Minority Leadership Emphasizes Importance of Safeguarding Federal Funding

(Denver, CO – June 19, 2025) – Minority Leader Rose Pugliese and Assistant Minority Leader Ty Winter responded today to Governor Polis’ announcement regarding federal funding losses by emphasizing that House Republicans warned the Governor months ago of these exact consequences. In a formal letter sent earlier this year—attached to this release—House Republican leadership identified numerous bills that risked violating federal law and jeopardizing critical funding. Despite these warnings, the Governor moved forward with signing the legislation, knowing the risks to Colorado’s fiscal health.

“Good governance means considering the full impact of legislation—including how it may affect our federal funding, before that legislation passes the House,” said Minority Leader Pugliese. “We brought forward proposals to ensure Colorado would not lose access to these resources and identified specific bills where there were clear risks, yet we still saw legislation that would lead to federal funding cuts.”

During the 2025 legislative session, House Republicans offered amendments to multiple bills that would have automatically repealed any section of law found to cause the loss of federal funding. These amendments were designed to give the state a safeguard without obstructing policy debate.

Republican leadership also sent a letter to Governor Polis identifying several bills introduced at that time that raised compliance concerns. Additional bills introduced later in the session raised similar concerns. The letter is attached to this release for reference.

“Governor Polis cannot now cry foul,” said Assistant Minority Leader Ty Winter. “Our letter, the rejected amendments, and repeated floor debate made it absolutely clear that the majority’s legislative agenda would trigger federal consequences. The Governor had the chance to veto these bills—and he did not.”

With the state budget already under pressure, the loss of federal funding will further burden Colorado’s ability to meet essential needs like public safety, health care, and infrastructure. House Republicans remain committed to working toward policy solutions that protect Colorado’s funding streams and ensure alignment with federal law.