Coloradans Need Help Now But Gardner Goes on Vacation, Dodges Questions on Trump’s Inadequate Executive Action
Governor Polis: “Hardworking Colorado families need real relief”
House Majority Leader Garnett: “Colorado has no time to waste–-we need Congress to pass a robust COVID relief package as soon as possible”
Senate President Garcia: “Playing power games with people’s lives is unacceptable. The US House passed a bill to help working families, schools, and small businesses months ago, but this critical legislation has been completely stonewalled”
Denver, CO - After Senator Cory Gardner failed to pass COVID relief legislation and took another vacation, Coloradans are demanding that Gardner and the Senate GOP take immediate action to restore emergency unemployment insurance for 330,000 Coloradans, provide funding for local and state governments, and support our schools. But instead of standing up for Colorado’s families, No Comment Cory either refused to comment or sidestepped questions -- both common tactics for him -- on President Trump’s executive orders to gut funding for Social Security and Medicare and slash unemployment relief, leaving the state to pay the bill.
Governor Polis and other local leaders have sounded the alarm -- Trump’s actions would drain our budget in weeks and put the most vulnerable Coloradans at further risk with the cuts to Medicare and Social Security.
Here is what Colorado’s leaders are saying to Congress:
- Governor Polis: “Hardworking Colorado families need real relief and our schools and local governments need additional resources to effectively respond to the unique challenges of this pandemic. Without new federal support, our economy and small businesses will continue to teeter on the edge of a cliff.”
- Senate President Garcia: “Playing power games with people’s lives is unacceptable. The US House passed a bill to help working families, schools, and small businesses months ago, but this critical legislation has been completely stonewalled.”
- House Speaker Becker: “Congress must quickly approve a meaningful coronavirus relief package, as thousands of hardworking Coloradans agonize over their economic security and wonder how they will make ends meet.”
- House Majority Leader Garnett: “Colorado has no time to waste–-we need Congress to pass a robust COVID relief package as soon as possible. Today we’re calling on Congress to deliver a relief package that includes significant direct aid to state and local governments, robust education funding, and an extension of the unemployment benefits that have kept many Colorado families afloat over the past few months.”
- Senate Majority Leader Fenberg: “Untold numbers of people are facing homelessness, food insecurity, and utility shut-offs because Congress refuses to act.”
Colorado Democratic Party spokesperson Eli Rosen:
“Coloradans are in desperate need of relief, but Senator Cory Gardner has gone on vacation and failed us yet again. Our state and local leaders are crystal clear on the need for immediate aid to keep our schools safe and help unemployed workers make ends meet, but Gardner chose to fall in line with Donald Trump and Mitch McConnell -- leaving Coloradans behind.”
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Colorado Dems Praise “History-Making, Winning Ticket” of Biden-Harris
Photo Credit: Kevin Wolf/AP Photo
Denver, CO -- This afternoon, Vice President Joe Biden, the presumptive Democratic nominee for President, announced that California U.S. Senator Kamala Harris would be his running mate. A little over a year ago, Senator Harris campaigned in Denver to a roaring crowd of an estimated 2,300 people, promising to “prosecute the case” against four more years of Donald Trump.
Colorado Democratic Party Chair Morgan Carroll released the following statement after the much anticipated announcement:
“Democrats have the energy and momentum behind them going into November, and with this history-making, winning ticket of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris, voters in Colorado and across our country have a clear vision of the better future that country will move towards after we defeat Donald Trump. This White House has put the interests of the ultra wealthy over the needs of working people, and its occupants have trampled on our Constitution and our norms over these past 3.5 years. In this battle for the soul of our nation, I know Vice President Biden and Senator Harris will prevail on protecting people’s healthcare, rebuilding our economy, and restoring our standing in the world.”
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Colorado Workers & Veterans “Demand Answers” As Gardner Fails to Deliver COVID Relief, Takes Another Vacation
JBS Meatpacking Plant Employees: “Colorado Senator Cory Gardner[’s]...failure to deliver on the promised COVID-19 tests put workers and the public at risk”
AFL-CIO Veterans: “Because of the inaction of the Senate... more of our tremendous vets who fought and bled for our country may go homeless”
Denver, CO - Coloradans are demanding answers after Senator Cory Gardner failed to deliver additional COVID relief. Yesterday, two major Colorado unions decried Gardner’s inaction and broken promises as 330,000 Coloradans go without emergency unemployment benefits they’ve relied on.
Workers at the JBS meatpacking plant in Greeley sharply criticized Gardner for failing to deliver COVID tests that he and Vice President Mike Pence promised employees in March. Gardner bragged about securing them, but all of the workers never got tested.
Kim Cordova, who represents more than 3,000 workers at the JBS plant, slammed Gardner, saying he “talks big but acts small” or not at all:
“Our members, and frankly all Coloradoans, are tired of the broken promises from Senator Gardner. Nearly 100 days ago, Gardner touted an agreement with Vice President Pence to secure COVID-19 tests, but has since stayed silent as our members call for increased safety measures and enforceable laws to protect them as they risk their lives just going to work.
“In the months since his apparent testing victory, the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment has confirmed more than 300 positive cases and six of our members have paid the ultimate price of COVID-19: their lives. Time and again these workers are labeled essential, but are treated as disposable. We have come to expect this rhetoric from JBS, but we expect more from our elected leaders. Senator Gardner talks big but acts small -- and where workers are concerned – doesn’t act at all.
“It’s time Senator Gardner protects his constituents and not the companies that are putting profits ahead of our people’s lives. So, Cory, where are the tests?”
Simultaneously, Veterans and Colorado workers with the AFL-CIO protested outside Gardner’s office demanding that he restore emergency unemployment insurance and pass aid to state and local governments. The veterans said that “because of the inaction of the Senate... more of our tremendous vets who fought and bled for our country may go homeless” and delivered a letter to Gardner calling on him to get back to work on relief.
Gardner is now taking his third vacation -- after several long weekends and months of inaction -- since he said 83 days ago that it would be “unfathomable” for Congress to go home without passing further COVID relief.
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Does Gardner Support Trump’s Executive Action to Gut Social Security & Medicare, Slash Unemployment Benefits, & Leave Local Governments to Foot the Relief Bill?
