April 21, 2017 12:25 PM UTC

Get More Smarter on Friday (April 21)

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• by: Colorado Pols

Queen Elizabeth II is 91 years old today. It’s time to Get More Smarter! If you think we missed something important, please include the link in the comments below (here’s a good example). If you are more of a visual learner, check out The Get More Smarter Show.

TOP OF MIND TODAY…

► President Trump is pushing Congressional Republicans to make another attempt at passing some sort of Obamacare repeal, perhaps as soon as next week. Republicans are not learning much from recent history, however; it appears as though the GOP is once again drafting a secret bill that the majority of the caucus knows nothing about. And as the Washington Post explains, the timing on this new healthcare effort could be particularly problematic:

President Trump is pushing Congress toward another dramatic showdown over the Affordable Care Act, despite big outstanding obstacles to a beleaguered revision plan and a high-stakes deadline next week to keep the government running.

The fresh pressure from the White House to pass a revision was met with skepticism by some Capitol Hill Republicans and their aides, who were recently humiliated when their bill failed to reach the House floor for a vote and who worry now that little has changed to suggest a new revision would fare any better…

…Congressional Republicans also worry that they must attract Democratic support to fund the government past the month’s end — a step they must take by midnight April 28 to avoid a shutdown. That could become difficult if Democrats grow alienated by the effort to alter former president Barack Obama’s key domestic policy achievement, which some White House officials said they hope will come up for a vote as early as Wednesday. [Pols ehmpasis]

President Trump appears to be growing increasingly agitated over his lack of progress on much of anything in his first 100 days in the White House, and it is this attitude that seems to be the rationale behind making another attempt at Trumpcare instead of focusing on avoiding a government shutdown (or trying to accomplish anything else, really). Trump insists that the draft of this new healthcare bill has “gotten really good, and a lot of people are liking it a lot,” which is pretty much what he said about Trumpcare before it cratered the last time.

You can count Rep. Mike Coffman (R-Aurora) among Congressional Republicans who aren’t sold on the idea of making another repeal attempt. You may remember that Coffman was one of Trumpcare’s biggest cheerleaders back in March.

► Colorado Insurance Commissioner Marguerite Salazar is warning Colorado’s Congressional delegation that continuing to toy around with healthcare policy could have devastating effects on the insurance market in our state. Salazar says that insurance rates could increase by double digits in Colorado in 2018 because of market uncertainties related to the federal government’s persistent meddling with the Affordable Care Act.

Check out the newest episode of “The Get More Smarter Show“ for an in-depth discussion with Rep. Diana DeGette (D-Denver) on Trumpcare reform efforts in Congress and why Republicans can’t get anything moving in that regard.

► State lawmakers appear to have reached an impasse on discussions to ask voters for a tax increase to fund road and infrastructure improvements. From the Denver Post:

A grand bargain at the Capitol to seek a tax hike and generate $3.5 billion to improve Colorado’s roadways appeared to collapse just days from the end of the session.

Likewise, a separate bipartisan bill to eliminate cuts in payments to hospitals and funnel more money to struggling rural Colorado moved to life support as talks for a compromise faltered.

The twin setbacks, prompted by ideological gridlock in the divided General Assembly, are a major blow to the governor and legislative leaders who made the issues the top priorities this term…

…The roadblock for the transportation bill is conservative opposition in the Republican-led Senate, where three lawmakers on a key committee are poised to defeat the measure because it includes asking voters for a 0.5 percentage-point increase in the state sales tax.

A resigned Grantham, a prime bill sponsor who wagered significant political capital to forge a deal, acknowledged the reality Thursday and sent shock waves through the statehouse on day 100 of the 120-day session.

Remember these stories when Senate Republicans try to push the blame elsewhere for their legislative inactivity.

Get even more smarter after the jump…

IN CASE YOU ARE STANDING NEAR A WATER COOLER…

► Jeanette Vizguerra, the immigrant mother who has taken sanctuary in a Denver church for months, has been named one of TIME magazine’s “100 most influential people.” This is a nice recognition for Vizguerra’s role in the immigration debate under the Trump administration, though we imagine she would just prefer to go outside instead.

