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Member, Balanced Budget Amendment Caucus, present
Member, Tea Party Caucus, present
Former Member, Armed Services Committee, United States House of Representatives
Former Member, Subcommittee on Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs, United States House of Representatives
Former Member, Subcommittee on Health, United States House of Representatives
Former Chair, Subcommittee on Military Personnel, United States House of Representatives
Former Member, Subcommittee on Strategic Forces, United States House of Representatives
Former Member, Subcommittee on Technology Modernization, United States House of Reprsentatives
Former Member, Veterans' Affairs, United States House of Representatives
Member, Balanced Budget Amendment Caucus, present
Member, Tea Party Caucus, present
Former Member, Armed Services Committee, United States House of Representatives
Former Member, Subcommittee on Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs, United States House of Representatives
Former Member, Subcommittee on Health, United States House of Representatives
Former Chair, Subcommittee on Military Personnel, United States House of Representatives
Former Member, Subcommittee on Strategic Forces, United States House of Representatives
Former Member, Subcommittee on Technology Modernization, United States House of Reprsentatives
Former Member, Veterans' Affairs, United States House of Representatives
No committee memberships found.
Favorite Book:
"Flags of Our Fathers"
Favorite TV Shows:
"The Simpsons"
Favorite Type of Music:
Classical, Country Western
Hobbies or Special Talents:
Training for marathons, going to the movies with my wife.
— Mother's Name:
Spouse's Occupation:
Chief Deputy Attorney General, State of Colorado;
1. Do you generally support pro-choice or pro-life legislation?
- Unknown Position
1. In order to balance the budget, do you support an income tax increase on any tax bracket?
- No
2. In order to balance the budget, do you support reducing defense spending?
- Yes
Do you support the regulation of indirect campaign contributions from corporations and unions?
- Unknown Position
1. Do you support federal spending as a means of promoting economic growth?
- No
2. Do you support lowering corporate taxes as a means of promoting economic growth?
- Yes
1. Do you support requiring states to adopt federal education standards?
- No
1. Do you support government funding for the development of renewable energy (e.g. solar, wind, thermal)?
- Yes
2. Do you support the federal regulation of greenhouse gas emissions?
- Yes
Do you generally support gun-control legislation?
- Yes
Do you support repealing the 2010 Affordable Care Act ("Obamacare")?
- Unknown Position
1. Do you support the construction of a wall along the Mexican border?
- Unknown Position
2. Do you support requiring immigrants who are unlawfully present to return to their country of origin before they are eligible for citizenship?
- No
Do you support the legalization of marijuana for recreational purposes?
- Yes
1. Should the United States use military force in order to prevent governments hostile to the U.S. from possessing a nuclear weapon?
