colorado", "Gardner Applauds Grant to Fight Opioid Epidemic in Colorado", "2019-11-21", "2019", "2019-11", "Republican", "House", "CO", "Cory Gardner", "G000562", "www.gardner.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Washington, D.C. U.S. Senator Cory Gardner (R-CO) applauded the announcement that the Central Colorado Area Health Education Center will receive $123,853 through the Combating Opioid Overdose through Community-Level Intervention (COOCLI) grant program.\r\nThis grant announcement is welcome news for a state that has beenravagedby the opioid epidemic,said Senator Gardner.In recent years Colorado has seen a devastating uptick in deaths from illegal substance abuse, including methamphetamines. We must address the rise of opioid and meth use around the country and provide new resources to fight back in our communities.\r\nAccording to the Office of National Drug Control Policy, funds provided under this award will support efforts to: 1) undertake research activities that entail implementing and evaluating community-based efforts to fight the opioid epidemic; and 2) support and promote the partnership of law enforcement and public health agencies, whose collaboration is critical to reducing overdose and other harms of opioid abuse.\r\nSenator Gardner has made it a priority to fight the rise of opioids and meth in Colorado:\r\n\r\n###\r\nCory Gardner is a member of the U.S. Senate serving Colorado. He sits on the Energy & Natural Resources Committee, the Foreign Relations Committee, the Commerce, Science, & Transportation Committee, and is the Chairman of the Subcommittee on East Asia, the Pacific, and International Cybersecurity Policy.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.gardner.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/senate-committee-holds-hearing-on-gardner-backed-legislation-to-improve-pilt-extend-secure-rural-schools-program_", "Senate Committee Holds Hearing on Gardner-Backed Legislation to Improve PILT, Extend Secure Rural Schools Program", "2019-11-21", "2019", "2019-11", "Republican", "House", "CO", "Cory Gardner", "G000562", "www.gardner.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Washington, D.C.  Today the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources held a hearing on legislation that would reauthorize the Secure Rural Schools (SRS) Program and provide greater parity to small counties who receive Payment in Lieu of Taxes (PILT) funding from the federal government. Senator Cory Gardner (R-CO) is a cosponsor of both pieces of legislation that will provide funding for critical services in counties with large amounts of federal land.\r\nThe committee discussed S. 2108, the Small County PILT Parity Act, which would create four new population tiers so that eligible low population counties (those with populations under 5,000) could receive a higher annual PILT payment. This formula adjustment will help bring parity to lower population counties and help address rising infrastructure and emergency services costs. The committee also heard testimony on S. 430, a bill to extend the Secure Rural Schools program, which ensures counties with swaths of tax-exempt forestlands can adequately provide essential services for their residents.\r\nThese bills will improve the funding for essential services for counties with large amounts of tax-exempt forestlands and federal lands, said Senator Gardner. I applaud the committee for holding this hearing to discuss critical federal government programs that support counties with a limited tax base as a result of federal acreage. This will make sure critical services like search and rescue, emergency medical services, law enforcement, schools, and maintenance of roads can continue.\r\n###\r\nCory Gardner is a member of the U.S. Senate serving Colorado. He sits on the Energy & Natural Resources Committee, the Foreign Relations Committee, the Commerce, Science, & Transportation Committee, and is the Chairman of the Subcommittee on East Asia, the Pacific, and International Cybersecurity Policy.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://tipton.house.gov/media/press-releases/tipton-mlb-improve-don-t-eliminate-small-town-baseball-teams", "Tipton to MLB: Improve, Dont Eliminate Small Town Baseball Teams", "2019-11-20", "2019", "2019-11", "Republican", "House", "CO", "Scott Tipton", "T000470", "tipton.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "WASHINGTON, D.C. Major League Baseball recently released a proposal that would sever ties with 42 minor-league affiliate clubs across the country. Congressman Scott Tipton (CO-03) released the following statement regarding the proposal which could impact the Grand Junction Rockies:\n\t\t\t\t \n\t\t\t\t\tThe MLB's connection to the Grand Junction Rockies offers many Coloradans a chance to experience professional baseball right in their backyard. For an affordable price, families can see baseball's next stars, have a hotdog, and take part in America's pastime without having to drive for many hours to see the Big-League team. Families in Western Colorado and in smaller communities across the country could lose this opportunity should the MLB proceed with this proposal. MLB should focus on improving baseball in rural areas, not eliminating it. From the economic benefits and entertainment value in communities and the robust player development programs, minor league teams have a tremendous impact on baseball as a whole and I hope Commissioner Manfred reconsiders this proposal.\n\t\t\t\t \n\t\t\t\tTipton also joined 105 members from the U.S. House of Representatives in signing a letter addressed to the Major League Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred disapproving of the proposal. The letter reads in part:\n\t\t\t\t \n\t\t\t\t\tFor over a century, Congress has taken numerous actions specifically designed to protect, preserve, and sustain a system and structure for both Major and Minor League Baseball to flourish.\n\t\t\t\t\tYou are the most important steward of the great game of baseball and tasked with ensuring the popularity and love of it across the world. Reducing the number of Minor League Baseball clubs and overhauling a century-old system that has been consistently safeguarded by Congress is not in the best interest of the overall game of baseball, especially when Major League Baseball's revenues are at all-time highs.\n\t\t\t\t \n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tThe full letter can be found here\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t###", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.gardner.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/gardner-applauds-1m-energy-research-grants-for-national-renewable-energy-laboratory", "Gardner Applauds $1M Energy Research Grants for National Renewable Energy Laboratory", "2019-11-20", "2019", "2019-11", "Republican", "House", "CO", "Cory Gardner", "G000562", "www.gardner.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Washington, D.C. U.S. Senator Cory Gardner (R-CO), a member of the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, applauded theannouncementthat the U.S. Department of Energy's Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) will award more than $1 million to fund two projects at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) in Golden, Colorado.\r\nThe cutting-edge research at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Golden, Colorado is instrumental in advancing our nation's renewable energy technology,said Senator Gardner. As we develop new renewable energy methods, it's critical that we invest in and develop new energy storage technology as well. I applaud the announcement that NREL will receive funding for two energy projects, and I will continue to support their efforts at the federal level.\r\nAccording to the Department of Energy, the grants will fund two projects at NREL: developing a machine learning-enhanced approach to the design of new battery materials, and developing a novel wind turbine design that enables designers to explore advanced technology concepts at a lower cost. More information on the projects can be foundhere.\r\nThe projects are being funded through ARPA-E's newest program, Design Intelligence Fostering Formidable Energy Reduction and Enabling Novel Totally Impactful Advanced Technology Enhancements (DIFFERENTIATE). The program aims to develop streamlined solutions to next-generation energy challenges.\r\nARPA-E advances high-potential, high-impact energy technologies that are too high-risk for private sector investment. ARPA-E awardees are unique because they are developing entirely new ways for Americans to get, store, and use energy.\r\nYesterday, Senator Gardner's committee advancedreauthorization and a funding increase for the ARPA-E program. There are currently nearly 50 ongoing projects at NREL, Colorado School of Mines, and other research entities in Colorado benefiting from ARPA-E funding.\r\n###\r\nCory Gardner is a member of the U.S. Senate serving Colorado. He sits on the Energy & Natural Resources Committee, the Foreign Relations Committee, the Commerce, Science, & Transportation Committee, and is the Chairman of the Subcommittee on East Asia, the Pacific, and International Cybersecurity Policy.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://lamborn.house.gov/media/press-releases/short-term-spending-bill-hampers-military-readiness", "Short Term Spending Bill Hampers Military Readiness", "2019-11-19", "2019", "2019-11", "Republican", "House", "CO", "Doug Lamborn", "L000564", "lamborn.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Contact: Cassandra Sebastian (719) 520-0055\nWashington D.C. - Today, the U.S. House of Representatives voted once again on a Continuing Resolution to fund the government. The Pentagon has started the fiscal year under a CR for 13 of the past 18 years. \nCongressman Lamborn issued the following statement on the continuing resolution:\n\"This Continuing Resolution is yet another example of an ineffective federal government. Short term spending bills add to an already bloated federal government. With the deficit spiraling out of control, we must find a fiscally responsible solution to fund the government long-term. CR's are also incredibly damaging and lead to increased uncertainty for our armed forces. Our men and women in uniform deserve full funding so they can start new programs and face the growing threats from our near-peer adversaries Russia and China. When we fail to provide stable funding, we hinder our warfighters, erode our technological advantage, and hamper our military readiness. It is disheartening that Democrats have violated the spirit of bipartisan budgets in order to focus their efforts on a baseless impeachment.\"", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.gardner.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/gardner-holds-press-conference-on-next-steps-for-national-9-8-8-suicide-hotline", "Gardner Holds Press Conference on Next Steps for National 9-8-8 Suicide Hotline", "2019-11-19", "2019", "2019-11", "Republican", "House", "CO", "Cory Gardner", "G000562", "www.gardner.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Washington, D.C. U.S. Senator Cory Gardner (R-CO) joined Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Ajit Pai and representatives from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration and Department of Veterans Affairs, and leaders in the mentalhealth community for a press conference to discuss the National Suicide Hotline Designation Act, Gardner's bipartisan legislation to designate 9-8-8 as the national suicide prevention and mental health crisis hotline.\r\nFCC Chairman Pai announced at the press conference that the FCC will consider establishing 9-8-8 as the national suicide prevention hotline at their meeting on December 12, 2019.\r\n\r\nNOTE:Clickhereor the picture above to view Senator Gardner'sremarks.\r\nWe must do more to destigmatize access to emergency mental health resources and prevent suicides in our country. We lose a Coloradan to suicide approximately every seven hours, and we now lose more veterans annually to suicide than combat,said Senator Gardner.If this bipartisan bill becomes law, Americans could dial a three-digit phone number in times of any crisis: 9-1-1 for an emergency, and 9-8-8 for a mental health emergency. This legislation is more than smart policy that will help save lives, it's a statement that our government recognizes the crisis and is working across party lines to address it.\r\nBackground:\r\n \r\nIn 2018, Gardner voted for the National Suicide Hotline Improvement Act, which directed the Federal Communications Commission to evaluate using a 3-digit dialing code for the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline.\r\nThis August, the FCC released theirreport, which found that a national three-digit line would improve suicide prevention and recommended a simple number that Americans could dial in times of crisis: 9-8-8.\r\nIn October, Senators Gardner, Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Jerry Moran (R-KS), and Jack Reed (D-RI) introducedS. 2661,theNational Suicide Hotline Designation Act, which designates 9-8-8 for a national suicide prevention and mental health crisis hotline and ensures states have the flexibility to strengthen local crisis call centers.\r\nThis month, nearly 50 mental health organizations and veterans support organizationsannounced their support and urged Congress to pass the National Suicide Hotline Designation Act.\r\n \r\n###\r\nCory Gardner is a member of the U.S. Senate serving Colorado. He sits on the Energy & Natural Resources Committee, the Foreign Relations Committee, the Commerce, Science, & Transportation Committee, and is the Chairman of the Subcommittee on East Asia, the Pacific, and International Cybersecurity Policy", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.gardner.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/senate-committee-approves-gardner-bill-to-fully-fund-lwcf", "Senate Committee Approves Gardner Bill to Fully Fund LWCF", "2019-11-19", "2019", "2019-11", "Republican", "House", "CO", "Cory Gardner", "G000562", "www.gardner.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Washington, D.C. Today the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources passed U.S. Senator Cory Gardner's (R-CO) bipartisan bill to provide permanent, full funding for the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF).\r\n\r\nNOTE:Clickhereor the picture above to view Senator Gardner's remarks.\r\nThe Land and Water Conservation Fund is the crown jewel of conservation programs and now that we have successfully permanently authorized the program, the next step is to make the funding of the program automatic,said Senator Gardner.Colorado projects rely on LWCF funding and fighting year after year about how much money to provide the program does not provide the long-termplanning certainty our outdoor and conservation communities deserve. This is a commonsense, bipartisan program that comes at no cost to the taxpayer, and I'm glad to see the Committee move this bill forward today to fully and permanently fund this critical conservation program so future generations of Coloradans will have access to our great outdoors.