Oppose cuts to Medicaid eligibility and funding
Congress is in the process of considering a federal budget for the next fiscal year.  The House of Representatives and the Senate have different versions, but both slash federal Medicaid funding.  
The League of Women Voters of Colorado supports access to adequate health care with funding by state and federal monies and is STRONGLY OPPOSED to any Congressional action that cuts Medicaid funding. 

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• Almost 1.2 million Colorado citizens are covered by Medicaid.  
• The Medicaid system covers the medical costs of 36% of births in Colorado. One third of all Colorado children are insured under the Medicaid program.  
• 60% of Colorado nursing home residents are covered by Medicaid.
• Colorado’s rural hospitals depend on Medicaid for a substantial portion of their operational funding. 

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Cuts in Medicaid funding will result in the loss of health insurance for many Coloradans. Sharp reductions in Medicaid funds will force cuts in available health care services for all Colorado rural residents, regardless of what health care insurance they have, and likely force some rural hospitals and clinics to close. Those closures will deliver yet another blow to Colorado’s already struggling rural economies. 

Tell your elected representatives to stand up for the health of their Colorado constituents and economies of our rural communities and our Colorado economy as a whole by opposing any Congressional action that would cut Medicaid eligibility and funding. 

Contact Your Representative

Support Ukraine
Trump has escalated his rhetoric against Ukraine, calling fairly elected Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy a "dictator" and falsely blaming Ukraine for invading Russia. Demand your representatives condemn these comments and continue to support Ukraine.

The Trump administration is currently in direct conversations with Russia regarding the war against Ukraine, which began when Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022 - and has excluded Ukraine itself as well as Europe from these discussions. Trump has said he and Putin will hold meetings in the near future. Trump's Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth, said a peace deal would require Ukraine to cede the territory Russia has seized and to end its bid for NATO membership. This is a radical reversal of U.S. policy of supporting Ukraine against Russian invasion and seeking NATO membership, and is not only against the interests of Ukraine, but against the interests of the US as well.

Demand your representatives support a sovereign Ukraine.

Contact Your Representative

Protect Medicaid Funding
Medicaid is a health insurance program serving 72 million low-income and disabled Americans that is jointly funded and administered by states/territories and the federal government covering a greater share of Medicaid costs in lower-income states. Medicaid is an essential source of coverage for children, pregnant people, and low-income adults, particularly those with disabilities. Medicaid also pays for nursing home care and other long-term care services and supports, essential benefits for older adults which Medicare does not cover. Despite being universally well-regarded and one of the most cost-effective insurance programs in the country, Medicaid is a target for major funding cuts by legislators seeking to finance their tax cuts for the wealthy.

Congress is already considering multiple approaches to reduce Medicaid spending. Proposed approaches include capping total federal contributions to Medicaid, reducing federal financing for the Affordable Care Act's expansion of Medicaid coverage to more nondisabled adults, reviving past failed attempts to add Medicaid work requirements, and generally making it harder to enroll. All proposals with have the net effect of reducing access to life-saving and life-enhancing health care, particularly for children, people with disabilities and seniors.

Contact Your Representative

Protect Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Initiatives
On his first day in office, Trump issued an anti-diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEO) executive order titled "Ending radical and wasteful government DEI programs and preferencing", calling for the termination of all "discriminatory" DEI programs throughout the federal government.

DEI programs originated from the Civil Rights movement, were codified by the Civil Rights Act of 1964, are are intended to boost the education and workforce participation of historically underrepresented populations like women, people of color, people with disabilities, and members of the LGBTQIA+ community, which in turn benefits not just individuals but the organizations they participate in.

Trump's Executive Order is intended not just to terminate DEI programs within the federal government, but also to control government contractors, and indirectly, private companies who now fear scrutiny of their internal policies. In fact, a subsequent Executive Order ordered federal agencies to identify up to nine large corporations, nonprofits, or academic institutions engaging in the "illegal" practice of DEI programs.

Over 140 government agencies are now scrambling, putting all business on hold while they try to determine how to comply. For example, the National Science Foundation (NSF) froze all funds for 40,000 research grants to review their language for DEI terms. These challenges will extend across all government agencies, not just reducing research opportunities in these agencies but at universities and other institutions across the world. This ill-conceived Executive Order is already disrupting essential government programs, endangering thousands of jobs, and harming the millions of Americans who benefit from federal government services.