Gardner Fails to Deliver COVID Relief & Skips Town to Campaign 83 Days After He Said Recess Would be “Unfathomable”
Denver, CO - After Senator Cory Gardner failed to deliver COVID relief, he took another long weekend to campaign while President Trump signed executive orders to gut funding for Social Security and Medicare and slash unemployment relief, leaving our already hamstrung state to foot the bill. Now, Gardner owes Coloradans answers on if he supports Trump’s executive action after he and the Senate GOP failed to provide relief for the 330,000 Coloradans depending on emergency unemployment insurance.
Here are seven questions Gardner needs to answer:
- Does Gardner support Trump’s order to defund Social Security and Medicare, two lifelines for seniors during the pandemic?
- Gardner previously said he supports slashing unemployment benefits to $200/week; does he also support Trump going around Congress to cut the program?
- Why has Gardner failed to deliver aid to state and local governments, which Trump is now leaving them to foot the bill for emergency unemployment insurance?
- Trump’s order does not include a moratorium on evictions; does Gardner support “leav[ing] most tenants in peril?”
- Does Gardner agree with Trump that small businesses should be left out of this relief package?
- Does Gardner believe Trump is “not empowered to make up his own laws” with his use of an executive order, as he said of then-President Obama?
- Why did Gardner leave Washington to campaign?
It has been 83 days since Gardner said recess would be “unfathomable,” but he has taken two vacations, several long weekends, and spent weeks “bickering” while refusing to take up the House’s pandemic relief legislation to fully restore emergency unemployment insurance programs and provide aid to our schools, hospitals, and local governments.
Cory Gardner failed Colorado when we needed him most.
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🚨BS ALERT🚨 Gardner’s Latest Stunt Won’t Work -- Coloradans Know His Record of Voting to Eliminate Protections for Pre-Existing Conditions
Gardner has voted at least 13 times to dismantle, defund, or repeal the ACA without a replacement that would protect people with pre-existing conditions
His previous claims on the subject have earned “four Pinocchios” for misleading Coloradans
With less than three months to go before the election, Senator Cory Gardner has pulled another ridiculous stunt to try to hide his real record of siding with President Trump and Washington special interests over Colorado — but voters won’t be fooled.
Gardner has voted at least 13 times to repeal, block, or defund the Affordable Care Act, which would eliminate protections for 2.4 million Coloradans with pre-existing conditions. And when he recently tried to deny that record, the Washington Post’s fact-checker gave him “four Pinocchios.”
Before he was elected to the Senate in 2014, Gardner was asked if health care reform should require coverage for people with pre-existing conditions. He responded, “no.”
Just last month Senator Gardner went as far as to say he “does not support universal health care.”
Not only that, but his U.S. Senate website says “Fixing our healthcare system will require repealing the Affordable Care Act”.
Politifact has reported, “a vote to repeal the ACA in full would have stripped coverage for people with pre-existing conditions. Subsequent GOP-written bills to replace the ACA have not ensured the same level of patients with those conditions.”
Here is Gardner’s record of endangering protections for people with pre-existing conditions with his votes to dismantle the ACA:
- January 19, 2011: Gardner voted to fully repeal the ACA, and while the then-Republican controlled House passed the bill overturn the law, the Senate did not take any action on it.
- February 18, 2011: Gardner supported a Rep. Steve King amendment that would have barred the usage of money to implement the ACA.
- February 19, 2011: Gardner voted for a bill that would have blocked the implementation of the ACA.
- April 14, 2011: Gardner supported a measure to prohibit funds in the budget from being used for the healthcare law.
- July 11, 2012: Gardner voted for a full repeal of the ACA, including gutting protections for people with pre-existing conditions.
- May 16, 2013: Gardner supported a full repeal of the healthcare law, including ending protections for people with pre-existing conditions.
- August 2, 2013: Gardner voted to prohibit the Treasury Department from implementing the ACA.
- September 20, 2013: Gardner voted to defund the healthcare law.
- December 3, 2015: Gardner voted to gut the ACA, repealing the Medicaid expansion that hundreds of thousands of Coloradans rely on for health coverage.
- July 26, 2015: Gardner voted for a Mitch McConnell amendment to repeal the ACA as part of an unrelated highway funding bill.
- July 25, 2017: Gardner voted to dismantle the health care law, which at the time would have resulted in 22 million Americans without health care.
- July 26, 2017: Gardner supported an effort to repeal major pillars of the health care law, including ending the Medicaid expansion and gutting funding for Planned Parenthood.
- July 28, 2017: Gardner voted for the so-called “Skinny Repeal” version of Trumpcare, which repealed key pillars of the healthcare law and defunded Planned Parenthood.
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NEW POLL: Gardner Underwater By 16 Points, Less Favorable Than Trump
Gardner Stands With Trump “100%,” Even As Coloradans Disapprove of the President’s Botched Pandemic Response
Denver, CO - A new poll shows that Senator Cory Gardner’s approval rating is underwater by 16 points -- he’s at a practically “unfathomable” 52% disapproval -- and he’s even less popular than President Trump, who has essentially written off Colorado as a winnable state.
Gardner has consistently been underwater by double digits heading into the general election, including trailing by 19 points among crucial unaffiliated voters in a previous poll. Pollsters and Colorado Republican strategists have already sounded the alarms, with the former Colorado GOP Chair saying it could be “impossible for Cory to win.”
Gardner’s inaction on COVID is making his future in the Senate look even grimmer:
- Gardner's approval rating is 16 points underwater -- worse than Trump’s-- with 52% disapproving of Gardner’s job performance.
- Trump's approval rating is just 40% -- 15 points below water -- and a majority of voters say Trump's response to the pandemic has made them feel “less safe.”
- Over two-thirds of Colorado voters think Trump and Congress are prioritizing “campaign donors and other wealthy special interests” over working families.
- A plurality of voters think the Paycheck Protection Program should prioritize small businesses.
- Gardner pushed for the program to include corporate chains and franchises, potentially leaving Colorado small businesses behind.
Trump's botched coronavirus response has led to record unemployment, but Gardner let the emergency unemployment insurance that 330,000 Coloradans depended on expire after spending weeks "bickering," taking long weekends, and refusing to take up the House's relief package that was passed nearly three months.
