August 06, 2025 11:12 AM UTC

Polis Calls Special Session to Fix What Republicans Broke

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• by: Colorado Pols

UPDATE: Jesse Paul of The Colorado Sun makes the same point about unserious Republicans in the legislature:

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We knew it was coming after Congressional Republicans passed President Trump’s “big, beautiful, bullshit budget bill” last month, and here it is: Another special legislative session.

As Seth Klamann reports for The Denver Post:

For the third consecutive year, Gov. Jared Polis is summoning Colorado lawmakers back to the state Capitol for a special session — this time to close a yawning budget gap ripped open by the federal tax bill.

Lawmakers will return on Aug. 21 for a session that lasts a minimum of three days, Polis announced Wednesday morning during a news conference at the Governor’s Residence in Denver. They’ll be tasked with cutting or finding roughly $783 million to offset the net loss in revenue this fiscal year, which ends next June, as a result of the tax bill passed by Congress and signed into law by President Donald Trump last month.

The hole is significant, representing more than 4.5% of the state’s general fund budget. The revenue loss is larger than the loss felt during the 2008 financial crisis. [Pols emphasis]

State officials last week had estimated the general fund shortfall at nearly $1 billion, but they lowered the general fund impact to $783 million in updated projections released Tuesday. Polis told The Denver Post in an interview ahead of his news conference that state officials were “not expecting, at this point, any furloughs or layoffs.”

But in his formal announcement Wednesday, Polis said he would implement a state government hiring freeze, starting later this month and running through the end of this year. To fill the shortfall, he called on lawmakers to “restrict spending, enhance revenues and use a modest portion of the state’s rainy day reserves.”

State lawmakers already cut $1.2 billion from the state budget in the regular session that ended in May, but they need to return to the State Capitol to make even more devastating cuts thanks solely to the actions of President Trump and Congressional Republicans.

Republican lawmakers, meanwhile, are doing their best to convince folks to ignore their lying eyes about the causes of a massive new budget hole in Colorado. Check out this absurd statement released by House Republicans:

“This is a waste of taxpayer dollars and state resources,” said House Minority Leader Rose Pugliese. “The Governor is using a special session to stir fear about the Big Beautiful Bill when the truth is that the Big Beautiful Bill continues to cover the people it was designed to serve: seniors, single mothers, children, and people with disabilities.”

Just close your eyes and repeat: There is no budget hole…

Here’s Minority Whip Carlos “Who?” Barron with an even dumber take:

“This is not a revenue crisis. It is a spending and priorities crisis. Instead of asking state agencies to find savings or eliminate waste, the Governor is demanding a blank check from taxpayers. House Republicans believe in protecting the integrity of Medicaid, not growing it into an unaccountable entitlement for noncitizens and those who choose not to work.”

Sigh. Because of TABOR, Colorado lawmakers CAN’T RAISE TAXES. Period.

But the award for most idiotic response goes to Assistant Minority Leader Ty Winter, who is mad because…well, just read for yourself:

“The State Fair is a time for rural communities to come together and celebrate their contributions; feeding our state, powering our economy, and showcasing Colorado values. It is also a moment for the good people of rural Colorado to proudly share the results of their hard work with the entire state. Calling a special session during this time shows just how out of touch the Governor is with the people who do God’s work on God’s land.”

The Governor shouldn’t call a special session because it is the same time as the State Fair? Seriously?

We say it all the time, and Colorado Republicans consistently prove it out: These are not serious people.

If you’re in the habit of pointing fingers, this isn’t a difficult task: You can blame Colorado Republican Reps. Jeff Hurd, Lauren Boebert, Jeff Crank, and Gabe Evans for blindly supporting President Trump’s disastrous budget bill. Colorado elected officials warned repeatedly that the “big, beautiful, bullshit budget bill” would be devastating to our state, but Evans and friends didn’t care.

And now Colorado Democrats have to clean up their mess. Again.