Two of Southern California’s busiest airports were experiencing average flight delays of at least an hour Sunday amid air traffic control staffing shortages due to the federal government shutdown.
The advisories from the FAA’s Air Traffic Control System Command Center said the delays were expected to persist through Sunday night.
The issue was related to “staffing,” the advisories said. For San Diego, the advisory specified an issue with “tower staffing.”
Delays were expected to increase to nearly 1½ hours for flights heading to LAX between 8 and 10 p.m. At San Diego International Airport, delays were expected to worsen to nearly 1 hour and 20 minutes between 9 and 10 p.m.
The only other airport nationwide with a ground delay advisory was in New Jersey, where the situation was even worse. Departures to Newark Liberty International Airport were delayed by an average of more than 3½ hours, an advisory said. From 7 to 8 p.m. Eastern time, average delays of 4½ hours were expected.
Since the federal government shut down on Oct. 1, the FAA has warned of disruption at airports due to staff shortages.
Air traffic controllers are required to work unpaid when the federal government shuts down and do not obtain retroactive pay until Congress comes to an agreement on a budget.
Airports across the nation have experienced staff shortages at their air traffic control towers since the shutdown began.
Times staff writer Stacy Perman contributed to this report.
In the last budget that Gov. Jared Polis will usher through from conception to enactment, the term-limited Democrat hopes to wrestle down ever-rising Medicaid costs, he said Friday in unveiling his proposal.
It’s a plan that proposes clamping down on dental benefits, requiring prior authorization for more services and making payment changes affecting home health services. Elsewhere, Polis hopes to revive his often-proposed — and never accepted by the legislature — idea of privatizing Pinnacol Assurance, the state’s workers’ compensation insurance program, to generate hundreds of millions of dollars.
Medicaid, which provides health insurance to low-income Coloradans, has been gobbling an ever-bigger chunk of the overall state budget for years. It’s growing at a rate that’s double the overall spending growth allowed by the Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights, or TABOR.
If left unchecked, Medicaid costs could end up dwarfing all other spending in the state in the next 15 years, leaving almost no money for any services that aren’t directly related to education or health care, according to the governor’s office.
“This gets worse if we don’t fix it,” Polis said Friday.
The governor’s overall budget proposal for the 2026-27 fiscal year includes a total spending request of more than $50.6 billion, up from $48 billion in the current fiscal year, which goes through June 30. Most of that is already spoken for as pass-through spending or other obligations.
The general fund, which covers most day-to-day spending, would grow from about $18.2 billion to $18.6 billion under Polis’ proposal.
Polis’ announcement of his proposal represents a starting point for the state’s next spending plan, which will cover July 1, 2026, through June 30, 2027. He will unveil an amended proposal in January as the state updates economic projections.
Then the legislature will have its say, starting with the powerful Joint Budget Committee.
Four of the committee’s six members are seeking higher office in the 2026 election, making this budget an even more pitched-than-usual declaration of political values. The legislature will vote on the final budget in the spring.
Early forecasts have the body needing to make up a nearly $1 billion gap — again — between planned spending and what the state is allowed to spend under the growth cap set by TABOR. This tight budget year follows an August special session where lawmakers needed to fill a $783 million hole opened up in the current fiscal year by federal tax changes signed into law by President Donald Trump over the summer.
Trying to rein in Medicaid
Polis said a key hope of his budget proposal is to bring growth in Medicaid spending in line with the overall growth in state spending allowed by TABOR. Over the past decade, the state constitution has limited total state spending to growth by an average 4.4% per year.
Medicaid spending has grown at double that rate, 8.8%. In that period, general fund spending on Medicaid has grown from about $2.4 billion $5.5 billion per year.
In his proposal, Polis would increase state Medicaid spending by about $300 million. That increase alone represents more spending than several executive agencies’ combined budgets — but would still be half as steep as Medicaid’s projected growth without changes to the program.
