Hickenlooper, Bennet stand firm in opposing Republican funding measure

WASHINGTON – U.S. Sen. John Hickenlooper was among the first senators to announce he would vote against the Republican funding measure – and he has remained resolute in his opposition.

Government funding ran out at 12:01 a.m. Wednesday (ET), leading to a government shutdown for the first time since 2019 after weeks of partisan debate over appropriations tied to health care.

Hickenlooper released a statement Tuesday night.

"Millions are about to lose their health care, and now President Trump wants to shut down the government too," Hickenlooper said in the release. "Democrats are ready to work with Republicans to lower costs and restore health care for millions of Americans. Instead, Republicans rubber-stamped an agenda that'll make Americans poorer and sicker. We will fight to keep that from happening."

A Joint Economic Committee analysis estimates that 15 million Americans, including 241,000 Coloradans, could lose their health care under the GOP budget bill. The Colorado Division of Insurance warned that health insurance premiums in Colorado could rise by 28% in 2026 unless Congress votes to extend the Affordable Care Act's enhanced premium tax credits.

Hickenlooper and Sen. Bennet voted against Trump's "One Big Beautiful Bill" in July.

"At the end of the month, the federal government is going to shut down if Republicans don't find seven Democratic senators to vote for their budget. I will not be one of those seven," Hickenlooper said in a video release Sept. 19. "If Republicans want to avoid a shutdown, they should restore the health care and nursing home care and support for rural hospitals that they voted to rip away, and they should take action to end the tariffs. If not, I'm a no vote on their continuing resolution."

Medicaid has been a pressing topic for Coloradans. Hickenlooper met with residents at Lakewood's WestLake Care Community Center last week to discuss how Republican cuts to Medicaid could impact nursing homes.

Bennet also voted no on the Republican resolution and held a phone call with reporters on Wednesday to field questions about the shutdown.

"If President Trump and Congressional Republicans allow the Affordable Care Act tax credits to expire, rural families in Colorado will see premiums soar by more than 300%," Bennet wrote in a statement. "In total, more than 24 million Americans could see their health insurance premiums double. At a time when Coloradans already are struggling to afford health care, as well as rent and groceries, the last thing people need is a Republican budget that makes their families' lives harder. That's why I voted against the Republican budget bill."

On the call, Bennet said he has never accepted his pay during government shutdowns, and will not do so this time.

"It's the least we can do at a moment like this when federal employees might not be paid to defer our own compensation," Bennet said. "... This is not fun and games for the American people."

The House is in recess until Oct. 7. Rep. Jeff Hurd, R-Grand Junction, posted Tuesday on X that the House passed a "clean, responsible plan" to keep the government open through Nov. 21.

"House Republicans did our job. If there's a shutdown, it's because Democrats chose politics over common sense," Hurd wrote.

The last shutdown from Dec. 22, 2018, to Jan. 25, 2019, lasted 35 days. The government will remain closed until the Senate can reach a bipartisan agreement, with at least 60 votes needed to pass a funding measure.

"This shutdown is because Donald Trump and Republicans in Washington care more about their extreme MAGA agenda than they care about lowering costs for Americans, saving rural hospitals, and protecting health care for millions of Americans," Hickenlooper said in his release. "I won't accept this, period."

Abigail Hatting is an intern for The Durango Herald and The Journal in Cortez and a senior at American University in Washington, D.C. She can be reached at ahatting@durangoherald.com.

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