But the fact that Gardner trails behind Trump in approval shows that his vulnerabilities go beyond the President -- he has failed Coloradans as he has relentlessly tried to rip away their health care and eliminate protections for people with pre-existing conditions, all while taking the most corporate PAC money of any Colorado senator ever.
Gardner is doing himself no favors with Coloradans, as he is taking another long weekend -- 79 days after he said it would be “unfathomable” to go on recess without further relief -- without delivering for Coloradans depending on emergency unemployment insurance that expired and local governments and school in need of aid.
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79 Days After Gardner Said Recess Would be “Unfathomable,” He Takes *Another* Long Weekend, Again Fails to Deliver COVID Relief
Nearly Three Months Since House Democrats Passed Bill for Emergency Jobless Payments, Aid for Schools, Hospitals, & Local Governments
Denver, CO - 79 days after Senator Cory Gardner pulled a political stunt and said it would be “unfathomable” to go on recess without further relief, Gardner and Senate Republicans are taking another long weekend to campaign -- adding to their two vacations and two weeks of “infighting” -- without delivering COVID relief. 330,000 Coloradans depending on emergency unemployment insurance to pay the bills and support their families have now seen that lifeline expire after Gardner broke his promise that there was “no doubt” urgent jobless aid would be extended.
House Democrats passed pandemic relief legislation nearly three months ago to fully restore emergency unemployment insurance programs and provide aid to our schools, hospitals, and local governments —but Gardner and Mitch McConnell have refused to even discuss the bill. While Coloradans are calling on Gardner to stop playing politics and deliver the needed relief, Gardner hasn’t listened and even admitted that he supports slashing the emergency unemployment insurance.
Colorado Democratic Party spokesperson Eli Rosen:
“Senator Gardner and Mitch McConnell have failed to deliver needed COVID relief for Coloradans. The only thing ‘unfathomable’ is Gardner and the GOP taking another long weekend while Coloradans struggle.”
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Coloradans Demand Gardner Act on COVID Relief as Senate Continues Stalling
Denver Baker: “Senator Gardner, it’s time to stand up for Coloradans. You are responsible to take care of your constituents, not the whims of party leadership, and you must push for more relief.”
Labor Leader: “Sen. Gardner: help us feed our families, protect our workers, and teach our kids. It’s your job.”
Disability Rights Advocate: “I ask ... Sen. Cory Gardner to put Coloradans first by calling on Senate leaders to provide additional Medicaid funding and other badly-needed state aid, as well as assistance for struggling workers and families.”
Denver, CO - Coloradans are demanding that Senator Cory Gardner stop playing politics and take immediate action on COVID relief. In separate op-eds and demonstrations this week, Coloradans have called on him to restore the emergency unemployment insurance that expired for 330,000 Coloradans, prioritize the health of vulnerable Coloradans during the pandemic, protect our workers, and aid our local governments and schools.
This isn’t the first time Gardner has come under fire for his inaction on COVID relief, even refusing to face constituents asking for his help. Last week, Coloradans from across the state demanded that Gardner take action to extend emergency unemployment payments, support the House-passed HEROES Act that passed almost three months ago, provide resources for our students and teachers, and stop attacking Coloradans’ health care. Gardner’s Democratic opponent, John Hickenlooper, has been “hammering” him over Gardner’s GOP failure to deliver COVID relief and restore the emergency unemployment insurance.
Gardner recently admitted he supports slashing the emergency insurance that hundreds of thousands of Coloradans are relying on to put food on the table and pay rent.
Here’s what Senator Gardner is seeing in his clips as he continues to fail his constituents:
- Sen. Cory Gardner went on conservative talk radio last week and expressed his desire to drastically lower the COVID unemployment benefits 330,000 hard-working Coloradans need to pay rent and keep food on the table.
- This comes after the senator tweeted back in June: “It’s unfathomable that the Senate is going on recess without considering any additional #COVID-19 assistance for the American people. Anyone who thinks the time is now to go on recess hasn’t been listening. Coloradans and Americans alike have been sacrificing and hurting.”
- Then, less than 24 hours later, he voted to adjourn.
- We need you to do your job, senator. Do it for Coloradans who don’t have one. Support the continuation of the $600 COVID unemployment benefit, along with Senate Democrats, and push Senate Majority Leader — and President Trump — to pass the full relief bill this week.
- Senator, if you fail to stand up for Coloradans and instead allow Republicans to cut the benefit to $200, which is what the Majority Leader plans to do, it will be a gut punch to our communities and small businesses. And not just in Colorado. Nationally, the $400 per week cut will mean another 3.4 million jobs lost.
- True leaders step forward to unite communities in a crisis. And even though Colorado’s workers and working families have been devastated by the bungled and chaotic response to the pandemic by this administration, it’s not too late for you, senator, to do your job.
- Lastly, Sen. McConnell’s bill has no aid for state and local governments and the U.S. Postal Service and not nearly enough aid for schools. Sen. Gardner: help us feed our families, protect our workers, and teach our kids. It’s your job.
- Coloradans need you to get back to work. America does, too.
- I thought things couldn’t get worse when Colorado suddenly shut down on March 24 with little directive from the government on how to proceed. Now, when our government has the opportunity to help its citizens, our senator, Cory Gardner, continues to let us down by not pushing for the next COVID relief bill, the HEROES Act.
- I look around my community and I see Coloradans scared and hurting, just like me. Small businesses everywhere are trying their hardest to navigate this crisis and safely continue to serve the communities they love. But instead of helping us, Gardner has failed to push for meaningful financial relief and increased testing available through the House relief package, the HEROES Act. Gardner hides behind Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, who said the package is dead on arrival in the Senate.
- Coloradans are in dire need of relief, and that’s what the HEROES Act provides.
- Senator Gardner, it’s time to stand up for Coloradans. You are responsible to take care of your constituents, not the whims of party leadership, and you must push for more relief. We won’t forget your actions during this pandemic the next time we go to the ballot box.
- Most Colorado taxpayers across the political spectrum not only support these services but think the government should increase spending to improve quality. Republicans aren’t listening.
- Senate Republicans unveiled their roughly $1 trillion stimulus plan last week. This inadequate proposal, ironically called the HEALS Act, will not help Colorado meet the growing need for health coverage amid a massive budget crisis.
