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Fighting Trump’s Unscientific Childhood Vaccine Executive Order
What’s happening: This week, President Trump issued an executive order directing federal health agencies to overhaul longstanding childhood vaccine recommendations and encourage states to reconsider school immunization requirements.
What I believe: Just as Colorado kids are heading back to school, Trump and Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. are doubling down on an anti-science agenda that rejects decades of proven medical consensus. Parents deserve far better than the chaos, confusion, and scarcity this administration is actively creating. We have already seen the real-world consequences of declining vaccination rates, including the largest measles outbreaks our country has faced in decades. Overturning settled vaccine guidance and encouraging the erosion of school immunization standards puts our children directly in harm’s way.
What I’m doing: On Monday, I issued a statement criticizing Trump’s dangerous childhood vaccine executive order. Instead of undermining public trust and throwing back-to-school preparations into turmoil, we must focus on keeping our children safe and our schools open.
2. Combating Trump’s Voter Suppression Efforts
What’s happening: The Trump administration has repeatedly demanded sensitive voter information from all 50 states, losing 20 lawsuits in the process. The administration has also been barred from misusing federal databases in illegal attempts to remove voters from state voter rolls. In July, President Trump and Department of Homeland Security Secretary Mullin escalated these attacks as part of ongoing efforts to force states to purge voters ahead of the November general election. At the same time, they are pushing a version of the SAVE America Act that would make voting more difficult for millions and undermine Colorado’s gold-standard election system.
What I believe: Trump has lost every federal case seeking to obtain states’ unredacted voter lists thus far and is only fighting a losing battle. The Trump administration must stop all attempts to obtain state voter rolls as well as its continued threats to prosecute election officials. These attacks are not only illegal, but also a waste of taxpayer funds.
What I’m doing: On Monday, I joined Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) and 26 of our Senate colleagues to push back against the Trump administration’s ongoing voter suppression efforts. Time and time again, this administration has worked to undermine federal elections, and I will continue ensuring that our federal election laws are upheld.
3. Blocking Trump’s “Public Charge” Rule
What's happening: In 2022, the Biden administration reinstated the longstanding public charge policy, which made it clear that the use of non-cash public benefits — including SNAP, Medicaid, and housing assistance — could not be considered in public charge determinations. The public charge test is intended to determine whether an individual is likely to become primarily dependent on the government and use that as grounds for denying admission to the United States or adjustment of legal permanent resident status. In July, the Trump administration announced a new open-ended approach to this rule that will have a massive chilling effect on the use of benefits by legal permanent residents and even U.S. citizens, making it more difficult for immigrants who rely on certain government benefits to obtain green cards or adjust their immigration status.
What I believe: This rule isn’t about securing our borders or more efficient spending; its purpose is to punish immigrants who only seek to make a better life for themselves and their families. Trump has normalized cruel immigration policies and stoked fear across immigrant communities. We must send a clear message that, as a nation, we will continue to stand up and fight this administration’s inhumane efforts.
What I’m doing: On Wednesday, I joined U.S. Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-Hawaii) and U.S. Representative Judy Chu (D-Calif.) to introduce the Protect American Values Act. This legislation will prevent federal funds from being used to implement, administer, enforce, or otherwise carry out the Trump administration’s finalized “public charge” rule. I have consistently fought against Trump’s cruel immigration policies and am committed to working to protect immigrant communities.
4. IN THE NEWS THIS WEEK
- Last week, I joined Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.) and 16 of our Senate Democratic colleagues to introduce legislation that would stop the Trump administration from obscuring the true cost of President Trump’s disastrous Iran war. The administration’s recent decision to reclassify the deaths of four service members and the injuries of more than 200 is not only dishonest; it is an affront to the service and sacrifice these men and women, and their families, have made. We must stop this administration from misrepresenting the continuing cost of Trump’s ongoing war of choice. We must also fight to ensure that those who have answered the call to duty and their families receive the rightful recognition and benefits they are owed.
- Four years ago this week, we passed the PACT Act, delivering one of the largest expansions of veterans’ health care benefits in decades. Today, the PACT Act continues to help Colorado veterans exposed to toxic substances get the critical health care they’ve earned through their service and sacrifice.
- Congratulations to Colorado's own Dr. Brandi Kaye Freeman on her installation as President of the National Medical Association. As an Associate Professor of Pediatrics at the University of Colorado School of Medicine and Attending Physician at Children's Hospital Colorado, Dr. Freeman has worked to advance equitable healthcare and improve healthcare delivery to help our kids thrive during early childhood. Colorado thanks you, Dr. Freeman, for taking great care of our children and for your leadership in service to our nation's doctors.
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