Members of the Colorado and New Mexico Congressional delegations today are urging President Barack Obama to direct any and all appropriate federal resources to help respond to damage from the Gold King Mine spill that occurred in southwest Colorado last week. Communities in both states along the affected rivers are working quickly to minimize the short-term and long-term public health and economic challenges caused by the tragic spill. Recovering from the spill will take a full and coordinated approach from the Environmental Protection Agency and other federal agencies working with state, tribal, and local officials.

Following up on their earlier letter requesting that Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Gina McCarthy visit the site of the Animas River spill, Senator Michael Bennet (D-CO), Senator Cory Gardner (R-CO), and Representative Scott Tipton (R-CO) wrote to the EPA Administrator to request that the EPA establish and disclose its plan for the both the near-term cleanup of the recent release into the Animas River and a long-term plan to ensure economic and environmental recovery.

Senator Michael Bennet (D-CO), Senator Cory Gardner (R-CO), and Representative Scott Tipton (R-CO) sent a letter today to Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Gina McCarthy, requesting that she visit San Juan and La Plata Counties in Colorado to discuss the damage done by the EPA's accidental release of contaminated waste water into the Animas River.

Colorado U.S. Senator Michael Bennet issued the following statement on this week's Colorado mine spill.

Today, Colorado U.S. Senator Michael Bennet signed on as a cosponsor to The Helping Working Families Afford Child Care Act. The bill, introduced by Senator Patty Murray, helps families pay for the increasing cost of child care by expanding and increasing the Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit (CDCTC). The CDCTC, enacted in 1976, was intended to help offset the cost of child care for working class families, but unfortunately has not kept up with the rising cost of care.

On the fiftieth anniversary of the Voting Rights Act becoming law, Colorado U.S. Senator Michael Bennet cosponsored the Voting Rights Advancement Act (VRAA) of 2015 to restore and advance voting protections for all Americans.

Colorado U.S. Senator Michael Bennet has introduced the Hunger Free Summer for Kids Act with Senator John Boozman (R-AR). This bill makes child nutrition programs more efficient and flexible to help them reach more children in need, particularly children in rural communities, during the summer months when school meals are not available.

U.S. Senators Michael Bennet (D-CO) and Mike Crapo (R-ID) reintroduced a bill to provide targeted investments for wildfire mitigation. The bill would help save future costs related to wildfire response efforts and the damage to property and land without adding to the deficit.

U.S. Senators Michael Bennet (D-CO) and Michael Crapo (R-ID) introduced the All Kids Matter Act to help protect children in and at risk of needing foster care. The bill would allow states to use existing federal child welfare funding for evidence-based prevention efforts to protect kids before they experience an abusive or neglectful situation that may require foster care. It would also increase accountability measures for states to reduce the use of congregated care and group home placements for children.

Colorado U.S. Senators Michael Bennet and Cory Gardner and U.S. Representative Scott Tipton are pressing the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) to help resolve a request from the Grand Junction Regional Airport to amend its security plan. With little explanation, the TSA rejected on July 23 the airport's proposed security amendment to remove two perimeter security gates that block access to businesses and local attractions.