Hickenlooper Warns War Economy Drives Cost-of-Living Emergency in Colorado

Gas prices have climbed past $4.50 a gallon in Colorado, driven by what Hickenlooper calls an illegal attack on Iran that has turned the war economy into a local cost-of-living emergency.

That’s the headline number in John Hickenlooper’s latest opinion piece, published simultaneously in the Vail Daily, the Post Independent, and the Steamboat Pilot. He’s arguing that the 16 months since Donald Trump took office haven’t just been turbulent — they’ve been financially brutal for folks trying to keep their heads above water.

Here’s the thing though: Hickenlooper isn’t just talking about the price at the pump. He’s pointing to a specific farmer in Montrose who told him he might not plant any crops this year, or even quit farming altogether, because the war with Iran has driven up fertilizer and diesel prices so high it might not be worth the risk. That’s not a macroeconomic abstraction. That’s a neighbor deciding whether to buy seed or pay the diesel bill.

Hickenlooper claims Trump has created a "full-out cost-of-living emergency" and insists locals hear it everywhere they go. He cites a mom and dad in Colorado Springs caring for their paraplegic daughter, who requires a ventilator. They’re facing a 40% cut in their Medicaid benefits because of Trump’s "One Big Beautiful Bill." It’s a specific, human-scale tragedy used to illustrate a broader political argument.

The former governor and senator isn’t stopping at agriculture and healthcare. He argues the president has unleashed "secret police" who are ignoring due process and terrorizing communities. According to Hickenlooper, ICE agents have dragged, beaten, and killed people in the streets — victims who aren’t violent criminals but are often friends, family, and neighbors.

He also lists specific policy grievances that hit Western Slope and rural Colorado hard. He says Trump has punished Colorado for voting by mail, stolen Space Command risking national security, and denied rural communities disaster relief to rebuild after fires and floods. Perhaps most critically for rural water districts, Hickenlooper claims Trump put a hold on funds that Congress finally appropriated to deliver clean drinking water to 50,000 rural Coloradans.

Then there’s the money. Hickenlooper asserts that Trump’s family has pocketed $4 billion since taking office, while handing out tax cuts to the "Epstein class." He notes they tried to auction off public lands to shoulder the cost of these cuts before "we stopped them." He also claims the White House is bankrolling billions for bombs and handing out money to convicted criminals while turning its back on working families.

Despite the frustration, and Hickenlooper admits, "hell, we are too"; he argues this fight is too important to do anything but double down. He points to recent victories as proof of concept. This month, he says they forced Republicans to ditch Trump’s $1.8 billion slush fund for convicted criminals like Tina Peters and the Jan. 6 rioters. Last summer, they derailed the plan to auction off hiking trails and public lands.

"We refuse to give ICE another penny," Hickenlooper writes. He cites the release of two teenage sisters from the Aurora ICE facility as evidence that the campaign is built for tough battles. He reminds readers that in 2020, they defeated Trump and Cory Gardner, flipped the Senate, passed the most historic climate rescue bill ever, and capped the price of insulin.

The piece cuts off mid-sentence at the end, trailing off after "insulin for se," but the intent is clear. Hickenlooper is positioning himself as the fighter who delivers results on the issues that keep locals up at night: water, energy costs, healthcare access, and keeping the federal government from taking the land and money they rely on.