Nearly 2,000 people show up at Colorado town hall to discuss federal budget cuts
More than 1,800 people attended a political town hall in Lakewood on Saturday, hosted by U.S. Rep. Brittany Pettersen, who represents Colorado's 7th district, Attorney General Phil Weiser, and Lakewood Mayor Wendi Strom. The event's main focus was addressing the recent large-scale layoffs and budget cuts led by the Trump Administration.
Since President Trump took office, employers have cut more than 167,000 so far which is the highest since 2020. Those layoffs are led by Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE. Those numbers are mostly made up of federal jobs which the administration says is meant to weed out government waste and fraud.
"We had too many people in government. You can't just do that. We had many, many too many. This is for 40 years, you know this isn't just now. This built up and got worse and worse, and they just hire more and more people," President Trump said.
Amid the cuts, Colorado resident Edward Duran came to ask questions and share concerns with elected officials. "That's what our democracy is about, is that we elect representatives that can come out and have these town halls so that we are connected locally to the national level," Duran said.
Pettersen helped lead the meeting where she shared resources for terminated federal workers, went over recent actions in Congress, and federal budget cuts.
"People in our community are going to be hurt by these measures," Pettersen said, "It doesn't sound like government efficiency to me."
In the more than an hour-long meeting, Coloradans wrote in questions for officials to address.
"We've heard from thousands of constituents who are concerned about their social security check being delayed from you know, whether or not their kids will still be able to utilize Medicaid," Pettersen said.
President Trump has celebrated the recent cuts, arguing for its efficiency in his recent address to Congress saying, "My administration will reclaim power from this unaccountable bureaucracy, and we will restore true democracy to America again."
Meanwhile, officials are considering how changing federal policies could impact Colorado. "What is in store for Lakewood, for the federal center, for the workers who we depend on?" Pettersen said.
Weiser told CBS Colorado this was his second town hall this week addressing thousands of constituents overall. Earlier this week Republican leadership encouraged lawmakers to stop holding in-person town halls as constituents continue to protest budget cuts.