\r\nThe Committee also approved Gardner's Restore our Parks Act, which addresses the $12 billion park maintenance backlog and would result in new investments and infrastructure improvements to parks in Colorado and across the country. This measure would establish the National Park Service Legacy Restoration Fund and reduce the maintenance backlog by allocating half of the existing unobligated revenues the government receives from on and offshore energy development  up to $1.3 billion per year  for the next five years.\r\nWe have to provide Colorado's parks the funding necessary to help address the billions of dollars in deferred maintenance that the park system is currently facing,said Senator Gardner.The Restore our Parks Act will protect these lands by allowing for needed investments for park infrastructure and preservation projects.\r\nAlso passing out of committee in today's hearing was a Gardner-backed effort to reauthorize and increase funding for the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) program. There are currently 45 ongoing projects at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Colorado School of Mines, and other research entities in Colorado benefiting from ARPA-E funding. The committee also advanced nominations for Mr. Dan Brouilletteto be Secretary of Energy and Ms. Katharine MacGregor to be Deputy Secretary of the Interior.\r\nGardner is a champion for the Land and Water Conservation Fund in the U.S. Senate:\r\n\r\n\r\nGardner's bill to permanently fund the Land and Water Conservation Fund is supported by:American Forests, American Hiking Society, American Whitewater, Appalachian Trail Conservancy, Backcountry Hunters and Anglers, Congressional Sportsmen Foundation, National Audubon Society, National Park Conservation Association, National Park Foundation, National Recreation and Park Association, National Trust for Historic Preservation, Outdoor Industry Association, Outdoor Recreation Roundtable, Pew Charitable Trusts, The Nature Conservancy, The Conservation Fund, Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership, Trout Unlimited, and The Trust for Public Land.\r\n###\r\nCory Gardner is a member of the U.S. Senate serving Colorado. He sits on the Energy & Natural Resources Committee, the Foreign Relations Committee, the Commerce, Science, & Transportation Committee, and is the Chairman of the Subcommittee on East Asia, the Pacific, and International Cybersecurity Policy", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.gardner.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/senate-committee-passes-gardner-bennet-bill-to-train-veterans-for-careers-in-innovative-sectors-of-the-american-energy-industry", "Senate Committee Passes Gardner, Bennet Bill to Train Veterans for Careers in Innovative Sectors of the American Energy Industry", "2019-11-19", "2019", "2019-11", "Republican", "House", "CO", "Cory Gardner", "G000562", "www.gardner.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Washington, D.C. Bipartisan legislation introduced by Colorado U.S. SenatorsCory Gardner (R)and Michael Bennet(D) unanimously passed the Senate Energy and Natural Resources (ENR) Committee today and will now be considered by the full Senate. The Energy Jobs for our Heroes Act would help ease the transition back to civilian life for servicemembers and strengthen the economy by connecting employers in the fast-growing solar, wind, nuclear, and cyber energy industries with talented, highly-skilled veterans who possess the needed training and credentials to succeed.\r\nI'm a strong advocate for advancing clean energy solutions, and this important bipartisan legislation not only strengthens our renewable energy sector, it also bolsters opportunities for qualified veterans to transition into the civilian workforce,saidSenatorGardner.Military experience provides invaluable education, leadership and education skills and I'm pleased the committee has approved this bipartisan legislation to help connect our heroes with this rapidly expanding sector of our economy.\r\nOur Energy Ready Vets Program will connect our veterans, who are already uniquely qualified to succeed in cutting-edge industries, with the clean energy industry that is quickly growing and seeking high skilled workers,saidSenatorBennet.For years, Colorado has been working to ensure our veterans have the necessary skills and training to compete in the 21st century economy while also creating pathways for them to enter the clean energy industry. I'm thrilled to see the Senate follow Colorado's lead and pass our bipartisan bill out of committee  we'll continue working together to move this bill forward in the Senate.\r\nThe bipartisan Energy Jobs for our Heroes Actwhich wasre-introducedthis March byGardner, Bennet,and Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.) and Lindsay Graham (R-S.C.)would direct the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to partner with the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) to develop the Energy Ready Vets Program to provide veterans with training and credentials to secure good paying jobs in the low-carbon and zero-carbon emissions sectors of the energy industry, such as wind, solar and cyber-energy fields. The program would be led by an Administrator with military experience and offer veterans and members of the Armed Forces six-month internships to gain hands-on training and skills. It would also establish a labeling program that recognizes companies that are hiring graduates of these programs in order to encourage them to hire veterans.\r\nLast year, the Senate unanimously passed a Gardner-Bennet-Duckworthamendmentincluded in the Energy and Water, Legislative Branch, Military Construction, and Veterans Affairs appropriations bill to lay the groundwork for the Energy Ready Vets Program. That amendment required the Departments of Energy and Defense to evaluate which military installations could effectively partner with colleges and private companies to train veterans and servicemembers to enter the cybersecurity, energy and artificial intelligence workforces.\r\nThe U.S. military has been a leader in developing clean energy technology. The Army, Navy, and Air Force have set a goal, which the Navy has already achieved, of developing one gigawatt of renewable energy to power their installations by 2025  enough to power about 700,000 U.S. homes. As a result, many servicemembers and veterans already have the technical skills that make them great fits for the wind and solar industries, both of which employ veterans at higher rates than the rest of our economy. According to the Department of Energy, veterans make up 11.5% and 11.1% of the wind and solar workforce respectively.\r\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://buck.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/buck-and-khanna-introduce-legislation-modernize-foreign-agents", "Buck and Khanna Introduce Legislation to Modernize the Foreign Agents Registration Act", "2019-11-15", "2019", "2019-11", "Republican", "House", "CO", "Ken Buck", "B001297", "buck.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "For Immediate Release  \n\tFriday, November 15, 2019  Washington, D.C.  Today, Congressman Ken Buck (R-CO) and Congressman Ro Khanna (D-CA) introduced bipartisan legislation to bring transparency to foreign governments' effort to influence U.S. policy.