Polis says Trump supports Canadian drug importation
Colorado Gov. Jared Polis says he has received support from President Donald Trump for a state plan to lower prescription costs by importing drugs from Canada.
The Colorado Sun reports that Polis spoke with Trump by phone Wednesday and received the president’s backing for a drug importation bill that passed the state legislature in the session that ended May 3.
Trump’s support may remove uncertainty about a plan state lawmakers hope can cut prices by as much as 50% for certain drugs in the program, which will ultimately require federal approval.
The state continues to put together details including a list of eligible drugs.
A Democratic lawmaker who sponsored the bill says gaining Trump’s backing is “half the battle.”
U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar has criticized the idea that importing drugs from Canada can lower prices in America.
Trump order aims to help more people get retirement savings plans in time for new federal match
Collin Binkley
collin.binkley@associatedpress.com
Updated 12 hours ago
WASHINGTON • President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Thursday calling for a new government website where people in the United States can find and compare private-sector retirement savings accounts, aiming to help millions of workers whose employers do not offer such...
Colorado Politics Calendar May 4-10
Rachael Wright, Special to Colorado Politics
rachael.wright@coloradopolitics.com
Updated 4 days ago
CoPo’s weekly political calendar will help you find political and public-policy events throughout Colorado. It includes candidate and issue campaign events, public policy meetings, court hearings, state and local party conventions, assemblies, debates, rallies, parades, speaking engagements, traveling dignitary appearances,...
Gov. Lamm scolds own party over losing modernization battle against GOP | A LOOK BACK
Rachael Wright, Special to Colorado Politics
rachael.wright@coloradopolitics.com
Updated 4 days ago
Forty-Five Years Ago This Week: “The Democratic Party lost the battles of ideas and political technology last November,” Gov. Dick Lamm told the Boulder County Democratic Party at the annual Harry S. Truman Memorial Dinner. Lamm argued that the Democratic...
The need for a governor to say “no” to his friends | SONDERMANN
By Eric Sondermann
by-eric-sondermann@coloradopolitics.com
Updated 3 days ago
A wise man once remarked that the real test of a governor is his willingness to turn down and reject the pleadings of political friends and allies. That gentleman knew something of what he spoke. He occupied the corner-office executive...
Dismissal sought in Michael Clark’s second trial
Jenny Deam
jenny-deam@coloradopolitics.com
Updated 20 hours ago
The murder conviction of Michael Clark should be dismissed due to a 32-year delay that led to crucial evidence being lost or destroyed, a bungled police investigation and “outrageous conduct” at the state crime lab, according to defense motion filed...
Colorado to get $75 million from opioid settlement with Purdue Pharma
Marissa Ventrelli
marissa.ventrelli@coloradopolitics.com
Updated 11 hours ago
A $7.4 billion settlement reached with the pharmaceutical company Purdue Pharma and the Sackler family — its owners — is now legally effective a decade after attorneys general from multiple states launched an investigation and seven years after Colorado filed...
Committee approves reworked version of previously vetoed rideshare bill
Marissa Ventrelli
marissa.ventrelli@coloradopolitics.com
Updated 2 days ago
Members of the Colorado House Business Affairs and Labor Committee voted across party lines to pass a modified version of a bill establishing regulations on rideshare companies. Last year, Reps. Jenny Willford, D-Northglenn, and Meg Froelich, D-Englewood, introduced House Bill...
Fight over credit card ‘swipe fees’ attracts nearly 200 lobbyists in Colorado
Marianne Goodland
marianne.goodland@coloradopolitics.com
Updated 1 day ago
One of the most expensive fights of the 2026 session got a little closer to being over on Friday, when the Colorado Senate took a second final vote on the proposal to eliminate “swipe fees” on sales taxes. It’s not...
Veto likely as union-backed bill heads to Colorado governor’s desk — again
Marissa Ventrelli
marissa.ventrelli@coloradopolitics.com
Updated 1 day ago
For the second year in a row, a bill that would make it easier for labor organizations to impose fees on all workers, regardless of union membership, is headed for Gov. Jared Polis’ desk. The governor, who vetoed the legislation...
Aurora mental health nonprofit cuts 100-plus jobs after Colorado agency reduces reimbursement rate
Marianne Goodland
marianne.goodland@coloradopolitics.com
Updated 2 days ago
A nonprofit that provides services through 11 mental health centers in Aurora announced Thursday that it is eliminating 111 jobs effective June 30, the result of federal and state budget reductions. Aurora Mental Health & Recovery said the positions being...
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Why Denver wants more students to take ethnic studies classes
About 8 percent of Denver high school students this year took an ethnic studies course, such as African American History or Hispanic American Literature, district data show. Even fewer took a concurrent enrollment ethnic studies courses, in which students can earn college credit. The district’s new administration wants to change that, especially for students of […]