Contact Your Representative

Oppose cuts to safety net programs to fund billionaire tax breaks
The House Budget Committee has approved a budget resolution that finances trillions in tax cuts for the rich by slashing spending on crucial benefit and insurance programs while increasing the US debt limit by $4 trillion. The proposed budget would extend the tax cuts passed during the first Trump administration in 2017, thus increasing the deficit by $4.5 trillion. The budget proposal mandates that Congress partially offset the cost of these tax cuts by cutting $2 trillion of mandatory federal spending, a budget category that includes life-saving programs like Medicaid, Medicare, and SNAP (i.e. food benefits). 

A full house vote on this resolution is expected as soon as the week of February 24th. These proposed budget cuts endanger both the physical health of the millions of Americans served by federal programs and the fiscal health of the United States. This disastrous budget proposal cannot be allowed to survive a full House vote. Urge your representatives to oppose this budget resolution.

NOTE: You'll be asked for your address to determine your constituency. This information is not saved by the League of Women voters or anyone.

Contact Your Representative

Tell your members of Congress to OPPOSE the SAVE Act!
The house and Senate introduced the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act, which would require citizenship documentation to register to vote even though voters in every state are already required to affirm or verify their citizenship status when registering.

It is already illegal for noncitizens to register and vote in federal and state elections. The bill's requirement of a document to prove American citizenship to register to vote in federal elections is unnecessary and seeks to divide us. It also creates another barrier to voting.

Americans do not need MORE obstacles to vote. The SAVE Act would create one more barrier to the voting process, as many eligible voters do not have easy access to the necessary documents. Compared to white US citizens, citizens of color are three times more likely to lack documents such as birth certificates, passports, naturalization certificates, or certificates of citizenship or face difficulties accessing them. For example, while approximately half of all American adults possess a passport, two-thirds of Black Americans do not.

Tell your members of Congress to oppose the SAVE Act.

Contact Your Representative

VOLUNTEER OR BECOME A MEMBER

Get the most from your League experience by joining a local League! Our members are passionate activists who support our work in all 50 states and in more than 700 communities. 

Joining the League of Women Voters is a great way to get involved in your community and play an active role in our democracy. Volunteers work year round to register new voters, host community forums and debates, and provide voters with election information they need.  We engage at the local and state levels on legislative priorities and efforts to improve our elections.

Most of the action happens here, from candidate forums and voter registration drives to working with local officials to make your community a better place to live.  

FIND YOUR LEAGUE

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SIGN UP FOR OUR E-NEWSLETTER

When a formal CALL TO ACTION or ACTION ALERT is issued by the League of Women Voters of Colorado, our network of supporters reach out to their elected officials and express support of the League's position on the issue. 

You will receive Action Alerts via email if you are an active member of the League or if you are receiving our newsletter. Please note CALLS TO ACTION/ACTION ALERTS are only issued by the appropriate level of League; LWV of Colorado will notify you about taking action on Colorado issues.

E-NEWSLETTER SIGN-UP

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JOIN THE LEGISLATIVE ACTION COMMITTEE

Led by Maud Naroll, Director, and Linda Hutchinson, Co-Director, of the Colorado League's Action & Advocacy, and Legislative Liaison Andrea Wilkins, the trained volunteer lobbyists of the Legislative Action Committee (LAC) works to influence the Colorado General Assembly on selected bills, based on League positions and values.

Membership in the LAC is open to any LWVCO member, regardless of physical location. To express interest, please email lobbyist@lwvcolorado.org.

ADVOCACY INCLUDES:

• testifying in legislative committee hearings 
• meeting with and /or writing letters and emails to Representatives, Senators, the Governor, and the media 
• encouraging League members to contact their legislators and local media 
• participating in commissions and coalitions 
• participating in the League's annual Legislative Conference to receive training on methods of advocacy and legislative priorities
  
  

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JOIN A TASK FORCE

You don't have to be a LWVCO member to join. Everyone is WELCOME!

JOIN A TASK FORCE

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LWVCO has 11 Issue Area Task Forces intended  to promote the collective actions necessary to advance equity and justice in Colorado's systems and policies in issue areas aligned with League positions.

Non-members can email info@lwvcolorado.com for more information on joining, or browse through the individual pages for each Task Force for more information.

Alternative Voting Methods Task Force

Climate Emergency Task Force
Civic Education Task Force
Education Task Force
Elections Task Force
Gun Violence Prevention Task Force

Healthcare Task Force

Housing Task Force
J.E.D.I. Task Force
News Access & Literacy Task Force

Reproductive Justice Task Force