\nThe Foreign Agents Registration Modernization (FARM) Act of 2019 will bring the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) into the 21st century and ensure that the American people have the ability to hold their government accountable. The legislation requires all FARA filings be submitted to the Department of Justice (DOJ) in a digitized and easily searchable electronic format. The bill also calls on the Attorney General to work with the Clerk of the House of Representatives and the Secretary of the Senate to establish a centralized online database containing all FARA filings similar to the current database for domestic lobbying activities reported under the Lobbying Disclosure Act.\nFollowing introduction of the Foreign Agents Registration Modernization (FARM) Act of 2019, Congressman Ken Buck and Congressman Ro Khanna released the following:\nThe American people deserve to know how foreign governments are attempting to influence our government. Due to loopholes in the law and an outdated filing process, the public is left in the dark. It's time to bring the FARA filing system into the 21st century and ensure that Americans can review any and all efforts by foreign governments to influence our nation's public policy. I encourage my colleagues to join Rep. Khanna and me as cosponsors of this important legislation, said Rep. Ken Buck.\nUsing 21st century technology, we have the opportunity to make our government easily accessible for every American, said Rep. Ro Khanna. Particularly at a moment when our country is combatting foreign influence among our highest ranking public servants, the public has a right to know who is lobbying our government. The FARA exposed that the Saudis lobbied hard to defeat my Yemen War Powers Resolution. I am proud to introduce this bipartisan bill with Rep. Buck to bring even more transparency to our government and expose foreign money influencing our politics.\nSince 1938, Congress has required individuals engaged in political or advocacy work on behalf of a foreign government to register with the Department of Justice (DOJ) as an agent of a foreign nation, as defined by the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA). Once an individual registers as a foreign agent, he or she is required to file a report every six months outlining their relationship to the foreign principal, any spending involved with their work, and their activities to influence U.S. policy. However, FARA filers are not currently required to submit their reports in a machine-readable, searchable, digitized format, which has created barriers that deny the American people the ability to hold foreign nations accountable. The American people deserve to know how foreign principals are attempting to influence our government and the policies that govern our nation.\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://lamborn.house.gov/media/press-releases/congressman-lamborn-responds-lackluster-impeachment-hearings", "Congressman Lamborn Responds to Lackluster Impeachment Hearings", "2019-11-15", "2019", "2019-11", "Republican", "House", "CO", "Doug Lamborn", "L000564", "lamborn.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Contact: Cassandra Sebastian (719) 520-0055\n\t\n\tWashington, D.C.  Congressman Lamborn released the following statement in response to this week's House Intelligence Committee's impeachment hearings:\n\t\n\t\"Chairman Schiff promised the American people they would have the opportunity to hear the testimony of the \"so-called whistleblower\" but has denied access to him testifying. Still, we continue to hear from witnesses who seem to have 2nd, 3rd, and even 4th hand knowledge, have never met President Trump, and were not a party to the phone calls between the President and Zelensky.\" None of the Democrat's witnesses' testimonies have compelled me to believe that President Trump has committed any impeachable offenses. House Democrats are doing everything in their power to impeach President Trump before the 2020 election. Democrats continue to neglect the will of the people with their impeachment sham that ignores the facts. This process has been nothing short of a circus. Congress should instead be focusing on the issues that matter to the American people.\"", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.gardner.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/gardner-honors-colorado-veterans-on-senate-floor", "Gardner Honors Colorado Veterans on Senate Floor", "2019-11-15", "2019", "2019-11", "Republican", "House", "CO", "Cory Gardner", "G000562", "www.gardner.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Washington, D.C. Following theobservance of Veterans Day on Monday, U.S. Senator Cory Gardner (R-CO) took to the floor of the United States Senate this week to recognizeand honor veterans in Colorado and across the United States who have served our country in uniform. \r\n\r\nNOTE:Clickhereor the picture above to view Senator Gardner's remarks.\r\nThere has never been a fight too dangerous or a task too difficult for the men and women who have served our country. We must approach veterans care with the same commitment, and find creative solutions to ease the transition to civilian life and ensure they receive the best possible care,said Senator Gardner.To everyone who has served, thank you for every sacrifice you have made, and know that our nation is grateful. It is because of our veterans' commitment that we can continue to live in a nation with unlimited opportunities.\r\nRemarks as delivered:\r\nThis week across this country we celebrated Veterans Day. Veterans day in Colorado and across this country means a lot of different things to so many people across our nation. The one thing it's always stood for is a day of thanks. A day of thanks to share and celebrate the men and women in our families, our communities, who have done so much for our country so that it can continue to be the greatest nation on the face of this earth.\r\nIn Colorado, we celebrated with parades, and parties, and charity fundraisers, and races, and marathons, and events all over the Centennial State to recognize the work of our veterans, the sacrifice of our veterans and their families. Admission to all of our state parks was free, so veterans and their families could enjoy the land that they've defended.\r\nAnd in Colorado Springs, where we have a number of veterans and active duty military members, three of the largest school districts, they didn't take the day off for Veterans Day. Instead they held veteran appreciation events, breakfasts and lunches with local veterans, invited special speakers, wrote letters to men and women who have served, and had other opportunities for students to learn about the sacrifices that our veterans have made for our country. Because we in Colorado, we in this country, we take great pride in our veterans and veteran community.\r\nIn Colorado, our six military bases, including the United States Air Force Academy, all play a critical role in defending our nation and keeping the world a safer place. Colorado is home to more than 400,000 veterans who have bravely served our country.\r\nEarlier this year I was fortunate enough to meet more than 100 Colorado heroes, as part of the High Plains Honor Flight, a tradition that has been carried on for a number of years. Every year, this tradition brings Colorado veterans to our nation's capital, touring the war memorials, and taking the opportunity to meet these veterans, to look them in the eye, to shake their hands, and say thank you.