By Scott Tipton The COVID-19 outbreak is unlike any other crisis we've faced, and it is testing the resiliency of communities across the nation. In Colorado's 3rd Congressional District, like in most places, small businesses are closed, families are home, students are learning remotely, and many others are worried about their futures. Some people are wondering what it is all for, as perhaps they have not been personally impacted by COVID-19. The clearest answer is that it is to save lives. It is to save our grandparents, our friends, neighbors or family members who may be at higher risk of severe illness or death from the virus. Taking these measures seriously and working together greatly improves our chances to reopen businesses and return to regular order sooner rather than later. While the actions taken by the federal government, states, counties and municipalities to temporarily close communities and to limit travel and certain commerce may seem harsh, the strategy is based on mountains of public health data on what has happened with COVID-19 in other cities and countries. Adhering to the guidance set by the experts who have conducted these studies is working. Social distancing has so far prevented over-burdening medical facilities in our district with sick patients and has saved the lives of countless others. Through a combination of adhering to guidance of experts and additional financial support through Congress, we have prevented rural hospitals from shutting down in the middle of a public health emergency. Many rural health centers struggle under normal circumstances, and provisions in the CARES Act contained direct funding to these facilities. I was glad to see this critical legislation signed by President Trump and supported almost unanimously in Congress. As many of us remain at home to help flatten the curve, this waiting period does not make the economic impacts of this pandemic any easier, especially for those who are out of work or facing the possible loss of their businesses. That is why the CARES Act was a necessary means for the government to step in and return your tax dollars to your communities as a lifeline to keep families paid and businesses afloat. It is already having a significant impact in the Third District where rural communities are often hardest hit by economic downturns. Prior to COVID-19, rural Colorado was experiencing some of the same economic growth seen by Denver-metro areas following the 2008 recession. To help support small businesses that have been delivering that growth, the CARES Act established the Paycheck Protection Program. This program has provided a vital lifeline to ensure impacted businesses stay afloat for now and quickly rebound when the outbreak subsides. In Colorado, over 28,000 businesses have already been approved for PPP loans totaling over $5.8 billion. Due to the popularity of the program, the funding for the loans ran out on April 16. Many business owners are now in limbo, waiting for Congress to add additional funds to the program. Unfortunately, Democratic leaders in Congress were actively blocking additional funds for these programs in order to increase federal spending on separate programs before a deal was reached Tuesday. This was completely unacceptable. Playing partisan politics with people's livelihoods in the middle of this crisis is shameful and reckless, and I called on my colleagues on the other side of the aisle to pressure Senator Chuck Schumer and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to move a clean extension of the PPP without adding more unnecessary federal spending. Coloradans have a long history of coming together during times of crisis. I continue to be amazed at the kindness and generosity shown by individuals and community leaders. While the federal government has a big role to play in the recovery, the brunt of the effort falls on local communities where leaders from all walks of life and all political persuasions have stepped up to make the best of a tough time. During this crisis, a vast majority of people continue to do the right thing by accepting the gravity of the situation at hand and embracing this temporary way of life to keep their communities healthy and save lives. We are all in this together, and I promise to keep doing my best to fight for our communities so that we can return to normalcy as soon as possible. In the meantime, I always welcome your comments and ideas and encourage you to reach out to my office if I can be of service to you.

By Scott Tipton It has now been over a year since the United States Mexico Canada Agreement (USMCA) was agreed to by both Canada and Mexico, yet Speaker Nancy Pelosi has so far refused to bring the legislation needed to ratify the deal to the floor for a vote. During that time, Colorado has benefited from the historic economic growth seen across the country, even in rural areas of the state that our district encompasses. Currently, Colorado is enjoying a 2.6 percent unemployment rate while over 43,000 jobs have been created and nearly 67,000 Coloradans have found new jobs. It's clear that the economy in Colorado is booming, but the reality is that passing USMCA would make the economy even better. Following the 2008 recession, the federal government was quick to pass bailouts, overhaul the health insurance industry, and overregulate the financial sector to the point where economic recovery took an unusually long time. All these efforts combined led to years of stagnant growth and an arduous recovery, especially in rural areas. Beginning in 2017, the approach changed and instead the government focused on allowing families and businesses to make their own decisions by lessening the burden of federal regulations. Part of this strategy led to the historic Tax Cuts and Jobs Act getting signed into law, a continued deregulatory agenda, and over the last year, a focus on renegotiating the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). NAFTA was first signed into law in 1994 under President Bill Clinton. The agreement was initially set to strengthen the bonds between two of the United States' biggest trading partners. With newly added trade flows for automobiles, computers, and perhaps most importantly for Coloradans, agriculture products, NAFTA significantly improved trade flows between our North American allies. In the 25 years since NAFTA was ratified, it has not kept up with an ever-changing economy. In some respects, NAFTA has failed to uphold important trade provisions, especially for Colorado's agricultural industry. For instance, in 2003, Mexico and the U.S. made an agreement on reciprocal market access for American potatoes, in exchange for Mexican avocados. Honoring this commitment potentially means a boost of nearly $100 million exports for the Colorado potato industry. Over that time frame, Americans have been purchasing more avocados, yet the potato exports to Mexico have remained relatively the same in part to legal challenges in the Mexican court system. Considering that the average American consumes more avocados in a year than peaches, pears, prunes and nectarines combined, asking Mexico to increase market access for American potatoes seems like a reasonable ask. Earlier this year, I sent a letter to U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue, requesting that the Trump Administration take into consideration how important the potato industry is for Colorado and that a reciprocal agreement with Mexico be enforced. This is especially relevant while our nation continues finalizing the USMCA. I am happy to announce that Secretary Perdue responded to my letter recently and shares my concerns on market access for American potato growers. Secretary Perdue acknowledged that Mexico's Supreme Court intends to consolidate these challenges into one case which should expedite the time frame that this reciprocal deal could be achieved. While opening access to potato growers in Colorado would be a big win for the local economies, passing larger trade deals with broader sweeping impacts on the American economy and should be Congress' focus before the year ends. We are in a period of strong economic growth, a 50-year historically low unemployment, wages have increased by more than 3 percent across the country in the last year, and small business confidence remains near all-time highs. Studies show that passing the USMCA would have a significant impact on the economy, building upon much of the success we've seen over the last few years. According to the office of the U.S. Trade Representative, Colorado exported $2.7 billion between Canada and Mexico in 2018 alone. Passing the USMCA will improve trade flows to our allies and greatly benefit small businesses, farmers and all Coloradans who rely on these long-standing trade agreements that bring every day products to their homes at affordable prices. A free and fair trade deal is essential in to economic certainty in American. Passing the USMCA would be a welcome Christmas present for Coloradans, and we should all continue pressuring Speaker Pelosi to take up a vote before Congress heads home for the holidays.