May 14, 2025 10:53 AM UTC

Get More Smarter Roundup for Wednesday (May 14)

•  
• by: Colorado Pols

Happy Hastings Banda’s Birthday. Please celebrate responsibly. Let’s 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 an audio learner, check out The Get More Smarter Podcast.

Warm Up Those Brains…

► As Republicans barrel toward trying to dismantle Medicaid so that President Trump can extend his tax cuts for rich people, the details of their maneuvering keep showing how dangerous it would be for Americans — and not just for those who would lose health care coverage. As Spencer Soicher reports for 9News:

The proposed legislation would require Medicaid recipients under age 65 to prove they work or participate in community engagement for at least 20 hours weekly to maintain their benefits. This requirement could have far-reaching consequences for vulnerable populations, including individuals with disabilities who may not meet the threshold.

Sustainability, a recycling company in Colorado, is a business that depends on Medicaid funding to create employment opportunities for people with disabilities. The company uses Medicaid funds to hire job coaches who train disabled workers.

“Without Medicaid, we unfortunately would not be able to run,” Meg Moore, a representative from Sustainability, said. The company processes recyclable materials, with workers handling tasks like disassembling VHS tapes and processing old paint containers.

“Everyone would lose their jobs, unfortunately,” Moore said, describing a worst-case scenario if Medicaid were gutted.

“Medicaid waiver programs are a little bit different than Medicaid health insurance,” Moore said. “We are funded 50% by federal medicaid dollars and 50% by the state. With these cuts at the federal level, there’s less money in the pot obviously, which means that states may have to make up the difference, and we don’t know yet if the state of Colorado is is gonna be able to do that.”

► Quick quiz: How many times has President Trump changed tariff policies since his inauguration in January?

Hint: The number is probably a LOT higher than you would guess.

As The Washington Post reports in a new story about why Trump blinked on high tariffs with China:

Trump’s pullback reflected the core tension that has bedeviled the White House as he has tried using tariffs to remake the global economy in record time: What he seeks is virtually impossible without substantial political and economic blowback, even to constituencies the administration aims to protect.

That challenge is reflected in the sheer number of times the president has adjusted his tariff policies, at a pace economists say is without precedent. Since the inauguration on Jan. 20, Trump administration officials have announced new or revised tariff policies more than 50 times, according to a tally by The Washington Post. (A separate tally by Reed Smith, a law firm, has found about 55 such actions.) [Pols emphasis] Trump has issued more than a dozen tariff-related executive orders, or about one per week — one aimed at Mexican drugs and migration, another aimed at Canada, yet another hitting China, and several that modified previously issued executive orders, among others.

► Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser has joined with 19 other states in a new lawsuit aimed at pushing back against Trump administration efforts to withhold federal funds from states that don’t agree to their demands on policy changes. From The Associated Press:

A coalition of 20 state Democratic attorneys general — including Colorado’s Phil Weiser — filed two federal lawsuits Tuesday, claiming that the Trump administration is threatening to withhold billions of dollars in transportation and disaster-relief funds unless states agree to certain immigration enforcement actions.

According to the complaints, both Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem and Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy have threatened to cut off funding to states that refuse to comply with President Donald Trump’s immigration agenda.

While no federal funding is currently being withheld, California Attorney General Rob Bonta said during a news conference on Tuesday that the threat was “imminent.”

“President Donald Trump can’t use these funds as a bargaining chip as his way of ensuring states abide by his preferred policies,” Bonta added.

Weiser said in a statement that the Trump administration is trying to “strong-arm” states into assisting with federal immigration enforcement.

“In Colorado, we make the decisions on how our law enforcement resources are used here,” he said. “In this case, the funds that Congress directed to the states have nothing to do with immigration enforcement and the federal government has no authority to condition Colorado’s access to such funds in this manner. We’re committed to defending Colorado’s share of federal funding and challenging DHS and DOT’s effort to make an end run around Congress and the law.”

► Brandon Richard of Denver7 reports on mounting pressure for Gov. Jared Polis as he ponders vetoing legislation that would eliminate a ridiculous second election requirement for unions in Colorado:

Senate Bill 25-005, also known as the Worker Protection Act, aims to make it easier for employees to form labor unions by eliminating Colorado’s unique requirement for a second election.

Supporters say the bill would empower workers and create a more level playing field.
“To level the playing field in Colorado for working people is a good thing to do,” said Stephanie Felix-Sowy, president of SEIU Local 105, which has strongly backed the measure.