\r\nI could spend all week talking on the floor about Colorado's veterans and their incredible acts of service, but if you get the chance, I hope that people will visit Pueblo, Colorado. It's the Home of Heroes  the Home of Heroes Medal of Honor Memorial in Pueblo, Colorado. The memorial pays tribute to the more than 3,400 people that have received our country's highest award for military valor. Outside of the memorial there's four statues  one for each of Pueblo's Medal of Honor recipients\r\nOne of these men, Lieutenant Raymond Murphy, was a United States Marine who was serving in Korea in 1953. After a failed raid with heavy casualties, Lt. Murphy organized and led his platoon in a heroic rescue effort to save his fellow Marines. Providing cover and driving the enemy back, he rescued his fellow men under intense enemy fire. He sustained numerous wounds, but refused treatment until everyone else had been treated. Lieutenant Murphy stayed on the battlefield until every Marine was accounted for.\r\nWhen President Eisenhower presented Murphy the Medal of Honor, he's quoted as saying, What is it about the water out there in Pueblo? All you guys turn out to be heroes! That's our Pueblo, Colorado. Whatever it is, there must be a lot of it in Colorado's waters.\r\nU.S. Army Captain Florent Groberg, who was based out of Fort Carson, also received the Medal of Honor for his heroic actions in Afghanistan. In 2012, his patrol was ambushed by an individual wearing a suicide vest. Captain Groberg rushed the individual and grabbed him, driving him away from his fellow troops and down to the ground. The bomber's vest exploded, severely wounding Captain Groberg. He miraculously survived the blast, and his heroic actions and selflessness saved many of his patrol members' lives.\r\nHis actions were certainly extraordinary, and they showed the character of the men who serve  that they would do anything to protect those they love.\r\nI'm also reminded of a Coloradan that I've had the honor of working with and meeting over the last several years. Two years ago, in fact, I had a Veterans Day experience that I'll never forget with another veteran who refused to give up on his fellow brothers and sisters in arms.\r\nI was visiting Donald Stratton, who was a Seaman 1stClass on the USS Arizona when the Japanese launched a surprise attack on Pearl Harbor, December 7, 1941. Mr. Stratton was one of the last five remaining survivors stationed on the USS Arizona. Since that time two years ago, we've lost Lauren Bruner, even fewer today than there were. He told me how a young sailor named Joseph George disregarded the orders to abandon ship in order to save his life and the other sailors.\r\nJoseph George never received a medal for his actions, and Donald Stratton didn't think that was fair. It didn't sit well with him. Mr. Stratton and I and his family worked together to finally convince the Navy to honor Joe George to give this hero the recognition he deserves.\r\nDonald Stratton's story sticks with me because he had already fought one war for his country, and then he had to spend another 16 years fighting government bureaucracy in order to honor the man who saved his life and the lives of others. It's a reminder that our veterans need our help, and our support, to receive the recognition and the care that they continue to deserve.\r\nAll of the stories that I have described, the individuals that I have talked about, are extraordinary, but there are so many other countless acts of heroism. Every single person in our armed service today is extraordinary, who every day have heroic acts of service and sacrifice that may not make the national news or the front page of newspapers, but we shouldn't lose sight of the fact that every day they sacrifice for our country.\r\nThey've put their bodies and their minds through vigorous training, bootcamps, and deployments. They've given up valuable time with their loved ones, away from home for months at a time, if not longer. The holidays they'll never go back to, and the important milestones that they've missed with their families as they placed their civilian lives on hold to serve our country. And too many people return with wounds of war  both physical, and mental.\r\nAll of these sacrifices and their willingness to place their lives on the line for our country they love adds up to a debt we can never repay, never pay back. But I hope this Veterans Day, this celebration this week, serves as a reminder that it is our responsibility to take care of those who have taken care of us.\r\nWe owe it to our nation's veterans to ensure they can receive the best possible care, that they have the tools and support necessary to navigate civilian life. The Senate, the House, Congress, we've taken great steps to improve the lives of veterans and the care that they recieve, but we can always do more. And we must do more, we must do more, must do more, and never give up  that we can do better than the status quo.\r\nFor veterans living in rural areas like the Western Slope or the Eastern Plains of Colorado, long drive times and a shortage of doctors and nurses at the VA facilities make it difficult to receive the care that we've promised.\r\nThere has never been a fight too dangerous or a task too difficult for these men and women who have served our country. And that's the approach that we need to take, we have to be in this fight to make sure that we approach veterans care with the same commitment, and find creative solutions to ease the transition to civilian life to make sure that they have the care that they need, to make sure that we have enough physicians, and nurses, and doctors in these places to provide the best possible care.\r\nEarlier this year I introduced my VA Readiness Initiative, a comprehensive package of improvements and reforms to ensure that we are following through on every one of these promises to veterans. The VA Readiness Initiative focuses on four pillars to support veterans: (1) Expanding access to Services, (2) Encouraging innovation, (3) VA accountability, and (4) Empowering transitioning service members.\r\nIt introduces more oversight, more transparency, and accountability at the VA facilities to eliminate fraud and to increase the quality of care. In order to ease the transition to civilian life, it enhances programs that help veterans start small businesses and training for future careers in science, technology, engineering, and math fields. It promotes innovative approaches to suicide prevention  which is a heartbreaking problem in the veteran community.\r\nIn Colorado, we're losing one of our own nearly every seven hours to suicide. In recent years, we've lost more veterans to suicide than we've lost in combat. Think about that. We've lost more veterans to suicide than we've lost in combat. In Colorado we lose roughly 200 veterans a year to suicide. \r\nI'm working with my colleague Senator Tammy Baldwin from Wisconsin to designate 9-8-8 as a national suicide hotline that veterans and anyone else in crisis can call when they need help. Veterans answered our call when we needed them  and we need to be able to answer their call, when they need us.\r\nWhen somebody is suffering from a heart attack or a medical emergency, a crisis, we all know to call 9-1-1. But how many people know a number to call if they find themselves in a time of mental health crisis? Is it a 10-digit hotline? Yeah, it is. How many people can know that, and know that now off the top of their head, how many people could tell a friend in need what that hotline is? Let's simplify it. Let's make it a three-digit number, like 9-1-1, for health crisis emergencies. Let's make sure that we have a 9-8-8 phone call for mental health needs.