WATCH: Hickenlooper Shreds Trump over Slush Fund for Tina Peters, Cost-of-living Emergency

Hickenlooper: "The president calls it the art of the deal… taxpayers pay in. His allies get payouts."

Hickenlooper plans to force a vote on his amendment to permanently stop Trump's slush fund payments

On Monday, he penned an op-ed for MS NOW about Tina Peters walking free

WASHINGTON - Today, U.S. Senator John Hickenlooper took to the Senate floor to tear into President Trump's unprecedented effort to give taxpayer handouts to election criminals like Tina Peters from the president's $1.8 billion fund. Hickenlooper plans to force a vote on his amendment to permanently kill the president's slush fund during the upcoming votes on the Republicans' ICE funding bill, which he will vote against.

"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."

Watch his speech HERE.

"This administration isn't just trying to give your tax dollars to criminals. They're spending trillions on bombs and tax breaks for billionaires," he continued. "And what do Americans get in return? Higher bills, benefits that have been gutted, and a tab they never agreed to pick up."

On Monday, Tina Peters walked out of prison in Colorado and joined Steve Bannon to continue spreading her election lies.

Two weeks ago, Republicans delayed their votes on their $70 billion funding package for Trump's immigration enforcement to avoid voting on Hickenlooper's amendment. Now, the Trump administration is walking back their slush fund plans but Hickenlooper will still move forward with his amendment to force Republicans to vote on the record and stop the slush fund permanently.

During his speech, Hickenlooper also highlighted stories from Coloradans he has met who are getting crushed by the cost-of-living emergency Trump manufactured.

"Just talk to Leah, a young woman, who I met recently at a health care roundtable in Colorado Springs. She's the full-time medical caregiver for her daughter Victoria, who was diagnosed as a baby with spina bifida. Victoria is paraplegic, fed through a tube, and requires a ventilator. Leah works around the clock to keep her child alive," said Hickenlooper. "This year, Leah's income will be cut by 40% as a direct result of this administration's Medicaid cuts. That cut puts her daughter's life at risk."

He also shared the story of a woman he met at a nonprofit in Denver, "Brittany's daughter recently had a severe asthma attack. Brittany watched her daughter gasp for breath and then begin turning blue. In that split second, she faced a second fear: should she rush her daughter to the hospital herself and risk the drive, with no one to care for her daughter, or call an ambulance, which she knew she couldn't afford. It's a fear that no parent should have to live with. The Trump administration made it a reality because they chose these tax breaks for these billionaires over health care for working people."

For a full video of Hickenlooper's remarks, click HERE. A full transcript of his remarks as prepared for delivery is available below:

"On Monday, Tina Peters walked out of prison.

The convicted felon and former county clerk is free after serving less than a quarter of her sentence. A sentence she earned when she violated her oath and undermined Colorado's free and fair elections.

That doesn't just make her a conspiracy theorist. It makes her a criminal.

Tina Peters had her day in court - she was prosecuted by a Republican district attorney and convicted by a jury of her peers in a Republican stronghold.

The verdict was unanimous. Tina Peters was and is guilty as sin.

But if you ask the Trump administration, they believe she deserves a pay day.

Last month, the Department of Justice announced the creation of a $1.8 billion fund - a slush fund - for criminals just like Tina Peters.

President Trump plans to hand out nearly two billion of YOUR taxpayer dollars to January 6 rioters, his wealthy business partners, and people who attack our democracy.

We are not going to let that happen.

The acting Attorney General says they'll no longer pursue this slush fund. I don't believe it for one second. The only promises this administration keeps are to billionaires and President Trump's cronies.

The president calls it the art of the deal: Americans pay in. His allies get payouts.

This administration isn't just trying to give your tax dollars to criminals. They're spending trillions on ballrooms, bombs, and tax breaks for billionaires.

And what do Americans get in return?

Higher bills, gutted benefits, and a tab they never agreed to pick up.

While the Trump administration is busy cashing in - working people are facing a cost-of-living emergency.

The president's war in Iran is sending costs through the roof.

The costs are already adding up. On energy alone, Americans have spent an average of $450 more since the start of the war. Gas in Colorado is nearly $4.50 a gallon. And before the year is out, American families will spend hundreds more on groceries.

Here's how bad it's gotten. Americans now carry a record $1.25 trillion in credit card debt - the highest level since the stock market crash in 2008. That's the equivalent of every single American owing $3,600.

That's not a working class that's thriving. It's one that's barely surviving.

