Gardner & Trump’s Tax Cut for the Wealthy Will Deplete Social Security By 2023, Leaving Seniors Out To Dry
Gardner has voted to raise the eligibility age for Social Security, privatize Medicare, & cut monthly benefit payments for aging Coloradans
Denver, CO - After Senator Cory Gardner failed to deliver COVID relief, President Trump signed executive orders to give the wealthy a tax cut that could “permanently deplete” Social Security funding by 2023, with “no ability to pay... benefits thereafter,” leaving our aging Coloradans out to dry. No Comment Cory has refused to stand up to Trump’s reckless attack on Social Security and Medicare, hard-earned benefits which are lifelines for seniors.
Gardner’s newest attacks on Social Security and Medicare come as no surprise, as he has left seniors behind his entire career in Washington, voting to increase the eligibility age for the earned benefits programs, pushing to voucherize Medicare, and slashing monthly benefits.
Trump’s executive order also slashes emergency unemployment insurance, leaves schools to fend for themselves, and omits any funding for small businesses. Coloradans are crying out for help, but clearly Gardner isn’t listening.
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Colorado Dem Congressional Delegation Joint Statement Ahead of RNC
Today, the Democratic members of Colorado’s Congressional Delegation (U.S. Senator Michael Bennet, Congresswoman Diana DeGette, Congressman Joe Neguse, Congressman Jason Crow, and Congressman Ed Perlmutter) issued the following joint statement ahead of the Republican National Convention this week:
“This week at the Republican National Convention, President Trump will offer more empty rhetoric that will do nothing to contain the coronavirus or give relief to the American people. Missing from the GOP events are the voices of Coloradans hurt by Trump’s failed leadership, who are wondering how they will keep their loved ones safe, pay their rent or mortgage, and put food on the table. Instead of working to develop bipartisan solutions to meet this moment of crisis, Trump and the Republican Party have put politics above public health — cutting unemployment benefits and pursuing a relentless crusade to overturn the Affordable Care Act, an action that would rip away health care coverage from hundreds of thousands of Coloradans right when they need it the most.
“Four years ago, Colorado voters saw right through Trump’s empty promises, and they will reject his failed record this November. Colorado families deserve a leader who will turn the page on Trump’s chaos, protect and build on the ACA, and help us build back better from this economic turmoil—not someone who governs by Tweet and inadequate executive orders. That leader is Joe Biden, and when he and Kamala Harris are in the White House, Colorado families will have a President and Vice President fighting for them and for a better future for our nation.”
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We Don’t Know If Gardner Will Be At RNC, But He’s Still With Trump “100%”
Like RNC’s “platform,” Gardner is with Trump “100%” at the expense of Coloradans
Denver, CO - We don’t know whether Senator Cory Gardner will attend the GOP convention kicking off today, but his allegiance to the President is still “100%” whether or not he shows up at the Trump-centered event. Instead of putting out a policy platform, the RNC has instead pledged their party’s undying support to President Trump’s toxic agenda.
Here are eight questions Gardner needs to answer as the RNC convention kicks off:
- Does Gardner support the RNC platform that omits any policy and instead pledges unwavering support for President Trump?
- Does Gardner agree that Trump has “protected us from a worldwide pandemic” -- as GOP Chair Ken Buck announced when he gave Gardner a shout-out and pledged Colorado’s delegates to Trump -- despite the country passing 175,000 unnecessary COVID deaths?
- Since Gardner’s sham bill is “horse excrement” and would still allow insurance companies to deny coverage, what is his plan for the 2.4 million Coloradans who could lose protections for their pre-existing conditions if the lawsuit he backs to repeal the ACA succeeds?
- Does Gardner support Trump’s order to defund Social Security and Medicare -- two lifelines for seniors during the pandemic -- in exchange for a corporate tax cut?
- Why did Gardner leave Washington without passing any further COVID relief, despite small businesses “struggling,” schools left underprepared, and hundreds of thousands of Coloradans losing emergency unemployment insurance?
- Why won’t Gardner speak out against the Trump Administration’s transparent effort to undermine the election by dismantling the USPS and Trump’s baseless attacks on vote by mail and drop boxes?
- Since Trump has embraced QAnon conspiracy theories, does Gardner support the unfounded conspiracies as well?
- Will Gardner speak up on the importance of conservation and public lands during RNC, or continue to stay silent?
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9NEWS: Gardner’s Health Care Stunt is “Horse Excrement”
Gardner’s bill “does not require an insurance company to take you on in the first place”
Kaiser Family Foundation: “This bill from Senator Gardner falls well short of providing comprehensive protections for people with pre-existing conditions”
Denver, CO - Senator Cory Gardner’s stunt health care bill “is actually horse excrement” according to a must-watch report from 9News, which found that the 117-word bill still allows insurance companies to deny coverage to people with pre-existing conditions.
Nonpartisan experts at the Kaiser Family Foundation explain that “this bill from Senator Gardner falls well short of providing comprehensive protections for people with pre-existing conditions.” When 9News tried to ask Gardner about the bill, he refused to speak with them.
Gardner’s desperate election-year attempt to hide his record of crusading against the Affordable Care Act (ACA) -- including voting at least 13 times to repeal, block, or defund the ACA and supporting the GOP lawsuit that could eliminate protections for 2.4 million Coloradans with pre-existing conditions -- has been slammed by healthcare experts and advocates across the board.
Watch 9News’ Kyle Clark and Marshall Zelinger expose Gardner’s sham bill:
MARSHALL ZELLINGER: “Yes, Gardner has a voting history to weaken the Affordable Care Act, including coverage for those with pre-existing conditions. Which brings us to a bill Gardner introduced two weeks ago, the bill is entitled To Ensure Coverage Of Pre-Existing Conditions Under Private Health Insurance. The eight line bill does require insurance companies to cover pre-existing conditions, it just does not require an insurance company to take you on in the first place.”
KAISER FAMILY FOUNDATION’S LARRY LEVITT: “In order to truly protect people who are sick with pre-existing conditions you have to be willing to strictly regulate insurance companies and provide the kind of funding that would keep the insurance market stable. This bill from Senator Gardner falls well short of providing comprehensive protections for people with pre-existing conditions.”
ZELLINGER: “Gardner’s bill is not currently needed because the Affordable Care Act is still in place, however, one week after the election the U.S. Supreme Court will take up a case that will determine if the Affordable Care Act remains. Kyle, I asked Gardner’s campaign spokesman for time to talk with Gardner about his bill, I didn’t get that time.”
