WASHINGTON — Seems like everyone — Congress, Vice President Joe Biden, Michelle Obama and the president himself, is getting the heck out of here.
(Michelle Obama, her daughters, and the Biden family are in Colorado skiing. The president is in Florida playing golf with Tiger Woods.)
A quick polling of Colorado’s nine members found them hustling around the state — doing coffee clatches, panels, talking to constituents and fundraising for political campaigns. Here is a snapshot of what seven of your local members are doing:
Sen. Mark Udall will be in Larimer and Weld counties meeting with local officials and business leaders to discuss wildfire prevention, the status of federal assistance to repair watersheds damaged by the High Park Fire (and Waldo Canyon Fire.) On Thursday and Friday, Udall will be traveling on fundraising trips.
Sen. Michael Bennet will be traveling the state talking about immigration reform. He’s also doing a series of events in northern Colorado discussing Senate pasage of the Violence Against Women Act. Then he’ll go to Colorado Springs to talk about the Emergency Watershed Protection money that many members of the delegation are seeking from the federal government.
Rep. Scott Tipton, R-Cortez, is holding a “coffee with the congressman” in Montrose. He is presenting a Vietnam veteran with his medals that he never received after the war. He’s meeting with the boards of county commissioners for Ouray, Montrose, and Delta.
Rep. Jared Polis, D-Boulder, is attending an event on genetically modified foods, he’s participating in veterans roundtable with Udall in Fort Collins, and meeting with constituents about problems with student loans.
Rep. Doug Lamborn, R-Colorado Springs, is on a Second Amendment panel with Gov. John Hickenlooper moderating tonight at the Denver Center for the Performing Arts. He’s holding a reception for winners of an art contest and delivering a keynote speech at the Colorado Mining Association.
Rep. Ed Perlmutter, D-Jefferson County, is in Germany meeting with German Marshall Fund scholars until Thursday. Then he has some veterans meetings and is speaking to the Colorado Press Association Friday.
Rep. Mike Coffman, R-Aurora, is spending his week talking to voters about the upcoming “sequester” ($109 billion in automatic spending cuts to kick in at the end of February). He has meetings with the Aurora Chamber of Commerce, the South Metro Chamber of Commerce and is touring Buckley Air Force Base to see what the cuts would mean for the military.
Rep. Diana DeGette’s office did not respond when asked about her schedule.
Rep. Cory Gardner’s office did not respond when asked about his schedule.