\r\nThe current suicide hotline, as I said, is 10 digits long. This is an easy-to-remember hotline, 9-8-8, to connect people in crisis with professional help. If a veteran is in need, and a phone call is made, they will receive specialized care, for the veterans. Press 1 to be directed to the veterans support line, where they could receive mental health support specific to the unique needs of our veterans.\r\nI also hope that every veteran in Colorado will look to our offices, my office in Colorado and my colleague's office from Colorado, Senator Bennet, and others, if there is anything we can do to help. Often times, too many people don't know the services that we can help them with. \r\nThanks to the outpouring of veterans who contact my office each and every year, we were able to help open the VA Medical Center in Aurora, Colorado last year. It was long overdue, but essential to the care and to make sure that we have the finest medical care for Coloradans.\r\nSenator Johnny Isakson from Georgia, somebody who's going to be stepping down from this chamber at the end of the year. We're going to miss him greatly. As Chairman of the Veterans' Affairs Committee, he was instrumental in making this happen, and will be greatly missed when he leaves. Johnny is a true statesman and champion for our veterans, and we in Colorado are grateful for his work to make sure that the VA hospital in Aurora is the crown jewel of our support system in our state for veterans\r\nMr. President, November is also Military Family Appreciation Month, and I certainly want to express my gratitude to the military families who share the burden of service. This isn't just an individual effort, it is indeed a family effort. When one member of the family serves, the entire family serves. This time of year we all know can be a difficult time of the year with the holidays coming up for troops and their families.\r\nSo as all of us celebrate Thanksgiving, Christmas, Hanukah, and other traditions in our families, I hope that each one of our prayers will go to a military family in need  heroes who are placing their dreams on hold to protect the American dream.\r\nAnd so to everyone who has served this country, thank you for the sacrifice that you have all made, and know that our nation is grateful. It is because of our veterans and the commitment that you bring that we can continue to live in a nation with unlimited opportunities. A nation founded in liberty and rooted in the principles that inspire hope and optimism around the world.\r\nTo every veteran, thank you from the bottom of my heart for everything that you have done in service to our beloved country. May God bless you, and God bless this great United States of America, as you continue to serve and as we continue to serve you. \r\nMr. President, I yield the floor.\r\n### \r\nCory Gardner is a member of the U.S. Senate serving Colorado. He sits on the Energy & Natural Resources Committee, the Foreign Relations Committee, the Commerce, Science, & Transportation Committee, and is the Chairman of the Subcommittee on East Asia, the Pacific, and International Cybersecurity Policy.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.gardner.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/gardner-meets-with-energy-secretary-nominee-dan-brouillette", "Gardner Meets with Energy Secretary Nominee Dan Brouillette", "2019-11-15", "2019", "2019-11", "Republican", "House", "CO", "Cory Gardner", "G000562", "www.gardner.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Washington, D.C.  U.S. Senator Cory Gardner (R-CO), a member of the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, met with Dan Brouillette, the nominee for Secretary of the U.S. Department of Energy. Mr. Brouillette is currently the Deputy Secretary of the Department of Energy, and his nomination is under consideration by Gardner's committee. The Senate previously confirmed Mr. Brouillette to be Deputy Secretary with a strong bipartisan vote of 79-17 on August 3, 2017.\r\nMr. Brouillette and I had a productive conversation regarding America's future as a global leader in energy research and development, said Senator Gardner. I stressed the importance of Colorado's scientific research institutions and the groundbreaking work done in Colorado at places like the National Renewable Energy Lab (NREL) in Golden to advance renewable energy sources, energy efficiency, and more environmental opportunities. I look forward to continuing to work with Mr. Brouillette in his new role upon Senate confirmation to advance responsible, all-of-the-above energy policies to keep energy costs low and keep our nation's energy supply secure.\r\n###\r\nCory Gardner is a member of the U.S. Senate serving Colorado. He sits on the Energy & Natural Resources Committee, the Foreign Relations Committee, the Commerce, Science, & Transportation Committee, and is the Chairman of the Subcommittee on East Asia, the Pacific, and International Cybersecurity Policy.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://tipton.house.gov/media/in-the-news/colorado-river-water-conservation-district-perform-demand-management-study", "Colorado River Water Conservation District to perform demand management study", "2019-11-14", "2019", "2019-11", "Republican", "House", "CO", "Scott Tipton", "T000470", "tipton.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation has awarded the Colorado River Water Conservation District nearly $316,000 to develop a Western Slope water marketing strategy tied to a potential demand management plan, the agency announced Monday.\nWith an additional $361,000 in non-federal funding, the Colorado River District will develop a water marketing strategy pertaining to the lease, sale or exchange of water rights. A press release noted that the plan will evaluate the risks of participating in demand management efforts in the Upper Colorado River Basin, [and] develop market parameters and rules to mitigate those risks.\nThe Colorado River District controls the contracting for water in the Upper Colorado River Basin.\nDemand management, reduction in consumptive use, is an incredibly threatening concept to western water users, and certainly to West Slope water users, the district's general manager, Andy Mueller, told the Colorado Water Congress earlier this year.\nThe potential for a demand management plan comes from the agreement made earlier this year among the seven states that tap into the Colorado River for water: the Upper Basin states (Colorado, Utah, Wyoming and New Mexico) and the Lower Basin states (Arizona, Nevada and California). That agreement, known as a drought contingency plan, is intended to ensure that water levels at Lake Mead (which serves the lower states) and Lake Powell (which serves the upper states) stay high enough to provide water into the future for the 40 million residents who rely on Colorado River water.\nDemand management, which applies to the upper basin states, is the next step. A demand management program, according to the Colorado Water Conservation Board, has three main facets: that it is temporary, compensated, and voluntary, meaning water users such as agricultural, municipal or industrial would voluntarily give up some of their water.\nBut it is far from a done deal.\nThe Colorado Water Conservation Board (CWCB) assembled a batch of working groups to look at various aspects of demand management, including water rights, economic impact, environmental considerations, funding, education and outreach, and agricultural impact. The last is important because 80% of the water used on the West Slope is for irrigation.