KYLE CLARK: “So, Marshall, because of the fact that Republicans are trying to take down the Affordable Care Act right after the election, they’re of course going to get asked on the campaign trail what is your plan to replace it with? And it would seem like Gardner’s plan is to say look at this three-line bill and assume that people don’t say well I saw on Next that that is actually horse excrement. Does that appear to be the plan? That he’s going to point to the three-line bill and say that’s my ACA fix.”
ZELLINGER: “Well I would ask specifically, according to Kaiser Family Foundation, it would just need like well it would need more context besides just a few lines, but it would need something like guaranteed issues, I think that’s the term that’s in the ACA, you don’t even need the ACA to cover for pre-existing conditions. You could craft a bill that even if ACA was gone you could have pre-existing coverage of everybody, but it’s just the nuance of the wording and right now the wording is not in that bill.”
CLARK: “Sure and a fair question for voters to ask, say if we take away this health care system what do we replace it with?”
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Gardner Caught Powdering His Nose for TV Ad As Coloradans Are “Struggling So Much” After His Failure to Deliver COVID Relief
Small Business Owner: “Get your act together. Stop being stupid. I got to admit that I've reached the point of being angry with the way things are being handled.”
Denver, CO - After Senator Cory Gardner failed to deliver COVID relief for Coloradans depending on emergency unemployment insurance, our local and state governments, and underprepared schools, struggling Coloradans are demanding action.
Gardner is on a month-long vacation after failing to get anything done in Washington, but CPR reports that Coloradans like Kelly DeVries, a small gift shop owner in Northern Colorado, want politicians like Gardner to know about her day-to-day challenges: “I was just hoping that maybe it gets to them, though, you know, and in some way they see that we're all struggling so much.” Peter Pronko, a jewelry store owner in Wellington, pushed on Gardner and Congress harder, saying “Get your act together. Stop being stupid. I got to admit that I've reached the point of being angry with the way things are being handled.”
But instead of working for Colorado’s small businesses, families, and schools, Gardner was caught getting his nose powdered and posing for his next deceiving campaign ad.
It has been 93 days since Gardner said recess would be “unfathomable” and despite local leaders, workers, and veterans decrying his inaction, Gardner is once again failing to deliver for Colorado.
Colorado Democratic Party spokesperson Eli Rosen:
“Coloradans are struggling and crying out for help and instead of taking action, Senator Gardner is too busy shooting the next misleading TV ad for his campaign. Coloradans deserve a Senator who will fight for them, not one who hides when we need him most.”
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DENVER POST: Gardner Uses “Hollow Shell” Validator That Environmentalists “Never Heard Of” in Greenwashing Ad
The Wilderness Society: “Not only have we not worked with this group, or ever heard of them before, it appears that their website is a hollow shell that lacks any substance and was only recently created”
“Wild for Colorado was founded...the same day Gardner introduced his Great American Outdoors Act,” just five months ago
Denver, CO - The Denver Post is out with an explosive new report, undermining Senator Cory Gardner’s latest attempt to greenwash his abysmal environmental record by astroturfing a fake conservation organization.
Gardner’s latest desperate and deceptively titled campaign ad “Both Parties” features not one, but two individuals who are not who they appear to be. According to the Post, “both people in the ad are registered Republicans and the woman, who is cited as an environmental advocate, founded a group five months ago that has no history of environmental work. Environmentalists who have advocated here for decades say they’ve never heard of it.”
Allie Killey, who claims to be a conservationist in the ad, is actually a Republican staffer who popped up a “hollow shell” sham organization that no real environmental organizations had “ever heard of.” This legislative aide to notorious Hickenlooper-hater and environmental foe Republican State Senator Paul Lundeen suspiciously founded her for-profit organization the exact “same day Gardner introduced his Great American Outdoors Act” just five months ago. The group has shown no “history of environmental work” and “its Facebook page is listed as a ‘personal blog’ with four fans.”
To no surprise, “Gardner’s campaign declined to comment.”
His atrocious environmental record earned him a lifetime score of 11% from the League of Conservation Voters and a spot on their signature “Dirty Dozen” list, for the second election in a row.
See highlights below or the full article HERE.
Denver Post: When "both parties" doesn't really mean both parties
By Justin Wingerter | August 20, 2020
U.S. Sen. Cory Gardner’s latest TV ad, titled “Both Parties,” alternates between the narration of two individuals — a man whose name is in blue, a woman whose name is in red — giving viewers the impression his environmental work has the support of both major political parties.
But both people in the ad are registered Republicans and the woman, who is cited as an environmental advocate, founded a group five months ago that has no history of environmental work. Environmentalists who have advocated here for decades say they’ve never heard of it.
The man in the ad is Larry Kramer, a former deputy director of the state parks department. His name appears in blue throughout the ad, but his Facebook page shows he is a Republican who shares Republican posts and has a friends list that’s a who’s who of prominent Colorado Republicans.
The woman in the ad is Allie Killey, founder of Wild for Colorado. Until recently, Killey was a legislative aide for state Sen. Paul Lundeen, a Monument Republican who has sought multiple audits and investigations into Gardner’s opponent, John Hickenlooper.
Wild for Colorado was founded as a limited liability company March 9 — the same day Gardner introduced his Great American Outdoors Act, the bill she touts in the ad — and is based out of a house in Golden. Its Facebook page is listed as a “personal blog” with four fans and the extent of its advocacy work appears to be one ringing political endorsement, for Gardner.
Killey and Wild for Colorado did not respond to requests for comment. Gardner’s campaign declined to comment.
I contacted a half-dozen of Colorado’s most prominent environmental groups; none were familiar with Wild for Colorado. In the world of environmental advocacy, where collaborations are common, no one knew of the group or Killey before Gardner’s ad appeared a week ago.
“Not only have we not worked with this group, or ever heard of them before, it appears that their website is a hollow shell that lacks any substance and was only recently created,” said Jennifer Dickson with The Wilderness Society. “…This group appears to be a mystery to all.”
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Gardner’s Latest Ad Fishes for Approval, But Coloradans Won’t Take the Bait
Dubbed One of LCV’s “Dirty Dozen,” Gardner Has Spent Millions Trying to Hide From His Long Anti-Environment Record
Green energy? More like greenwashing.
