RBC | Thanksgiving is here and the holiday season is now in full swing. In what has been a year full of hardships and unexpected outcomes, 2020 has certainly tested our nation’s resolve. Regardless of the events of this year, if you are reading this today, there are certainly blessings worth reflecting on. Whether it be your and your family’s continued good health, promising signs of economic recovery — owed greatly to the recent successes of scientists and health researchers on finding a vaccine — or any number of reasons, this time of the year is an important opportunity to pause and show appreciation for the things that matter most.
For me, I am thankful for having spent the last 10 years serving the 29 counties of Colorado’s Third Congressional District. Since first being elected to Congress, I maintained the mission to highlight the challenges that my constituents face during conversations at the national level. I have been fortunate to serve on the House Committees on small business, agriculture, natural resources and most recently, financial services, each with jurisdiction over some of our district’s most pressing issues.
Over the course of the last decade, I am proud to have worked to pass legislation protecting some of our most scenic natural areas and cultural treasures, preserving historic multiple use of our public lands, defending water rights, supporting our farmers and ranchers, providing relief to communities devastated by wildfires, leveling the playing field for small businesses to compete and thrive, and putting the Third District on the map as the new headquarters of the Bureau of Land Management.
I am especially proud of an extensive list of legislative accomplishments that earned me the ranking as the eighth most effective Republican member in the 115th Congress. This was achieved through a collaborative manner and always listening to and trusting information from local officials and constituents across the district. I am honored to have spearheaded efforts such as stopping arbitrary rules made by Washington bureaucrats that would have ended century-old family farming practices, securing long sought-after funding for the Arkansas Valley Conduit in Pueblo County, and tweaking the Paycheck Protection Program to better serve Main Street businesses during this pandemic, among others. I will always look back at my career knowing that I gave it my all to serve communities across our diverse district.
Since the onset of this pandemic I have fought to bring federal resources to our rural communities to keep hospitals open, small businesses afloat and families paid. As our nation moves forward to address remaining challenges, my colleagues and I have forged a solid path to eliminate our reliance on China for future pandemic readiness as well as our nation’s growing energy demands. This effort has largely been bipartisan, indicating a willingness for members of Congress to set aside partisanship and work for the common good of American families.
I sincerely hope that your voices will continue to be heard, especially as the nation prepares for the likely change in administration and a divided Congress. Fortunately, we often find there is more that unites us than divides us as Americans. We must never lose sight of the fact that as united citizens of this great nation, we will join together to overcome any difficulties that lie ahead.
With that in mind, I want to share my deep appreciation for the last ten years of having been your representative. The opportunity to serve you and our country has been the honor of my life. From the bottom of my heart, thank you. May God bless you and keep you safe this holiday season.
Special to the Herald Times
