In a disturbing display of disconnect and hypocrisy, all congressional Democrats — including Colorado Senators John Hickenlooper and Michael Bennet — voted against the 2025 reconciliation bill, designed to uplift consumers and America’s working class.

Their outspoken opposition to the “One Big Beautiful Bill” reveals a disregard for the economic struggles of everyday Americans, particularly those living paycheck to paycheck.

Both Colorado senators, among the wealthiest 1% of Americans, thumbed their noses at the very people who fuel this nation — tipped workers, middle-class families and parents striving for better futures.

Hickenlooper built his fortune on the backs of tipped employees at Wynkoop Brewing Company and other restaurants he owned throughout Colorado, employing an estimated 100–200 servers, bartenders and other service workers. Americans earning meager wages supplemented by tips will benefit substantially from the bill’s elimination of taxes on the first $25,000 in gratuities.

This provision will increase their annual take-home pay by thousands, offering relief for rent, groceries, childcare and more. Yet Hickenlooper, enriched by their labor, voted to ensure their financial struggles persist.

Bennet joined Hickenlooper in opposing the bill. On X, Bennet decried the bill as “full of bad policy,” ignoring its transformative benefits for his constituents. His opposition, like Hickenlooper’s, prioritized political posturing over the needs of service workers, parents and the middle class.

The bill’s signing on Independence Day delivers critical tax relief to our country’s hardest-working residents, thereby increasing their independence.

Eliminating taxes on the first $25,000 in tips directly boosts the incomes of millions. For a server earning $20,000 in tips, this could mean an extra $4,000 annually. If that sounds like peanuts to Bennet and Hickenlooper, it amounts to an immediate 10% raise for those earning $40,000 or less.

By opposing this, Bennet and Hickenlooper effectively endorsed keeping workers trapped in financial peril.

In addition to exempting taxes on tips, the new law eliminates taxes on overtime hours. This will benefit an estimated 12 million American workers, including nurses, factory workers, delivery drivers and nearly anyone else earning hourly wages.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that these workers often earn $5,000–$15,000 annually in overtime. By opposing this, Democrats turned their backs on Americans who work on holidays and give up free time to save lives and provide the goods and services everyone needs.

By opposing the bill, Bennet, Hickenlooper — and Colorado’s four Democratic House members — advocated a massive tax increase on the middle class by allowing the tax cuts of 2017 to expire.

The new law increases the Child Tax Credit to $2,200 for each child and requires ongoing increases tied to inflation. That’s a lifeline for working parents who struggle to buy school supplies, diapers, daycare and food. Democrats apparently wanted to keep these families down for the thrill of beating the opposing party. They appear to despise Republicans more than they love the working class.

Passage of the One Big Beautiful Bill means enhanced freedom and financial relief for typical Americans by cutting their taxes, boosting their take-home pay and supporting families.

Hickenlooper and Bennet’s vociferous opposition — the elitist detachment showcased by their social media posts — betrays the workers, middle-class families, and parents they claim to care about. Their votes against this bill send a clear message: struggles of ordinary Coloradans are not their concern.