After failing to deliver COVID relief again, Senator Cory Gardner is out with *yet another* campaign ad attempting to deceive voters about his anti-environmental record. And yet again, Coloradans aren’t taking the bait.
State Representative Dylan Roberts was quick to call out Gardner’s posing as an angler, but once again, Gardner is all rod, no reel:
“While Coloradans are stuck waiting for Washington to act on COVID relief, Senator Gardner is running yet another deceptive ad ignoring the crisis and his long anti-environmental record,” said Colorado Democratic Party spokesperson Eli Rosen. “Coloradans aren’t taking the bait and won't be fooled by Gardner's election year attempt to greenwash his record of selling out our public lands and environment while refusing to act on climate change.”
A recent National Journal report revealed that while the renewable energy sector has been hit hard from the pandemic, Gardner made empty promises and “failed” to get anything done to support the clean energy economy.
Like Gardner’s last two greenwashing ads, his new deceptive spot again ignores Gardner’s own record of being a rubber stamp for Trump’s toxic environmental agenda -- earning him a spot on LCV’s “Dirty Dozen” list.
- Gardner was called out by CPR, the Durango Herald, the Grand Junction Daily Sentinel, and Colorado Politics for using the Land and Water Conservation Fund like “armor” to shield him from his own anti-environmental voting record.
- Gardner has a failing lifetime score of 11% from the League of Conservation Voters, earning him a spot on their “Dirty Dozen” list.
- Gardner supported cutting millions from the Land and Water Conservation Fund as recently as 2018 and has voted to virtually eliminate funding for the program, slashing it by at least 90%.
- Gardner refuses to support the CORE Act -- a major wilderness bill to protect 400,000 acres of public land that passed the House last fall. But the bill is “unlikely to see the light of day in the Senate” without Gardner’s support, and he recently decried the collaborative legislation as “a partisan, political tool,” despite widespread grassroots support.
- Designation of new Colorado wilderness has been left out of every major public lands bill to pass the Senate during Gardner’s tenure. This week, E&E News revealed that Gardner “never responded to follow-up requests” about changes he requested to the CORE Act bill, showing he is “unserious” about protecting wilderness.
- Gardner voted for the GOP tax scam, which gave massive tax breaks to Big Oil, and stood by as a loophole gave billions in handouts to oil companies.
- For over a year, Gardner has repeatedly refused to take a stance on Trump’s anti-conservation pick to lead the Bureau of Land Management, William Perry Pendley, who has proposed selling off public lands, opposed public lands and wildlife protections, and has a long history of xenophobia and climate science denial.
- Gardner has supported Trump’s anti-environment nominees like Scott Pruitt and Andrew Wheeler, who’ve overseen the largest rollback of protected public lands in U.S. history, dismantled efforts to fight climate change and gutted clean water protections.
- Gardner voted for a resolution that tried to undermine the Paris Climate talks. He was silent when Trump pulled the United States out of the global agreement to fight climate change.
- Gardner opposed limits on methane pollution modeled after Colorado’s own standards.
- Gardner has a long record of voting against Colorado’s public lands, from trying to limit new protections to blocking local input on land management.
- Gardner voted to open the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil and gas drilling for the first time ever.
WHAT THEY’RE SAYING: Gardner’s Stunt Bill “Expressly Allow[s] Insurance Companies to Deny People Coverage”
Colorado Cancer survivor: “Cory Gardner pretends to care about people with pre-existing conditions, but only produces platitudes and phony baloney bills.”
Protect Our Care: “Voters in Colorado won’t be fooled by Senator Gardner’s sham of a bill. This bill isn’t worth the paper it’s printed on.”
Former CMS Administrator: Gardner “is proposing a bill to expressly allow insurance companies to deny people coverage & calling it the ‘pre-existing protections act.’ Cory, your record is a pre-existing condition. And yes, it is an act.”
Denver, CO - Senator Cory Gardner was slammed by health care advocates for his “political maneuver” sham health care bill, a desperate attempt to try to hide his record of crusading against the Affordable Care Act. Gardner has voted at least 13 times to repeal, block, or defund the ACA, and supports the GOP lawsuit that could eliminate protections for 2.4 million Coloradans with pre-existing conditions.
See what health care experts are saying about Gardner’s sham bill:
Andy Slavitt, former CMS Administrator:
Protect Our Care: "Despite its name, this bill doesn’t actually protect people with pre-existing conditions because it allows insurance companies to place yearly and lifetime limits on essential benefits and to deny coverage outright based on a condition. Voters in Colorado won’t be fooled by Senator Gardner’s sham of a bill. This bill isn’t worth the paper it’s printed on."
Laura Packard, Colorado cancer survivor & health care advocate:
Adam Fox, Colorado Consumer Health Initiative: “This is pure politicking. If Gardner really wanted to help people with pre-existing conditions, he would protect the ACA, denounce the lawsuit against it, and make sure our Medicaid program is fully funded through the health crisis.”
Larry Levitt, Kaiser Family Foundation:
Jim Kessler, Third Way: "Cory Gardner just introduced an 11th hour fake bill to solve a real problem on pre-existing conditions. He ran for Senate on the evisceration of the ACA and restoring the tyranny of pre-existing conditions. An election year deathbed conversion can’t change that."
Planned Parenthood Colorado: "Colorado Sen. Cory Gardner has pushed forward a weak health care proposal that would result in denial of health care coverage for Coloradans with pre-existing conditions...Under his proposal, insurance companies could deny coverage for pre-existing conditions and wouldn’t require coverage for essential benefits like maternity care and prescription drugs. Once again, Cory Gardner is turning his back on Coloradans. "
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After Failing to Deliver COVID Relief, Gardner Brings Fellow Trump-Enabler Lindsey Graham to Campaign in Colorado
Gardner campaigns with Trump’s “sidekick,” but suspiciously omits president from ads
Gardner also bringing racist Sen. Tom Cotton to campaign in Colorado
Denver, CO - After failing to deliver COVID relief and taking off for a month-long vacation, today Senator Cory Gardner welcomes his fellow President Trump enabler Senator Lindsey Graham to Colorado to campaign. Instead of working to extend emergency unemployment for the more than 300,000 Coloradans and pass funding for our local governments and underprepared schools, Gardner left Washington empty-handed to campaign with his Trump-allies, and is now “fac[ing] pressure” from Coloradans to deliver.
Gardner’s campaign event with Graham -- the president’s “sidekick” and “most prominent” defender -- shows there is “no daylight” between the vulnerable senator and the president, even as Gardner suspiciously hides Trump from all of his ads. Graham’s visit to boost Gardner’s flailing campaign comes less than a month after the staunch Trump defender headlined a fundraiser for Gardner and created a fundraiser video for the vulnerable Senator.
Gardner is also secretly campaigning with race-baiting and controversy-riddled Senator Tom Cotton, who said recently called slavery a “necessary evil” and encouraged silencing peaceful protestors with the aid of federal troops in an op-ed in the New York Times.
Colorado Democratic Party spokesperson Eli Rosen:
“Senator Gardner is busy catering to wealthy donors with his President Trump-enabling buddy Lindsey Graham while hundreds of thousands of Coloradans need him to be in Washington fighting for unemployment relief to put food on the table and funding for our local governments and underprepared schools. Again, Senator Gardner failed Coloradans in a time of need, showing he prioritizes his party and wealthy donors ahead of us.”
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ICYMI: “The Pressure is Mounting” As Gardner Fails to Deliver COVID Relief, Dodges Questions on Pendley & Trump’s Attack on USPS
Denver Post: “Senator has few direct answers on mail problems or BLM director”
Colorado Sun: “The Senate has packed up their bags and left to go campaign,” said Hickenlooper
Denver, CO - Two new reports from the Colorado Sun and the Denver Post have senator Cory Gardner in the hot seat after failing to provide COVID relief and continuing to dodge questions on the Trump administration’s crusade against the USPS and anti-public lands leader at the Bureau of Land Management.
The Colorado Sun writes that Gardner is “fac[ing] pressure” from Coloradans after he failed to “fill gaps in the coronavirus response, address the high unemployment rate, provide money for the U.S. election and start the school year.” Gardner left Washington for a month-long vacation to campaign instead.
Gardner’s refusal to answer questions on Postmaster General DeJoy comes as Salon reports that while Gardner served as its chair, Mitch McConnell’s campaign arm received the max donation - more than $68,000 - from the controversy-riddled Postmaster General. And Gardner is still refusing to take a position on William Perry Pendley, after Trump decided to pull his formal nomination yet still let him ”lead” the agency.
See highlights below or full articles HERE and HERE.
Colorado Sun: Cory Gardner faces pressure to deliver on stimulus bill as he touts his coronavirus response in campaign
Democratic rival John Hickenlooper supports the Democratic-led U.S. House bill and blasts U.S. Senate for taking recess
By John Frank and Jesse Paul | August 18, 2020
Gardner acknowledged the unfinished work but offered few specifics about what he sees as a path forward.
For Gardner, the political stakes for a stimulus deal are significant and the pressure is mounting. The first-term lawmaker faces reelection challenge in 12 weeks and he’s pinned his campaign in large part on his response to the pandemic and his ability to deliver relief to Colorado in his reelection bid.
In May, days after the Democratic-led U.S. House approved another aid package, Gardner demanded that the Republican majority in the U.S. Senate take action before recessing for the Memorial Day break. At the time, he called the break “unfathomable,” but three months later, the two parties remain far apart with no agreement in sight.
Democratic rival John Hickenlooper is using the inaction to bludgeon Gardner, saying the delays are “reckless.”
“You got to be kidding me,” Hickenlooper exclaimed in a virtual event Friday. Instead of continuing negotiations, he added, “the Senate has packed up their bags and left to go campaign.”
Hickenlooper supports the $3 trillion Democratic legislation — known as the Heroes Act — that calls for more money to address the pandemic and economic fallout, the restoration of the $600 additional payments to those who lost jobs and $3.6 billion to help provide more resources for the Nov. 3 election.
The U.S. Senate recessed Thursday and is not expected to return until September; the U.S. House will return later this week to address concerns about the U.S. Postal Service.
But he’s declined to address who is to blame for the stalled negotiations and instead said that everyone just needs to do better. “I’m not going to point fingers,” he said in an interview last week. “There’s too many people who want to point fingers, and maybe that’s the fault of everyone.”
Sen. Cory Gardner faces questions about Postal Service slowdowns during Aurora stop
Senator has few direct answers on mail problems or BLM director
By Justin Wingerter | August 17, 2020
U.S. Sen. Cory Gardner, a Yuma Republican up for re-election this fall, faced several questions from reporters Monday about slowdowns at the U.S. Postal Service but gave few direct answers.
Asked if Postmaster General Louis DeJoy — a controversial choice because of his apparent conflicts of interests and lack of USPS experience — is doing a good job, Gardner did not give a direct answer.
When asked if he is worried about USPS’s recent travails, he told a childhood story about riding with his grandfather, a rural postal carrier.
President Donald Trump, whom Gardner has endorsed, claimed Monday on Twitter that elections can be rigged through the corruption of drop boxes.
Democrats have railed against Trump and DeJoy as Americans struggle to receive medications or pay bills on time, and as state officials worry about the effect on elections nationwide if USPS service remains slow. Trump stated Thursday that he is opposed to increased USPS funding because it will be used, in part, to mail out ballots. Trump also faces re-election Nov. 3.
Gardner was noncommittal Monday about William Perry Pendley, the acting director of the Bureau of Land Management. Pendley was nominated by Trump to be BLM director before his nomination was withdrawn over the weekend, but he will remain as acting director. Democrats opposed him due to his past remarks about the need to sell America’s public lands.
When asked three times whether he supported Pendley’s nomination before it was withdrawn, Gardner never directly answered.
Hickenlooper said in a statement that Gardner showed “cowardly silence” Monday by refusing “to speak out against President Trump’s attacks on the USPS.”
“Senator Gardner was elected by vote by mail, and he knows Trump’s lies are dangerous,” Hickenlooper added. “His silence shows a blatant disregard for those who rely on the post office for prescription drugs, to sell their products, or rural Coloradans who can’t always get deliveries from private carriers.”
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BREAKING: Gardner Took $68,000 from Postmaster General DeJoy As NRSC Chair
Donations exposed after Gardner refused to answer questions on the controversy-riddled Postmaster General & delayed mail delivery
Hickenlooper in NYT: “It just makes me want to pull my hair out”
FIRST: Salon reported today that, while Senator Cory Gardner served as chair, Mitch McConnell’s campaign arm received max-out donations -- $68,900 -- from the controversy-riddled Postmaster General Louis DeJoy.
THEN: As DeJoy dismantles the USPS to undermine the election, causing delays in veterans receiving their medications, No Comment Cory is refusing to answer questions and say whether he supports the Postmaster General’s actions.
Gardner has refused to stand up to the Trump administration’s “transparent effort to try to suppress participation in the November 2020 election,” but instead has been parroting Trump’s talking points bashing nationwide vote-by-mail. The New York Times covered Gardner’s failure to defend the USPS and vote-by-mail, in which John Hickenlooper had the same reaction as many Coloradans: “It just makes me want to pull my hair out, and Cory Gardner hasn’t said a word.”
Postal workers even protested Gardner’s lack of leadership outside his office, saying that nearly 20% of Colorado’s mail processing machines -- vital to voting by mail -- were being dismantled by the Trump administration’s sabotage.
But per usual, Gardner is beholden to the special interests backing his campaign -- like DeJoy -- over Coloradans who need him to lead.
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Gardner Dodges Questions on Trump “Sabotaging” USPS, Postmaster General Slowing Mail Delivery
DeJoy’s leadership causing delay in veterans getting medication
Denver, CO - Today, Senator Cory Gardner dodged questions on the slowdown of mail delivery and President Trump’s controversial Postmaster General, refusing to stand up for our Postal Service and all the vital goods it delivers. While Trump continues to deliberately “sabotag[e]” the USPS in a “transparent effort to try to suppress participation in the November 2020 election,” Gardner was caught just last week parroting Trump’s talking points bashing nationwide vote by mail, despite being elected by it.
Postmaster General Louis DeJoy has worked to undermine the election, removing high-speed letter sorters and removing mail-in ballots from priority mail, leading to other consequences like delays in veterans receiving their medications. Gardner “did not directly” answer a question on DeJoy’s failed leadership, another dodge on the books for Gardner.
As Gardner refuses to stand up for the USPS and Coloradans, Colorado’s Governor, Secretary of State, Attorney General, and Senator Michael Bennet spoke out this morning about our safe, secure, and effective vote-by-mail system and against the Trump administration's reckless attacks on the USPS.
Colorado Democratic Party spokesperson Eli Rosen:
“President Trump is openly attacking the USPS and our constitutional right to vote, and Senator Gardner is failing Coloradans with his silence. Coloradans value the post office and its hardworking employees for delivering our medications, goods, and ballots, but Gardner is too spineless to stand up to Trump’s attacks on something as vital to Coloradans as the Postal Service.”
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With Gardner’s Support, Trump Opens Up “Pristine” Arctic National Wildlife Refuge To Drilling
Gardner voted to open the largest wilderness area in the United States to drilling after 40 years of protection
Denver, CO - After Senator Cory Gardner voted to open the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to big polluters, the Trump administration today officially announced that drilling will begin in the nation’s largest wilderness area, despite its devastating environmental repercussions. In 2017, Gardner voted to give the Trump Administration the green light to open the refuge to drilling, a drastic move that has been opposed by actual environmentalists since the Reagan Administration with irreversible consequences to our air, water, and land.
President Trump and Gardner’s have made it their mission to prop up polluters and crusade against commonsense protections for our air, lands and water. Opening up the 19 million acres of wilderness jeopardizes the “pristine” landscapes and wildlife and accelerates the detrimental effects of climate change. This is one of many votes that earned Gardner a spot on LCV’s “Dirty Dozen” list.
This latest attack comes just days after as Trump said he’d withdraw William Perry Pendley’s nomination to head up the Bureau of Land Management but let him stay in charge -- so Gardner doesn’t have to take a vote and can remain deafeningly silent as Trump continues to attack our environment and public lands. Gardner “did not respond to follow-up questions from E&E News regarding whether Gardner supports Pendley remaining in charge of BLM.”
Colorado Democratic Party spokesperson Eli Rosen:
“Senator Gardner voted to open the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to drilling for the first time in history, which will undoubtedly have catastrophic impacts on our environment, wildlife, and efforts to combat climate change. We all have a responsibility to leave our planet in a sustainable state for future generations, but Trump and Gardner are only making that harder with their reckless attacks on our environment. Make no mistake, Senator Gardner and President Trump are in lockstep in their crusade against our environment.”
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Gardner Still Silent On Pendley -- Who Has Pushed to Sell Public Lands -- Even As He Greenwashes Record
Anti-Public Lands Zealot Pendley Escapes Vote But Continues “to Lead” BLM
Denver, CO - With new reports that the White House will withdraw its widely criticized nomination of William Perry Pendley from the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), Senator Cory Gardner is reacting as you would expect: by saying nothing. Reports show that anti-public lands zealot William Perry Pendley will continue "to lead the Bureau of Land Management" despite the Trump administration pulling his formal nomination -- so Gardner doesn’t have to take a vote and can remain deafeningly silent as Trump’s attack on our environment and public lands continue.
Today Gardner again sidestepped questions on Pendley, refusing to speak out on the crusade against our public lands and the Trump administration quietly keeping Pendley in charge.
This adds to Gardner’s quiver of refusals to speak out on Pendley, despite his assertion that the “Founding Fathers intended all lands owned by the federal government to be sold,” climate science is a hoax, and public lands and wildlife don’t need protections. Pendley’s nomination has earned widespread disapproval -- including from the Grand Junction Daily Sentinel editorial board, where Gardner often touts relocating the BLM. Public lands advocates across Colorado are saying “there’s really no one less qualified to lead the BLM,” pointing to Pendley’s own writings.
And now Gardner won’t have to take a vote.
Colorado Democratic Party spokesperson Eli Rosen:
“Cory Gardner has confirmed every one of President Trump’s anti-environmental nominees and William Perry Pendley was likely to be the next given we never heard Gardner criticize this anti-public lands crusader -- even as he tries to greenwash his record. Gardner can’t claim to support our public lands and refuse to speak out against William Perry Pendley, who’s been in charge of our public lands for a year yet believes they shouldn’t even exist.”
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SHOT/CHASER: Gardner Refuses to Take Responsibility For COVID Relief Failure
SHOT: 86 days ago, Senator Cory Gardner said going on recess without Congress passing further COVID relief would be “unfathomable.”
CHASER: After departing for his third vacation -- this time for a month to campaign -- Gardner says he's "not going to point fingers" at who to blame for the failure to deliver COVID relief... when Coloradans know he only has himself to blame.
Despite the House passing a COVID aid package months ago, Gardner and Mitch McConnell wasted time and failed to deliver COVID relief for our hamstrung local and state governments, postal service, and insufficiently prepared schools. After President Trump announced his inadequate package of executive orders that would slash funding for Social Security and Medicare and cut unemployment relief, Gardner wouldn’t speak to it directly -- either refusing to comment or sidestepping questions.
Will Gardner take responsibility for his failures? Or keep dodging questions and his constituents?
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WESTWORD: “Cory Gardner Rips National Mail-In Voting Despite Being Elected by It”
“A certain commander-in-chief would undoubtedly approve.”
Trump admits he’s “sabotaging” USPS to undermine election
Denver, CO - A new Westword article reveals that in a private fundraiser Senator Cory Gardner bashed nationwide vote by mail, parroting President Trump’s talking points as he continues his assault on our post office and safe, effective, vote by mail system. Gardner, who was elected by mail in voting, continues to stand by Trump’s side in opposing nationwide vote-by-mail legislation, despite the president’s opposition being a “transparent effort to try to suppress participation in the November 2020 election.”
Trump and Gardner’s attacks on vote-by-mail come as states are forced to conduct the “most dangerous election[s] ever” and people risk their lives to exercise their rights amid the pandemic.
See highlights below or the full article HERE.
Westword: Cory Gardner Rips National Mail-In Voting Despite Being Elected by It
By Michael Roberts | August 13, 2020
In a transparent effort to try to suppress participation in the November 2020 election, President Donald Trump has spent weeks castigating mail-in voting with completely bogus claims of potential fraud and more — and that puts Cory Gardner in a tough spot. After all, the Republican senator from Colorado was elected in 2014 through balloting largely done by mail — yet the only way he's got a chance against a tough challenger, former governor John Hickenlooper, is if he remains in the good graces of Trump and the national GOP, which has been spending big money on hysterical attack ads.
But in a transcript from the event obtained by Westword, he also sought to cast doubts on a nationwide application of the process amid the COVID-19 pandemic in ways that should keep The Donald happy, since his references to heavy-handedness coming out of "Washington, D.C." are explicitly aimed at Congress.
During the fundraiser, a caller introduced the topic of mail-in voting with this: "My question is, if you guys are going to mail out all the ballots, and nobody has to vote with ID in the most important thing in our lives that we do is voting. Why on earth would we have to have a DMV? We don't need identification to drive. These are petty things. Buy alcohol, buy a gun. Why on earth do we have to have ID to do all these other things? Yet, the most important thing that the American people do is vote."
After thanking the caller for his question, Gardner replied: "Look, protecting the integrity of our elections is job number one when it comes to carrying out free, transparent, secure elections, which we have to have. We know what's happened in California, where they have voter harvesting laws that allow people weeks and weeks and weeks after the election to change the result of the election. We saw what happened in Florida while the Supreme Court of Florida actually found that state officials had acted unconstitutionally in the way that they were carrying out that election. I'm proud of the work that we've done in Colorado. I'm proud of the way that we have carried out our election, but we have to make sure that Washington, D.C., it doesn't impose some kind of California or Florida style voting regime that impedes the protections of our elections across the country."
Gardner added: "When Thomas Jefferson and George Washington were arguing about what we should do to make sure we have a strong constitution, the last thing on their minds was if they could tell Utah, Colorado, Kansas, Wyoming how they were supposed to vote and the way they were going to carry out their elections. That's not what this country was founded on. Washington, D.C., needs to stay away from running our elections. And so that's why I support the strongest protections when it comes to our security. In Colorado, we've been able to do that, we've been able to protect our elections, but I worry very much about the changes they may try to loosen up the requirements that we have in Colorado, and trying to make it more difficult for people to win an honest election because of the changes to voter harvesting laws that they may make."
At that point, Gardner referenced HR-1, also known as the "For the People Act of 2019," which "was out of the House of Representatives, you know, where they actually try to empower the Attorney General of the United States over independent campaign clerks or county clerks across our states. They want Washington, D.C., to run elections. They want Washington, D.C., the bureaucracy, Nancy Pelosi [and a] handpicked few to make the decisions about how Colorado or any state, for that matter, is able to carry out their elections. We're not going to let it happen. We can stop it by winning in Colorado. Colorado is the key. We win in Colorado, they cannot take the Senate majority. That's the important thing about tonight. That's why I'm asking for your help."
A certain commander-in-chief would undoubtedly approve.
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On Social Security Act Anniversary, Colorado Dems Call Out Trump’s Attacks on Program
Denver, CO - Today, on the 85th anniversary of the Social Security Act, the Colorado Democratic Party released the following statement calling out Donald Trump’s threat to permanently eliminate the payroll taxes that fund Social Security if he wins re-election.
Morgan Carroll, Chair of the Colorado Democratic Party:
“Four years ago, Donald Trump pledged to the American people that he would defend Social Security. But as President, Trump has repeatedly attacked this critical lifeline, which helps nearly 900,000 Coloradans make ends meet. Now, he’s exploiting a public health crisis to wage war on Social Security. Seniors are already bearing the brunt of Trump’s failed coronavirus response, and now Trump is making the crisis worse by going after their pocketbooks. Colorado families deserve better. Come November, we’ll reject Trump’s record of broken promises, and elect a leader who will fight to protect Social Security and boost benefits for retirees. That leader is Joe Biden.”
Carolyn Boller, Chair of the CDP Senior Initiative:
“The social security benefits received by senior citizens recirculates and puts billions of dollars into the US economy — taking those benefits away from Social Security recipients will not only hurt the livelihood of senior citizens and families but the economy as well. As a recipient of Social Security and its benefits, and on behalf of Colorado seniors, today is the day to contact your elected officials and call on them to protect Social Security from Donald Trump.”
BACKGROUND ON TRUMP’S BROKEN PROMISES TO OLDER AMERICANS
Promise: Trump repeatedly promised that he would protect Social Security and Medicare. At his 2016 campaign launch, Trump said he would “save Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security without cuts.”
- Reality: Social Security is a critical lifeline for more than 897,000 Coloradans who rely on it to make ends meet. But Trump is exploiting a public health crisis to gut Social Security -- right when older Coloradans need help the most.
- Reality: Trump pledged to pursue a permanent cut to the payroll taxes that fund Social Security and Medicare if he wins reelection in November.
- Reality: Trump has repeatedly failed to live up to his promise not to touch Social Security. Trump’s FY21 budget called for $24 billion in cuts to Social Security programs. And Trump’s FY20 budget proposed $26 billion in cuts to Social Security programs.
Promise: Trump promised his Administration was taking “unprecedented steps” to protect America’s seniors from the coronavirus. [Trump, 4/30/20]
- Reality: Individuals age 65 or older account for Approximately 80% of deaths due to COVID-19
- Reality: Colorado is home rough 16,000 nursing home residents. As of May, Colorado nursing homes reported over 2,000 coronavirus cases among residents.
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HEADLINE: “Cory Gardner Runs Pro-Trump Facebook Ad Being Seen Everywhere — Except In Colorado”
“Gardner’s reelection campaign did not return requests for comment on why Colorado voters aren’t seeing the ad”
Denver, CO - A breaking HuffPost story reveals that Senator Cory Gardner is running Facebook ads touting his close relationship with President Trump in every state -- except the one he is running in, Colorado. Gardner has shown no daylight between him and Trump and “doesn’t go out of his way to forcefully denounce the president,” but is desperately trying to deceive Coloradans by omitting his pro-Trump ads from our state.
See highlights or read the full article HERE.
HuffPost: Cory Gardner Runs Pro-Trump Facebook Ad Being Seen Everywhere — Except In Colorado
The Republican senator is running for reelection in... Colorado.
By Amanda Terkel | August 14, 2020
Sen. Cory Gardner (R-Colo.) is running a new Facebook ad, touting his close relationship with President Donald Trump.
“We’re asking patriots nationwide to show that they support the pro-growth, conservative agenda that President Trump and I are fighting for ― will you join them? Sign your name now to say ‘thanks’ to President Trump for delivering REAL results on behalf of ALL Americans!” reads the text of the Facebook ad, which also has a little video featuring pictures of Gardner and Trump side-by-side.
But if you’re a voter in Colorado, you probably haven’t seen it.
There are four versions of the ad that began running Monday. According to Facebook data, the ad has been seen the least in Gardner’s own state.
Gardner’s reelection campaign did not return requests for comment on why Colorado voters aren’t seeing the ad.
Additionally, every other Facebook ad Gardner is running is being seen in Colorado.
The other explanation is that the Gardner campaign deliberately excluded it from Colorado.
Gardner is one of the most at-risk senators in the 2020 cycle, with Democrats looking at it as one of their best pickup opportunities. The state increasingly leans blue, and Democrats have won the presidential election there the past three cycles.
Gardner refused to vote for Trump in 2016 ― he said he “cannot and will not support someone who brags about degrading and assaulting women” ― but he has endorsed the president’s reelection bid this time around.
Though he has distanced himself from Trump’s remarks or positions at times, he doesn’t go out of his way to forcefully denounce the president.
And when Trump came to Colorado in February for a rally, Gardner appeared with him and said the president had “done so much good for Colorado.”
“You are going to help us get Cory Gardner across that line because he’s been with us 100%,” Trump told the crowd. “There was no waver. He’s been with us. There was no waver with Cory, and we appreciate that.”
“There are no two ways about it: Sen. Gardner has pledged his allegiance to Donald Trump at the expense of Coloradans,” said Eli Rosen, spokesperson for the Colorado Democratic Party. “As Trump said himself, Gardner is with him ‘100%,’”
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BREAKING: Gardner & Senate GOP Fail to Deliver Any COVID Relief, Go On Month-Long Vacation
85 Days Since Gardner Said It Would Be “Unfathomable” To Go On Recess Without Aid, He Campaigns As Senate Formally Adjourns Without Action
Denver, CO - Senator Cory Gardner and the Senate GOP announced they are officially going on a month-long vacation after failing to deliver COVID relief for the 311,000 Coloradans depending on emergency unemployment relief, our hamstrung local and state governments, and underprepared schools. Instead of standing up for Coloradans and opposing President Trump’s executive orders to slash funding for Social Security and Medicare and gut unemployment relief, Gardner hit the campaign trail and either refused to comment or sidestepped questions.
It has been 85 days since Gardner said recess would be “unfathomable” -- but now he’s on his third vacation after several long weekends and weeks of “infighting” without making any progress. Colorado’s local leaders, workers, and veterans are decrying Gardner and Mitch McConnell’s failure to provide relief and are demanding answers for his “broken promises.”
Colorado Democratic Party spokesperson Eli Rosen:
“It is ‘unfathomable’ that Senator Cory Gardner would go on another vacation after failing to provide relief to Coloradans who are struggling to pay rent, put food on the table, and safely return to school. Senator Gardner has shown staying in Mitch McConnell and Donald Trump’s good graces is more important than Coloradans’ livelihood.”
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NEW: Gardner Campaign Dismisses CORE Act -- “It's Not a Concern”
Gardner’s “halfhearted” edits to the bill were “redundant” & “nonspecific” -- then he “never responded to follow-up requests,” showing he is “unserious about the ‘CORE Act's’ fate”
Denver, CO - While Senator Cory Gardner desperately tries to greenwash his record, new reporting from E&E News explains his reluctance to support the bipartisan CORE Act to protect 400,000 acres of public land in Colorado: “It’s not a concern” to him. Gardner has refused to support the collaborative wilderness bill under the guise that he has edits to the bill, but the Senator’s “halfhearted” changes were “redundant,” “nonspecific, outside of the scope of the bill or not rooted in requests from Colorado,” showing he is “unserious about the ‘CORE Act’s’ fate.”
Then Gardner “never responded to follow-up requests for more information that might have resulted in some bipartisan agreement.”
Gardner has “shown he has the ability to leverage [his] vulnerability for political gain” and “has the power” to get the CORE Act passed, but “if he doesn't use it, he's in the way" of passing the landmark legislation. Gardner was bailed out by the White House, with the Trump Administration threatening to veto the bill if passed to protect Gardner, an “unusual action for a region-specific lands bill.”
Read highlights from E&E News below or the full story HERE:
E&E News: Gardner campaigns on conservation but skirts wilderness bill
By Jennifer Yachnin and Emma Dumain | August 12, 2020
Colorado Rep. Joe Neguse (D) succeeded last month in inserting the measure into the House's fiscal 2021 National Defense Authorization Act, the annual must-pass military spending bill (E&E Daily, July 21).
Still, with the House and Senate expected to start meeting soon to hash out the differences in their respective versions of the NDAA, Gardner could be called to weigh in on whether negotiators should scrap the "CORE Act" or keep it.
Aides for the Colorado Republican on Capitol Hill did not return repeated requests for comment for this article.
Gardner has a complicated relationship with the "CORE Act." In June, he told the Gunnison Country Times that while he does not support the bill as written, he is "certainly not stopping it. They could pass it and I'm not objecting to it."
'He has the power'
Last October, the Democratic-controlled House passed the "CORE Act" as a stand-alone measure, 227-182, with only five Republicans voting "yes."
The legislation became politicized due to the White House issuing a veto threat — an unusual action for a region-specific lands bill that made some Democrats think the Trump administration was working to protect Gardner and Tipton ahead of a potentially contentious election cycle.
The Senate never took any action on the legislation, but with the measure wrapped into the NDAA, the chamber now has little choice. The "CORE Act's" proponents say this is likely their last chance this Congress to get the bill over the finish line.
"If it receives bipartisan support in the Senate, we could actually pass the most consequential Colorado public lands legislation in decades," Bennet said in a statement to E&E News, adding that "it's not unprecedented by any stretch" to attach a Colorado lands bill to the defense authorization.
"In fact," Bennet continued, "I worked with Representative Tipton to pass the Hermosa Creek Watershed Protection Act — which was the last Colorado wilderness proposal to get signed into law — in 2014 as part of the annual NDAA."
Neguse, in a separate statement, noted that the "CORE Act's" inclusion in the NDAA "makes perfect sense" in that it would, among other things, create a National Historic Landscape in honor of the Army's 10th Mountain Division and name an overlook in memory of a local World War II veteran.
"Having both of our Senators support the CORE Act could definitely have a significant impact on Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell's interest in bringing the bill up for a vote, as well as the NDAA conference process in the Senate," Neguse continued. "To have both Colorado Senators support this bipartisan public lands bill would go a long way."
Bennet and Neguse aren't being subtle: They want Gardner to step up and support the effort.
As one of the most vulnerable incumbents of the 2020 election cycle, Gardner has shown he has the ability to leverage that vulnerability for political gain.
For months, Gardner had been pushing McConnell (R-Ky.) to schedule floor time for the Great American Outdoors Act. That McConnell finally put the bill on the floor in June, in the midst of a pandemic, was a decision that cannot be ignored in the context of Gardner's tough reelection fight.
Sources say he could now easily apply the same pressure to leadership when it comes to the "CORE Act" and that it isn't enough for him to say he's staying neutral out of deference to Tipton.
"He has the power. If he doesn't use it, he's in the way," said a source familiar with the dynamics surrounding the "CORE Act," alluding to Gardner's repeated insistence that he isn't "standing in the way" of the bill.
Gunnison County Commissioner Jonathan Houck (D) — who represents a quintessential region of Colorado, home to the Crested Butte ski area, Blue Mesa Reservoir and Curecanti National Recreation Area — is among those local officials who have repeatedly lobbied Gardner to get in line with the "CORE Act."
"Senator Gardner has said that he would not stand in the way of it, but I don't feel that he has engaged the communities that support it at a level that reflects the broad support it has, and not just from county commissioners, but from ranchers, recreationists" and others, Houck said.
He later added: "Senator Gardner has stood to the side."
'Sided with President Trump'
Last month, Gardner was shrugging off the possibility he'd have to intervene, telling The Colorado Sun it was unlikely the "CORE Act" would survive in the NDAA.
"I don't think it will happen. I think it's too late for any amendments here," he said.
Still, in an effort to paint himself as productive on the matter, Gardner separately told the Gunnison newspaper last month he had provided Bennet and Neguse suggestions on how to improve their legislation.
Congressional sources familiar with those discussions, however, told E&E News that Gardner and his staff had, several months earlier, made a series of halfhearted attempts at compromise, where they argued for new legislative language but never responded to follow-up requests for more information that might have resulted in some bipartisan agreement.
"Yes, Senator Gardner did provide Senator Bennet's office with some ideas last fall," one Senate aide told E&E News. "In most cases, those ideas were nonspecific, outside of the scope of the bill or not rooted in requests from Colorado."
Sources said there first was a meeting in October, around the time of House passage of the "CORE Act." Gardner and Tipton approached Bennet with a list of asks that seemed, to the Democratic staff, redundant.
The Republicans called for more engagement with local residents and advocates, who had already been consulted on relevant portions of the bill.
In December, Gardner's staff marked up a copy of the "CORE Act" with many of the same requests for changes, with Bennet's staff continuing to ask for clarification. Where specifically, for instance, would Gardner like to see boundary adjustments, and what changes would he like to see in the bill text?
"Senator Bennet's office responded to them with an open mind in December 2019 and asked for specific language and further clarification," said the Senate aide, "and has not received a response."
This sequence of events, critics say, shows Gardner is unserious about the "CORE Act's" fate.
Any opposition to the bill could also become a weapon to undercut Gardner's newfound credentials as a conservation hero.
"Senator Gardner's been in Washington for a decade, but he's failed to create any new Colorado wilderness," Hickenlooper campaign aide Alyssa Roberts told E&E News.
"Coloradans want a senator who will actually stand up for our public lands and outdoor economy, not one who's sided with President Trump to undo protections and refuses to support the locally driven 'CORE Act.'"
'It's not a concern'
Gardner campaign spokeswoman Meghan Graf fired back when asked whether Gardner's lack of advocacy for one conservation bill takes away from his success with the Great American Outdoors Act.
"It's not a concern for us.
A Senate aide familiar with the legislation said that "Bennet has sought every opportunity to pass the 'CORE Act' in the Senate, but Republicans continue to block it from consideration." Bennet is also in the minority, giving him few opportunities to secure legislative victories by himself.
Denver-based political consultant Rick Ridder, with RBI Strategies and Research, suggested Wadhams' assertions contrast sharply to previous focus groups he's conducted in which voters were asked about Gardner's work on environmental and conservation issues and responded with "blank stares."
"Voters basically saw Cory do nothing in the conservation world for 5 ½ years" as well as during his four years in the House, Ridder said. "There is a little bit of a disconnect there."
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