U.S. Rep. Jason Crow, a Centennial Democrat, walked on stage to a standing ovation in a packed auditorium on Feb. 27, 2025, at Hinkley High School in Aurora. More than 1,300 people attended the town hall, the most of any town hall he has hosted. (Lindsey Toomer/Colorado Newsline)
U.S. Rep. Jason Crow addressed more than 1,300 constituents in his first town hall since President Donald Trump’s inauguration Thursday, the highest turnout he’s had since taking office.
In a packed auditorium at Hinkley High School in Aurora, Crow, a Centennial Democrat, answered questions from the crowd about actions by the Trump administration that affect veterans, immigrants, the economy, and federal facilities and workers in the 6th Congressional District.
“I will always look for opportunities to build and to work together and to find common ground,” Crow told attendees. “At the same time, if somebody threatens this community, tries to take your job, tries to deport our law-abiding friends and neighbors, I will fight them with every ounce of my being.”
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With Democrats in the minority in Congress, Crow said he has to look for other ways to advocate for what his constituents need. That includes litigating, organizing, conducting both formal and informal oversight, offering constituent services and encouraging citizen oversight, he said.
Crow emphasized that he likes to “just show up” at government facilities within his district — including the GEO Group ICE detention center, Buckley Space Force Base, and Veterans Affairs facilities — to see what’s going on, because if he gives a heads up, he’s presented with the best that facility has to offer.
Janice Gibson, a constituent, asked Crow what can be done to limit the power of Elon Musk’s so-called Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, a question followed by laughter, applause, and booing from the crowd. Musk, who Crow said is one of the government’s largest defense contractors, should not be reviewing and deciding which contracts to cancel while leaving his own untouched.
“I don’t believe that an unelected, unaccountable billionaire that doesn’t go up for Senate confirmation and that has no obligation to come before Congress to be accountable and doing everything in closed doors has the right to your information, has the right to your payment systems,” Crow said.
The Trump administration, he added, is putting donors and corporate executives “in charge of things to line their own pocket” and “trying to get back at their perceived political enemies.”
“That explains most of what this administration is doing so far,” Crow said. “They wrapped those two efforts — promoting their own wealth and pursuing vengeance and grievance — they wrap it in the cloak of government reform and efficiency and try to legitimize it.”
And Crow said that for someone who campaigned on the promise of tackling the rising cost of living, Trump has not taken any actions that actually lower costs.
“Two of the fastest ways to increase costs in our economy is to impose broad-based tariffs and then threaten to deport mass swaths of our workforce,” he said.
Protecting veterans
As an Army veteran, Crow said preventing cuts to Veterans Affairs benefits will be a top priority for him under the new administration.
“We have this sacred promise to veterans that if you’re willing to raise your right hand and take that oath and serve your country, then our nation must be there for you and your family regardless of what happens in the course of your service,” Crow said.
Crow mentioned DOGE efforts to roll back government funding have already led to cuts in staffing at a suicide hotline for veterans.
“Why Elon Musk shouldn’t be allowed to treat government like some other corporate hostile takeover is that when you’re dealing with government functions, you’re dealing with people’s lives, and some of those things can’t be undone,” Crow said.
Nicholas Walker, a Navy veteran who lives in Aurora, said he is concerned that veterans could “be called back into service to protect the Constitution against all enemies, foreign and domestic.” He said veterans need to be prepared in case of “a constitutional crisis, and we’re facing a constitutional crisis as we speak.”
More people need to understand the gravity of the political climate and what’s to come, Walker said.
“I’m confident that we do have representation that is at least standing up with a spine,” Walker said. “That’s comforting, but it’s just not enough.”
Crow also talked about the need for the U.S. to continue supporting Ukraine and protecting civilians in war zones, and reiterated his support for the bipartisan immigration reform package Congress considered last year. He said he will defend Buckley Space Force Base and the thousands of people it employs, and he will look to the Impoundment Control Act to ensure congressionally delegated funds are spent properly.
Anna Bergstrom, a constituent who lives in unincorporated Arapahoe County, said it was nice to hear from her congressman and that Crow “really seems to care about his constituents and about the country and the world.” While she said she would have liked to hear more about the Trump administration’s potential impacts on health care, she appreciated Crow encouraging more people to stand up for what they want.
“Fear builds power, and you need to work against it consciously,” Bergstrom said.
Suzanne Kaller, a constituent who lives in unincorporated Arapahoe County, said she wanted to hear “something concrete” from Crow “that went beyond the legislative process.”
“I am still terribly afraid that this country is careening into an autocracy, and this did not satisfy me,” Kaller said.
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