- If additional federal funds are not forthcoming, Colorado will not be able to sustain the health care gains that have been supported by both parties over the past decade.
- Coloradans’ need for Medicaid coverage has surged during the coronavirus pandemic as unemployment skyrockets and the economy declines. The Senate Republican proposal ignores this growing need despite bipartisan calls for additional federal Medicaid funding for states. Their plan does not include the funds states need to avert damaging cuts to Medicaid and other critical health services.
- That is really a disservice to all of us by not focusing on the needs of our communities and failing to heal the devastation brought by COVID-19. It’s irresponsible and won’t help Coloradans or our state weather and recover from this crisis.
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FACT CHECK: McConnell-Linked Dark Money Allies Mislead Coloradans on Gardner’s Record of Prioritizing Wealthy & Big Corporations
Gardner Failed to Deliver Jobs Touted in Ad, But DID Deliver Tax Breaks for Corporate Special Interests
Denver, CO - Mitch McConnell’s dark money special interest allies are out with a new misleading ad to deceive voters about Senator Cory Gardner’s record of putting wealthy corporate interests ahead of Colorado families and failing to support Colorado’s economy during the coronavirus pandemic.
“Mitch McConnell’s dark money groups are working overtime to deceive voters about Senator Gardner’s record of working for big corporate and special interests and failing Coloradans in exchange,” said Colorado Democratic Party spokesperson Eli Rosen. “Coloradans are hurting thanks to Trump’s botched pandemic response, but Senator Gardner refuses to stand up to his party bosses, remaining silent when Coloradans need him most.”
The ad, from the Mitch McConnell-linked dark money group One Nation, conspicuously omits that Gardner stood with President Trump “100%” to push through a $2 trillion tax giveaway to the wealthy and big corporations and through his failed pandemic response that has yielded record unemployment and the tragic loss of more than 155,000 American lives.
Here are the facts Gardner’s dark money allies leave out:
GARDNER PRIORITIZED BIG CORPORATIONS & THE WEALTHY AHEAD OF COLORADANS
- Gardner voted to keep tax breaks for companies outsourcing Colorado jobs, while congressional Democrats pushed legislation to penalize companies for offshoring jobs.
- Gardner played a “key role” in pushing through the $2 trillion GOP tax scam that carved out massive tax cuts to the wealthy and doled out giveaways to big corporations, while leaving Coloradan families behind.
- Gardner’s allegiance to corporations and the wealthy has rewarded him with the most corporate PAC money contributions in Colorado Senate history -- a whopping total of $5.7 million.
- Gardner has opposed measures to raise the minimum wage and pass paid family leave.
GARDNER DIDN’T SECURE SPACE COMMAND, BUT RAIDED MILLIONS FROM COLORADO MILITARY BASES FOR TRUMP
- In May, CPR reported the Trump administration “said it was completely restarting the search for a permanent home for Space Command” and no decision will be made on the permanent home until after the election.
- Gardner voted three times to let Trump raid military construction funding for his border wall and broke his promise to protect funding for Colorado’s bases as Peterson Air Force Base lost $8 million. Gardner apparently didn’t lift a finger to restore the funding.
- Twelve Republican senators broke with their party to oppose Trump’s sham border wall national emergency that cost Colorado funding -- but not Gardner.
GARDNER AND TRUMP’S COVID RESPONSE HAS FAILED COLORADO’S ECONOMY
- Gardner let emergency unemployment insurance for 330,000 Coloradans expire, breaking his promise that there was “no doubt” the lifeline program would be extended.
- Colorado’s unemployment rate went up to 10.5%, “indicating that the state’s jobs situation isn’t dramatically improving as the state continues to reopen after a coronavirus shutdown.”
- Now Gardner supports slashing unemployment insurance by two-thirds, to $200/week -- a $1,600/month cut for unemployed Coloradans.
- While Colorado was facing a surge in coronavirus cases, Gardner and Trump were caught “playing political games with lives” as Colorado tried to secure much-needed supplies.
PPP LOANS WENT TO CHINA & BIG BUSINESSES
- CPR reported that the data on the number of jobs impacted by the Paycheck Protection Program “don’t necessarily show what they appear to at first glance.”
- Gardner pushed the Trump Administration to amend the program intended for small businesses to allow big corporate chains and franchises to receive the loans, while many mom-and-pop businesses were left out.
- Millions of dollars from the PPP program flowed to America’s biggest economic rival, China, while leaving out many small Colorado businesses.
BLM MOVE “DISAPPOINTING”
- The BLM’s relocation to Grand Junction was met with disappointment among community leaders and concerns the city was left with nothing more than “a figurehead headquarters” with far fewer jobs than promised.
- Gardner refuses to oppose the nomination of William Perry Pendley to lead the Bureau of Land Management, despite Pendley opposing public lands and wildlife protections and writing that the “Founding Fathers intended all lands owned by the federal government to be sold.”
- Gardner has touted the BLM’s move to Grand Junction on the campaign trail, but even The Grand Junction Daily Sentinel has come out against Trump’s pick to head the agency.
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SHOT/CHASER: Greenwashing Gardner Fundraises with Climate Denying Inhofe
SHOT: “President Donald Trump on Tuesday signed the Great American Outdoors Act into law, providing full funding to the Land and Water Conservation Fund — a program his administration previously wanted to pare back… Gardner has been running campaign ads touting his work on the legislation.” [Colorado Sun]
CHASER: Hours after greenwashing next to President Trump at the White House, Senator Cory Gardner is fundraising with one of the Senate’s most notorious climate deniers -- Jim Inhofe, the senator who threw a snowball on the Senate floor to try to disprove climate science.
Like we said: the only thing “green” about Cory Gardner’s toxic record is the campaign cash he’s raked in from corporate polluters. And looks like there’s more on the way.
ICYMI: Westword Covers How GOP-led Douglas County Commission Put Politics Over People’s Health
Dem Candidates Slam “Foolhardy” Decision to Break Off from Tri-County Health
This morning (August 3, 2020) , Westword Magazine published an article comparing the Democratic candidates for Douglas County Commissioner -- Lisa Neal-Graves and Darien Wilson -- to their Republican rival, which showed a stark contrast in attitudes towards public health policy.
