Press Releases

U.S. Representative Brittany Pettersen (CO-07) released the following statement after House Republicans abandoned a bipartisan government funding deal, pushing Congress to the brink of a shutdown: 

“Republicans have shown repeatedly that they will put the interests of billionaires over the American people. Leadership on both sides of the aisle came together and negotiated bipartisan legislation to keep the government open. Now, Republicans are going back on their word and pushing us to the brink of a catastrophic government shutdown once again. 

“Shutting down the government and the services that so many rely on would hurt the military, our national security, our economy, and hardworking Coloradans. The legislation put forward by Republicans only paves the way for tax breaks for billionaires on the backs of working people. Let’s be clear: Republicans and Elon Musk will be responsible if the government shuts down.”

In Colorado:

• 52,367 active duty and reserve personnel serving our nation's armed forces would be forced to go without the pay they earned in a shutdown. 
• 87,752 Coloradans would lose access to Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) benefits in a prolonged shutdown.
• 43,634 federal workers would be furloughed or forced to work without pay during a total government shutdown, in addition to the many employees of businesses with government contracts who could be laid off, furloughed, or see their hours cut.
• The Department of Agriculture would be forced to stop processing housing loans, which provide $114,787,932 in funding to help 445 families in rural Colorado communities buy homes every year.
• 7,434,361 people who visit national parks in Colorado every year would be turned away or unable to fully access parks, monuments, and museums if the government shuts down.
• Workers at the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) would be sidelined in a shutdown, risking interruptions and delays to the 186 food safety, pharmaceutical manufacturing, and other inspections conducted in Colorado last year.

A factsheet on the impact of a government shutdown in Colorado can be found HERE.