Press Releases

LAKEWOOD – Today, U.S. Representative Brittany Pettersen (CO-07) hosted a virtual press conference with Lakewood Mayor Wendi Strom ahead of President Trump’s address to a Joint Session of Congress. 

“Tonight, we are bound to hear more lies and divisiveness from Donald Trump during his first Joint Address to Congress,” said Pettersen. “What we know is that actions speak louder than words, and Trump’s cruel and dangerous policies will hurt hardworking Coloradans – threatening their livelihoods, stripping away families’ health care, and taking food off the plates of hungry kids. Cutting Medicaid would mean that kids like Quinn – who has a rare form of cancer – would struggle to access the treatment she needs. All so they can pay for tax breaks for billionaires like Elon Musk. I will never stop fighting for the Coloradans who need it most.”

Mayor Strom will attend tonight’s address to highlight the hardworking civil servants who have been on the chopping block since Trump took office – including those who are responding to wildfires, conducting groundbreaking research, and delivering critical services that Coloradans rely on. Representative Pettersen and Mayor Strom represent the Denver Federal Center in Lakewood which is the largest single compound of agencies outside of Washington, D.C., with approximately 6,200 employees across the 44-building campus. 

They heard from Quinn and Brooke Harris from Evergreen. In 2022, Quinn was diagnosed with a rare form of bone cancer, but thanks to access to talented doctors and medical care, she’s been on a long and difficult road to recovery. Their family depends on Medicaid to help cover Quinn’s life-saving medical treatments. Republicans’ proposed budget cuts could strip health care away from Quinn and more than 400,000 Colorado children who rely on Medicaid. 

Pettersen was also joined by Marissa Cantrell, a representative of the Food Pantry at Angelica Village in Lakewood and recipient of SNAP food assistance. Marissa relied on Angelica Village to help get back on her feet after losing her job during COVID and then rebuilding after the Cameron Peak Wildfire. She highlighted how Donald Trump and House Republicans’ budget proposal would slash funding for these critical food assistance programs, overwhelming food pantries and jeopardizing SNAP funding for 584,500 Coloradans. 

Dr. Megan Adamson from STRIDE Community Health Center, which serves 55,000 patients locally, spoke to the dangers of Medicaid cuts that would put community health centers at risk of closing. Medicaid payments are the largest source of funding for community health centers, representing on average 43% of total revenue. Community health center closures could cause more patients to forgo preventative treatment, leading to more emergency room visits, hospitalizations, and other costly specialty care. 

Angela Anderson, a social studies teacher and the Director of Colorado National Education Association, discussed what Donald Trump’s plan to dismantle the Department of Education would mean for Colorado students. Cutting federal education funding would impact schools’ ability to serve their students – particularly those who rely on programs like Head Start, special education programs, and Pell Grants.