|
Fighting Against the Trump Administration’s Attacks on Colorado
What’s happening: In the last month alone, President Trump has hit Colorado with numerous targeted political attacks. So far, Trump and his administration have:
- Vetoed my unanimously-passed Finish the Arkansas Valley Conduit Act, denying 50,000 rural Coloradans access to affordable clean drinking water;
- Frozen more than $300 million in federal funding that is supposed to go to low-income families, childcare for working parents, and children who are at risk;
- Canceled over a hundred million dollars in federal grants from the Department of Transportation;
- Announced the dismantling of the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR);
- Denied Colorado’s request for two emergency declarations following extreme flooding and wildfires;
- Forced a coal-fired power plant in Northwest Colorado to remain operational past its planned December 31 retirement, despite it being costly for consumers and unnecessary for energy reliability; and
- Rejected Colorado’s latest proposal to improve air quality in national parks and wilderness areas, not because the plan failed federal requirements, but because the administration wants to keep coal power plants online, no matter the consequences.
What I believe: President Trump has declared war on Colorado because our state refuses to stand by his corrupt demands. Colorado deserves better, and I am doing everything in my power to fight back and protect our state from the President’s vindictive chaos.
Going Forward: On Thursday, I spoke on the Senate floor urging my colleagues to override Trump’s veto of my bipartisan Finish the Arkansas Valley Conduit Act. Congress has set a dangerous precedent by allowing this veto to stand. This means that the President can reject non-controversial, bipartisan bills that pass without objection for reasons wholly unrelated to their substance, and weaponize these bills politically. No bill is safe. I will continue to ensure that Coloradans get the clean water they deserve and work to protect our democracy.
2. Fighting Back Against the Trump Administration’s Unauthorized Actions in Venezuela
What’s happening: Just in the last 12 months, President Trump has ordered military action against seven countries, blown up alleged drug boats in the Caribbean and Pacific, and deployed federal troops in at least 10 American cities – all without congressional authorization. Now, he has bombed and invaded Venezuela to capture its dictator, Nicolás Maduro, and stationed 15,000 U.S. troops and an American armada off the Venezuelan coast with no clear plan.
What I believe: I have long said that Maduro was an illegitimate, brutal dictator who lost, and then stole, Venezuela’s 2024 elections. There is also no doubt as to the bravery and skill of our military and intelligence personnel who conducted the operation to apprehend him. The Venezuelan people deserve to thrive under their democratically elected government, which is why I have worked alongside bipartisan colleagues for years to push for a democratic transition.
However, the Trump Administration now appears to be working with Venezuela’s authoritarian regime. It has provided the American people with no coherent justification for keeping thousands of U.S. troops and dozens of U.S. military assets in the region. President Trump says this is about securing Venezuela’s oil, but that is not a legitimate justification for putting boots on the ground or keeping an armada off of Venezuela’s coast. I will continue fighting to prevent the Trump Administration from recklessly marching the U.S. military and intelligence community into Venezuela again with no plan or clear exit strategy.
What I’m doing: This week, I led a letter to the leadership of the Senate Armed Services, Foreign Relations, Judiciary, and Intelligence Committees demanding public oversight hearings examining President Trump’s January 3 military operation in Venezuela and his future plans for the country. I also joined Senator Tim Kaine from Virginia and our colleagues to force Thursday’s vote on a War Powers Resolution to prevent President Trump from plunging us into a pointless war with Venezuela – a resolution the Senate advanced by a vote of 52-47, with bipartisan support. I also spoke on the Senate floor to criticize President Trump’s lack of transparency and reckless foreign policy, and to call for aggressive Congressional oversight of his plans for Venezuela.
3. IN THE NEWS THIS WEEK
- On Wednesday, President Trump’s ICE agents killed Renee Nicole Good, a U.S. citizen born and raised in Colorado, in a horrific and unnecessary shooting. President Trump’s reckless weaponization of ICE is making our cities less safe and endangering people simply trying to lead their lives. We need an investigation, and we need justice.
- Five years ago, a violent mob stormed the U.S. Capitol to try to stop the certification of a free and fair election. The legacy of the January 6, 2021 attack lives on as President Trump lawlessly undermines our Constitution at every turn. This is a reminder that we cannot take our democracy for granted and must never stop defending it.
- Denver saw the largest apartment fire in the last three decades. I am thankful to the first responders, law enforcement, and community members who acted courageously to contain the fire that evening and in the days that followed. Your dedication to public safety reflects the very best of Colorado.
- I joined three of my Senate colleagues to introduce the Roll-Over Prevention and Safety (ROPS) Act. This bipartisan legislation would help protect farmers from fatal tractor rollovers through a U.S. Department of Agriculture cost-share grant program that helps farmers retrofit older tractors with rollbars and other protections. Farming is dangerous work, and efforts that help Colorado farmers do their jobs safely and get home at the end of the day matter.
Click here to respond to this email.
    
Unsubscribe
|