Congressional delegation seeks $1.7 billion for special projects

BY SANDRA FISH THE COLORADO SUN

Colorado’s two U.S. senators are seeking nearly $1.5 billion for special projects in the state through the earmark process, now known as “congressional directed spending requests.” at dwarfs the $188 million in total earmarks requested by six of Colorado’s eight U.S. House members, who request only projects in their districts, unlike senators who make requests for the entire state. In some instances, Senators and House members are requesting funding for the same projects. e requests must make it through a lengthy process before they are added to the nal federal scal year 2024 budget, which will be passed sometime later this year. And many of the projects won’t be funded.

Sen. John Hickenlooper is seeking $831 million for 424 projects, while Sen. Michael Bennet is seeking $650 million for 381 projects.

Overall, 66 senators are seeking $53.3 billion for projects, while 369 House members are seeking $19.4 billion.

Last year, Colorado’s congressional delegation scored $178 million in earmarks for projects in the state. All were proposed by Democrats, with the three Republicans objecting to the special project requests. Hickenlooper and Bennet had requested $1.4 billion, while House members had requested nearly $200 million. e GOP opposition to earmarks has changed this year.

Republican Rep. Lauren Boebert of Gar eld County joined the ve Democrats in Colorado’s House delegation in requesting earmarks. She was opposed to the earmark process last year, but supports it now after the GOP majority in the House instituted new rules about what the money can be requested for.

“As a result of our historic changes, I am now able to ght for important infrastructure projects for the 3rd District of Colorado,” she wrote in an opinion piece.

In a competing opinion piece, Hickenlooper pushed back on her claim that earmarks were somehow previously corrupt, citing numerous projects he sponsored in the 3rd Congressional District.

Boebert’s new stance on earmarks comes after she narrowly survived a challenge by former Aspen City Councilman Adam Frisch in November, winning by 546 votes. She faces a likely rematch against him in 2024. e two other Republicans in the delegation — Reps. Ken Buck of Windsor and Doug Lamborn of Colorado Springs — aren’t requesting earmarks because they say they are ideologically opposed to the spending. Before last year, earmarks had been abandoned for nearly a decade because of how scandals engulfed the process. e requests come primarily from local governments, state governments and nonpro t organizations. Lawmakers must sign letters certifying that they and their families have no nancial interests in the sponsored projects. at means organizations in Buck’s 4th Congressional District and Lamborn’s 5th District must rely on Colorado’s two Democratic senators to sponsor their projects. e state’s other newest House member, U.S. Rep. Brittany Petters- en, was third on the list, also seeking about $34 million.

Rep. Yadira Caraveo, D- ornton, leads all Colorado House members in requests with $39 million, followed by Boebert at $34 million.

Caraveo won a narrow victory in Colorado’s new 8th Congressional District centered in Adams and Weld counties last year, and is being targeted by Republicans in 2024.

“I’ve been working alongside advocates, local leaders, and the people that know Colorado’s 7th Congressional District best to design and advocate for 15 projects that would improve quality of life for people from Je erson County and Broomeld all the way out to Cha ee and Custer counties,” Pettersen said in a statement. “ ey range from expanding access to a ordable housing options, improving town centers and health care facilities, increasing clean and safe drinking water, and beyond.” e Colorado requests this year range from $10,000 proposed by Bennet to repair the Red Rooster Saloon and Visitor Center in Twin Lakes, which is between Aspen and Leadville, to up to $37 million proposed by Hickenlooper to create a multimodal transportation corridor near four schools in Fruita.

Most of last year’s projects were sponsored by more than one Democratic member of the Colorado congressional delegation. e largest Colorado project funded in the 2023 budget was just over $6 million for National Jewish Hospital, sponsored by Bennet.