Senators representing Colorado split Thursday night in their votes on legislation that would have raised the minimum wage and also eliminated taxes on some wealthy estates.
Sen. Wayne Allard, R-Colo., voted for it and Sen. Ken Salazar, D-Colo., voted against.
Allard blamed Democrats for blocking the measure.
“The Senate could have passed legislation that benefited minimum wage workers, Americans paying tuition, low income-area businesses, teachers who buy classroom supplies, soldiers receiving combat pay, and small businesses and family farmers and ranchers trying to pass on what they have built up over the years to their kids,” Allard said.
“We were stopped by a Democrat [sic] Party that has fallen victim to its own rhetoric. It’s a shame. I hope they come to their senses over August and we can move on this in September.”
Salazar said he opposed the bill because the elimination of the estate tax would have cost more than $750 billion, “risking drastic cuts to programs such as first responders, education, Social Security and Medicare.
“Passage of such fiscally irresponsible policy is doubly reckless at a time of war,” he said.
Salazar said he supported parts of the bill including raising the minimum wage.
“I also very much support permanent and fiscally responsible estate tax reform that will protect small businesses and farms and ranches. I have been working with moderates in the U.S. Senate to develop a proposal that will fix the problems on the estate tax,” he said.
He criticizes the “antics” of Republican leadership tying the minimum wage hike to the state tax repeal.
“Holding an increase in the minimum wage and the extension of important middle-class tax relief hostage to irresponsible reform of the estate tax – which at the end of the day affects three-tenths of one percent of all Americans (an estimated 8,100 estates) – is hypocrisy and political posturing of the worst kind,” he said.
