In the News
President Donald Trump signed the $2.2 trillion CARES Act – the federal government's coronavirus economic relief package – on Friday afternoon after the House passed the bill by a voice vote earlier in the day.
We gathered up reaction from all of Colorado's members of Congress on the passage of the package, which you can find below. (Rep. Doug Lamborn, R-Colo., had not yet issued a statement as of 5:45 p.m. MT)
Sen. Michael Bennet (D)
U.S. Rep. Diana DeGette repeatedly returned to the need to expand testing for COVID-19 coronavirus during a telephone town hall meeting with constituents on Monday evening.
U.S. Sens. Cory Gardner and Michael Bennet, along with six Colorado U.S. representatives, on Tuesday signed a letter asking FEMA to reach out to and further clarify coronavirus safety resources for state, local, territorial, tribal governments.
"Many counties across Colorado have expressed frustration over what they perceive as a lack of clear guidance as to what actions are reimbursable under this national emergency declaration," the letter stated.
U.S. Rep. Diana DeGette, a Denver Democrat, introduced congressional legislation Tuesday that would require health insurers to cover the full cost of coronavirus tests.
The bill would add coronavirus testing to the Affordable Care Act's list of preventive health services that insurers are required to cover at no cost to patients. That list currently includes many vaccines and screenings, such as flu shots and mammograms.
The coronavirus outbreak prompted lawmakers to add language on using tests for new diseases during an emergency as part of their long-awaited diagnostic test bill.
Reps. Diana DeGette (D-Colo.) and Larry Bucshon (R-Ind.) released Thursday a bill to overhaul the regulation of diagnostics, culminating a three-and-a-half year effort to resolve differences among the various industries and federal agencies on how much oversight should be exercised over tests used to make treatment decisions.
Congress approved $8.3 billion in emergency funding to respond to the novel coronavirus at the local, state, federal and international levels.
The bill now heads to President Donald Trump, who is expected to sign the bill.
The Coronavirus Preparedness and Response Act includes more than $3 billion for research and development of vaccines and diagnostics; $2.2 billion for the Centers for Disease Control; $1 billion for state and local response efforts; and nearly $1 billion for procurement of medicine and medical supplies.
Coloradans who love concerts and sporting events say the cost of fees that come with those tickets are too much and can often keep them for actually attending because the final price is more than they can afford.
"I'm going to multiple shows every month so I'm looking to buy tickets very frequently," said Madalyn Dunn, a ticket buyer for venues in Denver. "I'm not sure where a lot of the fees go to, but they definitely can add up very quickly over multiple tickets."
U.S. Rep. Diana DeGette pressed hard on Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar about the Trump administration's response to the coronavirus Wednesday.
Azar was on a panel that testified about the deadly pandemic to the House Energy and Commerce Committee.
"Who's in charge?" DeGette asked, slightly raising her voice.
While the Colorado Outdoor Recreation and Economy (CORE) Act still has not had a chance at a Senate vote, a new wilderness protection bill was approved in the U.S. House of Representatives. Wednesday evening, the House passed the "Protecting America's Wilderness Act" by a vote of 231-183.
There's good news and bad news out of the breaking news Wednesday that the U.S. House passed the Colorado Wilderness Act on a 231-183 vote.
The good news is it got that far. The bad news is that's probably as far as it'll get.
The White House and Republicans, who control the U.S. Senate, have aligned against the set aside of almost 1.4 million acres in Colorado, California and Washington.