Washington, D.C. – Colorado U.S. Senator Michael Bennet today issued the following statement after funding for the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) expired at midnight last night.

“The expiration of a widely popular program like LWCF demonstrates just how broken Washington is. If we don’t want to find ourselves in this exact position again down the road, we must permanently reauthorize LWCF. And if we want to grow our outdoor recreation economy and protect treasured landscapes, we must fully fund it.  I’ll keep working across the aisle to find a solution that gives this conservation tool the longevity and funding it deserves.”

Bennet is an outspoken supporter of LWCF and has led and cosponsored legislation for permanent reauthorization and full funding of LWCF. In 2015, he pushed for permanent reauthorization and full funding of the program, yet Congress passed a short-term extension leading to the program’s expiration yet again last night.