While Neal-Graves and Wilson both advocate for a commonsense, science-based approach to keeping Douglas County residents safe, the GOP-led County Commission ended the county’s partnership with Tri-County Health in a knee jerk reaction to the department’s decision to enact a face mask requirement.
WORTH NOTING: Colorado legislature minority leaders Patrick Neville and Chris Holbert pushed for the commission to sever ties with Tri-County Health -- a decision that could leave Douglas County unprotected during a pandemic while they spend precious taxpayer dollars to build a new health department from scratch.
HIGHLIGHTS:
"This will be a way to really make sure that we are providing services that our citizens use," [GOP incumbent Lora Thomas] says, suggesting that ending overlap will save money, too.
But that's not the conclusion that Douglas County reached back in 2003, when the county commissioned a study to explore the possibility of withdrawing from Tri-County.
The results showed that "if they were to establish their own health department, it would cost them three times as much money, and it would also mean that they would have to redevelop a whole health department from scratch, which would take years," says Richard Vogt, the Tri-County Health Department executive director from 2001 to 2013.
...
“I think it’s foolhardy," Darien Wilson, the Highlands Ranch Democrat running to unseat Thomas, says of the board's decision to withdraw from the regional health department that Douglas County has belonged to for over a half-century. "I think it is very politically motivated and it’s about talking to their base. They are not looking to scientific expertise." A small-business owner, Wilson wants to keep Douglas County in the Tri-County Health fold.
…
On the other hand, Lisa Neal-Graves, a Democrat, lawyer and Parker resident also vying for that seat, doesn't buy the idea that this move will benefit Douglas County residents. "It’s less about the concern of their health and welfare and more about the political expediencies of the platforms that they want to push forward. That, I think, is an atrocity," she says.
Click here to read the rest of the Westword story.
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5 Questions Gardner Must Answer As He Returns to Washington After Taking a Long Weekend Instead of Delivering for Coloradans
75 Days Since Gardner Said Going on Recess Would Be “Unfathomable,” Then Cowered to McConnell & Failed to Pass COVID Relief
Denver, CO - Emergency unemployment insurance for 330,000 Coloradans expired after Senator Cory Gardner broke his promise that there was “no doubt” the lifeline program would be extended, and now Gardner owes Coloradans answers as he returns to Washington after *another* long weekend and weeks of inaction in the GOP Senate.
From unemployed workers to elected officials, Coloradans are continuing to demand that Gardner extend the emergency unemployment relief and funding for testing and state and local governments on the front lines. Instead, Gardner and his Republican Senate colleagues took a vacation and spent weeks “bickering” while failing to deliver for hardworking families struggling in this public health and economic crisis.
Gardner even threw his support behind slashing unemployment insurance by two-thirds, to $200/week.
Here are five questions Coloradans are asking Gardner as he heads back to Washington:
- Months after the House passed their relief bill, why have Gardner and Mitch McConnell refused to take up legislation to extend the emergency unemployment insurance, aid our state and local governments, and increase testing and contact tracing funding?
- Why does Gardner support slashing unemployment benefits to $200/week, which would leave hundreds of thousands of Coloradans in a “frightening,” “terrifying” situation?
- Will Gardner support Mitch McConnell’s proposal to provide no additional funding for local and state governments?
- Does Gardner support Trump’s push to withhold funding from schools that opt out of in-person learning in the fall?
- Will Gardner listen to calls to increase Medicaid funding to avoid “deep cuts to services” as even more Coloradans turn to Medicaid amid the pandemic and economic downturn?
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Gardner Takes Another Long Weekend After Failing to Act on Jobless Aid That 330,000 Coloradans Depend On
Two & A Half Months Since House Democrats Took Action, GOP Spends Another Week “Bickering” as Gardner Fundraises
72 Days Ago, Gardner Said Going on Recess Would be “Unfathomable”
Denver, CO - Senator Cory Gardner and Senate Republicans have taken another long weekend -- adding to their two vacations and week of “bickering” -- while failing to act to restore emergency unemployment insurance for the 330,000 Coloradans who were depending on the payments to pay the bills and support their families. After breaking his promise that there was “no doubt” emergency insurance would be extended, Gardner admitted that he supports slashing the emergency unemployment payments, saying the lifeline creates “unfair competition.”
Gardner’s GOP is pushing to slash the program by two-thirds, cutting relief that hundreds of thousands of Coloradans are depending on by $1600/month. House Democrats passed sweeping pandemic relief legislation more than two and a half months ago that would have fully funded the emergency unemployment insurance program, but Gardner and the Senate GOP have refused to even discuss the bill.
Coloradans across the state have protested and written to their newspapers demanding that Gardner take action to extend emergency unemployment payments and provide the urgent support Colorado schools and hospitals need.
But instead, Gardner continues to side with his party bosses and corporate special interests -- this week, he held a high-dollar private fundraiser with Lindsey Graham.
Colorado Democratic Party spokesperson Eli Rosen:
“Instead of working for the 330,000 Coloradans who are relying on the federal emergency unemployment boost to put food on the table, Senator Gardner is taking a long weekend and failing Coloradans yet again. ‘Unfathomable’ doesn’t even begin to describe it.”
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Coloradans Demand Gardner Support Students, Teachers, Unemployed & Stop Attacking Healthcare
Recently Unemployed Coloradan: “We want Cory Gardner to focus a little bit more on helping those Coloradans and a little bit less on the fundraising for his campaign”
Grand Junction 8th Grade Teacher: “I am asking today that Sen. Gardner do his part”
State Rep. Buckner: “A repeal of the ACA is a matter of life or death. ... Senator Gardner needs to start defending the Affordable Care Act because Black and Brown lives depend on it”
Denver, CO - Coloradans across the state are demanding that Senator Cory Gardner take action to extend emergency unemployment payments for 330,000 Coloradans, support the House-passed HEROES Act to provide resources for our students and teachers, and stop attacking Coloradans’ health care. Gardner, who recently admitted he supports slashing the emergency insurance that hundreds of thousands of Coloradans are relying on to put food on the table and pay rent, has come under fire for his inaction on COVID relief and refusing to face constituents asking for his help.