- Unknown Position
2. Do you support increased American intervention in Middle Eastern conflicts beyond air support?
- Unknown Position
1. Abortions should always be illegal.
- No Answer
2. Abortions should always be legal.
- No Answer
3. Abortions should be legal only within the first trimester.
- No Answer
4. Abortions should be legal when the pregnancy resulted from incest or rape.
- No Answer
5. Abortions should be legal when the life of the woman is endangered.
- X
6. Dilation and extraction or "partial-birth" abortion procedures should be legal.
- No Answer
7. Medicare, Medicaid, and federal subsidies should be prohibited from being used on abortion procedures.
- X
8. Other or expanded principles.
- No Answer
1. Agriculture
- Greatly Decrease
2. Arts
- Eliminate
3. Defense
- Maintain Status
4. Education
- Slightly Increase
5. Environment
- Slightly Increase
6. FEMA
- Maintain Status
7. Homeland security
- Maintain Status
8. International aid
- Slightly Increase
9. Law enforcement (Federal)
- Maintain Status
10. Law enforcement (State)
- Maintain Status
11. Medical research
- Maintain Status
12. National parks
- Maintain Status
13. Public health services
- Maintain Status
14. Scientific research
- Maintain Status
15. Space exploration programs
- Maintain Status
16. Transportation and highway infrastructure
- Maintain Status
17. United Nations
- Greatly Decrease
18. Welfare
- Slightly Decrease
19. Other or expanded categories
- No Answer
20. Armed forces personnel training
- Maintain Status
21. Intelligence operations
- Slightly Increase
22. Military hardware
- Maintain Status
23. Modernization of weaponry and equipment
- Maintain Status
24. National missile defense
- Slightly Increase
25. Pay for active duty personnel
- Slightly Increase
26. Programs to improve troop retention rates
- Greatly Increase
27. Research and development of new weapons
- Maintain Status
28. Troop and equipment readiness
- Maintain Status
29. Less than $12,000
- Slightly Decrease
30. $12,001-$40,000
- Slightly Decrease
31. $40,001-$100,000
- Slightly Decrease
32. $100,001-$180,000
- Slightly Decrease
33. $180,001-$350,000
- Slightly Decrease
34. $350,001 and above
- Slightly Decrease
35. Alcohol taxes
- Maintain Status
36. Capital gains taxes
- Greatly Decrease
37. Cigarette taxes
- Maintain Status
38. Corporate taxes
- Greatly Decrease
39. Gasoline taxes
- Maintain Status
40. Inheritance taxes
- Greatly Decrease
41. Charitable contribution deduction
- Slightly Increase
42. Child tax credit
- Slightly Increase
43. Earned income tax credit
- Maintain Status
44. Medical expense deduction
- Slightly Increase
45. Mortgage deduction
- Maintain Status
46. Student loan credit
- Maintain Status
47. Do you support the permanent repeal of the federal estate tax?
- Yes
48. Do you support requiring the federal budget to be balanced each year?
- Yes
49. Other or expanded principles
- No Answer
1. Support increasing the amount individuals are permitted to contribute to federal campaigns.
- X
2. Prohibit Political Action Committee (PAC) contributions to candidates for federal office.
- No Answer
3. Allow unregulated soft money campaign contributions to political parties or committees.
- No Answer
4. Remove all contribution limits on federal campaigns and parties.
- No Answer
5. Support prohibiting ads containing candidates' name that are paid for by third parties from airing 60 days before a primary and 30 days before a general federal election.
- No Answer
6. Support instant run-off voting (IRV).
- No Answer
7. Support designating Election Day as a national holiday.
- No Answer
8. Support giving the President the power of the line item veto for items concerning appropriations.
- X
9. Support limiting the President's use of signing statements in order to prevent an alternative interpretation of the bill.
- X
10. Support a federal shield law to protect reporter-source privilege.
- X
11. Other or expanded principles
- No Answer
1. Support the use of the death penalty for federal crimes.
- X
2. Eliminate the use of the death penalty for federal crimes.
- No Answer
3. Support programs to provide prison inmates with vocational and job-related skills and job-placement assistance when released.
- X
4. Support programs to provide prison inmates with drug and alcohol addiction treatment.
- X
5. Reduce prison sentences for those who commit non-violent crimes.
- No Answer
6. Support mandatory jail sentences for selling illegal drugs.
- No Answer
7. Support strict penalties for internet crime (e.g. hacking, identity theft, worms/viruses).
- X
8. Require that crimes based on sexual orientation be prosecuted as federal hate crimes.
- No Answer
9. Other or expanded principles
- No Answer
1. Support the federal government funding universal pre-K programs.
- No Answer
2. Allow parents to use vouchers to send their children to any public school.
- X
3. Allow parents to use vouchers to send their children to any private or religious school.
- X
4. Allow teachers and professionals to receive federal funding to establish charter or magnet schools.
- X
5. Increase funding for the Pell Grant program.
- X
6. Decrease interest rates of Stafford Loans.
- X
7. Support federal tax incentives to help families save for college.
- X
8. Ban university financial aid officers from owning stock in or accepting gifts from student loan lenders.
- X
9. Require universities to disclose financial relationships with lenders.
- X
10. Support federal education standards and testing requirements for K-12 students (No Child Left Behind).
- No Answer
11. Eliminate all federal education standards and testing requirements for K-12 students (No Child Left Behind).
- X
12. Other or expanded principles
- No Answer
1. Increase funding for national job-training programs that retrain displaced workers or teach skills needed in today?s job market.
- X
2. Reduce government regulation of the private sector.
- X
3. Encourage employers to offer child care services, flex-time scheduling, comp-time, and unpaid leave for family emergencies.
- X
4. Increase the federal minimum wage.
- No Answer
5. Support the right of workers to unionize.
- No Answer
6. Eliminate all federal programs designed to reduce unemployment.
- No Answer
7. Include sexual orientation in federal anti-discrimination laws.
- No Answer
8. Include gender identity in federal anti-discrimination laws.
- No Answer
9. Other or expanded principles
- No Answer
1. Strengthen the regulation and enforcement of the Clean Water Act.
- No Answer
2. Strengthen the regulation and enforcement of the Clean Air Act.
- No Answer
3. Support increased development of traditional energy resources (e.g. coal, natural gas, oil).
- X
4. Strengthen emission controls on all gasoline and diesel-powered engines, including cars, trucks, and sport utility vehicles.
- No Answer
5. Strengthen fuel efficiency standards on all gasoline and diesel-powered engines, including cars, trucks, and sport utility vehicles.
