The Hill’s Alexander Bolton reports that a Senate deal to fund most of the federal government imploded after Colorado’s Michael Bennet and John Hickenlooper objected, citing the Trump administration’s plan to dismantle a premier weather and climate center in Boulder. The would-be minibus would have funded 85 to 90 percent of the government through September 2026.
According to the story, Senate Majority Leader John Thune pushed hard to lock a pre-Christmas vote schedule, but Bennet and Hickenlooper blocked floor agreement after the White House moved against the National Center for Atmospheric Research. Bennet said the move was a stick of dynamite in the talks; Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse called the research a global crown jewel.
The Bullet Point Brief
- The deal that wasn’t. A five-bill package collapsed when Colorado’s senators objected over the administration’s plan to break up NCAR.
- Big coverage. The package would have funded roughly 85–90 percent of government operations into FY 2026. That is not small potatoes.
- Thune’s push. The Majority Leader tried to set votes before Christmas; agreement died when floor time became hostage to the climate fight.
- Colorado duo balks. Bennet and Hickenlooper demanded Congress stop the dismantling; their objection froze the chamber.
- Rhetoric spikes. Whitehouse hailed NCAR as a crown jewel while negotiators watched a bipartisan breakthrough vaporize.
My Bottom Line
Thune should keep them in Washington through Christmas and New Year’s. Work on Christmas Day. Work on New Year’s Day. If the Senate can cancel a near-complete funding deal over a turf war about a climate agency, then the Senate can also cancel vacation and finish the job.
I am not here for the performative politics. Have a real debate about science missions and the right size of government, fine. But for the man who wants to be Colorado’s next Governor to hold 85 to 90 percent of the entire federal enterprise hostage to score a climate headline is not governance. It is a theater that families cannot afford.
If the question is what helps the traditional American family thrive, it is not blowing up a spending deal to posture over bureaucracy. It is stable budgets, safe streets, good schools, reliable energy, and an economy where paychecks beat prices. You can argue the merits of NCAR reform without freezing everything else.
So here is my ask: put families first. Pass the funding, strip out the press-conference antics, and then have a clean, open fight on research priorities with amendments and recorded votes. Stop the Christmas hostage-taking and start the grown-up conversation.
Source: The Hill