Here’s what Coloradans are saying and doing to hold Gardner accountable for his failure of leadership:
- The ACA is giving people of color advantages they never had before in terms of access to health care. If it’s taken away, it will be one of the worst things that could happen to communities of color. Senator Gardner has remained silent on the lawsuit, making him complicit in this reckless attempt to rip away our health care. We need him to fight for the ACA.
- [Gardner] said that he would protect the health care of Coloradans, especially those with pre-existing conditions. However, while in Congress, he has voted against the Affordable Care Act seven times, with no replacement plan, choosing to stand by his own party. Time and time again he has sided with special interests over the interests of Coloradans. Ripping away our health care puts Black and brown lives in jeopardy.
- A repeal of the ACA is a matter of life or death. Senator Cory Gardner’s silence demonstrates that he is complicit in the repeal lawsuit. It’s time he stands up as a leader and does whatever he can to stop the Trump Administration from moving forward on this dangerous lawsuit. Senator Gardner needs to start defending the Affordable Care Act because Black and Brown lives depend on it.
- I am asking today that Sen. Gardner do his part to ensure students, teachers, and other educators, along with their families and loved ones, remain safe this fall as they return to school. He can do this by making sure the HEROES Act passes in the Senate.
- I urge Sen. Gardner to do the right thing: to vote in favor of the HEROES Act to ensure students and educators get the protection and safety measures they deserve.
- Once we had finished saying our pieces, we asked Ms. Axelrod if Sen. Gardner would be supporting the passage of the HEROES Act. She sidestepped and said he would push for the bipartisan bill called the “Reopen Schools Safely Act.” This provides far less funding for education than the HEROES Act, and it seems to put more of the burden on applying for COVID-related funding on schools and school districts themselves, piling yet another job on the backs of teachers and administrators when we are already overworked to the point of literal collapse.
- Sen. Cory Gardner has historically not supported what is best for students and educators, so this was unfortunately no surprise. It seems that many Republican senators may be willing to do the bare minimum available to make it look like they’re supporting education, but our students and teachers are worth far more than the bare minimum. The disregard Gardner’s office, and many Americans, have shown recently for education is disgraceful. Maybe when kids and teachers start to die from COVID-19, they will change their minds, but I doubt it, having seen their inaction about underfunded schools and the horrifying problem of school shootings.
Westword: Musicians Ask Gardner to Lend an Ear to Extending Unemployment Benefits
- On July 27, the Non Violins Marching Group performed songs outside of Senator Cory Gardner’s office in Denver and delivered a petition asking him to support an extension of the $600-a-week federal unemployment benefit.
- “Most musicians are entirely or largely unemployed because of COVID-19, as are many Coloradans, and we want Cory Gardner to focus a little bit more on helping those Coloradans and a little bit less on the fundraising for his campaign,” says Helen McDermott, a Colorado Symphony violist, one of the founders of Non Violins, who organized the event on July 27.
- “To have my career ripped out from under me and to have no control over when it will be back is very painful,” he says. “I can’t get through this without some federal aid.”
- Gardner's office did not respond to requests for comment.
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BREAKING: Gardner Backs Slashing Emergency Unemployment Insurance for 330,000 Coloradans, Breaks Promise to Extend
Trump: “We Don’t Care” If Benefits Expire, Does Gardner Agree?
Denver, CO - In Senator Cory Gardner’s “safe space” of conservative talk radio yesterday, Gardner admitted he supports slashing the emergency unemployment payments 330,000 Coloradans have relied on to put food on the table and pay rent -- saying the emergency lifeline creates “unfair competition.” Gardner’s GOP is pushing to cut the program by two-thirds -- breaking his promise that there was “no doubt” emergency insurance payments would be extended. Hundreds of thousands of out of work Coloradans are now in a “terrifying” position with emergency assistance on the chopping block.
Meanwhile, President Trump is now pushing for a skimpy relief package, saying that “we don’t care, we really don’t care” about excluding emergency unemployment payments and relief to local governments and hospitals. Does Gardner also “not care” if emergency unemployment insurance abruptly ends, leaving 330,000 Coloradans in a “frightening” position as the unemployment rate hits 10%?
Instead of taking action for Coloradans in need, Gardner has gone on two vacations, spent a week “infighting” in Washington, and posed for photos with Ivanka Trump, all while refusing to face constituents calling on him to act.
Colorado Democratic Party spokesperson Eli Rosen:
“300,000 Coloradans are relying on the federal emergency unemployment boost to put food on the table and keep a roof over their head, but Senator Gardner is failing them. Senator Gardner’s feckless behavior is on display as he continues to prioritize President Trump, Mitch McConnell, and the corporate special interests ahead of Coloradans in need.”
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NEW: Republicans Freak Out About Gardner’s Slim Chances
Former Colorado GOP Chair: Could Be “Impossible for Cory to Win”
Denver, CO - A new Colorado Sun report reveals that Republicans are sounding the alarm on Senator Cory Gardner’s reelection chances, saying it could be “impossible” for him to win as he has “inextricably tied himself to the president” and all signs point to President Trump losing big in Colorado. With polling showing Trump down nearly 15 points and his campaign not investing in Colorado, Republican strategists admit that Gardner and Trump’s chances of winning Colorado are “dim.”
Here are what Republicans and prominent strategists are saying about Gardner’s chances:
“If Trump loses by a big enough margin, it will make it impossible for Cory to win. . .that’s the brutal truth,” said Dick Wadhams, a former chair of the Colorado GOP and a top Gardner supporter.
“Jesus Christ himself couldn’t overperform Trump by double digits,” said Tyler Sandberg, a Republican operative.
“If I were a Republican running a national campaign, I wouldn’t really put much effort into Colorado, honestly. If this was a competitive national environment and the Trump campaign wanted to maybe try to expand their map from 2016, Colorado may be a target that they would look at. But as it is now, I think the Trump campaign is going to have a hard enough time shoring up states that they won in (2016),” said Miles Coleman, associate editor at Sabato’s Crystal Ball.
“If the campaign was serious about winning this state, I think we would see some ads going,” said David Flaherty, who runs the Republican polling firm Magellan Strategies, which is based in Louisville.