\nUnder the terms of the agreement, all the Upper Basin states have to agree to a demand management program. If even one state says no, it's a no-go.\nBut the Colorado River District is also doing its own look at demand management, a study intended to focus exclusively on the views of the West Slope. That's where the Bureau of Reclamation grant comes in.\nSonja Chavez, a water resources specialist with the Colorado River District, wrote the grant. She told Colorado Politics that the River District has been doing its own work on the potential of a compact curtailment, which is what would happen if water levels drop so low that the river (and Colorado) is out of compliance with interstate agreements that require a certain amount of Colorado River water be sent to downstream states.\nThe River District's study will look at how the West Slope would guide and provide input into a demand management program, Chavez said.\nRather than letting someone else define what demand management looks like, we should be analyzing and evaluating various scenarios,\" she said.\nThat could include, for example, whether curtailment would be tied to adjudication of water rights, or spread out geographically (and that would include Colorado's Eastern Slope, including Denver) so that local economies on the West Slope would not be so impacted.\nLest you think the Colorado River is only a West Slope issue, think again. The Colorado, through a series of tunnels and reservoirs, supplies about half of the water used by Denver Water and its 1.4 million customers, or one out of every four Coloradans.\nUnder the grant, the River District will do risk modeling, such as examining water banking (a type of water leasing) or reservoir storage, how much water could the West Slope come up with, and whether water savings could be spread out over five or 10 years instead of in one year, Chavez said.\nA third component focuses on education and outreach specific to the West Slope.\nOnce all that is done, Chavez said the information will be forwarded to the CWCB for its consideration as it looks at whether the entire state would embark on a demand management program.\nU.S. Rep. Scott Tipton of Cortez applauded the efforts of the River District and the awarding of the grant, calling it \"welcome news for Western Colorado water users.\"\n\"I look forward to seeing the results of the Colorado River Water Conservation District's important work to study the impacts of demand management efforts on the Upper Colorado River Basin and recommendations on how to ensure Western Colorado water users needs are met, water rights are upheld, and the environment is protected.\nIn addition to the River District, the grant will involve the Grand Valley Water Users Association, Uncompahgre Valley Water Users Association, Tri-State Generation, the CWCB and The Nature Conservancy.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.gardner.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/gardner-recognized-for-strong-conservation-record", "Gardner Recognized for Strong Conservation Record", "2019-11-14", "2019", "2019-11", "Republican", "House", "CO", "Cory Gardner", "G000562", "www.gardner.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Washington, D.C. U.S. Senator Cory Gardner (R-CO) received ConservAmerica's Congressional Champion award for his strong record promoting conservation policies.\r\n\r\nConservAmerica Board Member Gibson McKay and President Jeff Kupfer present Senator Gardner with the Congressional Champion award.\r\nEvery American should want to protect the environment and pass our beautiful country on to the next generation better and cleaner than it was given to us,said Senator Gardner.In Colorado we take pride in being responsible stewards of the environment and our state's abundant and diverse natural resources. As co-chair of the Roosevelt Conservation Caucus, I'm honored to be recognized by ConservAmerica for my work in Congress to preserve and protect the great outdoors, and I look forward to working with my colleagues to advance innovative, economically viable policies to improve the environment and make sure the American people continue to have the highest quality of life possible.\r\n\"The Congressional Champion Awardis given to lawmakers who demonstrate a commitment to environmental and conservation policies that reflect the values and traditions we share as Americans, including a belief in personal freedom and individual responsibility, free markets and competition, private property rights, a love of the great outdoors and a desire to enhance and protect our lands and waters now and for future generations,\"said ConservAmerica President Jeff Kupfer.\"Balancing these values requires recognition that a healthy environment and a strong economy are not mutually exclusive, but inextricably linked.\"\r\nThis is the latest award recognizing Senator Gardner for his record promoting conservation and clean energy. In September, Senator Gardner was named aClean Energy Championby the Citizens for Responsible Energy Solutions. In February, Senator Gardner was named aChampion of Scienceby The Science Coalition.Last year, Senator Gardner received theU.S. Wind Champion Awardfrom the American Wind Energy Association and theSolar Champion Awardfrom the Solar Energy Industries Association.\r\nExamples of Senator Gardner's conservation record include:\r\n \r\nHelped establish, and serves as co-chair of, theRoosevelt Conservation Caucus, a bicameral group focused on addressing environmental problems through market-based solutions.\r\nLed the fight to pass and have signed in to law by President Trump earlier this year S. 47, the John D. Dingell, Jr. Conservation, Management, and Recreation Act,the single biggest conservation package passed in the last decade.\r\nThat package included a Gardner-sponsored bill supported by a bipartisan group of senators thatpermanently reauthorized the Land and Water Conservation Fund.\r\nIntroduced S. 1081, the bipartisanLand and Water Conservation Fund Permanent Funding Act, a bill that will make the full funding of LWCF mandatory every fiscal year.\r\nCo-sponsored four energy storageresearch and developmentbills toadvanceenergy storage technologyandincrease gridreliability and resiliency.\r\nIntroduced a bill to create aninvestment tax credit for energy storage, which will increase the deployment of storage technology as it comes online.\r\nIntroduced S.607, theTimely Review of Infrastructure Act, legislation aimed at reducing the long wait times for federal approval of energy infrastructure projects.\r\nIntroduced S.2094, theEnhancing State Energy Security Planning and Emergency Preparedness Act, legislation that authorizes the Department of Energy (DOE) to provide financial assistance to states to develop or revise a State Energy Security Plan.\r\nIntroduced S.3677, theEnhancing Grid Security through Public-Private Partnerships Act, a bipartisan bill aimed at safeguarding the country's energy grid from cyber-attacks.\r\nCo-sponsored S.1685, theLaunching Energy Advancement and Development through Innovations for Natural Gas Act, which would incentivize research and development of carbon capture technology for natural gas to ensure a reliable, affordable, and environmentally sound energy supply. The legislation was reported by the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee in July 2019.