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Friends,
Over the last few weeks, I’ve been thinking a lot about the struggle to make progress across our nation’s history. Anyone who’s studied that history knows how tough that struggle has been. Since our founding, it’s been a battle between our highest ideals and our worst instincts. Today, that battle plays out in all aspects of our society — from the fight for racial justice to our response to COVID-19.
Our obligation as citizens is to do everything in our power to make our country more fair, more democratic, and more free. It’s to push back on those trying to strip citizens of their rights. It’s to dismantle systemic racism in our law enforcement and criminal justice system. It’s to improve health care for Black, Brown, and Native communities disproportionately affected, not only by the pandemic, but the economic pain it has unleashed.
This is the work we’re doing in Colorado, in Congress, and around the country. And this week’s update below gives you a look into how we’re pursuing that work across a range of issues.
As always, please reach out to our office with any thoughts or questions.
Best,
Michael
FIGHTING FOR RACIAL JUSTICE
Colorado just became the first state in the country to pass sweeping police accountability legislation. This sets the standard for what we now must do in Washington. Republicans in the Senate have put forward a bill that does not meet that standard. So this week, I went down to the Senate floor and called on my colleagues to pass the Justice in Policing Act—legislation I introduced with Senators Cory Booker and Kamala Harris for comprehensive police reform.
As I said in my speech, the patriotic Americans in our streets are not calling for one more study. They aren’t calling for another commission. They are calling for real reform. And it’s time we make progress. Watch the full speech here.
This week, we also saw renewed calls for justice for Elijah McClain, the 23-year-old Coloradan who was killed by police last year. We can never accept that we live in a country where one group of Americans is less safe for no other reason than the color of their skin.
PROTECTING DREAMERS
The Supreme Court decision to uphold DACA was a step in the right direction, but Dreamers need a permanent legislative solution.
In a letter to Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, my Democratic colleagues and I demanded that he immediately bring the American Dream and Promise Act to the floor for a vote. The legislation would provide a pathway to citizenship for Dreamers, and has already passed the House of Representatives.
As we said in the letter, “It would be an American tragedy to deport DACA recipients who are saving lives in the midst of this pandemic. We must ensure these talented young immigrants are not forced to stop working when the need for their public service has never been greater. And we must give them the chance they deserve to become American citizens.”
DEFENDING THE AFFORDABLE CARE ACT
Last night, just before the deadline at midnight, the Trump Administration filed a brief to the Supreme Court to dismantle the Affordable Care Act — in a moment when Americans need health care more than ever.
My team and I are pushing back on these attacks. We’re working to expand access to high-quality health care, protect those with pre-existing conditions, and lower the cost of prescription drugs.
We’re also working to create a national Health Force to train hundreds of thousands of Americans as contact tracers and case managers to bolster our public health infrastructure and fight back against COVID-19.
PROTECTING PUBLIC LANDS
Today I opposed the Trump Administration’s nomination of William Perry Pendley to lead the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), which manages nearly 250 million acres of public land, including more than eight million acres in Colorado.
Pendley has spent his entire career opposed to the very idea of public lands, and he’s unfit to lead our land management agency. Instead of listening to Colorado, he’s taking orders from President Trump and prioritizing oil and gas development above recreation and conservation. Coloradans deserve better, and I’ll keep working to protect our public lands.
REMINDER: WEAR YOUR MASK!
As coronavirus cases continue to rise in states around the country, we must remain vigilant. So I wanted to quickly remind you to keep your distance and wear your mask!
We’ve now battled this virus for five months, and I know how frustrating it can be. But as Dr. Fauci reminded us today, we “have a societal responsibility...If we want to end this outbreak. We are either part of the solution or part of the problem.” Let’s be part of the solution, Colorado.
I hope you, your friends, and your families are healthy and safe. Have a great weekend.
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