Gardner remains deeply unpopular in Colorado, with multiple polls showing his “approval ratings are far underwater” -- especially with unaffiliated voters. And that's because Gardner’s vulnerabilities go beyond Trump -- he deceived Coloradans claiming to be an independent voice that would stand up to his party when they were wrong, but has instead stood in lockstep with the GOP trying to rip healthcare from Coloradans, gut protections for people with pre-existing conditions, and prioritize corporate interests before Coloradans.
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ICYMI: “Palm Beach Soirée” Earns Gardner Campaign Finance Complaint
“High-society magazine Town & Country described the event as a ‘decadent banquet’ that ‘put most VIP club sections to shame’”
State Rep. Tom Sullivan: “Are you using your campaign money to go to lavish parties down in Florida? … Or are you going and campaigning with foreign companies?”
Denver, CO - In case you missed it, Colorado Newsline reveals that Senator Cory Gardner appears to have violated campaign finance laws when he attended a “Palm Beach soirée hosted by Republican megadonors and a luxury champagne brand.” The event featured “luxuriant bubbles, delectable foods and thoughtful performances” -- $1,000 bottles of champagne, a four-course dinner, and live musical performances designed to “pair sound with Champagne.”
This new complaint comes after State Rep. Tom Sullivan asked the U.S. Senate Ethics Committee to investigate whether Gardner violated Senate Ethics rules by attending the “by-invitation bacchanal.” Gardner claimed that his campaign paid for the event, and the complaint argues that means Gardner “convert[ed] campaign funds to personal use, or in the alternative, unlawfully accepting a corporate and possibly foreign-national contribution.”
Gardner is also facing another FEC complaint for allegedly receiving illegal campaign contributions from Mitch McConnell’s super PAC, Senate Leadership Fund, and a second Senate Ethics complaint for including congressional footage in a campaign ad.
Read HERE or highlights below.
Colorado Newsline: Campaign finance violations alleged against Gardner by Colorado lawmaker
FEC complaint targets ‘decadent banquet’ at GOP megadonor’s Palm Beach mansion
By Chase Woodruff | July 27, 2020
Colorado Sen. Cory Gardner is facing new accusations of campaign-finance violations over his attendance earlier this year at a Palm Beach soirée hosted by Republican megadonors and a luxury champagne brand.
“Senator Gardner and the Campaign appear to have violated the Act and Commission regulations by converting campaign funds to personal use, or in the alternative, unlawfully accepting a corporate and possibly foreign-national contribution,” Sullivan’s complaint states. “As such, we respectfully request that the Commission immediately investigate these violations.”
Gardner’s campaign did not respond to requests for comment. By law, FEC enforcement matters are kept confidential until a case is resolved.
Sullivan’s allegations stem from Gardner’s attendance at the Krug Champagne party held at the Palm Beach mansion of Amy and John Phelan, a Republican donor and managing partner of private-equity firm MSD Capital. High-society magazine Town & Country described the event as a “decadent banquet” that “put most VIP club sections to shame,” part of a series of globe-spanning “Krug Encounters” presented by the company, a subsidiary of French conglomerate LVMH.
In April, Sullivan filed an initial complaint with the U.S. Senate Ethics Committee, alleging that Gardner’s attendance at the event violated congressional rules banning gifts worth more than $50 from lobbyists and corporations. A spokesman for Gardner later told the Denver Post that the campaign had paid the senator’s attendance with a $350 payment to LaForce, a New York-based public relations firm whose clients include Krug, on March 15.
But far from clearing the matter up, Sullivan said, that expenditure — formally disclosed in Gardner’s quarterly FEC campaign filing on April 15 — raised a host of new questions.
“So, wait a minute, are you using your campaign money to go to lavish parties down in Florida?” Sullivan said. “Or are you going and campaigning with foreign companies?”
‘Both of these scenarios are illegal’
In effect, Sullivan’s FEC complaint argues that the Gardner campaign’s explanation created an ethical Catch-22 — implicating the senator either in one set of campaign-finance violations or another.
On one hand, if Gardner didn’t fundraise or engage in other campaign activities at the Krug party, the complaint alleges, then the $350 payment to LaForce violates FEC rules prohibiting spending campaign funds for “personal use.”
“The Champagne Event involved expensive champagne, decadent food, and musical entertainment, and Senator Gardner has not made any statements indicating that he was conducting campaign or officeholder activities at the event,” the complaint states. “Rather, it appears that Senator Gardner was on a personal outing for pleasure and that his attendance had nothing to do with his role as a candidate or officeholder.”
If, on the other hand, Gardner’s attendance was campaign-related, the party constituted a wide range of violations by both Gardner and Krug, the complaint alleges. Candidates for federal office are barred from accepting contributions of any kind directly from corporations, and FEC rules also prohibit corporations from “facilitating the making of contributions” to federal candidates. If Krug, which is headquartered in France, paid for such an event itself, it would further violate rules prohibiting contributions from foreign nationals.
“As such, if Senator Gardner and the Campaign did not violate the personal-use prohibition, then they violated the Act by accepting a corporate contribution, possibly from a foreign national,” the complaint states. “Both of these scenarios are illegal and warrant immediate investigation.”
FEC disclosures show that Gardner’s 2014 Senate campaign received maximum contributions of $2,600 from both John and Amy Phelan, who reside part-time in an Aspen chalet described by Architectural Digest as “the ultimate art-world party pad.” John Phelan also contributed $33,900 to the National Republican Senatorial Committee in 2018, when Gardner chaired the group.
Other guests at the Phelans’ mansion on Feb. 26, according to Town & Country, included Cuban-American billionaire Pepe Fanjul, a longtime conservative donor and heir to the Fanjul sugar fortune, and Steve Wynn, the billionaire casino magnate who resigned as the Republican Party’s national finance chair following sexual harassment allegations in 2018.
“I know how difficult it is to get people to write you a check, and I know what they expect when they send money to you,” Sullivan said. “They’re expecting you to go out there and work to get yourself re-elected and listen to their ideals — not to go to Florida to hobnob with millionaires and billionaires, drinking thousand-dollar glasses of wine.”
