My Pueblo Jobs Act passed the House with bipartisan support as part of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). My Pueblo Jobs Act will create at least 1,000 jobs in Pueblo and help bring new businesses into the area. I’ve been connected to the Home of Heroes since well before I was sworn into Congress, my flagship District office is in Pueblo, one of my first actions in office was to visit the Pueblo Chemical Depot, I recently attended the changing of command at the Depot for Col. Rodney McCutcheon, and now I am delivering results for the great people of Pueblo that entrusted me to be their voice in Congress. I look forward to my bipartisan bill being signed into law, which will help facilitate job growth and economic development while investing in Pueblo’s future.
Originally, the government exempted 7,000 acres, including the Pueblo Chemical Agent-Destruction Pilot Plant from the standard base closure process. My Pueblo Jobs Act closes this loophole and requires the Secretary of the Army to rigorously follow the standard Base Realignment and Closure process when closing the remaining portions of the Pueblo Chemical Depot to provide certainty for the Pueblo economy and foster future job creation. Closing this loophole will allow Pueblo to benefit from federal grant funding, enable Pueblo to receive significant benefits to assist with redevelopment and reuse of the property, and put the 7,000 acres to productive reuse instead of just bulldozing it. My bill allows for about half of the employees that will be laid off following the Depot’s closure and that want to remain in Pueblo to be retrained and rehired for new opportunities.
I have consistently delivered results for Colorado’s Third District. The Pueblo Jobs Act is my third bill to have passed the House, and 20 of 20 of my amendments have passed the House—19 of which had strong bipartisan support. |
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I voted for the NDAA to equip our brave men and women in uniform with the resources they need to accomplish their missions and get home safely. This year’s NDAA included the largest basic pay increase in more than 20 years—5.2 percent. It also established a pathway for the return of service members wrongfully discharged under unconstitutional vaccine mandates.
This NDAA is also a win for taxpayers, since it requires the Department of Defense Inspector General to conduct a full audit—including on funds given to Ukraine. Additionally, the NDAA included my two accountability amendments that passed the House with bipartisan support to stop woke education in on-base school libraries and to produce a report on the number of colleges that have hosted a Confucius Institute funded by the Chinese Communist Party while also receiving Department of Defense taxpayer funds. |
Sergeant Jerry Harris served our country honorably in the United States Marine Corps during the Vietnam War. On November 13, 1968, he was seriously wounded in an artillery blast that killed two other Marines. But unphased by his injuries, Sergeant Harris kept fighting and faithfully executed his mission.
Like so many of our brave veterans, Sergeant Harris did not look for recognition for his service. In 2021, Sergeant Harris started working with Mesa County Veterans Services to resolve some issues he was having with the VA. The Mesa County Veterans Services office noticed that he should have received a Purple Heart for his wounds, and they reached out to my office for help. After my team submitted a request, the Marine Corps investigated the matter and awarded Sergeant Harris with the Purple Heart he should have received 55 years ago.
To ensure that every veteran receives the care and honor they earned, one of my office’s priorities is veterans’ casework. My team has worked on over 2,190 cases and returned over $4,329,912.95 to constituents who weren’t getting the help they deserved from federal agencies. If you are a veteran who needs help or if you know of a veteran who needs help, please reach out to my office. You have served our country, and now it is my highest honor to serve you. From helping a veteran schedule life-saving surgery with the VA, to paying off a veteran’s medical bills he should have never received in the first place, and from securing military honors at a veteran’s funeral, to helping a veteran’s widow access the benefits she earned—my office stands with veterans. |
From Pueblo to Grand Junction, and from Rangely to Walsenburg, I am working hard to secure funding for critical water and infrastructure projects across Colorado’s Third District. The House Appropriations Committee approved my request for funding for $19.7 million for 10 projects that will improve Colorado’s Third District. The projects and funds passed by the House Committee include:
- $1,576,000 for the Huerfano County Water Conservancy District to increase water storage at the Sheep Mountain Reservoir.
- $5,000,000 for the Rio Blanco Water Conservancy District to improve water storage and delivery.
- $1,750,000 for Silt to renovate its water plant to improve capacity and increase the quality of drinking water.
- $1,750,000 for Gunnison to build a new water treatment plant and diversify its water intake sources using the city’s water rights portfolio.
- $1,500,000 for the Colorado Department of Transportation to improve Blue Hill on Cottonwood Pass to improve safety and alleviate the impact of I-70 closures.
- $1,547,000 for Bayfield to build a new intersection providing additional access to the middle school.
- $1,000,000 for Pueblo to extend Medal of Honor Boulevard to reduce traffic by connecting Pueblo West with downtown Pueblo.
- $2,000,000 for Grand Junction to build a new interchange on I-70 at 29 Road to reduce congestion and improve regional transportation.
- $1,400,000 for Glenwood Springs to construct South Bridge to provide a critical second emergency route/evacuation access between State Highway 82 and the western side of the Roaring Fork River in the City’s South Corridor.
- $2,200,000 for Craig to construct a water distribution line and fire flows to the Craig-Moffat County Airport, parks and recreational assets, and residential and industrial development and growth on the south side of the Yampa River.
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I cosponsored and voted for H.J.Res. 44 to protect millions of veterans and gun owners by nullifying the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives’ (ATF’s) unconstitutional rule banning pistol braces. This rule would make the owners of nearly 40 million firearms with stabilizing braces felons overnight. Disabled veterans that rely on pistol braces to responsibly shoot at the range shouldn’t receive jail time, be fined $250,000, and be issued a felony charge for simply having a stabilizing brace on their lawfully purchased firearm. The House did its job and passed this bill, and now it is time for the Senate to block this unconstitutional gun grab. |
I introduced the bipartisan House companion to the Upper Colorado and San Juan River Basins Endangered Fish Recovery Programs Reauthorization Act to provide certainty for 1,200 water and power users in Colorado and help recover four threatened and endangered fish species in the Upper Colorado River Basin and the San Juan River Basin.
My bipartisan legislation reauthorizes the program protecting water rights and endangered fish for an additional seven years, providing long-term certainty for the program. These funds will be used to fund program implementation, stock the threatened and endangered fish species, operate hatcheries, root out invasive species, and improve river flows. Additionally, my bill protects the water rights of 1,200 water and power users by ensuring that their water projects remain in regulatory compliance. |
Three airports in Colorado’s Third District benefit from the FAA’s Essential Air Service program, including the San Luis Valley Regional Airport in Alamosa, the Cortez Municipal Airport, and the Pueblo Memorial Airport. I voted to help keep these airports running by voting against an amendment to cut Essential Air Service funding and by voting for the passage of the Federal Aviation Administration Reauthorization Act. I have worked with these airports in the past to ensure that they are able to safely meet their mission of providing quality service to people living in rural Colorado. |
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