‘Is there a plan?’: Coloradans’ anxieties boil over at Bennet town hall meeting in Golden

Coloradans’ passion, worries and frustrations came to a head at a March 19 town hall meeting, as they asked U.S. Senator Michael Bennet what they can do to fight President Donald Trump’s policy decisions.

Almost 1,000 people packed the main auditorium on the Colorado School of Mines campus to ask questions of Bennet, D-Colorado, and U.S. Representative Brittany Pettersen, D-Lakewood, during a joint event. Bennet hosted other town halls solo in Greeley and Colorado Springs the same week.

While discussion was mostly civil and orderly, about a half-dozen people were escorted out of the auditorium for talking over other attendees and the elected officials. They protested Bennet approving Trump cabinet picks and ongoing violence against Palestinians, among other items.

Meanwhile, other attendees — who hailed from all across the Denver metro — expressed concerns about federal funding freezes, proposed cuts to critical government services, forthcoming tariffs, wide-scale layoffs of federal employees and more.

“Is there a plan?” Denver-area teacher Amanda Arlington asked. “… I feel like you’re talking pretty. It’s frustrating that it just doesn’t seem like there’s a plan.”

Bennet and Pettersen encouraged Coloradans — especially federal employees who have been laid off — to share their stories. They told everyone to attend future town hall meetings, contact their local officials on both sides of the aisle, and keep fighting.

“(This is) a moment that’s calling all of us to recommit ourselves to our democracy and to our society,” Bennet said.

Even though Democrats are the minority in both the House and Senate, Pettersen said, “Just because we’re not in power doesn’t mean we’re powerless. … It’s on all of us.”

Bennet said much of the fight must be via the court system, as part of the country’s checks and balances. Thus far, he said, the judicial branch seems to be holding as the Supreme Court and federal judges have ruled against many of Trump’s executive orders.

Bennet said he and his colleagues in Congress would continue pushing back as well, describing how there would be another opportunity soon with “the fight around Medicaid.”

Pettersen and Bennet said there are crucial federal court cases moving through the judicial system, and Arlington told her fellow attendees about upcoming special elections for U.S. House of Representative seats in Arizona, Florida, New York and Texas. They encouraged people to support these efforts and stay informed.

Still, many attendees shared their frustrations — civilly or otherwise — about a lack of leadership both within and from the Democratic Party. One person who has a background in lobbying at the state level said many people believe neither the Republican nor the Democratic parties represent them anymore.

Bennet agreed Democrats can’t use “the same old playbook,” adding how they might need new people in leadership positions as well.

Pettersen added how the Trump administration has been moving very quickly during these first two months, supported by Republicans’ majority in Congress, making it difficult for Democrats to respond to so many actions.

She said it’s important for people of all political backgrounds — not just Democrats — to work together at all levels of society and push back as the Trump administration tries to undermine or dismantle crucial government programs.

Pettersen emphasized how Coloradans cannot afford to sit by silently when there’s “so much at stake,” and believed even more people would start “fighting back.”

She thanked everyone for coming to the town hall, saying, “You give me hope … It can feel quite lonely in our fight for our democracy, our future. We’re going to be alongside all of you.”

‘A government that is working for the people’

Afterward, Bennet told members of the media how he believed the Golden town hall meeting had gone well, saying the attendees were able to share “their concerns about our democracy with Donald Trump in charge.” He was thrilled about the turnout in Golden, as well as in Greeley the previous day.

Regarding the March 19 protesters, Bennet commented how they were expressing their points of view, as allowed by the First Amendment, but that it was also important to “have the conversation that we (attendees) needed to have tonight.”

He encouraged everyone to continue engaging with their elected officials.

When asked plainly whether Democrats have a plan for combating Trump’s policies, Bennet said, “We need to develop a better plan, and anybody who’s (been) following the news last week would’ve seen that that’s what I’ve been saying. Conversations like this (town hall) are going to help us build that.”

For Coloradans worried about cuts to the National Weather Service and its parent agency, Bennet said he and his colleagues would keep fighting for NWS unceasingly. He said Congress has already approved funding for these agencies, and if the Trump administration fails to follow through, it may have to be decided in the courts.

He emphasized how, whether in the mountains or on the plains, Coloradans rely on weather reports, saying, “They are life and death.”

Bennet also listed how Jefferson County, Colorado School of Mines, the City of Golden and other local entities should be receiving millions of dollars in previously approved federal funds for their projects and programs.

One such example is Golden’s multiyear Lena Gulch/West Colfax Avenue project. City Manager Scott Vargo said it’s the most vulnerable city project that’s supposed to receive federal funds.

While the project’s first phase is underway, Vargo said later phases are now on hold. Golden has been keeping both Bennet and Pettersen’s offices in the loop about these funding issues, he confirmed.

Bennet encouraged other government entities, universities, nonprofits and communities to do likewise if they haven’t already.

“It’s really important for them to communicate with their elected officials, both Democrats and Republicans, and remind them how hard these communities have fought for the projects that you’re talking about,” Bennet said. “ … It’s what (the Department of Government Efficiency) and Trump are trying to cut all across our country.”

Regarding local projects like Lena Gulch being put on hold, Pettersen echoed Bennet’s comments, saying, “It’s devastating. This is why we pay taxes: To come together, to invest back in our communities. We need a government that is working for people. Right now, it is completely falling apart.”

Click through additional photos from the March 19 town hall meeting: