Really? A 3-Day Weekend?
Like many Coloradans, John is fed up. The Senate left Washington — again — without any agreement on passing desperately needed COVID relief while millions of families are struggling. For weeks, John has been calling on the Senate to get to work to address the COVID crisis.
John released the following statement after Senator Gardner left for another long weekend:
“Only Washington would think the right time for a three day weekend is at the height of a global pandemic just after 1.2 million Americans filed for unemployment. Senator Gardner should be in Washington, working to deliver sorely needed relief to the families, schools, and small businesses who need it.”
Endorsement Corner
This week alone, John earned high-profile endorsements from President Barack Obama, former Governor Deval Patrick, the Colorado Chapter of the Sierra Club, and pro-choice group Cobalt Advocates.
These leaders and organizations join a long list of endorsers who know John is the independent problem solver Washington needs and has a track record of delivering results.
1,000 Solar-Powered Jobs Coming to Pueblo
Yesterday, John visited Pueblo and celebrated Evraz Rocky Mountain Steel’s decision to start construction on a new mill, creating a thousand new good-paying jobs and contributing to Pueblo’s local economy. As Governor, John worked with Senate President Leroy Garcia and state Representative Daneya Esgar to help make this happen. Evraz is the first steel mill in the country to be powered by solar energy.
Hitting the Road in the Springs and Southern Colorado
John continues to talk directly with small business owners, health care professionals, and everyday Coloradans, and this week he visited southern Colorado and Colorado Springs to listen to people who need Washington to step up and act on COVID relief.
On Thursday, he joined state Senator Pete Lee and state Representative Marc Snyder to visit small businesses in Manitou Springs. This town was hit hard by floods back when John was Governor, and he provided immediate relief to help the town get back on its feet.
John also sat down with frontline health care workers in Colorado Springs to hear about how they’ve secured PPE, expanding access to health care, and other challenges they’ve faced during this public health crisis.
On Friday, John met with seniors in Pueblo who not only are scared of our current health crisis, but also of Washington Republicans’ proposed cuts to Medicare. They discussed how the Senate hasn’t done anything to help with the cost of prescription drugs.
The Pueblo Chieftain wrote:
The former governor and Denver mayor was there to talk about issues including Medicare, Social Security, lowering prescription drug costs and other issues facing older citizens. “A lot of people are having a lot of trouble making rent and putting food on the table. Washington, (D.C.) is stuck. It’s still broken,” Hickenlooper said.
Hickenlooper said nearly three months after the Heroes Act came out of the House of Representatives, nothing is happening.
“Nobody did anything. Then they took a recess for two weeks knowing that after that two-week period, the rent support’s going to run out. And unemployment’s going to run out. No one has a sense of urgency.” The act was still being debated Friday. He said he ran for mayor in 2003 because he felt government had to work.
“It’s not about the politicians getting reelected. It’s about solving problems and making people’s lives better and doing it efficiently and not wasting money,” Hickenlooper said. “Washington is … It just is a mess.”
Hickenlooper said President Donald Trump has recently been trying to cut back on Medicare and Social Security. “And (Sen.) Mitch McConnell and (Sen.) Cory Gardner haven’t said a peep. That’s concerning to people,” he said.
Read the full story HERE.
Hickenlooper and Crow Decry Senate Dysfunction
Earlier this week, Congressman Jason Crow joined John for a virtual event to decry the Senate’s failure to pass a COVID relief plan as millions of American families are struggling. They heard from a health care provider, a firefighter, and an unemployed worker about the urgent need for relief and the Senate’s failure to deliver.
CBS Denver wrote:
Progress is coming slowly as lawmakers craft another major response to the coronavirus pandemic. Negotiators on the huge relief bill met Monday in the Capitol as issues like food for the poor and aid to schools moved to the forefront.
All sides predict a long slog ahead despite the lapse of a $600-per-week expanded unemployment benefit at the end of July. Several more days of talks are expected.
U.S. Senate candidate John Hickenlooper, a Democrat, told CBS4 he is frustrated the Senate Republicans have not taken action.
“The Senate heard from local leaders that they need relief to fund critical services, like our firefighters, and our schools, yet they’ve been able to do nothing,” said Hickenlooper.
55th Anniversary of the Voting Rights Act
Congressman Joe Neguse, state Senator Rhonda Fields, and state Representatives Janet Buckner, Tony Exum, and Leslie Herod joined John for a virtual panel discussion on the Voting Rights Act and the need to protect the right to vote for all Americans.
Across the country, we are watching Republicans do everything in their power to suppress the right to vote. The bill to reauthorize the Voting Rights Act has been sitting on Mitch McConnell’s desk and Senator Gardner hasn’t taken any action to try and bring this bill to the floor. John believes we must honor civil rights legend John Lewis by fully restoring the Voting Rights Act, and he’ll fight to do so in the U.S. Senate.
Fighting for a Healthier Future: John’s Health Care Plan
John released his plan to make sure all Coloradans have a guarantee of a healthier future. The costs of health care and prescription drugs have skyrocketed in this country — and Coloradans shouldn’t have to worry about not being able to afford seeing a medical professional during a pandemic. John wants to build on the Affordable Care Act and strengthen Medicaid to work towards 100% coverage.
As Governor, John expanded Medicaid to an additional 400,000 Coloradans and established the successful state exchange, Connect for Health Colorado, which allowed individuals to compare plans for quality and affordability. 500,000 Coloradans got health insurance due to the implementation of the Affordable Care Act in our state, and Colorado reached nearly 95% coverage statewide. Meanwhile, Senator Gardner is supporting President Trump’s lawsuit to overturn the law and gut coverage protections for people with pre-existing conditions.
Read his full plan HERE.
Volunteers Fired Up and Ready to Go
John and the Colorado Democratic Party teamed up to kick-off a day of action with hundreds of volunteers who are ready to see change in Washington. These volunteers are working to make sure Democrats get elected up and down the ballot. 87 days to go!