But opponents warn the bill could have broader economic consequences for Colorado.

“It’ll lead to inflation, absolutely,” said Jesse Mallory with Americans for Prosperity Colorado. “That’s what it’ll absolutely do, make things cost more.”

This is an absolutely ridiculous quote from Mallory. You know what is actually causing inflation? President Trump’s economic policies and his pointless Tariff War. Eliminating a second election requirement for unions won’t make a lick of difference on inflation.

While Polis considers a veto in order to appease groups like the Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce, labor unions are looking ahead to the 2026 ballot:

On Tuesday, Colorado Worker Rights United, a coalition of labor and community groups, launched a new campaign to collect signatures for a proposed ballot initiative that would require employers to have “just cause” when firing workers.

“And so, what this ballot measure would do would eliminate that ability for any employer in the state to fire anybody for any reason that they see fit,” Felix-Sowy said. “You’d have to have cause.”

If organizers gather enough valid signatures, the measure will appear on the November 2026 ballot — a sign that Colorado’s battles over labor policy may continue well beyond this year.

► The Jefferson County Republican Party is bringing murderer Kyle Rittenhouse to Colorado for a fundraiser.

Click below to keep learning things…

Get Extra Smarter…

► Jason Salzman of the Colorado Times Recorder profiles a Colorado businessman who is very worried about Trump’s tariff war:

In his newsletter last month, U.S. Rep. Gabe Evans (R-CO) wrote about his recent visit to a business in his district, calling the enterprise a “great example of local entrepreneurship and the American Dream in CO-08!”

“My family and I stopped by Queso Campesino to talk with the company, which was founded by Mexican-born immigrant Gabriel Robles,” wrote Evans in his newsletter. “His vision has brought authentic, high-quality Mexican cheese to families across the U.S.”

Robles supported GOP candidates in the last election, but he did not expect to see the high tariffs on imports, including on the dairy products that he imports.

“People don’t know what to expect day-to-day anymore,” Robles told the Colorado Times Recorder. “So it’s pretty crazy, put it that way … because of the uncertainty. I mean, you can’t rely on our president. He says one thing. He says a different thing. I mean, it’s out of whack.”

The tariffs have made Robles question whether he’ll support Republicans in the next election.

► Axios Denver reports on federal funding for public education in Colorado:

Colorado receives among the least federal dollars per person for its K-12 public school systems, per new census data.

Public schools in Colorado got $235 per person, significantly less than the $360 U.S. average.

Only Utah ($220), Maine ($230) and New Hampshire ($234) received less money per person.

There’s a good news/bad news angle here: Colorado receives less federal money through Title I because those funds are tied to poverty rates — and Colorado’s poverty levels are much lower than most states.

► Colorado Newsline runs down three bills on election security that passed through the Colorado legislature in the 2025 session.

► Colorado Senators Michael Bennet and John Hickenlooper are co-sponsors of legislation to ban so-called “conversion therapy.” From a press release via the office of Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.):

U.S. Senators Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) and Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) joined 36 of their Senate colleagues in reintroducing the Therapeutic Fraud Prevention Act, legislation that would ban so-called “conversion therapy,” a practice fraudulently claiming to change an individual’s sexual orientation or gender identity. The practice has been recognized by the national community of professionals in health, education, social work, and counseling as being both dangerous and useless.

► Single-stair reform is coming to Colorado! Are you excited?

► As Olivia Prentzel reports for The Colorado Sun, officials in Manitou Springs have declared a water emergency:

After abundant rain drenched many parts of Colorado last week, including Manitou Springs, the small town near the base of Pikes Peak is now facing a critical water supply emergency and is warning residents to cease all water use.

All nondrinking water use is prohibited, the city officials said Monday announcing the emergency order. The city warned residents that the city’s primary water source and reserves in its backup system have dropped at a faster rate than expected.

“As a result, strict participation and adherence to these emergency water restrictions are now required,” the city said. That means city residents must hold off on showers, irrigation, dishwashing and other commercial uses of water until the water supply is restored, which could be by the end of this week.

But why is there a water emergency after so much rain? Officials say it’s an issue of high turbidity, or extreme cloudiness of water, caused by sediment and other microorganisms that are affecting water quality and treatment operations.

Betcha didn’t think you’d be reading the word “turbidity” today.

