Hickenlooper Bashes MAGA Republicans for Blocking Amendment to End Trump’s Slush Fund for Tina Peters

Hickenlooper plans to vote NO on ICE funding bill

Submits additional amendments to redirect funding from ICE to protect Coloradans from wildfires, the increasing prices caused by the war with Iran, Trump's tariffs

WASHINGTON - Today, U.S. Senator John Hickenlooper released the following statement after Republicans blocked his amendment to Republicans' $70 billion U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) funding package that would permanently stop Trump from giving taxpayer-funded payouts from the DOJ's $1.8 billion slush fund to election criminals like Tina Peters and January 6th rioters.

Hickenlooper will vote NO on the final ICE funding bill that does nothing to rein in the out-of-control agency or address the cost-of-living emergency crushing Americans.

"Republicans blocked our amendment to make sure election criminals like Tina Peters don't see a dime of your taxpayer dollars from Trump's slush fund," Hickenlooper said in a video statement. "When will MAGA Republicans finally draw the line? They'd rather give taxpayer-funded bailouts to criminals who sow distrust in our elections or to insurrectionists who attacked police officers on January 6th. All while working families are struggling to pay for gas, health care, and rent. Enough is enough. Americans deserve better than this."

Hickenlooper voted against the funding bill last month and has consistently refused to fund ICE without an overhaul of the agency. Instead of addressing the cost of living crisis impacting Americans, Republicans are rubber stamping legislation that sends $70 billion in new funding to ICE and CBP, in addition to the $75 billion Republicans already approved for ICE last summer.

Watch Hickenlooper's interview with MS NOW about his push to permanently kill the president's slush fund HERE.

HICKENLOOPER AMENDMENT:

Yesterday, Hickenlooper spoke on the Senate floor in support of his amendment to permanently prevent Trump from creating a billion-dollar slush fund to give taxpayer-funded handouts to Tina Peters and January 6th insurrectionists. The Trump administration has walked back their slush fund plans but Hickenlooper still forced Republicans to vote on the record and stop the slush fund permanently.

"President Trump plans to hand out nearly two billion of YOUR taxpayer dollars to January 6 rioters, to his wealthy business partners, and to people who have attacked democracy," said Hickenlooper. "The acting Attorney General says they'll no longer pursue this slush fund. I don't believe that for one second. The only promises this administration has seemed to keep are to billionaires and President Trump's cronies."

Click HERE to download Hickenlooper's remarks.

ADDITIONAL AMENDMENTS:

Hickenlooper introduced 12+ amendments to help Colorado fight wildfires, lower prices, stop ICE's lawlessness, protect Coloradans' health care, and safeguard our public lands.

Specifically, he introduced amendments to:

Stop Trump's Corruption

• Prevent Special Treatment for Trump and his Family: Hickenlooper-led amendment would undo the settlement the president made with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) to create his $1.8 billion slush fund. His amendment would also bar the Department of Justice and the Department of Treasury from protecting Trump, his family, or any business affiliated with the president and his family from being investigated by the IRS.

Lower Prices for Americans

• Return Tariff-taxes to the People: Hickenlooper-led amendment would zero out funding for ICE and use that funding to deliver refunds to the American people and the small businesses getting crushed by Trump's illegal tariffs.

• Secure Gas Refunds for Families: Hickenlooper-led amendment to redirect $31 billion away from ICE for immediate refunds for American consumers for high gas prices caused by Trump's unwanted war.

• Help Farmers Survive Trump's Cost-of-Living Crisis: Hickenlooper-led amendment would redirect $1 billion away from ICE to help farmers overcome the increasingly high prices of fertilizer caused by the illegal war in Iran.

Stop ICE's Violence and Lawlessness

• Protect Kids in ICE Detention: Hickenlooper-led amendment would redirect $1 billion from Trump's Big Bad Betrayal Act to make sure children in immigration detention receive essential care.

• Force ICE to Comply with Oversight Visits: Hickenlooper-led amendment would eliminate all funding for DHS unless they rescind their restrictions obstructing Members of Congress and their staff's congressional ability to conduct oversight visits of immigration detention facilities.

• Protect DACA Recipients: Hickenlooper-backed amendment would provide $10 billion to help process DACA applications and work applications. It would also prevent any of that funding from being used to arrest, detain, deport, or remove DACA recipients.

Lower the Cost of Health Care

• Protect Americans' Health Care: Hickenlooper-led amendment would help extend the Affordable Care Act (ACA) Enhanced Premium Tax Credits for 2 years to protect millions of Americans' health care after Republicans gutted the ACA to pay for the $4 trillion tax cuts.

• Reverse Republicans' Medicaid Cuts: Hickenlooper-led amendment would reallocate more than $31 billion from ICE to reverse the disastrous cuts to Medicaid that Republicans made last summer

Protect Public Lands and the Environment

• Fight Wildfires: Hickenlooper-led amendment would redirect $31 billion from ICE to efforts to mitigate and fight wildfires as Colorado and the West prepare for another severe wildfire year.

Defend American Science and Public Health

• Save NCAR: Hickenlooper-led amendment would redirect $1 billion from ICE to fully fund the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR). The amendment would stop the Trump admin's effort to dismantle NCAR and preserve the world-class and life-saving weather research NCAR does.

• Protect Our Public Health: Hickenlooper-led amendment to redirect $1 billion from ICE to help monitor and prevent the outbreak of infectious diseases.

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