Colorado U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet is seeking an immediate investigation into the Trump administration, alleging the administration used federal agencies, grants and personnel to carry out the president’s political vendetta against Colorado.
In an Aug. 20 letter, Bennet calls on Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) and Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) to launch an investigation into the matter, which includes, in part, the denial of disaster funding for Southwestern Colorado, including Archuleta County.
“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,” a press release from Bennet’s office states.
Peters formerly served as the Mesa County clerk and recorder, and in 2024 was convicted of three counts of attempting to influence a public servant, conspiracy to commit criminal impersonation-cause liability, official misconduct, violations of election duties and failure to comply with secretary of state requirements, with the charges relating to a breach of Mesa County’s elections system in an attempt to find evidence of voter fraud in 2020.
She was sentenced to eight years and three months in the Colorado Department of Corrections and six months in county jail, but, in May, Colorado Gov. Jared Polis granted Peters a limited commutation, with that action granting Peters parole effective June 1.
Prior to taking action to commute Peters’ sentence, President Donald Trump pushed for 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,” Bennet’s letter states.
Bennet’s call for investigation follows a pending lawsuit revealing new information concerning a White House meeting that focused on Colorado in December 2025.
“As you know, last week, a pending lawsuit revealed new evidence confirming the White House’s willful targeting of Colorado,” Bennet’s letter states. “In an email, sent at 2:43am on December 15, 2025, a White House special assistant directed individuals from the Departments of Transportation, Agriculture, Interior, Energy, and the Office of Management and Budget to join a ‘brainstorm call’ to discuss ‘immediate actions that [their agencies] can take with respect to Colorado.’ This email was a clear and direct continuation of President Trump’s effort to secure former Mesa County Clerk and Recorder Tina Peters’ release from state prison, after a jury of her peers found her guilty of four state felonies and multiple misdemeanors. President Trump raised the issue again within hours of the email being sent, criticizing Colorado Governor Jared Polis for not allowing ‘our wonderful Tina to come out of a jail, in a high intensity jail, because she caught people cheating on an election that they said she was cheating.’”
In the days following the December email, Bennet alleges, the Trump administration took a series of actions targeting Colorado. It cut grant funding; denied two requests for disaster relief from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) 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.
“Presidential administrations are entitled to advance their political priorities – part of the presidency’s power is the ability to direct the executive branch in a manner that aligns with their policy preferences,” the letter states. “But that authority does not and has never included the absolute ability to dictate terms to states, which retain elements of sovereignty in their own right. This is a fundamental precept of our federalist system of government, and is especially true in the realm of state sentences and state convictions handed down by state courts.”
The letter indicates there is no “policy difference being adjudicated” that pits Colorado against the federal government, nor did Congress pass a law that would override state law.
“Instead, the Administration is attempting to use the overwhelming power of the executive branch – grant determinations and disaster aid, nutrition benefits and the location of federal facilities – to force action that is inarguably within Colorado’s exclusive sphere of authority,” the letter states.
It adds, “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.
“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.”
Bennet calls for the investigation to commence when the Senate reconvenes in September.
“The Senate must investigate this coordinated effort when we return in September. Coloradans, and all Americans, deserve to know the truth,” Bennet wrote.
Archuleta County ties
On, Nov. 12, 2025, Polis formally requested a major disaster declaration from the president and the FEMA to support ongoing recovery efforts in La Plata, Archuleta and Mineral counties following the record-breaking western Colorado flooding that occurred Oct. 10-14, 2025.
The declaration would have unlocked FEMA Public Assistance and Hazard Mitigation Grant Program funding to help communities recover from severe flooding, debris flows, infrastructure damage and long-term watershed impacts.
Trump and FEMA denied Colorado’s requests on Dec. 20, 2025, with the denial letter stating, “Based on our review of all of the information available, it has been determined that supplemental federal assistance under the Stafford Act is not warranted. Therefore, I must inform you that your request for a major disaster declaration is denied.”
On Jan. 16, Polis, along with Bennet and Sen. John Hickenlooper, submitted appeals to Trump appealing Trump’s denials of Colorado’s two major disaster declaration requests for flooding in Western Colorado, as well as for the Elk and Lee fires.
Polis’ letter to Trump regarding the flooding, sent through FEMA’s acting regional manager for Region VIII, Katherine Fox, notes, “The State is appealing your denial of the request because the damages from the flooding clearly exceeded FEMA’s indicators for a Major Disaster Declaration.”
The letter further discusses the significant impacts of the flooding, the state’s effort to help and financial challenges.
In Archuleta County, it states, “the per capita indicator equates to more than $995 per person to repair damages to roads and other county infrastructure. The total annual road repair and maintenance budget for the County falls vastly short at approximately $7,000,000, when total costs exceed $13,292,000.”
The letter also discusses the flood impacts on the San Juan River and notes the river’s role as a “substantial economic driver” and potential impacts of not repairing the river.
On April 13, the state of Colorado was notified that the federal government denied Colorado’s two appeals for major disaster declarations for the flooding and fires.
The April 10 denial letter from the FEMA states, “After a thorough review of all the information contained in the initial request and appeal, we reaffirm the determination that supplemental federal assistance under the Stafford Act is not warranted. Therefore, I must inform you that your appeal for a major disaster declaration is denied.”
According to Kevin Klein, director of the Colorado Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management, it was the first time in 35 years that the state of Colorado had been denied federal assistance as part of a major disaster declaration request.
On April 29, Bennet and Hickenlooper, together with U.S. Reps. Raja Krishnamoorthi, Joe Neguse and Brittney Pettersen, introduced the Disaster Declaration Transparency Act, which would allow Congress to override a presidential denial of federal disaster relief funding and create a new fast-track process.
That bill was referred to committee.
A new FEMA request
On Aug. 23, Polis requested a major disaster declaration from the president and FEMA to support recovery from the Aspen Acres and Gold Mountain Fires, and the subsequent flooding and debris flows on both burn scars.
The request includes more than $18 million in individual and public assistance for Pueblo and Custer counties, and public assistance support for residents in Ouray County.
The Gold Mountain Fire began on June 27 northeast of the town of Ouray, and has burned just over 39,500 acres and, as of Tuesday, Aug. 25, was 87 percent contained.
Two days later, the Aspen Acres Fire ignited in eastern Custer County and quickly spread to Pueblo County, burning more than 102,000 acres and becoming the seventh largest wildfire in Colorado’s history. As of Tuesday, it was 77 percent contained, and the area was under a flash flood watch.
“The Aspen Acres and Gold Mountain Fires destroyed over 300 homes, damaged critical infrastructure, and disrupted the livelihoods of Coloradans across three counties,” Polis said. “These disasters clearly meet all the requirements for a major disaster declaration, and the flooding and debris flows that followed have caused further destruction and claimed a life. Colorado has committed significant resources to this response, but the scale of this disaster requires a strong partnership among federal, state, and local governments for a successful recovery. We have been working to assess the damage correctly and by the book and ensure we get it right to do all we can to support our communities affected by these disasters.”
The entire Colorado congressional delegation expresses support for the request in an Aug. 24 letter to Trump.
“In June 2026, extreme heat, prolonged drought, and high winds up to 100 miles per hour contributed to two mega fires in Colorado within 48 hours,” the letter states, adding, “Together, these fires destroyed drinking water and electric utility infrastructure, and over 800 structures and 324 homes. The burn scars from both fires contributed to significant post-fire flooding and debris flows that destroyed additional homes, buildings, and electric, water, and transportation infrastructure. On August 16, a significant rain event resulted in one fatality in Beulah, Colorado.”
The letter also cites economic and other damages and disruptions.
“Both fires occurred immediately before the Fourth of July during the summer’s peak tourism season, disrupting lodging, recreation, hospitality, outfitter, and guide businesses,” it states. “Repeated fire, flood, and debris flow closures have limited visitation and disrupted tourism along the U.S. 550 corridor in Ouray and San Juan Counties, and in Beulah, Rye, and Westcliffe, Colorado. State and federal emergency response officials expect these disruptions to continue through the remainder of the summer season, with flood warnings and business closures continuing to cause cancellations while agricultural producers lose livestock, fencing, and grazing lands. In already isolated rural communities, the ongoing road closures are limiting access to work, schools, pharmacies, medical care, and other essential services.”
A trio of area elected officials have also expressed support for the new disaster declaration request and referenced the area’s denied requests.
“The denial of a federal disaster declaration after experiencing two 100-year flooding events between Oct. 10-14, 2025, was and continues to be deeply disappointing to us and to the families who have suffered losses,” said Archuleta County Commissioner Warren Brown. “The county and our residents should not be left with the financial and emotional burden of rebuilding without the federal assistance we desperately need. We urge the administration to consider this when they receive additional disaster declaration requests from the great state of Colorado, and recognize the severity of the damage and the urgent needs of those affected. Our communities, regardless of their political affiliation, deserve a strong compassionate response that puts the well-being of our neighbors and our communities first.”
“After last year’s devastating floods and the denial of federal disaster assistance, Archuleta County is only now beginning to return to a sense of normalcy,” said Archuleta County Sheriff Mike Le Roux. “In one year since August 2025, the Oakwood Fire, the floods, and the Rio Blanco Fire, have strained the limited resources of our small, rural community and reinforced just how important it is for communities to be resilient when federal support is no longer guaranteed. I’m grateful to Governor Polis and the state for keeping local leaders informed and supported, and I sincerely hope the communities impacted by these latest disasters receive the federal assistance they need to rebuild and get back on their feet faster than we were able to.”
“I support Colorado communities receiving federal assistance when disasters overwhelm local resources,” said La Plata County Commissioner Matt Salka. “That same support should have been available to Vallecito, where residents and La Plata County were left to manage a significant flood recovery without federal disaster funding. Families and local governments should not have to carry the financial and emotional burden of recovery alone, and Vallecito’s experience demonstrates why timely federal partnership is so important when disaster strikes.”
randi@pagosasun.com
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