In the News

Rep. Mike Coffman, R-Colo., achieved a very rare feat Monday: He earned a “Geppetto checkmark” from the Washington Post’s official fact checker. The Post’s fact checker usually awards “Pinocchios,” which are meant to classify the degree of falsehood in statements uttered by public figures. A “Geppetto” checkmark, however, is used only when a public figure says something that’s undeniably rooted in fact. For Rep. Coffman, a veteran of United States Marines, his claim to have been in combat zones... Read more

On an evening last March, 42-year-old Dedra Hughes’ thoughts turned to suicide. The Army veteran, who had been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder five years earlier, had split with her boyfriend days before. She was unemployed and had stopped taking classes. And she was convinced her two daughters would be better off without her. Sitting on the floor of her suburban Chicago living room, Hughes attempted to slash her wrist but didn’t draw blood, and says she passed out from anxiety. H... Read more

Aurora’s Congressman Mike Coffman came out of another battle victorious this week. The 21-year military veteran and three-term Republican congressman got into a war of words with VA Secretary Robert McDonald a couple of weeks ago during a House committee hearing on why the Aurora VA boondoggle hospital and similar over-budget, over-deadline boondoggle projects are still over-budget and nowhere near complete. The heated hearing went nuclear while Coffman pressed McDonald to know whether he’s cle... Read more

“Let me start by telling you something I haven’t done,” said Coffman, a Marine Corps combat veteran. “I have never run a federal agency that tolerates corruption the way the VA has. I’ve never built a hospital that’s years behind schedule and hundreds of millions over budget. And I’ve never been a shill for inept bureaucrats who allowed American heroes to die on a medical waiting list while waiting for medical care.” –Rep. Mike Coffman (R-Colo.), statement on website, Feb. 12, 2015 This stateme... Read more

On an evening last March, 42-year-old Dedra Hughes’ thoughts turned to suicide. The Army veteran, who had been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder five years earlier, had split with her boyfriend days before. She was unemployed and had stopped taking classes. And she was convinced her two daughters would be better off without her. Sitting on the floor of her suburban Chicago living room, Hughes attempted to slash her wrist but didn’t draw blood, and says she passed out from anxiety. H... Read more

A modest development to solve a post-War housing shortage, Hoffman Heights may soon be the hottest brand going for well-paid Anschutz workers. The nearly 1,700 single-family houses built after World War II in Hoffman Heights, in north Aurora, once served military families on the Fitzsimons Medical Hospital and Lowry Air Force Base. Now the quaint homes sit a mile from the booming Anschutz Medical Campus and two light rail stations that will open as part of the Interstate 225 line next year. Aur... Read more

“Nine hundred people have been fired since I became secretary. We’ve got 60 people that we fired who have manipulated wait times.” – Department of Veterans Affairs Secretary Robert McDonald, NBC “Meet the Press” interview, Feb. 15, 2015 These figures from McDonald’s first Sunday TV show interview seemed to be a bombshell revelation in the aftermath of the wait-time manipulation scandal at Veterans Affairs medical facilities. McDonald was appointed secretary late July 2014, amid whistleblower al... Read more

Due to loopholes in the system, many convicted sex offenders in the military are not registered as sex offenders when they complete their service. A new bill, introduced in Congress by Reps. Jackie Speier (D-CA), Mike Coffman (R-CO), and Pat Meehan (R-PA), would fix that. The Military Track, Register and Alert Communities Act of 2015 (Military TRAC Act) would create a Department of Defense sex offender registry to which offenders would be required to submit their names. The Military TRAC Act wo... Read more

U.S. Rep. Mike Coffman, R-Aurora, presented Garrett Barner of Centennial with the Bronze Medal of the Congressional Award, recognizing his dedication and commitment to his community and personal growth. The Congressional Award was established in 1979 to recognize initiative, achievement and service in young people. The funding for the program comes entirely from the private sector. To earn the Congressional Award, Garrett set goals in the four categories of voluntary public service, personal de... Read more

University of Colorado Denver students asked retired Gen. James Mattis questions ranging from the geopolitical to the personal on Tuesday. The discussion spanned ISIS militants in the Middle East and the conflict in Ukraine to Mattis's favorite books and how he'd like to be remembered. Later in the day, the 11th commander of the U.S. Central Command (2010-2013) concluded his two-day visit to CU Denver with a Terrace Room talk about Middle East politics and history. Over 200 CU Denver student ve... Read more