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Congress Ends Historic DHS Shutdown Without Resolving Immigration Fight
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Politico, Approved, National

Congress Ends Historic DHS Shutdown Without Resolving Immigration Fight

By Jennifer Scholtes and Katherine Tully-McManus | POLITICO The House acted after weeks of delay to fund most Homeland Security agencies, which have gone unfunded for 76 days. On the 76th day since Department of Homeland Security funding lapsed, Congress passed a bill Thursday restoring the flow of federal dollars to most of its agencies — without solving any of the policy disagreements that led to the record-breaking shutdown. The House approved by voice vote the partial DHS funding measure the Senate passed more than a month ago. President Donald Trump is expected to swiftly sign the bipartisan legislation, fully funding the Coast Guard, TSA, Secret Service, FEMA and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, along with other offices within DHS that don’...
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Colorado Supreme Court Confronts Trans Care Dispute With Federal Funding at Stake
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Colorado Politics, Approved, State

Colorado Supreme Court Confronts Trans Care Dispute With Federal Funding at Stake

By Michael Karlik | Colorado Politics Some members of the Colorado Supreme Court expressed discomfort on Tuesday with having to decide whether to order Children’s Hospital Colorado to resume providing certain services to transgender children, which could trigger a “death sentence” if the federal government imposes consequences. “I’m assuming there’s no middle ground here with the federal administration, in terms of letting the patients who are already in treatment complete their treatment but just not take on any new patients for gender-affirming care?” asked Justice Carlos A. Samour Jr. during oral arguments. There is not, responded the hospital’s lawyer. “We believe that the care can be provided safely and effectively,” added attorney Patrick O’Rourke. “But ul...
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HB26-1276 faces hearing today as Rep. Slaugh warns sanctuary policies could cut federal jail funding
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Rocky Mountain Voice, Commentary, State, Top Stories

HB26-1276 faces hearing today as Rep. Slaugh warns sanctuary policies could cut federal jail funding

By Rep. Scott Slaugh | Guest Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice Editor’s update: HB26-1276 is scheduled to be heard today at 1:30 p.m. in the House Finance Committee (HCR 0112). Readers can listen to the hearing live here or sign up to testify here. Since the year 2000, by Act of Congress the federal Department of Justice’s has annually reimbursed state prisons and thousands of local county jails across the nation for the documented costs of incarcerating convicted criminal aliens –persons not lawfully present in the United States and convicted of a felony crime or two misdemeanors under a state’s criminal code. That decades-old federal program is called the State Criminal Alien Assistance Program, or simply, “SCAAP.”   From its inception the federal SCAAP program ...
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Senate Fails to Advance DHS Funding Amid Partisan Divide Over Immigration Enforcement
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CBS News, Approved, National

Senate Fails to Advance DHS Funding Amid Partisan Divide Over Immigration Enforcement

By Kaia Hubbard | CBS News Washington — The Senate failed to advance a measure to fund the Department of Homeland Security on Tuesday, 11 days into a partial government shutdown with no apparent end in sight.  In a 50 to 45 vote, the measure fell short of the 60-vote threshold needed to move forward. The vote marked a second attempt to advance the measure and came after lawmakers returned to Washington following a weeklong recess without a deal to reform federal immigration agencies.  Congress' failure to reach an agreement on how to fund DHS prompted a funding lapse for the department, which also oversees the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the Transportation Security Administration and the Coast Guard. The major sticking point has been o...
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Feds Shut Down 550 Commercial Driving Schools Over Safety Failures
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KKCO-TV Grand Junction, Approved, National

Feds Shut Down 550 Commercial Driving Schools Over Safety Failures

By The Associated Press and Josh Funk | KKCO TV (AP) - More than 550 commercial driving schools in the U.S. that train truckers and bus drivers must close after investigators found they employed unqualified instructors, failed to adequately test students and had other safety issues, the federal Transportation Department announced Wednesday. The move marks the Trump administration’s latest effort to improve safety in the trucking industry. And unlike its actions last fall to decertify up to 7,500 schools that included many defunct operations, this latest step is focused on active schools inspectors identified as having significant shortcomings in 1,426 site visits completed in December. The department has been aggressively going after states that handed out c...
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Denver Mayor Johnston Claims Sanctuary Policies Boost Safety As Federal Lawsuits Advance
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The Denver Gazette, Approved, Local

Denver Mayor Johnston Claims Sanctuary Policies Boost Safety As Federal Lawsuits Advance

By Deborah Grigsby | The Denver Gazette Denver has joined some 140 cities, counties and elected officials in filing two amicus briefs backing Minnesota and Rochester, New York — jurisdictions sued by the Trump administration’s over their “sanctuary” policies. In a statement, Denver Mayor Mike Johnston characterized the White House’s actions as “defunding” and “punishing” America’s “sanctuary cities.” The Trump administration, meanwhile, said sanctuary jurisdictions have stood in the way of enforcing immigration laws. Johnston’s office described Minnesota and Rochester as “cities that, like Denver, are fighting back against the White House’s baseless attempts to rewrite local and state law in violation of the U.S. Constitution.” An amicus brief – or friend...
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California, Colorado, Illinois, and Minnesota File Suit Over Federal Health Cuts
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CBS News, Approved, National

California, Colorado, Illinois, and Minnesota File Suit Over Federal Health Cuts

By The Associated Press | CBS News Four Democratic-led states that have become frequent targets of President Donald Trump sued Wednesday to try to block his administration from cutting off hundreds of millions in public health grants. The Department of Health and Human Services told Congress on Monday that it planned to withhold about $600 million in grant funding allocated to the four states: California, Colorado, Illinois and Minnesota. Their attorneys general argue the cuts are backlash for the states' opposition to Trump's immigration crackdown. The lawsuit says the cuts violate the Constitution by imposing retroactive conditions on funding and asks a federal court in Illinois to block them from taking effect. Some grants could be terminated as soon as Thurs...
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Federal Officials Cite Fraud Concerns In Proposed Cuts Affecting Colorado and 3 Other States
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The Denver Gazette, Approved, State

Federal Officials Cite Fraud Concerns In Proposed Cuts Affecting Colorado and 3 Other States

By: Thelma Grimes | The Denver Gazette The Trump’s administration is planning to withhold some public health and transportation money from a group of Democratic-led states, including Colorado. The other states are California, Illinois and Minnesota. Full details have not been released, including whether the states could take any steps to avoid losing the funding. Colorado has sued the White House or joined lawsuits filed by other states over similar efforts to withhold funding. The federal government cited concerns over fraud and mismanagement of taxpayer dollars. A spokesperson for the Colorado Department of Health and Human Services said the state learned of the potential cuts through the media and has not been formally notified by the federal agency. ...
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Boebert Delivers Nearly $15 Million for Rural Water and Infrastructure Projects
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kdvr.com, Approved, State

Boebert Delivers Nearly $15 Million for Rural Water and Infrastructure Projects

By Spencer Kristensen | KDVR DENVER (KDVR) — Rep. Lauren Boebert secured nearly $15 million for clean water projects in rural areas of Colorado, only about a month after President Donald Trump issued the first-ever veto to a unanimously-approved, bipartisan bill, the “Finish the Arkansas Valley Conduit Act,” on Dec. 30, which would have funded the completion of a 130-mile pipeline that would have delivered clean water to over 50,000 residents in southeastern Colorado. Now, 13 communities in Boebert’s district, the 4th Congressional District, have secured $14.75 million in funding for water and infrastructure projects, after requests were signed into law. “I’m absolutely thrilled to announce that 13 of my community project funding requests have been signed int...
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Trump Moves to Cut Federal Funds to Sanctuary Cities Starting Feb. 1
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Fox News, Approved, National

Trump Moves to Cut Federal Funds to Sanctuary Cities Starting Feb. 1

By Emma Bussey | Fox News Move targets jurisdictions that refuse to cooperate with federal immigration enforcement. President Donald Trump said his administration will cease federal payments to sanctuary cities and states with sanctuary policies starting Feb. 1, while citing jurisdictions that protect criminals and fuel fraud and crime. Speaking at the Detroit Economic Club, Trump said the move was aimed at cities and states that refuse to cooperate with federal immigration enforcement and in the administration's bid to stamp out fraud. "Starting Feb. 1, we’re not making any payments to sanctuary cities or states having sanctuary cities because they do everything possible to protect criminals at the expense of American citizens," Trump said. "...
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