Lakewood mayor attends Pres. Trump’s address amid federal layoff concerns
U.S. Rep. Brittany Pettersen and Lakewood Mayor Wendi Strom are raising concerns about the effect of federal layoffs on the communities they represent as President Donald Trump prepares to deliver his first address to Congress. Strom will attend as Petterson’s guest.“It is truly an honor to be invited to represent Lakewood and Colorado in support of our federal workers,” Strom said. “In addition to the employees at the Fed Center, we’ve got the Social Security Administration, National Park Service, Veterans Administration, U.S. Department of Transportation and the Bureau of Land Management, all in a very short area within the city of Lakewood.“These are dedicated public servants that are conducting important work every single day that address the safety and the well being of the American people,” she continued.Concerns over federal layoffs in LakewoodLakewood is home to the Denver Federal Center, which employs more than 6,000 federal workers. In recent months, however, Trump’s administration has moved to cut thousands of federal jobs, which Pettersen and Strom said threatens essential services, local businesses and Colorado families.“The president not only endangers the American public by eliminating these jobs without thoughtful decision-making,” Strom said, “but he’s undercutting private companies here in Lakewood and across the country, businesses that serve these employees will suffer if they are suddenly and unexpectedly unemployed.”Pettersen, a Lakewood democrat, echoed the concern, pointing to Trump’s budget cuts, which she said would slash funding for food assistance, Medicaid, education and veteran services.“People are starting to be impacted,” Petterson said. “Federal workers are being laid off, and people are hearing these stories locally and knowing that the federal budget is going through Congress right now with billions of dollars cut from food and health care for kids, seniors, veterans, for working families and going after the Department of Higher Education.”Uncertainty and economic ripple effectsAs news of additional layoffs looms, Strom said local leaders have been left in the dark.“We’ve been working to stay in touch with the General Services Administration, feeling like this was very much a possibility,” she said. “But honestly, a lot of the information I’m learning is coming from what you all (the press) are putting out.”When asked about reports that 14 buildings at the Denver Federal Center are now on a federal government list for potential sale, Strom said she only found out minutes before the press conference.“We weren’t given a heads-up,” she said. “We’re not getting a lot of information from the federal government, barring the press release that was just forwarded to my inbox a few minutes ago.”Beyond job losses, Strom and Pettersen warned of a broader economic fallout for businesses and service providers that depend on federal employees.“I hear it from our restaurants and small businesses,” Pettersen said. “This will have a cascading impact on our local economy.”Strom, a financial planner and small-business owner, said layoffs would be especially harmful given that many federal employees have specialized skills that are not easily transferable to the private sector.“We’re not talking about jobs that can easily be replaced,” she said. “These are people with high levels of training and experience. It’s going to be hard for them to find new employment.”Calls for actionWith Trump’s budget proposal moving forward, Pettersen urged Coloradans to contact their representatives and speak out against cuts to food programs, health care and education.“The greatest power we have is our voices,” she said. “We only need three votes to flip in the House. Reaching out to Colorado representatives and making your voice heard is critical.”As Strom prepares to attend Trump’s address to Congress, she said she hopes to bring attention to the impact these decisions will have on families in her community.“At the end of the day, we’re talking about people being able to put roofs over their heads,” she said. The post Lakewood mayor attends Pres. Trump’s address amid federal layoff concerns appeared first on Colorado Community Media.
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