- No Answer
6. Support domestic oil exploration in areas that are currently restricted.
- X
7. Encourage further development and use of alternative fuels.
- X
8. Support the use of ethanol as an alternative fuel.
- No Answer
9. Support research and development of nuclear reactors as an alternative energy source.
- X
10. Allow energy producers to trade pollution credits under "cap and trade" laws.
- No Answer
11. Support international mandatory emission targets to limit global warming.
- No Answer
12. Support international voluntary emission targets to limit global warming.
- X
1. Allow individuals to carry concealed guns.
- X
2. Ban the sale, ownership or possession of handguns except by law enforcement and other government officials.
- No Answer
3. Enforcement of existing restrictions on the purchase and possession of guns.
- Maintain Status
4. Restrictions on the purchase and possession of guns.
- Greatly Decrease
5. Other or expanded principles
- No Answer
1. Implement a universal healthcare program to guarantee coverage to all Americans, regardless of income.
- No Answer
2. Expand eligibility for tax-free medical savings accounts.
- X
3. Allow the importation of prescription drugs into the United States.
- X
4. Support expanding prescription drug coverage under Medicare.
- No Answer
5. Offer tax credits to individuals and small businesses to offset the cost of insurance coverage.
- X
6. Support expanding child healthcare programs.
- No Answer
7. Providing healthcare is not a responsibility of the federal government.
- No Answer
1. Decrease the number of legal immigrants allowed into the country.
- X
2. Establish English as the official national language.
- X
3. Support a temporary worker program.
- X
4. Support harsher financial punishments for those who knowingly employ illegal immigrants.
- X
5. Support amnesty for illegal immigrants already working in the United States.
- No Answer
6. Illegal immigrants should have to return to their countries of origin before being considered for citizenship.
- No Answer
7. Illegal immigrants should be given a pathway to citizenship.
- No Answer
8. Support merit-based visas over family-based visas.
- X
9. Other or expanded principles
- No Answer
1. Support the United States granting aid to countries when extraordinary circumstances cause disaster and threaten civilian lives.
- X
2. Support the United States granting aid to countries when it is in the security interests of the United States.
- X
3. Eliminate United States aid for any nation with documented human rights abuses.
- No Answer
4. Aid granted by the United States should be scaled back and eventually eliminated.
- No Answer
5. Other or expanded principles
- No Answer
6. Should the United States continue to provide leadership in the Israeli-Palestinian peace process?
- Yes
7. Should the United States support the creation of a Palestinian state?
- No Answer
8. Should the United States impose greater international sanctions on Iran if it continues to defy United Nations mandates?
- Yes
9. Should the United States support the Lebanese government against insurgent forces?
- No Answer
10. Should the United States maintain its troop levels in Iraq?
- Yes
11. Should the United States withdraw its troops from Iraq?
- No
12. Should the United States apply greater economic and diplomatic sanctions against North Korea if it fails to abide by its agreement to suspend its nuclear program?
- Yes
13. Should the United States increase financial support for Afghanistan?
- Undecided
14. Should the United States increase military support for Afghanistan?
- Yes
15. Should the United States trade nuclear fuel to India for civilian purposes?
- Undecided
16. Should the United States decrease financial support for Pakistan?
- Undecided
17. Should the United States decrease military support for Pakistan?
- Undecided
18. Should the United States be involved in bringing an end to the violence in Darfur, Sudan?
- Yes
19. Should the United States be involved in bringing an end to the violence in the Democratic Republic of Congo?
- Undecided
20. Should the United States provide economic and military support to the Transitional Government of Somalia?
- Undecided
21. Should the United States use sanctions to encourage the government of Zimbabwe to end its human rights abuses?
- Undecided
22. Should the United States support the creation of an independent nation of Kosovo?
- Undecided
23. Do you support the United States imposing economic sanctions on China?
- Undecided
24. Do you support the United States imposing trade sanctions on Venezuela?
- Yes
25. Do you support the United States involvement in free trade agreements?
- Yes
26. Do you support the United States involvement in intergovernmental organizations dedicated to trade?
- Yes
27. Support a more conservative American Foreign Policy that is less reliant on nation building as a principle tool for achieving America's foreign policy objectives.
- I'm opposed to a fixed timetable for troop withdrawals from Iraq. However, having served in Iraq with the U.S. Marines, I do believe that the process can be moved along faster than it currently is.
1. Do you support using military tribunals to try suspected terrorists when ordinary civilian courts are deemed inappropriate or impractical?
- Yes
2. Should law enforcement agencies have greater discretion to monitor domestic communications, to prevent future terrorist attacks?
