If you are wondering why Colorado families feel squeezed, look at what the state keeps doing when the math stops mathing. According to The Center Square, Polis budget amendments were submitted to the Colorado legislature for approval as the state scrambles to deal with dropping revenue and an unbalanced budget.
The request includes budget supplements totaling $48.6 billion in total funds and $18.2 billion in general fund requests for fiscal year 2025-2026, and for fiscal year 2026-2027 it includes an amended $50.5 billion in total funds and $18.5 billion in general fund requests. Polis wrote that the changes reflect updated economic and revenue forecasts and new data on spending and fiscal needs.
The report says the state has labeled the situation an “unexpected and unnecessary shortfall” tied to the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which Congress passed July 1, shifting some of the spending burden for programs like Medicaid and SNAP back to states. Polis previously issued an executive order extending budget cuts to address an $800 million gap, and the report notes some tax credits have been turned off for tax year 2026.
The Bullet Point Brief
- Polis submitted another series of budget amendments and supplements for the Joint Budget Committee and the General Assembly to consider.
- The proposal totals $48.6 billion (total funds) and $18.2 billion (general fund) for FY 2025-2026, which is the spending plan lawmakers are being asked to adjust.
- For FY 2026-2027, the amended request is $50.5 billion in total funds and $18.5 billion in general fund, which signals the state is planning for continued pressure.
- The state expects less tax revenue while costs are expected to increase, which forces tradeoffs that land on taxpayers and service recipients.
- Highlights listed include maintaining a 13% reserve, $167 million in state funding for school finance, slowing Medicaid growth (projected to rise $630 million or 12% in FY 2026-2027), and funding free school meals.
My Bottom Line
Colorado is not a startup, and the state budget is not a vibes-based exercise. When revenue drops and costs jump, you do not get to keep every shiny “priority,” you pick what is essential and you show your work.
Translated: if the state keeps expanding commitments faster than families can pay for them, somebody eventually gets cut off or taxed, and it will not be the consultants.
Here is the hard truth: “balanced budget” is not a moral victory if you balance it by quietly turning off tax credits, slow-walking costs, and asking lawmakers to bless another round of reworks.
This is what progressive one-party rule looks like in practice, big promises, big programs, and then a scramble when the bill comes due. The Denver and Boulder bubble loves to govern by press release, but counties like Weld live in the real economy where a budget shortfall means you cancel something, you do not rename it.
If Polis and the Democrat-controlled legislature want this to be credible, start with a simple standard: line-by-line transparency, plain-English explanations for every shift, and a clear plan to keep Medicaid growth from eating everything else. And while we are at it, ask the obvious question out loud, what happens to local providers and local families if the state slows Medicaid spending growth without real reform?
We can debate priorities without hating each other, but we should not pretend this is “unexpected” when Colorado has been building a bigger and bigger load on the same taxpayers. Regular folks are willing to do their part, they just want a government that does its part too.
Source: The Center Square (link)
