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Dear City of,
Last week, I was horrified when an ICE officer murdered Renee Good in Minneapolis. Instead of offering remorse or demanding accountability, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem went on TV to defend the shooter, called Renee a “domestic terrorist,” and deployed an additional thousand federal agents to harass the city. Noem is clearly unfit for the department she leads. Over the past year, Noem has obstructed Congressional oversight and enriched herself, her friends, her allies, and her staff, funneling over $220 million in contracts to a firm run by her top spokesperson's husband. This week, she openly defied a court order when she refused to allow members of Congress to inspect an ICE detention facility.
That's why I joined Rep. Robin Kelly this week as a cosponsor on articles of impeachment against Kristi Noem. Her incompetence and aggression have caused innocent citizens to be arrested, assaulted, and even killed. She must be held accountable. When the bill to fund ICE comes to the floor, I’m voting NO. This agency is out of control.
Also, this week, in an Energy subcommittee hearing, I questioned Acting Energy Undersecretary Alex Fitzsimmons about canceling over $600 million in grants to Colorado universities and labs. He seemed genuinely proud the administration renamed the National Renewable Energy Lab to the "National Lab of the Rockies" — stripping "renewable energy" from the name. They want to erase renewables while propping up costly coal plants.
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Throughout the hearing, Republicans claimed to support an "all-of-the-above" energy approach, but they're actively sabotaging renewable sources. I asked Fitzsimmons if he knew that forcing a Western Colorado coal plant to reopen would cost $21 million every 90 days, a cost that would be passed down to you and other consumers. Reopening coal plants doesn't lower our energy bills—it raises them. This administration is doing everything it can to punish our state and increase costs for Coloradans.
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Last week, House Democrats passed a bill extending the Affordable Care Act (ACA) enhanced premium tax credits, even as Speaker Johnson worked to defeat it. Now we're demanding Senate Republicans pass it immediately. The American people cannot wait for lower costs on the whim of elected Republicans.
As we head into this holiday weekend honoring Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., I'm thinking about how he faced a country at war with itself. It’s not unlike the country we face today. I’m thinking about his fortitude to move forward. We've been through dark times before. We came together then, and we will again.
Sincerely,
Diana DeGette
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