January 09, 2018 12:40 PM UTC

Weed over kids: Cory Gardner's priorities?

• 3 Comments
• by: ProgressNow Colorado

You probably saw it on TV last week. After Trump’s attorney general made another threat to shut down Colorado’s legal marijuana industry, Sen. Cory Gardner spoke out on the floor of the U.S. Senate and threatened to stall Justice Department nominees.

Marijuana is a billion-dollar business in Colorado, and money talks. But here’s the problem: while Cory Gardner says he’s willing to go to extremes to protect the marijuana industry (which is debatable considering his parade of broken promises), 90,000 Colorado kids are in danger of losing their Children’s Health Insurance Program coverage. Uncertainty in Washington has forced Colorado to spend money we don’t have to temporarily cover kids who qualify for CHIP in our state, but that won’t last forever.

Send a message to Cory Gardner now: tell him to stand up for Colorado’s kids.

If 2017 taught us anything, it’s that Gardner’s priorities are hopelessly out of whack. Gardner spent all of last year trying repeatedly to destroy the Affordable Care Act and slash taxes for the wealthiest Americans, despite the fact that poll after poll showed that’s not what Coloradans wanted. Gardner claimed to support health insurance for children, but Republicans in Washington have refused to take action to fund CHIP for the long-term.

If Cory Gardner can shut down Justice Department nominations over marijuana, why can’t he do as much for 90,000 Colorado kids who need health coverage? Tell Gardner to do the right thing—even when there aren’t campaign donations and a billion-dollar industry at stake.

Thanks for helping us hold Gardner accountable to his promises. We’ll make sure he gets your message.