\r\n \r\n###\r\nCory Gardner is a member of the U.S. Senate serving Colorado. He sits on the Energy & Natural Resources Committee, the Foreign Relations Committee, the Commerce, Science, & Transportation Committee, and is the Chairman of the Subcommittee on East Asia, the Pacific, and International Cybersecurity Policy.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.gardner.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/senate-passes-gardner-bennet-resolution-commemorating-co-farm-bureaus-100th-anniversary", "Senate Passes Gardner, Bennet Resolution Commemorating CO Farm Bureau\u2019s 100th Anniversary", "2019-11-14", "2019", "2019-11", "Republican", "House", "CO", "Cory Gardner", "G000562", "www.gardner.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Washington, D.C. The U.S. Senate passed aresolutionauthored by Colorado Senators Cory Gardner (R) and Michael Bennet (D) recognizing the 100thanniversary of the ColoradoFarmBureau Federation and celebrating the long history of theFarmBureau representing thefarmers and ranchers of Colorado.\r\nGrowing up on the Eastern Plains and working in my family'sfarmimplement dealership gave me a deep appreciation for agriculture and the organizations that work every day to help the industry thrive,said Senator Gardner.Since coming to Washington, I've been proud to work closely with theFarmBureau to support Colorado's agriculture industry and ourfarmingcommunities, and I've been fortunate to have theFarmBureau join me every year on my annual ColoradoFarmTour. I'm proud to see the Senate recognize the ColoradoFarmBureau's rich history today  Congratulations on 100 years of being a strong voice forfarmers, ranchers, and rural communities in the Centennial State.\r\nThe Colorado Farm Bureau has spent a century working diligently to advance our state's rich farming and ranching tradition,said Senator Bennet.Today's passage of our resolution commemorating the Colorado Farm Bureau's 100thanniversary honors their valuable work and contributions to our state. I congratulate the Colorado Farm Bureau as they reach this milestone and look forward to seeing what they will accomplish for the agriculture community and rural Colorado in the next 100 years.\r\nThe members of ColoradoFarmBureau are happy to have the organization's 100th anniversary be recognized by Senator Gardner and SenatorBennet,said Don Shawcroft, President of the ColoradoFarmBureau.Recognition on the floor of the United States Senate is a fitting tribute to the contributions of the state's largest agriculture organization and its 100 years of work on behalf of the industry and Colorado's Rural Way of Life.\r\nThe resolution reads:\r\nWhereas, on March 22, 1919, a group of 10 local counties andfarmers met to form what was termed a FarmBureau'', with the goal of making the business offarming more profitable and the community a better place to live'';\r\nWhereas W.G. Jamison, the first president of the ColoradoFarmBureau Federation, helped to lead a grassroots organization offarmers that represent all agricultural producers across the State of Colorado;\r\nWhereas the ColoradoFarmBureau Federation, with a Statefarmbureau, 45 countyfarmbureaus, and 23,000 member families, is 1 of the largestfarmer-led organizations in the State of Colorado;\r\nWhereas the mission of the ColoradoFarmBureau Federation is to promote and protect the future of agriculture and rural values'';\r\nWhereas the ColoradoFarmBureau Federation fulfills that mission\r\n(1) by representingfarmand ranch families united for the purpose of formulating action to support rural communities;\r\n(2) by improving agricultural production, economic opportunity, leadership development, and public policy; and\r\n(3) by promoting the well-being of the people of the State of Colorado;\r\nWhereas the ColoradoFarmBureau Federation has represented the interests offarmers with respect to the consideration and enactment of all major legislation impactingfarmers since the founding of the ColoradoFarmBureau Federation; and\r\nWhereas the ColoradoFarmBureau Federation plays a vital role in promoting the well-being of the people of Colorado\r\n(1) by analyzing the problems faced byfarmand ranch families; and\r\n(2) by formulating action to achieve the goals offarmand ranch families: Now, therefore, be it\r\nResolved, That the Senate\r\n(1) commemorates the 100th anniversary of the ColoradoFarmBureau Federation;\r\n(2) recognizes the ColoradoFarmBureau Federation for 100 years of promotingfarmand ranch interests for the benefit of the people of the State of Colorado; and\r\n(3) applauds the ColoradoFarmBureau Federation for its past, present, and future efforts to advocate forfarminterests that are critical to the State of Colorado.\r\n###\r\nCory Gardner is a member of the U.S. Senate serving Colorado. He sits on the Energy & Natural Resources Committee, the Foreign Relations Committee, the Commerce, Science, & Transportation Committee, and is the Chairman of the Subcommittee on East Asia, the Pacific, and International Cybersecurity Policy.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "truncated": false, "filtered_table_rows_count": 583, "expanded_columns": [], "expandable_columns": [], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "units": {}, "query": {"sql": "select url, title, date, year, month, party, chamber, state, member_name, bioguide_id, domain, scraper, source, date_source, text, has_text, collected_at, updated_at from releases where \"party\" = :p0 and \"state\" = :p1 and \"year\" = :p2 order by date desc limit 101", "params": {"p0": "Republican", "p1": "CO", "p2": "2019"}}, "facet_results": {"party": {"name": "party", "type": "column", "hideable": false, "toggle_url": "/press/releases.json?party=Republican&state=CO&year=2019", "results": [{"value": "Republican", "label": "Republican", "count": 583, "toggle_url": "http://dpwillis-congress-press-search.hf.space/press/releases.json?state=CO&year=2019", "selected": true}], "truncated": false}, "chamber": {"name": "chamber", "type": "column", "hideable": false, "toggle_url": "/press/releases.json?party=Republican&state=CO&year=2019", "results": [{"value": "House", "label": "House", "count": 583, "toggle_url": "http://dpwillis-congress-press-search.hf.space/press/releases.json?party=Republican&state=CO&year=2019&chamber=House", "selected": false}], "truncated": false}, "state": {"name": "state", "type": "column", "hideable": false, "toggle_url": "/press/releases.json?party=Republican&state=CO&year=2019", "results": [{"value": "CO", "label": "CO", "count": 583, "toggle_url": "http://dpwillis-congress-press-search.hf.space/press/releases.json?party=Republican&year=2019", "selected": true}], "truncated": false}, "year": {"name": "year", "type": "column", "hideable": false, "toggle_url": "/press/releases.json?party=Republican&state=CO&year=2019", "results": [{"value": "2019", "label": "2019", "count": 583, "toggle_url": "http://dpwillis-congress-press-search.hf.space/press/releases.json?party=Republican&state=CO", "selected": true}], "truncated": false}}, "suggested_facets": [], "next": "2019-11-14,https~3A~2F~2Fwww~2Egardner~2Esenate~2Egov~2Fnewsroom~2Fpress-releases~2Fsenate-passes-gardner-bennet-resolution-commemorating-co-farm-bureaus-100th-anniversary", "next_url": "http://dpwillis-congress-press-search.hf.space/press/releases.json?party=Republican&state=CO&year=2019&_next=2019-11-14%2Chttps~3A~2F~2Fwww~2Egardner~2Esenate~2Egov~2Fnewsroom~2Fpress-releases~2Fsenate-passes-gardner-bennet-resolution-commemorating-co-farm-bureaus-100th-anniversary&_sort_desc=date", "private": false, "allow_execute_sql": true, "query_ms": 249.87848987802863, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}