PEAK TO PEAK - Follow up: Last week the Peak Report presented the potential impact that tariffs imposed by the Trump Administration will have on local businesses. These additional taxes on imported goods will affect retail and restaurants, driving up the potential of price increases.

A flat 25% tariff on all steel and aluminum will also deter developers and can even hinder municipal capital improvement projects. 

Inflation, again

Since last week the official Consumer Price Index (CPI) for January, 2025, has been released, which, from information provided by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, further indicates price inflation across the board.

Using collected data regarding the spending patterns of “urban consumers and wage earners,” which are the consumer groups that represent over 90% of the country’s total population, CPI measures the change in the cost of goods and services paid for by those specific consumers. 

According to the Bureau’s definition, CPIs “are based on prices of food, clothing, fuels, transportation, doctors’ and dentists’ services, drugs, and other goods and services that people buy for day-to-day living. 

“Prices are collected each month in 75 urban areas across the county from about 6,000 housing units and approximately 22,000 retail establishments.” 

The CPI for January indicated that the index for “all items” increased 3% in 2024, and rose an additional .5% in January alone, with nearly 30% of that increase attributed to the increase in the index for shelter. 

The overall food index increased 2.5% in 2024, and rose an additional 0.4% in January, with “at home” food rising 0.5%, and the index for food away from home increasing 0.2% in January.

The index for meats, poultry, and fish rose 1.9% in January; the index for dairy rose 0.3%; the index for nonalcoholic beverages rose 0.9%; and the index for eggs increased 15.2% in January. The index for eggs rose a total of 53% over the course of 2024, with most of that increase owing to the bird flu that is devastating poultry producers.

The energy index rose by 1% over 2024, and increased an additional 1.1% in January, while the gasoline index increased by nearly 2% the first month of Trump’s second term. 

Also in January, the index for medical care rose 0.2%; prescription drugs rose 2.5%; hospital services rose 0.9%; and doctors’ services rose 0.1%. Other indexes that increased in January include motor vehicle insurance, recreation, communication, airline fares, and education.

Congressional response 

The upheaval created by many of the Trump Administration’s often-unconstitutional actions and defiance of judicial orders has caused Colorado representatives to react.

On Thursday, February 13, 2025, Colorado Senator Michael Bennet held a special phone conference with local media outlets, directly addressing concerns of how the President and Elon Musk’s overreaching will affect communities across the state. 

Senator Bennet addressed potential threats to public lands. In the past, bills fighting to protect those lands were supported by both sides of the political table. 

“I hope we are not going to find ourselves in a position of the new Administration following the lead of people who are anti-public land,” Bennet said. “We are certainly going to fight it if they are, at every single step of the way.”  

Bennet also promised to protect Colorado land from imposed energy extraction, and reiterated his belief in listening to local voices, regardless of party affiliation.

Bennet also addressed concerns about the federal funding freeze, and about Trump’s pointed attacks on green energy programs. He also spoke of Colorado’s efforts to open the market in Mexico for sale of Colorado-grown potatoes, a ten-year deal which is now threatened by Trump’s tariffs and subsequent retaliatory tariffs. 

“No President has ever been king in this country, and the reason for that is we have almost always acted consistently with the checks and balances that the founders put forward for us,” Bennet said. 

“I don't think we can take that for granted today and we have to fight to ensure that we enforce those, and that we work with our Republican colleagues to make sure we are doing that even when it’s hard or politically difficult for them.

“That is my concern, is that the president and his crew will intimate people in a way that will make them less willing to protect the institutions and protect these checks and balances.” 

Neguse Town Hall

Shortly following that conference, Nederland Town Administrator Jonathan Cain announced that Congressman Joe Neguse will be holding a Town Hall meeting at the Nederland Community Center, to “provide updates on his work in Congress and engage in Q&A on critical matters, including national and local priorities.”   

This opportunity for residents to share their concerns with their congressional representative was a part of the Democratic Party’s response to the Trump Administration’s flurry of executive orders. Neguse and other House Democrats have been hosting Town Hall meetings across the country, to address the concerns of their base.

A Rapid Response Task Force and Litigation Working Group has been formed, which is described by House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries as an integral part of the “multifaceted struggle to protect and defend everyday Americans from the harm being inflicted by this administration.” Congressman Neguse will chair the task force. 

“It’s a perilous moment for our republic, given the unlawful and unconstitutional executive orders that have been issued by this administration,” he said in an interview with MSNBC. “It’s an all-hands-on-deck moment that requires a decisive and comprehensive response on the part of House Democrats, particularly given Republican obstinance and complete capitulation to Donald Trump.

“This task force, in effect, is a clearing house for developing legal and legislative responses to the Trump Administration’s lawlessness,” Neguse continued.   

“It is clear to me this Administration has no intention of pursuing any policies that would make the lives better for everyday Americans or Coloradoans that I represent. Nothing that they’re doing would decrease the cost of living or address the fundamental challenges that most families are grappling with.”