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Gardner Refuses To Say if He Has Confidence in Trump’s Handling of COVID, Snaps at Reporter, “I'm Not Going to Do It”
CNN Headline: “Senate GOP candidates attacked Obama over Ebola but defend Trump on coronavirus pandemic”
Denver, CO - For at least the third time, Senator Cory Gardner is refusing to talk about how the president he is with “100%” of the time and has endorsed for re-election is handling the coronavirus pandemic, even though he admitted, “there's going to be everybody asking that question.” Asked by CNN for the second time in recent months whether he thought President Trump was doing a good job managing the health crisis, Gardner snapped at the reporter with a new excuse: “I’m not going to play political pundit for you.”
Take a look at No Comment Cory’s latest evasion:
Asked last week if he had confidence in the Trump administration's handling of the virus, GOP Sen. Cory Gardner of Colorado pushed back.
"I'm not going to play political pundit for you," Gardner said when asked if he agreed with Trump's claim that the federal government had done a "great job" in dealing with the crisis. Asked again how he would characterize the administration's response, Gardner said: "You want me to be a Democrat pundit. I'm not going to do it."
. . .
In October 2014, then-Rep. Gardner whacked the federal response during a debate against Democratic Sen. Mark Udall.
Both CNN evasions come after Gardner dodged a similar request to comment on Trump’s pandemic response earlier this year, saying “I think it’s important to not look and try to provide some kind of a grade” before abruptly ending a call.
While reports show the Trump Administration **still** “openly disdain[s]” science and is working to “distort reality” for political purposes, Gardner continues to stand beside Trump’s failed leadership. Instead of holding the president accountable for the early failures in the administration’s handling of the pandemic and demanding answers, Gardner has blamed China, the World Health Organization, and even impeachment for the administration’s shortcomings.
Our country is facing a health and economic crisis, and Cory Gardner has failed to lead.
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NEW: Gardner & GOP Let Emergency Unemployment Insurance Expire, Now Push to Slash it by Two-Thirds
FIRST Senator Cory Gardner and Senate Republicans let emergency unemployment benefits expire that 330,000 Coloradans are relying on to put food on the table, pay rent, and care for their families.
NOW Gardner’s GOP is pushing to slash the program by two-thirds -- breaking his promise that there was “no doubt” emergency insurance payments would be extended.
While House Democrats passed sweeping legislation over two and a half months ago to restore funding to this vital program and support our frontline workers and hospitals, Gardner and Mitch McConnell refused to even debate the bill and now millions of Americans are left out to dry.
See below for more on Gardner’s broken promise to extend unemployment insurance and the “terrifying” position 330,000 Coloradans are in as a result:
---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: Eli Rosen <eli@coloradodems.org>
Date: Mon, Jul 27, 2020 at 1:13 PM
Subject: Gardner Breaks Promise to Extend Unemployment Insurance -- Now 330,000 Coloradans in “Terrifying” Position
Gardner Breaks Promise to Extend Unemployment Insurance -- Now 330,000 Coloradans in “Terrifying” Position
Gardner Took Two Week Vacation, Wasted A Week “Bickering,” & Posed for Photos with A Trump Instead of Acting on Expiring Emergency Payments
Denver, CO - Today, the Denver Post reports that more than 330,000 Coloradans are put in a “terrifying” position after Senator Cory Gardner broke his promise that the Senate wouldn’t “drop the ball” and failed to extend unemployment insurance, an emergency lifeline that Colorado families have relied on to put food on the table and pay rent. Gardner’s failure to deliver for the hundreds of thousands of Coloradans sparked two separate protests, but instead of listening to the “frighten[ed]” Coloradans, Gardner spent last week campaigning with Ivanka Trump.
It has been two months, two vacations, and one week of “infighting” since Gardner said it would be “unfathomable” for the Senate to leave Washington without passing further COVID relief, but Gardner folded like a lawn chair to Mitch McConnell and has failed to deliver for Coloradans. The Democrat-controlled House passed the HEROES Act more than ten weeks ago to extend unemployment benefits and provide resources for testing, treatment, and hospitals, but Gardner and McConnell have refused to act.
Colorado Democratic Party spokesperson Eli Rosen:
“Hundreds of thousands of Coloradans are relying on emergency unemployment to put food on the table and pay rent, and now they’re left empty-handed because of Senator Cory Gardner’s failed leadership in Washington. Instead of fighting for Coloradans, Gardner took two vacations, played politics for a week, and flew home to pose for photos with the Trump family. Coloradans need relief now and Cory Gardner isn’t delivering.”
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Statement on the 3rd Anniversary of Senator McCain’s “No” Vote to Save ACA
Denver, CO -- Three years ago, on July 28, 2017, Senator John McCain cast his historic ‘thumbs down’ vote to block Donald Trump, Cory Gardner, and Republicans’ efforts to repeal the Affordable Care Act (ACA). But even in the middle of a global pandemic, Trump, Gardner, and other Colorado Republicans are still pushing to destroy the ACA and threatening protections for over 2 million Coloradans with pre-existing conditions.
Just last month, the Trump Administration and Republican attorneys general filed briefs at the U.S. Supreme Court to strike down the ACA. According to a new study, the Trump and Republican-led attempt to overturn the ACA could threaten health coverage for more than 470,000 Coloradans as COVID-19 cases continue to surge across the country.
Morgan Carroll, Chair of the Colorado Democratic Party:
“Three years after the late Senator John McCain put country over party and saved healthcare for millions of Coloradans, Donald Trump and his enablers like Cory Gardner, Doug Lamborn, and Ken Buck are still waging their crusade against Coloradans’ healthcare -- even in the middle of the worst public health crisis in generations.
“Make no mistake -- Coloradans’ healthcare is on the ballot in November. Senator Cory Gardner has built his career trying to rip healthcare from Coloradans, and not even a global pandemic has stopped him. If Lauren Boebert gets elected, we know she will work to repeal the ACA without a replacement and rip healthcare away from hundreds of thousands of hardworking people in CD3 when they need it most. If Doug Lamborn and Ken Buck get re-elected, they’ll continue to put Donald Trump’s wishes over their districts’ and fight tooth and nail to destroy the ACA.
“Colorado families can’t afford more years of leaders hellbent on ripping away coverage and spiking costs -- they want leaders who will work to protect our healthcare and lower costs for everyone across our state. That’s why Colorado will reject Trump and his Republican enablers’ horrific health care agenda come November.”
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