VOLUME 35 | ISSUE 47
WEEK OF NOVEMBER 23, 2023
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Caraveo Backing benefits at VOA kitchen Support for failed
Prop HH eroded when property tax relief plan was
Congressworman visits Commerce City kitchen amid farm bill controversy BY JACKIE RAMIREZ SPECIAL TO COLORADO COMMUNITY MEDIA
BY JESSE PAUL THE COLORADO SUN
Increasingly families are relying on SNAP, part of a decade-long trend. During the Great Recession in 2013, funding hit $103 billion, according to the nonpartisan Pew Research Center. It slowly declined in subsequent years but escalated dramatically during the COVID pandemic. In the 2020 fiscal year, SNAP spending hit $92 billion and rose to more than $127 the year after. Last year, spending only declined slightly. That pattern has played out in Colorado, according to the nonpartisan Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, based in Washington. SNAP participants across the state received $639 million in benefits in 2019. As the pandemic hit, spending rose to more than $912 million in 2020, $1.3 billion in 2021, and $1.47 billion in 2022 (figures that include temporary pandemic relief).
Support for Proposition HH started to unravel from the moment the bill placing the Colorado property tax relief plan on the November 2023 ballot was unveiled by Gov. Jared Polis’ at a news conference in his office at the state Capitol. The governor was flanked at the May 1 event by high-profile supporters of the measure — liberals and conservatives. Polis pointed to their presence as evidence that the proposal was a well-crafted approach to a problem that had dogged state lawmakers since voters repealed the Gallagher Amendment in 2020, removing guardrails from the state’s property tax system. “I certainly look forward to working with the business community and many other supporters to make sure that voters are aware of the importance of delivering on these property tax cuts,” Polis said, adding that he was “confident” the initiative would be approved by Coloradans. But the reality was many of the people standing next to the governor at that news conference either had doubts about the complex policy, which also would have boosted funding for schools and cut into the amount of money for state taxpayer refunds, or didn’t fully understand how it worked, according to The Colorado Sun’s reporting. That weak foundation was reflected in how voters rejected Proposition HH, a 10-year property tax relief and state spending overhaul, by an 18 percentage-point margin last week in one of Polis’ biggest policy failures since he became governor in 2019.
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Chefs at Volunteers of America’s Commerce City branch happily prepared meals as Yadira Caraveo walked through the kitchen. The local congresswoman toured the site to learn about people who struggle to afford nutritious food in the metro area. “COVID really brought to light that this is a very common issue and so I’m here today talking to people who have been working on this for decades, realizing that there are people in our community who need help to get food on the table,” Caraveo said. The backdrop for her visit to the site on Nov. 10 is the Farm Bill, which expired in September. A part of the bill provides funds to help feed needy families: the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP. The bill is overdue for its five-year renewal in the House. As a member of the Agriculture Committee, Caraveo, a Democrat representing the 8th District, which includes Commerce City, Thornton, Northglenn and Fort Lupton, plays a key role in efforts to reauthorize the bill. Some Republicans have called for cuts to SNAP, but Caraveo opposes them. She noted the rising costs of living in recent years, including record inflation and housing costs across the metro area. She said cuts would hurt low-income families. “So many times when we are looking at budgets, it seems like just numbers, but budgets are about what our values are,” Caraveo said. It appears any substantial debate over any cuts could be delayed until next year. This week a partial funding bill was approved by the House of Representatives and a final vote by the U.S., Senate was scheduled after the paper’s press deadline. But legislators announced they were working to prevent lapses in funding to Farm Bill programs. The four leaders of the House and Senate Agriculture Committees issued a statement saying they were working together. “As negotiations on funding the government progress, we were able to come together to avoid a lapse in funding for critical agricultural programs and provide certainty to producers,” the joint statement said. “This extension is in no way a substitute for passing a five-year Farm Bill and we remain committed to working together to get it done next year.” On Tuesday, the House passed a bipartisan bill from Speaker Mike Johnson to continue government funding. That bill continues funding until early next year and was approved by Nov. 15.
U.S. Rep. Yadira Caraveo, who represents Colorado’s 8th District, visited the Volunteers of America kitchen in Commerce PHOTO BY JACKIE RAMIREZ City on Nov. 10, 2023
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