Biden, on Western swing, to declare national monument in Colorado

[October 12, 2022]   WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Joe Biden departs on a swing through the West on Wednesday with a first stop in Colorado where he will announce the establishment of a national monument in a rugged area used by American soldiers to train for battle in World War Two.

U.S. President Joe Biden attends a meeting of the Reproductive Healthcare Access Task Force in the State Dining Room at the White House in Washington, U.S., October 4, 2022. REUTERS/Elizabeth Frantz/File Photo

Biden is to visit Colorado, California and Oregon for the rest of the week with a central aim of raising money for Democratic candidates trying to prevent Republicans from taking control of Congress in the Nov. 8 midterms elections.

The White House said Biden was signing a proclamation ahead of a stop in Vail, Colorado, to establish the Camp Hale-Continental Divide National Monument to protect a mountainous 53,804-acre (21,770-hectare) area.

The area has been home to native Americans and was a training ground for soldiers of the U.S. 10th Mountain Division for battling in the Italian Alps, the White House said.

"This action will honor our nation's veterans, Indigenous people, and their legacy by protecting this Colorado landscape, while supporting jobs and America's outdoor recreation economy," a White House fact sheet said.

After Vail, Biden will travel on to Santa Monica, California, for events Thursday and Friday in the Los Angeles area. On Friday he will travel to Portland, Oregon.

There, he will take part in a grassroots volunteer event with Oregon Democrats. On Saturday he will headline a reception for Democratic candidate for governor, Tina Kotek.

(Reporting By Steve Holland; editing by Richard Pullin)

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