Bennet Demands Senate Investigation Into Trump’s Weaponization of the Federal Government Against Colorado

About About Michael Legislation News Press Releases Social Media Newsletter Archive Services Priorities Top Issues Child Tax Credit Investing in Colorado Contact Map Español Acerca de Michael Escribe a Michael Prioridades Servicios Visitando D.C. Bennet Demands Senate Investigation Into Trump’s Weaponization of the Federal Government Against Colorado Denver — Colorado U.S. Senator Michael Bennet called on Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) and Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) to launch immediate investigations into the Trump administration’s use of federal agencies, grants, and personnel to carry out the President’s political vendetta against Colorado.  The call for the Senate to investigate the role […] Aug 20, 2026 | Press Releases Denver — Colorado U.S. Senator Michael Bennet called on Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) and Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) to launch immediate investigations into the Trump administration’s use of federal agencies, grants, and personnel to carry out the President’s political vendetta against Colorado. The call for the Senate to investigate the role the Departments of Agriculture, Energy, Interior and Transportation as well as the Office of Management and Budget played follows new evidence that the White House coordinated efforts to punish Colorado and its residents in an effort to secure Tina Peters’ release. “The Trump Administration’s coordinated weaponization of the federal bureaucracy – intended to compel Colorado to pardon an individual convicted of state crimes in state court – is unprecedented, and strikes at the core of our democracy and our Constitution’s federal architecture,” wrote Bennet. As part of an ongoing lawsuit, new evidence revealed an email sent by a White House special assistant inviting federal employees from five federal agencies and offices to a “brainstorm call” to “discuss immediate actions that [their agency] can take with respect to Colorado.” The email was sent just hours before Trump attacked Colorado leadership for not releasing former Mesa County Clerk and Recorder Tina Peters from state prison. Peters was found guilty by a jury of her peers of four state felonies and three misdemeanors related to election interference. “Allowing this unconstitutional overreach to go unchallenged sets a dangerous precedent, and unsettles the relationship between states and the federal government. No state should be subject to punitive measures for decisions that simply happen to go against a sitting president’s desires – and no American should be denied relief from floods and wildfires, or see their opportunity for clean water ripped away, simply because they happen to live in a state at odds with a given administration,” wrote Bennet. In the days following the December email, the Trump administration took a series of actions targeting Colorado. It cut grant funding; denied two requests for disaster relief related to the Lee and Elk fires and flooding in Southwest Colorado; threatened SNAP benefits for more than 100,000 Colorado families; and sought to dismantle the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder. In the final days of the year, Trump issued the first veto of his second presidential term, blocking bipartisan legislation that would have completed the long-promised Arkansas Valley Conduit and delivered clean drinking water to 50,000 Coloradans. “The President – unable to accomplish his objective legally – resorted to a campaign of coercion. But the nature of this assault is not confined to Colorado alone. Today, no state, and no citizen, can assume they are safe from similar methods of intimidation. That should concern us all,” wrote Bennet. Bennet has consistently fought against Trump’s weaponization of the federal government. In January, Bennet led the entire Colorado delegation in support of Governor Jared Polis’ appeal to Trump’s targeted denial of Major Disaster Declarations for the Lee and Elk Fires and the Southwest Colorado flooding. He then introduced legislation to ensure that no President could deny disaster aid as part of a political vendetta. In January, Bennet spoke on the Senate floor for nearly an hour to highlight the importance of NCAR. On the final day of 2025, Bennet and Senator John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.) slammed Trump for vetoing their bipartisan Finish the Arkansas Valley Conduit Act. In December 2025, Bennet and Hickenlooper issued a joint statement in response to reports that the Trump administration plans to dismantle the NCAR in Boulder and cancel millions in transportation and energy grants designated for Colorado. In October 2025, he issued a statement following the Trump administration’s targeted cancellation of billions of dollars in funding for energy projects across the country. The text of the letter is available HERE and below. Majority Leader Thune and Minority Leader Schumer: I write to request that the relevant committees of the United States Senate immedia