In October of 2013, Congress shut down the federal government for 16 days, putting the U.S. economy at risk and leaving 800,000 people out of work nationwide — 40,000 in Colorado.
Estes Park sales tax revenue alone dropped 18.2 percent, two of our national parks lost more than $2 million in revenue each, and our own city of Colorado Springs had one of the top percentages of workforce affected by the shutdown.
In addition to jeopardizing the nation’s safety, security and credibility, Standard and Poor’s estimated that the shutdown took $24 billion out of our economy. For countless Coloradans suffering the aftermath of unprecedented flooding, this shutdown was a kick in the teeth.
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