Sen. John Hickenlooper on Friday plans a deceptive act of political theater designed to smear the “One Big Beautiful Bill” as a heartless giveaway to the rich that will exacerbate hunger and “food insecurity.” He plans to make this case during a tour of the Colorado Springs-based Food to Power, a reputable organization founded “to cultivate a healthy, equitable food system.”

In a news release Thursday, Hickenlooper falsely claims the bill “guts” SNAP, ripping food assistance from more than 600,000 Coloradans to fund tax cuts for the ultrawealthy. This is fearmongering at its worst, ignoring how the bill empowers the middle class and poor with real economic relief while reforming SNAP to prioritize the truly needy.

Far from causing hunger, this legislation — signed into law by President Donald Trump on Independence Day — delivers tax breaks that put more money in working families’ pockets, enabling them to afford the foods they need and desire without government handouts.

Let’s check Hickenlooper’s message against the facts. The One Big Beautiful Bill makes permanent the 2017 Trump tax cuts, which benefited low- and middle-income Americans disproportionately. For example, it doubles the standard deduction to $27,700 for married couples in 2025, shielding more income from taxes for everyday workers who struggle to make ends meet.

The bill enhances the Child Tax Credit, increasing it to $2,500 per child (with $2,100 refundable), allowing low-income parents to claim a larger share — directly boosting disposable income for food. These provisions ensure families earning less than $100,000 see average tax savings of $1,200 annually, money that can buy healthy food without restrictions.

A classic example is the bill’s “No Tax on Tips” provision. The beneficiaries are wage earners such as waitstaff, bartenders and delivery drivers. This is history’s greatest tax relief for the very people who put restaurateur Hickenlooper among the wealthiest 1%. One must wonder why the senator wants to keep them down, with less disposable income and more need for assistance.

Tipped employees, who make up 4% of the workforce and earn a median of $27,000 yearly, will save hundreds in taxes, freeing cash for nutritious meals. Similarly, the bill exempts overtime pay from taxes for those earning under $160,000, benefiting first responders, blue-collar workers, waiters, teachers and the millions who clock in and out. This alone could add $800 — $1,500 to the take-home pay of workers, empowering them to choose the foods they need and desire.

Beyond taxes, the bill revives and expands Opportunity Zones, designating low-income areas for investment incentives that spur job creation and community development. In Colorado, this means more urban farming hubs such as Food to Power could flourish through private capital, generating local jobs and affordable food. Lower corporate tax rates (made permanent at 21%) fuel economic growth, leading to 2.5 million new jobs projected by 2030, lifting working-class wages and reducing food insecurity through earned income.

Hickenlooper’s SNAP hysteria is equally misguided. The bill’s reforms impose work requirements on able-bodied adults without dependents aged 18–59, mandating 20 hours of work, training or volunteering weekly to receive benefits. This doesn’t “gut” SNAP; it refocuses the $120 billion program on traditional users — elderly, disabled and families with children — who make up 80% of recipients and remain fully protected.

By excluding those who can work but decline to do so, it encourages employment. Studies and experience — Democratic President Bill Clinton enacted a work requirement — show this approach boosts labor participation by 15–20% among able-bodied adults without children. These individuals then earn wages to buy food, reducing overall dependency and demand on SNAP by those with better options.

For core SNAP users, this means less administrative bloat, faster approvals and potentially higher benefit allotments for each household as misuse declines and resources concentrate for the vulnerable.

Hickenlooper’s low road narrative ignores how the bill combats poverty through opportunity, not endless entitlements. Coloradans deserve leaders who celebrate independence and empowerment, not perpetual victimhood among the poor and the class of workers who made the senator rich.

The Gazette Editorial Board