Colorado Democrats Mismanaged the Budget Now They’re Looking for Someone Else to Blame
(Denver, CO – July 30, 2025) – In a hyper-partisan Executive Committee Meeting, Colorado Democrats tried to shift blame for the state’s growing budget crisis onto Congressional Republicans, claiming that the federal budget bill (H.R.1) is responsible for a billion-dollar shortfall. Republican leaders were quick to correct the record, pointing to years of reckless state spending and the Democrats’ refusal to prioritize sustainable budgeting practices.
"Colorado’s budget crisis is not the result of federal reforms; it is the product of years of reckless overspending by Democrats," said House Minority Leader Rose Pugliese. "Instead of prioritizing core services like Medicaid for seniors, single moms, children, and people with disabilities, they built unsustainable programs with one-time federal dollars. Now, rather than reprioritizing, they are deflecting blame. H.R.1 does not cut Medicaid it restores integrity by ensuring those who truly need it are protected. Coloradans deserve responsible budgeting, not more political theater."
Senate Minority Leader Cleave Simpson emphasized that the budget shortfall comes as a consequence of the Democrats’ spending and not from H.R.1.
"The Democrats’ last-minute scramble to address a problem of their own making is frustrating,” Senator Simpson said. "The Democrats’ obsessive and irresponsible spending has forced this legislature to operate under a structural deficit for years. This crisis is entirely self-inflicted, not because of H.R.1, but because of the Democrats’ mismatched priorities. We’ve been warning them all along. If only they had listened."
Assistant House Minority Leader Ty Winter pointed to the impact of Democrat mismanagement on rural Colorado.
"Rural families are tired of footing the bill for Denver’s spending habits," said Winter. "This is not about cuts to core services this is about restoring focus to the people who play by the rules and work hard to support their communities. Republicans are committed to protecting Colorado’s rural economies and making sure resources go where they are truly needed."
Assistant Senate Minority Leader Lisa Frizell called out the Democrats for deflecting the consequences of their own irresponsible spending.
"Once again the Democrats are pointing fingers to distract from their own mismanagement," Senator Frizell said. "The Democrats have control of the budget and they blew it. This shortfall was entirely avoidable. Today’s executive committee meeting was partisan deflection, plain and simple."
Representative Rick Taggart, a member of the Joint Budget Committee, called on the Governor to take immediate action to address the crisis.
"The Governor could start today by implementing a hiring freeze and repealing unsustainable programs that were created with one-time dollars," said Taggart. "Instead, Democrats are blaming everyone but themselves, while doing nothing to fix the budget."
Senator Barbara Kirkmeyer, also a member of the JBC, criticized Democrats for bypassing the bipartisan process.
"Today’s hearing was nothing more than a lengthy partisan press conference," said Kirkmeyer. "If Democrats were serious about fixing their budget mess, they would have worked through the Joint Budget Committee, the body responsible for managing our state’s finances. We do not need a special session. We need an intervention for Democrats’ addiction to overspending."
Senator Kirkmeyer and Representative Taggart also called on the chair of the Joint Budget Committee, Senator Jeff Bridges, to convene the committee immediately so they too may hear directly from department heads.
Contrary to Democrats’ claims, Medicaid spending is not being cut under the federal budget. It is projected to increase each year. Reforms ensure that the program is preserved for seniors, single mothers, children, and people with disabilities, not able-bodied adults who refuse to work or those in the country illegally. These reforms restore program integrity and protect long-term funding for those most in need.
Other wins for Colorado in H.R.1 include:
Doubling federal investment in the Rural Health Transformation Program ($100 million)
No taxes on tips or overtime, helping hourly and service industry workers keep more of what they earn, which would save, on average $1,750 a year per person
Protecting Social Security by eliminating taxes on nearly 90% of seniors' benefits
Preserving tax cuts, which protects the average Colorado family from a 20% tax hike
Rolling back reckless green energy spending while preserving solar and wind credits for projects already underway
"Democrats broke the budget. Now they are trying to break the process and rewrite the truth," Pugliese concluded. "Republicans are focused on restoring fiscal responsibility and ensuring taxpayer dollars are spent effectively for the families, seniors, and workers who depend on them."
