Thankfully, because we’ve spoken out, the courts have put a check on this lawlessness but I will continue to stand up to the unprecedented political retribution we are witnessing.
Continue standing up against political retribution targeting Colorado.
Occurrences
Evidence
Pettersen's official House page says she is fighting Trump administration actions by joining lawsuits, introducing legislation, signing petitions, and more. Under 'Protecting Colorado From Trump's Political Retribution,' it says Trump has targeted Colorado through attacks on mail-in voting, canceled disaster assistance funding, and other actions, and that she has led or joined efforts against cuts affecting child care, clean water, public health programs, and more.
Pettersen led a letter to USPS seeking reliable delivery of mail-in ballots for rural and mountain communities. The release says the effort followed testimony that USPS could withhold mail ballots from states that do not provide federal voter lists, a concern for Colorado as a universal vote-by-mail state.
Pettersen demanded answers from the Department of Education after it threatened enforcement action and potential withholding of $98 million from Jefferson County Public Schools. Her letter urged the Department to rescind the threat and said Colorado students should not become collateral damage in the dispute.
Pettersen joined Senators Bennet and Hickenlooper in demanding a full accounting of the Trump administration's 'Anti-Weaponization Fund' and any attempts to compensate January 6 defendants, election deniers, or people involved in efforts to overturn the 2020 election, including Tina Peters.
Pettersen and Neguse led Colorado House Democrats in introducing the KIDS Act, TRUST Act, and OPEN Act to reform DHS, ICE, and CBP. The release says the bills would add transparency, accountability, due-process protections, limits on detention of children, restrictions around sensitive locations, identification requirements, and detention oversight.
Pettersen announced she voted against a budget reconciliation package providing $70 billion over three years to ICE and CBP, criticizing the lack of accountability measures. The release also says she helped introduce three ICE oversight bills and consistently voted against Trump's immigration agenda.
Pettersen, Bennet, Hickenlooper, and DeGette demanded answers from EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin after safety failures at EPA Region 8 headquarters in Denver, including a mishandled bomb threat, removal of hardwired emergency phones, and unclear emergency protocols.
Pettersen introduced the SAFE Act to block mass federal layoffs during a shutdown. The release notes she represents the Federal Center in Lakewood, which employs about 6,000 federal workers, and says the bill would prohibit unlawful terminations and require reinstatement with back pay.
Pettersen's office created a resource page for Coloradans affected by President Trump's executive orders, including federal employees, LGBTQ+ Coloradans, parents, students, and immigrant families. The page invites constituents to share how federal actions affected them and provides government resources.
Assessments
The promise is rhetoric/advocacy-oriented rather than a discrete policy outcome. In the federal House context, Pettersen took repeated same-term actions consistent with continuing to stand up against alleged political retribution targeting Colorado, including oversight letters on Colorado mail ballots, Jeffco school funding threats, EPA Region 8 worker safety, alleged payouts tied to election deniers, votes against Trump immigration funding, and introduction or support of oversight bills such as ICE reforms and the SAFE Act. These actions materially match the promised conduct during the relevant 2026 campaign/current-office period.