- Yes
3. Should the United States hold foreign states accountable for terrorists who operate in their country?
- Yes
4. Should the federal government increase funding to states and cities for homeland security?
- Undecided
5. Do you support pre-emptive military strikes against countries deemed to be a threat to United States national security?
- Yes
6. Do you support the creation of a federal identification card system?
- Undecided
7. Do you support long-term use of National Guard troops to supplement the armed forces in assignments overseas?
- No
8. Should the United States expand its missile defense shield?
- Yes
9. Other or expanded principles
- No Answer
1. Should same-sex couples be allowed to marry?
- No
2. Do you support a federal constitutional amendment defining marriage as between a man and a woman?
- Yes
3. Do you support federal funding for research on existing embryonic stem cell lines?
- No
4. Do you support federal funding to create lines of stem cells from new embryos?
- No
5. Should the federal government consider race and gender in government contracting decisions?
- No
6. Should the federal government continue affirmative action programs?
- No
7. Should the federal government regulate internet gambling?
- Undecided
8. Other or expanded principles
- No Answer
1. Allow workers to invest a portion of their payroll tax in private accounts that they manage themselves.
- X
2. Ensure the viability of Social Security by increasing the payroll tax.
- No Answer
3. Decrease benefits paid to retirees.
- No Answer
4. Support proportional increases of Social Security benefits based on the cost of living index.
- X
5. Raise the retirement age for individual eligibility to receive full Social Security benefits.
- No Answer
1. Require welfare recipients to spend at least 40 hours a week in a combination of work and training programs.
- X
2. Continue to give states and local governments flexibility in and responsibility for welfare programs through federal block grants.
- X
3. Support housing assistance for welfare recipients.
- X
4. Abolish all federal welfare programs.
- No Answer
Please explain in a total of 100 words or less, your top two or three priorities if elected. If they require additional funding for implementation, please explain how you would obtain this funding.
- No Answer
Latest Action: House - 12/06/2018 Referred to the House Committee on Foreign Affairs.
Tracker:Latest Action: House - 11/16/2018 Referred to the Subcommittee on Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs.
Tracker:Latest Action: House - 10/17/2018 Referred to the Subcommittee on Trade.
Tracker:By Mike Coffman In 1988, the voters in my home state of Colorado became increasingly dissatisfied with the hyper-partisan culture of the Colorado General Assembly. For example, in the State House of Representatives, bills would be introduced, assigned to the respective committee of jurisdiction, and then the committee chairman/chairwoman, from the majority party, would decide when and if the bill would be scheduled for a vote. If the Chair didn't like a bill, it was simple, it was never put on the calendar for a vote and it automatically died at the end of the legislative session. In 1988, all that changed due to the passage of a constitutional amendment, placed on the ballot as an initiative, called "Give A Vote to Every Legislator' (GAVEL). What GAVEL said was that the General Assembly could uniformly limit the number of bills that each legislator could introduce but once a bill was introduced; it had to be given a hearing and a vote. Fast forward to today, in the U.S. House of Representatives, there simply is too much power, in too few hands, with too little getting done for the American people. Like the Colorado General Assembly prior to 1988, bills are introduced, assigned to their respective committees of reference, and then the committee Chair decides which bills are scheduled to come to a vote and which ones will not. In Congress, I am a member of a bipartisan caucus called "Problem Solvers" -- a group that has 24 Republicans and 24 Democrats. We have come together to try to bridge the partisan divide in Washington, D.C. Our goal is to reform the rules of the U.S. House of Representatives. Under our "Break the Gridlock" agenda, we believe we can advance bipartisan solutions.There are many problems our country faces where effective legislative solutions have strong bipartisan support. Because of partisan leadership on both sides of the aisle, however, these issues are too often thought of in terms of how they can be used to gain political advantage rather than coming to a compromise that will be in the best interest of the American people. Our strategy to implement our "Break the Gridlock" reforms is to procedurally block the election of Speaker of the House nominee, from whichever party has the majority, from becoming the Speaker until there is an agreement to adopt our agenda. We believe that whichever party has the majority will have it by a very narrow margin. In other words, this will give the power to a small group of our members, from both sides of the aisle. Our Problem Solvers will have the ability to stop a nominee for Speaker from getting the necessary 218 votes to take the gavel, until he or she agrees to adopt our reforms. There are three major reforms associated with our "Break the Gridlock": The first reform is similar to Colorado's GAVEL amendment. It gives every member of Congress the opportunity to introduce one bill that will be voted in committee. Our second major reform is to require that when a bill reaches 290 cosponsors that it automatically will come to the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives for a vote. Our third major reform is to open the amendment process by requiring a 3/5th vote before a bill can come to the floor under a "Closed Rule," meaning that no amendments are allowed.Here is an example of the problem we currently face: Last year, a bill was introduced to remove the discriminatory country caps for the H1B high-skilled worker visa program. These country caps make it very difficult for high skilled immigrants from India to receive green cards even after having legally worked in the United States for more than a decade. The bill, H.R. 392, "Fairness for High-Skilled Immigrants Act of 2017', today has a total of 329 cosponsors while it only takes 218 votes to pass a bill. The bill has not come to a vote because it is opposed by one individual, the chairman of the Judiciary Committee where immigration-related bills are assigned. Under the "Break the Gridlock" Problem Solver reform, the bill would automatically have come to the floor for a vote when it reached 290 cosponsors. A bipartisan group of Members of Congress, Republicans and Democrats, have come together to make a difference and I'm proud to be a part of that effort.