► Senator Cory Gardner (R-Yuma) gets serenaded by a mariachi band in an effort to convince him to actually pay attention to constituents. The Tuesday evening event at the Colorado Springs Chamber of Commerce may not have succeeded in getting Gardner to hold a town-hall event for constituents, but it did generate national news coverage.

► Senator Gardner remains the only member of Colorado’s Congressional delegation who refuses to host town-hall meetings. The Pueblo Chieftain reports on constituent meetings held by Rep. Scott Tipton (R-Cortez) earlier this week:

Facing a sometimes raucous crowd, Rep. Scott Tipton said he wouldn’t support Republican health care reform unless it guaranteed coverage for pre-existing conditions and provided sufficient money for Coloradans getting Medicaid…

…Taunted that he’d voted to repeal Obamacare more than 50 times, Tipton answered that he wasn’t supporting the Republican plan unless it included key pieces, such covering pre-existing conditions and adequate funding for Colorado residents getting Medicaid.

► Congressman Jared Polis (D-Boulderish) sounds off on federal enforcement of marijuana laws in states, such as Colorado, where voters have legalized the good weed. From The Cannabist:

“The DEA has lost their moral authority in this matter, which is sad and dangerous for us as a nation, because we are suffering under the scourge of meth abuse and opioid abuse. … This is ripping families apart. People are dying. It’s awful. And yet the DEA is removing their eye from the ball and they’re saying we’re going to classify CBDs as Schedule I and we’re going to bust somebody who’s trying to help their migraines. I mean, this is a huge disservice for the public health, huge disservice to our country, and it’s why, of course, the DEA should reschedule marijuana. That doesn’t solve all of our issues, but at least it allows for medicinal use and testing. But two, Congress needs to take this up, because we can’t allow this DEA to continue to act as a rogue agency. Too many lives are at risk.”

► Another Democratic candidate has joined the race in CD-6. Ernest Luning of the Colorado Statesman has more on little-known attorney David Aarestad, who announced on Wednesday that he will seek the Democratic nomination for the right to take on Rep. Mike Coffman in 2018. Democrat Jason Crow announced his bid for CD-6 earlier this month.

► Attorney General Jeff Sessions appears to be following the Trumpian rule that one should never, ever apologize for anything. From CNN:

Twenty four hours after referring dismissively to Hawaii as “an island in the Pacific” as part of a broader condemnation of the judicial blockade against the implementation of President Trump’s travel ban, Sessions was given a chance to revise and extend those comments.

He didn’t.

Here’s how Sessions responded to a question from CNN’s Kate Bolduan on Friday about whether his comments disrespected the judge (and the state):

“No, I think the island is a fabulous place. I’ve got a granddaughter born there. But I’ve got to tell you, it is a point worth making that a single sitting district judge out of 600, 700 district judges, can issue an order stopping a presidential executive order that I believe is fully constitutional, designed to protect the United States of America from terrorist attack. And I was just raising the point of that issue of a single judge.”

Bolduan tried another tack with Sessions. “Do you wish you had phrased it differently now?” she asked.

“I don’t know that I said anything that I would want to phrase differently,” Sessions replied. “No.”

► President Trump is lashing out at the practice of grading a new President on his first 100 days in office. Don’t hate the player, hate the game…or something.

► The Justice Department is attempting to “tighten the screws” on policies targeting so-called “sanctuary cities.”

OTHER LINKS YOU SHOULD CLICK

► Heroin + “elephant tranquilizers” = not a good idea.

► Voters in France will choose a new President on Sunday. The outcome of that election could have serious reverberations around the world.

ICYMI

► Don’t forget to check out the latest episode of “The Get More Smarter Show,” featuring an extended interview with Rep. Diana DeGette (D-Denver).

Don’t forget to check out The Get More Smarter Show. You can also Get More Smarter by liking Colorado Pols on Facebook!