A Medicaid sign is displayed in the hallway at Clinica Family Health on Thursday, May 2, 2024, in Adams County, Colorado. (Photo by Eli Imadali/Special to The Denver Post)
Polis said he wants to lower overall spending on Medicaid services without touching how much individual providers are paid for services. Proposed changes include annual caps of $3,000 on dental benefits, which Polis noted would be double the cap that existed in 2023; adding prior authorization to some services; and changing how payment is calculated for home health nursing and therapy services.
Several of those proposals are extensions of executive orders he issued to help shore up the most recent budget trouble in August.
“There have been a number of benefits that have been added (to Medicaid) in recent years, and some of those are not sustainable over time,” Polis said.
His administration has also been working with national consultants to examine how Colorado’s Medicaid spending has differed from national trends. That report should be available in the New Year.
Pushing to privatize Pinnacol … again
In another key element of his proposal, Polis is looking to restart a fight from last year over converting the state’s quasi-governmental workers’ compensation insurance program to a fully private enterprise.
Polis’ office predicted the Pinnacol Assurance spin-off, if completed, would generate at least $400 million for the state. About half of that would go to pay for the homestead property tax exemption, while the rest would go to state maintenance and to balance the budget.
Pinnacol acts as an “insurer of last resort” for employers in high-risk industries. The firm is generally not allowed to refuse to insure employers or cancel policies, but it can operate only within Colorado’s borders.
Polis restarted the conversation last year with arguments that Pinnacol was hamstrung from competing in today’s markets, where employers are less bound by state borders than ever. Turning the quasi-state agency into a private firm would also equal a payday for a cash-strapped state.
The effort petered out when the idea didn’t win much traction during the legislative session — though Polis hinted later that he hadn’t given up on the effort.
This year, Polis said the money would help the state keep its property tax break for certain long-term homeowners, known as the homestead exemption. The tax break is usually paid for using the state’s TABOR surplus, but the state won’t have one this year, Polis said.
“Nearly every other state has moved in this direction for reasons that are very important to employees and employers,” Polis said. “For Pinnacol to be able to continue to serve as our insurer of last resort, we have to be able to allow them to write interstate business, to take some of the same steps that can reduce overhead and produce better value to employees that other states have done.”
Opponents to the move worry that taking Pinnacol private would weaken protections for workers and employers in the state. The insurer essentially acts as a social safety net for industries that otherwise couldn’t obtain coverage, they argued last year.
This year, opponents are warning that privatizing the insurer and taking a portion of the money — potentially hundreds of millions of dollars — would be unconstitutional because the money isn’t the state’s to take.
“Pinnacol’s assets were built from employer premiums, not tax dollars,” said Stephanie Tucker, an attorney and president of the Workers’ Compensation Education Association, in a statement. “These funds belong to the employers who paid premiums and (to) injured workers, not the state. Privatization without clear legal authority could result in years of litigation and uncertainty for both Pinnacol and the state of Colorado.”
State officials have a different interpretation. The state “has an obligation” to get value for Pinnacol if it’s spun off, Mark Ferrandino, the head of the Office of State Planning and Budgeting, said.
Polis said he’s been briefed on the legal question and his staff classified it as a “very low litigation risk.”
President Donald Trump on Thursday urged congressional Republicans to unilaterally end the government shutdown by eliminating the filibuster — an unprecedented step that GOP leaders have opposed taking until now.”It is now time for the Republicans to play their ‘TRUMP CARD,’ and go for what is called the Nuclear Option — Get rid of the Filibuster, and get rid of it, NOW!” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post.Senate Republicans have so far ruled out changing the Senate rules to eliminate the 60-vote threshold needed for passing legislation, arguing that it would ultimately benefit Democrats the next time they retake power.But Trump, in his post, brushed off that concern, contending that Republicans should take advantage of the opportunity first.”Now I want to do it in order to take advantage of the Democrats,” Trump wrote.
President Donald Trump on Thursday urged congressional Republicans to unilaterally end the government shutdown by eliminating the filibuster — an unprecedented step that GOP leaders have opposed taking until now.
