Colorado U.S. Senator Michael Bennet today participated in a Small Business Committee hearing to discuss the effects of the Gold King Mine spill on businesses in southwest Colorado. The hearing, entitled, "Examining the Significant Costs and Related Burdens for Small Businesses Resulting from the Gold King Mine Waste Water Spill near Silverton, Colorado," was chaired by Senator Cory Gardner.

Colorado U.S. Senator Michael Bennet and Senator Ben Cardin (D-MD), Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, along with Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Ron Wyden (D-OR), Chris Coons (D-DE), Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Mark Warner (D-VA), Cory Booker (D-NJ), and Brian Schatz (D-HI) introduced the Iran Policy Oversight Act of 2015, a bill that builds upon the bipartisan commitment to oversight outlined in the Iran Nuclear Agreement Review Act of 2015 that passed the U.S. Senate 98 to 1.

Colorado U.S. Senator Michael Bennet issued the following statement on the passage of two bills in the House of Representatives that allow for the completion of the VA medical facility in Aurora.

U.S. Senators Michael Bennet (D-CO) and Marco Rubio (R-FL) today introduced a bill to create a voluntary, alternative system of accreditation for American colleges and universities as well as other providers of higher education.

Colorado U.S. Senator Michael Bennet helped secure a provision that passed the Senate today allowing the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to use existing VA funds to complete construction of the VA medical center in Aurora. The provision was included in a continuing resolution to keep the government funded. The House of Representatives must now vote on both the continuing resolution and a bill to lift the spending cap for the project, which the Senate passed last week.

Colorado U.S. Senator Michael Bennet today announced that the U.S. Department of Education is awarding more than $43 million dollars through two grants - one to the Colorado Department of Education and another to STRIVE Preparatory Schools - to create and expand high-quality charter schools in Colorado.

The House of Representatives has passed a bill introduced by Colorado U.S. Senator Michael Bennet to ensure the National Forest Foundation (NFF) will continue to have the resources it needs to enhance and protect national forests and grasslands. The bill now heads to the president's desk to be signed.

Colorado U.S. Senator Michael Bennet today urged Congress to work quickly to avoid a government shutdown and protect Colorado's hardworking families and the state's economy. Today, after defeating a partisan funding bill, the Senate began the process of advancing a bipartisan short-term bill to fund the government for several weeks. However, less than a week remains until the deadline for both houses of Congress to send a bill to the President that keeps the government open. Bennet voted against the partisan measure but supports the bipartisan continuing resolution that awaits a Senate vote in the coming days.

Colorado U.S. Senator Michael Bennet today expressed frustration that reauthorization of the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) is not included in the current stopgap funding measure and urged Congress to reauthorize the LWCF before it expires next week. LWCF supports the conservation of parks, open spaces, and wildlife habitat for the benefit of hunting, fishing, and outdoor recreation.

Colorado U.S. Senators Michael Bennet and Cory Gardner are urging the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to prioritize the construction of a water treatment plant in the Upper Animas River watershed. The plant would provide a long-term solution to the acid mine drainage seeping into the watershed and contaminating downstream waterways that are crucial to the region's economy. The blowout at the Gold King Mine that caused millions of gallons of contaminated water to spill out into the Animas River brought to light the urgent need for a permanent solution.