► A Lyft driver has been charged with sexual assault related to a ride given to State Rep. Jenny Wilford in 2024. The alleged assault on Wilford helped prompt the legislature to pass a rideshare safety bill in the 2025 legislative session — a bill that both Lyft and Uber are encouraging Gov. Jared Polis to veto. Last month Uber claimed (laughably) that it would end its services in Colorado if HB25-1291 was allowed to become law. 

► The mini-trucks are coming.

► POLITICO reports on the “trainwreck” that is the U.S. Senate race in Texas in 2026:

John Cornyn is anathema to many Republican primary voters. Ken Paxton, a state attorney general, may be too tarred by scandal to win a general election.

Ten months out, the Texas Senate primary is shaping up as the GOP trainwreck of the 2026 election cycle, a cash-burning demolition derby that threatens to fracture the party, force the White House to intervene and perhaps even put an otherwise safe seat at risk in November.

But wait, there’s more!

One potential GOP wildcard is Wesley Hunt, a two-term, millennial African American congressman from metro Houston with a fondness for three-piece suits.

First elected in 2022 as a Trump acolyte after losing a bid two years before as a more traditional Republican, Hunt is considered a political striver even by the thirsty standards of Capitol Hill. He stumped in Iowa for Trump before the 2024 caucuses and, in a sign of even higher ambitions, recently appeared in New Hampshire in support of local Republicans.

The argument for Hunt is that he is far more palatable to MAGA diehards than Cornyn but without the toxic miasma of allegations that taint Paxton with general election voters.

► Vox.com reports on the growing battle between competing MAGA factions.

It’s been a rough week in the world of the online intellectual right, which is currently in the midst of two separate yet related blowups — both of which illustrate how the pressures of power are cracking the elite coalition that aligned behind President Donald Trump’s return to power.

► Big-name Republicans, including Senate Majority Leader John Thune, are speaking out against President Trump’s inclination to accept a $400 million airplane from Qatar. House Speaker Mike Johnson, however, remains too much of a coward to say anything.

► The first female mayor of Omaha, Nebraska — a Republican — will be replaced by a Democrat who is the first Black man to win the job.

Say What, Now?

Stop trying to make “reclaim” happen.

Your Daily Dose Of ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 

► The official Twitter account for House Republicans posted something that included a partial Spanish translation…and MAGA lunatics lost their damn minds. 

► Did we mention that the 2025 Colorado Rockies appear to be the worst team in the history of professional baseball?

ICYMI

► President Trump is taking corruption to a new level as he begins a trip to the Middle East. One of the big topics of discussion is his apparent preference to accept a $400 million luxury jet from Qatar as a replacement for Air Force One. But as David A. Graham writes for The Atlantic, “There’s No Such Thing as a Free Plane”:

The most astonishing thing is that Trump is doing this out in the open. One secret to his impunity thus far has been that rather than try to hide his misdeeds—that’s what amateurs such as Nixon and Harding did—he calculates that if he makes no pretense, he can get away with them. This worked when he called on foreign countries to interfere in U.S. elections, when he declined to divest from his companies in his first term, and when he tried to subvert the 2020 presidential election. Now he is daring the courts, Congress, and Americans to either stop him or else declare graft legal—at least for him.

Underscoring the crookedness, the plane would ultimately belong not to the U.S. government but to Trump: Once he leaves office, it would reportedly “be transferred to the Trump Presidential Library Foundation no later than Jan. 1, 2029, and any costs relating to its transfer will be paid for by the U.S. Air Force,” per ABC. In short, a foreign government might give the president of the United States a $400 million personal gift. [Pols emphasis] Not a bad haul at a time when Trump is asking American children to do with fewer dolls and pencils. (Federal law allows officials to accept personal gifts below a certain amount, currently set at $480. That’s 0.0001 percent the estimated value of the plane.)…

…If there’s no such thing as a free lunch, there’s certainly no such thing as a free plane. The Qataris would presumably not give Trump such a plane out of the goodness and generosity of their hearts. There’s a simple term for this: bribery. The fact that we don’t know what Qatar might want from Trump doesn’t change that. In fact, it’s arguably scarier, because rather than consider the exchange a quid pro quo for something specific, Trump could slant any number of policy choices to benefit Doha. The Supreme Court has, in a series of recent decisions, made prosecuting politicians for corruption harder and harder, but that doesn’t preclude the rest of us from using plain language.

► Don’t miss the latest episode of the Get More Smarter Podcast for an in-depth rundown of the 2025 Colorado legislative session with Denver Post Statehouse Reporter Seth Klamann: