As a Colorado resident, it feels like a relief to know that our Attorney General Phil Weiser is standing up to President Donald Trump and his administration through a series of lawsuits. In the first 12 months of Trump’s second term, Weiser has participated in over 50 legal filings against the administration.
The most recent lawsuit Weiser signed onto addresses the latest threat from the Trump administration: withholding money from five Democratic-led states. On February 11, Colorado’s Attorney General joined a multi-state coalition by signing on to a lawsuit originally filed on Wednesday, February 6.
This lawsuit is in direct opposition to the administration’s targeting of states for funding cuts that would cripple healthcare services and research. The administration is threatening to hold a total of $600 million intended for CDC-supported programs, including vital lifelines for our community like disease outbreak tracking, HIV prevention, and critical LGBTQ+ health equity initiatives that the community relies on for safe, affirming care.
Weiser told Denver7 that “This action is lawless and mean-spirited.” He also promised to “continue to fight for Colorado and stand up to the president’s ongoing campaign to punish our state using federal funding as a weapon for partisan political purposes.”
While a federal judge has temporarily blocked this action—keeping the funding safe for now—this is part of a broader series of lawsuits Weiser has filed regarding energy grants and education funding.
The impact of these federal threats is personal. In January, a multi-state coalition filed a lawsuit that resulted in a temporary restraining order after the administration threatened to withhold funding for low-income Americans. These cuts would have gutted child care support (CCAP), Cash Assistance (TANF), and job training programs—the very programs that fund my own internship through the workforce center.
In his State of the State Address this January, Governor Polis stated that in a single month, the Trump administration tried to cut over $1 billion in funding to Colorado, making “life harder and less affordable.” He noted that these tactics seem designed to “make Americans feel more fearful, more belligerent, more vulnerable.”
Polis also highlighted that the impact of tariffs alone would cost Coloradans an average of $1,700 more over the next year. Furthermore, the “Big Beautiful Bill” slashed funding for SNAP and Medicaid and eliminated the TABOR refund that many Coloradans rely on annually.
On January 9, One Colorado added a blog post titled: One Colorado & The Center on Colfax Joint Statement on CMS, Children’s, and Denver Health. In the post, author Cal Solverson discusses how the organizations are joining together to fight for Coloradans. It is also a breath of fresh air to know that we have community organizations that are separate from our government fighting for us as well.
Next Monday, February 23, One Colorado is hosting Freedom for All: LGBTQIA+ Lobby Day 2026 at the State Capitol for community members to have meaningful conversations with law makers. Prior to the lobby day, community members attended a workshop centering on “TransFormative Narrative storytelling to amplify voices that need to be heard.”
It is reassuring knowing that we already have some really great people representing Colorado, like Brianna Titone, who’s Mission to Make Colorado Fairer to Everyone was covered by OFM in October.
The last 13 months have been exhausting. While many have said for years that the federal government does not care about the people, this past year has made it abundantly clear. The harm of the American Government isn’t isolated to Colorado.
When Bailey Sarian crashes out, you know it’s bad. Our Murder Mystery and Makeup and Dark History Queen discusses some of the most heinous murders and moments in history with poise.
Sarian spoke out after going through the “E-files.” Her full video on Youtube went beyond the “E-Files” and into how nothing is OK right now. Her video is going viral on social media now because in her video, she repeatedly asked a question we should all be asking ourselves and each other:
What are we going to do?
What are we going to do for Colorado? What are we going to do to fight back? Colorado has been loud at protests, but is there more work to do?
Photo courtesy of the author
