Coffman: 'No Shutdowns, No Parades' Following President's Request
By Stan Bush
DENVER (CBS4) - Criticism is pouring in over a proposed military parade through Washington D.C. requested by President Donald Trump.
Rep. Mike Coffman tweeted denouncing the plan and called for the President to act on fixing the VA among a list of other domestic agenda items.
No shutdowns, no parades. We need to focus on what moves us forward - cleaning up the #VA, fixing #DACA, securing our borders, and growing wages.
— Mike Coffman (@RepMikeCoffman) February 7, 2018
The Pentagon confirmed it has been sifting through plans for a parade on Veterans Day, marking the centennial anniversary of the end of World War I.
The parade, if it happens, is projected to cost more than $20 million, which has rankled veterans.
"The world knows we have the best military. We don't need to show it off," said Jen Burch, an Air Force veteran who served six and a half years including tours in Afghanistan. "Countries that show off their military show off because they don't have anything else to show off, like North Korea."
Burch says she supported Trump in the 2016 election because of his campaign promises to help veterans. She now says the push for a military parade is insulting, saying the parade isn't about respecting the armed forces at all, but about the president himself.
"It's a waste of time. We (service members) don't want to do that. We want to do our job. There's so many other things we need to do than be in a parade," she said.
Stan Bush is a general assignment reporter at CBS4. His stories can be seen on CBS4 News at 10. Read his bio and follow him on Twitter @StanBushTV.