I spent a lot of time out on the Eastern Plains in August, and one thing that’s stood out to me as I’ve traveled around the district listening to people is how rural America has been left behind by politicians in both parties for far too long. I attended a farmers roundtable in Lamar at the beginning of the month and heard about how the price of fuel and fertilizer has skyrocketed as a result of the Iran War, meaning that farmers are left to make tough decisions when it comes to purchasing diesel and fertilizing their fields. Some are choosing not to fertilize their land at all. It is striking to me that although most of our food is grown in rural America, Congress has not been able to pass a full Farm Bill in almost 8 years. We have to do better for our farmers, ranchers, and producers.
This also became clear to me when I met with the Colorado Livestock Association shortly after the Administration’s announcement that they were going to import over 660 million pounds of beef, and we discussed the fact that this plan will create more uncertainty for ranchers in an already unstable market and hurt growth for the United States cattle herd. It’s important to engage directly with the experts when it comes to making policy decisions, which is why I’ve been meeting with as many stakeholder groups in the district as possible.
Another area I’ve been working to build coalitions in is rural health care. I’m proud to say that as of this month, I have visited every rural hospital in Colorado’s 4th District. I’ve heard all about the challenges these hospitals are facing – the “death by a thousand cuts” to Medicaid, unfair pricing and reimbursement from insurance companies, and insufficient funding, to name a few. Independent rural hospitals are the backbone of their communities. Many of them are among the top three employers in their counties, and they provide essential services to every person that walks through their doors. They’ve been underserved by their government for too long. To me, this isn’t the end of my tour of these rural hospitals – this is the beginning of a working relationship, and I intend to start a Rural Health Advisory Council when I’m elected to ensure that the legislation I’m writing and voting in Congress will support these hospitals.
As we’ve been getting nearer to the election, I’ve been working to get my message as far across the district as possible, and to that end I was thrilled to be a guest on a number of podcasts and radio shows this month! I enjoyed talking with Jeff and Bill, hosts of The Jeff and Bill Show on 710 KNUS about all kinds of things, from the Iran War to working on common-sense, bipartisan legislation. And I had a lovely time talking with Emily Suyat on her podcast, Red County Blue State, about what it means to serve your country and your district. But some of the most meaningful conversations were on Meidas Defense and MS Now, talking about the conditions of sailors aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln and the total lack of leadership that has brought us here. Our servicemembers and their families deserve leaders who understand the consequence and weight of what is being asked of them, and I will never stop fighting to support them.
It was also a great honor to speak at the Colorado Water Congress toward the end of August. I was inspired by the people I met and listened to there, and pledged to work with local and state governments and water groups, as well as colleagues on both sides of the aisle in Congress, to pass legislation that will shore up Colorado’s water infrastructure and build for the future.
And, I’ve had a blast attending canvass launches and starting to knock doors around the district! My campaign is planning to knock doors in every corner of the district, and the work is already well underway, thanks to my amazing team of organizers. I’m also excited to announce that my campaign has opened an office in Loveland to have a home base there. I’m looking forward to knocking thousands more doors in the coming weeks, and hope to see some of you out there!