By Scott Peters and Mike Coffman "You mean it gets better?" a female veteran asks Olga, a certified peer specialist working at the Department of Veterans Affairs. For the last decade, Olga has served as an integral part of the VA's peer specialist program in Dallas. After going through the dizzying process herself as an Army veteran, she wondered how other veterans experiencing severe mental health episodes were managing to get the care they needed. Now, Olga spends her time connecting with other veterans to help steer them through the VA's web of mental health care services. She is part of a workforce of more than 1,100 peer specialists who help veterans in department facilities across the country, including 25 VA primary care sites. This program provides veterans with a trusted guide to navigate the system: a fellow veteran who has gone through the same journey to wellness. Peer specialists supplement traditional care practices, such as counseling or group therapy, and work in patient-aligned care teams to meet the needs of each veteran. The outcomes are impressive. Veterans who have peer mentors are more likely to keep their VA appointments, access additional treatment methods such as the whole health approach, and meet other important health benchmarks. An estimated 20 veterans die by suicide each day. Veteran peer specialists can help break down stigma that prevents too many veterans from accessing mental health care. But this is not just about statistics -- it's about people. Olga has become a fixture in the inpatient facility. Veterans know her story. They seek her out. They trust her. That's how she and other peer specialists learn about serious health concerns and deeply personal experiences that shape veterans' interaction with the VA. A familiar face makes a world of difference in care. Olga once helped a female veteran who came to her and asked for undergarments because hers were taken when she entered the care facility. Olga helped her find some, restoring the veteran's dignity and becoming a trusted guide in the process. The Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance, or DBSA, created the first program to train and certify peer specialists employed by the VA, following the direction of a 2012 executive order. With continued input and participation from advocacy organizations, the program has expanded, bringing humanity to the care that veterans receive. It's time to bring this personal touch to care across our country -- from San Diego, California, to Aurora, Colorado, and beyond. That's why we worked with a bipartisan coalition in both the House and Senate to double the size of the program by passing the VA MISSION Act, which just became law last week. This bill is also a sign of the increased interest in individualizing veterans' care. We should be looking for opportunities to expand peer-delivered services to more locations across the country and for other bipartisan solutions to urgent issues affecting veterans, including homelessness and job retraining opportunities. To answer that female veteran's question, "Does it get better?" It can and it will if we expand peer-to-peer counseling to let people like Olga help their fellow veterans through those tough times.
Coffman was mayor of Aurora during the weekend of May 29-31, 2020, when events and activity took place in cities across the U.S. following the death of George Floyd. Events in Aurora, Colorado, were held on Sunday, May 31, 2020. No curfews were issued. The national guard was not deployed. On May 25, 2020, Minneapolis police officers arrested Floyd, a Black man, after receiving a call that he had made a purchase with a counterfeit $20 bill. Floyd died after Derek Chauvin, a white officer, arrived at the scene and pressed his knee onto Floyd's neck as Floyd laid face-down on the street in handcuffs. Both the Hennepin County Medical Examiner and an independent autopsy conducted by Floyd's family ruled Floyd's death as a homicide stemming from the incident. The medical examiner's report, prepared by Dr. Michael Baden and Dr. Allecia Wilson, said that it was "not a legal determination of culpability or intent, and should not be used to usurp the judicial process." On April 20, 2021, Chauvin was found guilty of murder and manslaughter in relation to Floyd's death. Floyd's death was filmed and shared widely, leading to activity regarding racism, civil rights, and police use of force. The first events took place in Minneapolis-St. Paul on May 26. An event in Chicago organized by Chance the Rapper and Rev. Michael Pfleger took place the same day, making it the first major city outside of Minneapolis to host an event in response to Floyd's death.