On Tuesday, February 18, Neguse spoke to a packed auditorium at the Nederland Community Center.

“I’m grateful to all of you for being here; your willingness to be out here to share your thoughts, suggestions, complaints, and concerns about what’s happening right now is certainly incredibly beautiful to me,” he began, 

“An unelected billionaire and a group of sycophants around him have decided to go in and dismantle government agencies piece by piece,” Neguse said about the current situation in the nation’s Capitol. “It’s going to require some creativity on the part of members of the House and Senate working in partnership.

“We are not powerless; we have agency. They want to create this perception that these actions can’t be stopped, but we have the ability to shape the course of events, and the best way to do that is by using our voice.” 

Neguse spent the remainder of the one-hour Town Hall meeting answering questions from the community, including concerns about the Trump Administration “sidestepping” the Endangered Species Act. Neguse called that Act a “bedrock law,” and also addressed concerns with other environmental acts, such as the National Environmental Policy Act.

Though he expressed that Trump does not legally or constitutionally have the right to negate or dismantle such laws, Neguse added that he was sure the Administration will try, and that he was prepared to fight that inevitability. 

Neguse described the current political and financial climate as untenable, as many questions were directed toward the Trump Administration’s and Elon Musk’s attack on both foreign and domestic aid, and on federal institutions and jobs in that sector.  

“If you were trying to design an environment ripe for a recession, this is how you would do it,” he said. “You would dismantle agencies and indiscriminately fire individuals; and these are public services, and sometimes law enforcement-related services.”

One comment from the audience was a call for voters to show up for the next two congressional elections, to take place on April 1, 2025, to ensure at least two Democratic candidates gain seats and create a greater balance.

To the question of how Neguse and the Democratic Party plan to “fight a bully,” Neguse stated that, though the system in place seems inadequate, he still believes that democracy can and will prevail.

“You will see more utilization of the procedural tools that exist in the House and in the Senate,” Neguse said. “There are ways we can try, on the legislative front, to reverse or impede anything that is unlawful, and you’re going to see us do more of that in the coming weeks.” 

“It is important for us to focus on the task in front of us, which is to make sure we’re winning three court cases,” Neguse continued. “The federal courts have tools to force compliance; there are legal remedies that they can pursue. Courts have contempt powers, courts have the power of writs, of seizure of property and financial assets.  

“The response should be that there is no circumstance in which a federal court would allow the Administration to disobey a court order.”

A senior at Nederland Middle-Senior High School (NMSHS), and representative from the Youth Advisory Board asked why Boulder Valley School District seemingly ignores the needs of NMSHS, stating that they do not receive the funding to teach the courses required for graduation.

“I was not aware of that particular issue. We’re happy to work with your BVSD school board members and State representative on potential solutions,” Neguse answered. 

One final comment from the crowd offered a different perspective, involving military terms “hybrid warfare” and “Russia new generation warfare,” suggesting that Russia has been at war with the U.S. since 2015, and that the Trump Administration is a proxy for the Russian government.

“Do I believe that this Administration is engaging in unlawful and unconstitutional actions? Yes. But let us not presume that all is lost,” Neguse said in response. “These actions will be  rejected by federal courts and through the legislative process, and ultimately there will be better days ahead.” 

Nederland Food Pantry

Following the special meeting with the public, Neguse visited the Nederland Food Pantry’s (NFP) new location at 196 West 1st Street to discuss the funding challenges the nonprofit organization faces under the Trump Administration. 

While fortunate to be gifted a brand new location for the next three years, the NFP is still faced with considerable challenges in the new year. The pantry is beginning to experience a shortage of essential products like milk, cereal, and eggs; and is also preparing for the ripple effect of Trump’s attempted freeze on federal funding.

In addition to the unique problems that the NFP’s clients face living up here in the mountains while unhoused or with low incomes, many of the Trump Administration’s orders, from tariffs to the mass firing of federal employees, are causing that number of clients to grow.

Neguse noted that Boulder County can host a meeting similar to one being held in Larimer County, which involves health and human services organizations speaking directly with local commissioners about their needs.  

“We’re not really sure how these federal cuts will ultimately be implemented. It’s a practical matter,” Neguse said, before talking about the prospect of such a meeting with Boulder County Commissioners.

“I think it’s worth checking in with the Commissioners; that they ought to convene with all the civic organizations that are engaged in helping the community and try to figure out how we’re going to respond to what is likely to be some really choppy waters for the next eight to 12 months.”   

Neguse continued to explain how the future for the NFP, and of nonprofit organizations across the country, is being decided in Washington DC, with the Republican’s budget proposal introducing massive cuts in aid for Americans.

“The question is: will there be 218 members of Congress who vote to save $200,000,000 in food assistance one month from now?” Neguse said. “So far there are 215 democrats who feel that way.”

Coming up: The Peak Report will focus on the impact the Trump Administration’s mass firing of federal employees will have, and is already having, on the Peak to Peak region.