And here's the cruel reality - people are working harder than ever!

Coloradans are doing everything they can to hold up their end of the bargain - long days, multiple jobs, paying taxes.

But the more they contribute, the less they get in return. And there's a clear explanation for this.

The president doled out $4 trillion in tax breaks to the wealthiest Americans and the largest corporations - so rich guys like him can skip their taxes. And to pay for it, they slashed $1 trillion from Americans' health care - that's over ten years.

Trump's tariffs generated $133 billion. Nearly every dollar came straight out of American consumers' pockets - an average $1,000 per person.

The Supreme Court ruled those tariffs illegal, and a federal court ordered the administration to repay American businesses. Have they complied? Of course not. They're using every excuse in the book to resist. They have failed to pay back the $166 billion they owe. Even worse, just yesterday, President Trump announced new tariffs on 59 countries and the European Union.

When they're not busy taxing Americans, the Trump administration is pouring hundreds of millions into a new ballroom. Meanwhile, 9,000 families in Colorado just lost their SNAP benefits.

Our economy is leaving too many Americans behind.

Just talk to Leah, who I met recently at a health care event in Colorado Springs. She's the full-time medical caregiver for her daughter Victoria, who was diagnosed as a baby with spina bifida. Victoria is paraplegic, fed through a tube, and requires a ventilator. Leah works around the clock to keep her child alive.

That hard work is about to get even harder. This year, Leah's income will be cut by 40% as a direct result of this administration's Medicaid cuts. That cut puts her daughter's life at risk.

The Trump administration claims these Medicaid cuts were about preventing graft and fraud. But there's clearly no fraud in a mother trying to keep her child alive.

Leah doesn't even know if they'll be able to keep their house - that's specifically fitted to take care of Victoria's needs. Without Leah's round the clock care, Victoria would have to be institutionalized in an acute care facility at a much higher cost.

Leah is living every parent's worst nightmare. She works as hard as possible every day to keep her child alive. And now, it's still not enough.

So many Americans are living with that kind of fear.

At a local nonprofit in Denver, I met a woman named Brittany, who told me health care is one of her biggest stressors.

Brittany's daughter recently had a severe asthma attack. Brittany watched her daughter gasp for breath and then begin turning blue. In that split second, she faced a second fear: should she rush her daughter to the hospital herself and risk the drive, or call an ambulance she knew she couldn't afford.

It's a fear no parent should have to live with. The Trump administration made it a reality because they chose tax breaks for billionaires over health care for working people.

At another event in Denver, I met Luisa, who spends $90 a week on gas so she can drive 28 miles to work every day. She moved further from Denver because the housing was more affordable. Now she wonders if she made the right choice.

Luisa is watching costs increase while she takes home less every week. She does everything she can to insulate her kids from her fear. On weekends, she takes her kids to the park. She hopes they are too busy playing to remember how hungry they are. 'It's one less meal to buy,' she said.

Our country is measured in these moments. The way we care for the most vulnerable. The life-or-death journey between the house and the hospital. The cost to fill an empty fridge.

By every measure, President Trump has failed.

He's run up costs, paid himself and his friends -and stuck Americans with the bill.

This is the moment we decide whether that's acceptable. Whether the people who work the hardest, pay the most, and ask for the least finally get a country that works for them.

It's a question that echoes through our entire history. One that built the civil rights movement, women's suffrage, and the long fight for workers to have a seat at the table.

At its core, it's an American question. Who does this country actually work for?

This administration has given their answer to Coloradans.

Leah from Colorado Springs loses $80,000. Brittany calculates the cost of an ambulance while her daughter can't breathe. Luisa hopes her kids forget they're hungry.

Americans fund the system. Trump takes billions for himself. Coloradans get the shaft.

We know there's a better way.

Americans have held up their end of the bargain long enough - the long days, the multiple jobs, the taxes paid on time.

They've earned more than a slush fund for felons. More than a government that builds ballrooms while 9,000 Colorado families lose their groceries. More than an administration that takes everything and returns nothing.

We introduced an amendment to stop election criminals like Tina Peters from getting a dime of your taxpayer money. Soon, Republicans will be forced to vote on it.

While hardworking Americans struggle with rising costs, those who undermine our elections are the last people the government should subsidize.

We need to put an end to the slush fund. And we need to put it in writing so the Trump administration can't change their mind later. Working Americans have paid in too long to keep getting played. And we will fight tooth and nail to make sure they get what they're owed.

Thank you, Mr./Madam President. I yield the floor."

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