“It is now time for the Republicans to play their ‘TRUMP CARD,’ and go for what is called the Nuclear Option — Get rid of the Filibuster, and get rid of it, NOW!” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post.
Senate Republicans have so far ruled out changing the Senate rules to eliminate the 60-vote threshold needed for passing legislation, arguing that it would ultimately benefit Democrats the next time they retake power.
But Trump, in his post, brushed off that concern, contending that Republicans should take advantage of the opportunity first.
“Now I want to do it in order to take advantage of the Democrats,” Trump wrote.
Denver City Council President Amanda Sandoval, who has attended hundreds of public comment sessions over the past decade, found herself overwhelmed Monday night.
“That was the most intense public hearing I can remember having ever,” she said after residents shared a litany of needs and requests for the city’s upcoming budget.
Speakers wanted more community-based crime prevention programs. Safer transportation infrastructure. Support for youth arts and workforce development, and more funding for the Clerk and Recorder’s election services.
The mayor has said there just isn’t enough money next year to pay for everything the community wants. The city has already laid off more than 170 workers and eliminated hundreds more positions. And Johnston says more layoffs or cuts could be necessary if the city council increases city spending.
City Council, which can amend the budget but not outright reject it, is in a bind: Should they push for amendments to the budget and risk prompting more cuts elsewhere? Or do they trust that Johnston’s budget strikes the right balance and potentially disappoint constituents?
Mouath Baesho speaks during Denver City Council’s regular public comment session. Oct. 27, 2025.Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite
Calls for a family homeless shelter
Homeless families spoke about the long wait times they’re experiencing with the Connection Center, a family crisis hotline that is funded by the city and run by The Salvation Army. They told stories of life on the streets with their children, fearing the city would separate them from their kids.
Some spoke English. Others spoke Spanish. All were suffering with children. They asked the city to spend $9 million to buy or rent a hotel for use as a family shelter.
The city is ending funding for two shelters for individuals in 2026, which will save the city $11 million, while keeping other shelters running.
Rae Cranmer speaks during a press conference urging Denver to fund family shelters, convened by Housekeys Action Network of Denver, before the Denver City Council’s public comment session on Oct. 27, 2025.Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite
“No family should be punished for being poor or homeless,” said Rae Cranmer, a mother of seven, who said she lost her housing and was forced to send her children into an abusive household so they could stay sheltered and she would not have them taken from her by authorities.
Other parents told their stories of evictions, struggles to find work and deported spouses. Many described the long waitlist to come inside from their cars and the streets.
In its last report, The Salvation Army told the city there are 250 families on the shelter waitlist. As of Tuesday, it was 218.
“I hope that you guys realize that it is in your hands to decide if these kids get to have a warm, safe upbringing, a childhood,” said V Reeves with the Housekeys Action Network Denver.
Denver City Council member Chris Hinds listens during a public comment period on Oct. 27, 2025.Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite
Transportation drama
Transportation advocates said the city wasn’t doing enough to end traffic deaths.
Neighborhood advocate Joel Noble, a former Denver Planning Board member, expressed his frustration that the Johnston administration planned to “raid” the city’s dedicated Transportation and Mobility Special Revenue Fund for $575,000 to restore the positions of laid-off parking magistrates.
Housekeys Action Network of Denver advocate Terese Howard speaks as Denver City Council hears public comment on the city’s 2026 budget. Oct. 27, 2025.Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite
The fund was established in 2022 from increased parking meter fees. The money was dedicated for improvements to multimodal transportation. But as DOTI’s budget has been cut in recent years, The Denver Streets Partnership argues in a statement that the special funds have been used to “backfill budget gaps.”
If that fund is tapped for the parking magistrate funding, Noble argued the city would be doing long-lasting damage to the public’s trust that special funds will be used for the purposes described.
“I’m here defending this fund because I know that we were all told what it was for, and I do not like being lied to,” Noble said.
Denver City Council President Amanda Sandoval listens during a public comment period on Oct. 27, 2025.Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite
June Churchill, the budget chair of the Department of Transportation and Infrastructure Advisory Board, argued Johnston was treating the money as a “slush fund.”
Mayoral spokesperson Jon Ewing said the ability to dispute parking tickets without going to court is a priority for residents, the council and the administration. The Johnston administration recently agreed to create a new parking ticket appeal program after the city shut down an online appeals system.
“Understanding that the court system did not feel the program should live under them, we moved it to DOTI and utilized an existing funding source,” Ewing said. “This prevented other service or personnel cuts.”
Denver City Council listens to public comment on Oct. 27, 2025.Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite
Churchill described the city’s overall budget as “fundamentally flawed.” The city has more assets than revenue, and it’s impossible to care for it all. She pointed to more than 60 structurally deficient bridges, eroding pavement and a city vehicle fleet that is largely outdated.
“The system won’t fail tomorrow,” Churchill said. “But it will fall apart without serious intervention.”
Advocates also asked for additional funding for Vision Zero and Safe Routes to School, programs designed to prevent unsafe speeding and preventable traffic deaths and injuries.
People held signs that read “Fund Community Safety.”
They were part of a campaign to create a new $5 million program that would fund community-based violence prevention groups.
“When we invest in youth programs, victim services and conflict mediation, we are not just addressing crises, we are preventing them,” said Kym Rae, the campaign coordinator for the Colorado Criminal Justice Reform Coalition. “We are saving lives, saving public resources, and building a safer, more connected Denver for everyone.”
Jessie Parris holds a sign reading “FUND COMMUNITY SAFETY” as Denver City Council hears public comment on the city’s 2026 budget. Oct. 27, 2025.Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite
Hassan Latif, who spent 17 years in prison and left to create the Second Chance Center, a program to help formerly incarcerated people reenter society, said investing in such programming would strengthen communities and prevent violence before it happens.
“Denver invests hundreds of millions every year in reactive systems, policing, courts and jails,” he said. “It’s time to show that same seriousness about prevention, intervention and victim support, the work that stops harm before it happens.”
Protecting election integrity
Community members, election judges, election workers and voter advocates asked City Council to give more funding to the Clerk and Recorder’s Office.
Clerk and Recorder Paul López had asked for an extra $4.5 million. But Johnston’s budget would slash the Clerk’s budget by 1.5 percent and offer less for elections than in 2022, during the last midterm election.
Denver Clerk and Recorder Paul López listens as the City Council listens to public comment on the city’s 2026 budget. Oct. 27, 2025.Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite
“Next year will be an especially critical and scrutinized election,” said Pearlanne Zelarney of the League of Women Voters. “An underfunded elections office risks undermining voter access and trust, precisely when we need it most.”
Susy Johnson, the president of Denver Republican Women and an on-again-off-again poll watcher, said the council should vote no on Johnston’s proposed budget until the mayor adequately funds polling places, ballot boxes, and the election staff voters depend on.
“These changes are not just inconvenient,” she said. “They represent a direct threat to the public’s trust in our elections.”
Slashing services for children
Johnston’s proposed budget reduces funding for the Office of Children Affairs, which funds after-school programs. The city laid off 10 people, and eliminated two open positions, out of a staff of 31. Johnston’s budget proposal reduces its funding by about 56 percent.
“We suggest you continue to fund the Office of Children’s Affairs and programs that allow us to express ourselves, that allow us to build a better future for our community and possibly our world,” said Julian Adam Martinez, who attends DSST College View and works as an intern at ArtLab.
He fears that without city funding, ArtLab will be shut down and youth like him will miss an opportunity to gain professional experience and skills.
“We must invest in young people — not cut resources that help young people grow, heal and lead,” said Stephen Smith Contreras of Youth on Record.
Next steps
Next week, the council will take what they learned from the public on Monday night and deliberate on adding new amendments. With a supermajority vote of nine members, they could also revive previously proposed amendments the mayor has already vetoed.
Then they will decide whether to pass his budget, though that’s largely a formality. Johnston’s draft, as amended by the council, will take effect. Council members have no power to outright block his proposal.
Denver City Council members Flor Alvidrez (from left), Serena Gonzales-Gutierrez and Jamie Torres listen during a public comment period on Oct. 27, 2025.Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite
Two council members expressed their frustration that the mayor provided insufficient staff to answer their questions. Some from the public were frustrated the mayor himself was not present.
“I wish he was here tonight to hear what you are listening to,” said Marilyn Ackerman, a member of Montview Presbyterian Church and Together Colorado. “When I voted for him, he said he was interested in co-governance.”
That, she said, hasn’t happened.
“Staff was present and we’re always happy to answer additional questions after the fact, as we have throughout the budget process,” Ewing said.
Editor’s note: This article was corrected to note that there are 250 families, not individuals, on the Connection Center waitlist.
Kids play in the hallway as Denver City Council hears public comment on the city’s 2026 budget. Oct. 27, 2025.Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite
ENGLEWOOD — Metro Denver budtender Quentin Ferguson needs Regional Transportation District bus and trains to reach work at an Arvada dispensary from his house, a trip that takes 90 minutes each way “on a good day.”
“It is pretty inconvenient,” Ferguson, 22, said on a recent rainy evening, waiting for a nearly empty train that was eight minutes late.
He’s not complaining, however, because his relatively low income and Medicaid status qualify him for a discounted RTD monthly pass. That lets him save money for a car or an electric bicycle, he said, either of them offering a faster commute.
Then he would no longer have to ride RTD.
His plight reflects a core problem of lagging ridership that RTD directors increasingly run up against as they try to position the transit agency as the smartest way to navigate Denver. Most other U.S. public transit agencies, too, are grappling with a version of this problem.
In Colorado, state-government-driven efforts to concentrate the growing population in high-density, transit-oriented development around bus and train stations — a priority for legislators and Gov. Jared Polis — hinge on having a swift public system that residents ride.
But transit ridership has failed to rebound a year after RTD’s havoc in 2024, when operators disrupted service downtown for a $152 million rail reconstruction followed by a systemwide emergency maintenance blitz to smooth deteriorating tracks that led to trains crawling through 10-mph “slow zones.”
The latest ridership numbers show an overall decline this year, by at least 3.9%, with 40 million fewer riders per year compared with six years ago. And RTD executives’ newly proposed, record $1.3 billion budget for 2026 doesn’t include funds for boosting bus and train frequency to win back riders.
Frustrations intensified last week.
“What is the point of transit-oriented development if it is just development?” said state Rep. Meg Froelich, a Democrat representing Englewood who chairs the House Transportation, Housing and Local Government Committee. “We need reliable transit to have transit-oriented development. We have cities that have invested significant resources into their transit-oriented communities. RTD is not holding up its end of the bargain.”
At a retreat this past summer, a majority of the RTD’s 15 elected board members agreed that boosting ridership is their top priority. Some who reviewed the proposed budget last week questioned the lack of spending on service improvements for riders.
“We’re not moving the needle. Ridership is not going up. It should be going up,” director Karen Benker said in an interview.
“Over the past few years, there’s been a tremendous amount of population growth. There are so many apartment complexes, so much new housing put up all over,” Benker said. “Transit has to be relied on. You just cannot keep building more roads. We’re going to have to find ways to get people to ride public transit.”
Commuting trends blamed
RTD Chief Executive and General Manager Debra Johnson, in emailed responses to questions from The Denver Post, emphasized that “RTD is not unique” among U.S. transit agencies struggling to regain ridership lost during the COVID-19 pandemic. Johnson blamed societal shifts.
“Commuting trends have significantly changed over the last five years,” she said. “Return-to-work numbers in the Denver metro area, which accounted for a significant percentage of RTD’s ridership prior to March 2020, remain low as companies and businesses continue to provide flexible in-office schedules for their employees.”
In the future, RTD will be “changing its focus from primarily providing commuter services,” she said, toward “enhancing its bus and services and connections to high-volume events, activity centers, concerts and festivals.”
But agency directors are looking for a more aggressive approach to reversing the decline in ridership. And some are mulling a radical restructuring of routes.
Funded mostly by taxpayers across a 2,345 square-mile area spanning eight counties and 40 municipalities — one of the biggest in the nation — RTD operates 10 rail lines covering 114 miles with 84 stations and 102 bus routes with 9,720 stops.
“We should start from scratch,” said RTD director Chris Nicholson, advocating an overhaul of the “geometry” of all bus routes to align transit better with metro Denver residents’ current mobility patterns.
The key will be increasing frequency.
“We should design the routes how we think would best serve people today, and then we could take that and modify it where absolutely necessary to avoid disruptive differences with our current route map,” he said.
Then, in 2030, directors should appeal to voters for increased funding to improve service — funds that would be substantially controlled by municipalties “to pick where they want the service to go,” he said.
Reversing the RTD ridership decline may take a couple of years, Nicholson said, comparing the decreases this year to customers shunning a restaurant. “If you’re a restaurant and you poison some guests accidentally, you’re gonna lose customers even after you fix the problem.”
The RTD ridership numbers show an overall public transit ridership decrease by 5% when measured over the 12-month period from August 2024 through July 2025, the last month for which staffers have made numbers available, compared with the same period a year ago.
Bus ridership decreased by 2% and light rail by 18% over that period. In a typical month, RTD officials record around 5 million boardings — around 247,000 on weekdays.
The precautionary rail “slow zones” persisted for months as contractors worked on tracks, delaying and diverting trains, leaving transit-dependent workers in a lurch. RTD driver workforce shortages limited deployment of emergency bus shuttles.
This year, RTD ridership systemwide decreased by 3.9% when measured from January through July, compared with that period in 2024. The bus ridership this year has decreased by 2.4%.
On rail lines, the ridership on the relatively popular A Line that runs from Union Station downtown to Denver International Airport was down by 9.7%. The E Line light rail that runs from downtown to the southeastern edge of metro Denver was down by 24%. Rail ridership on the W Line decreased by 18% and on R Line by 15%, agency records show.
The annual RTD ridership has decreased by 38% since 2019, from 105.8 million to 65.2 million in 2024.
A Regional Transportation District light rail train moves through downtown Denver on Friday, June 27, 2025. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
Light rail ‘sickness’ spreading
“The sickness on RTD light rail is spreading to other parts of the RTD system,” said James Flattum, a co-founder of the Greater Denver Transit grassroots rider advocacy group, who also serves on the state’s RTD Accountability Committee. “We’re seeing permanent demand destruction as a consequence of having an unreliable system. This comes from a loss of trust in RTD to get you where you need to go.”
RTD officials have countered critics by pointing out that the light rail’s on-time performance recovered this year to 91% or better. Bus on-time performance still lagged at 83% in July, agency records show.
The officials also pointed to decreased security reports made using an RTD smartphone app after deploying more police officers on buses and trains. The number of reported assaults has decreased — to four in September, compared with 16 in September 2024, records show.
Greater Denver Transit members acknowledged that safety has improved, but question the agency’s assertions based on app usage. “It may be true that the number of security calls went down,” Flattum said, “but maybe the people who otherwise would have made more safety calls are no longer riding RTD.”
RTD staffers developing the 2026 budget have focused on managing debt and maintaining operations spending at current levels. They’ve received forecasts that revenues from taxpayers will increase slightly. It’s unclear whether state and federal funds will be available.
RTD directors and leaders of the Southwest Energy Efficiency Project, an environmental group, are opposing the rollback of RTD’s planned shift to the cleaner, quieter electric hybrid buses and taking on new debt for that purpose.
Colorado lawmakers will “push on a bunch of different fronts” to prioritize better service to boost ridership, Froelich said.
The legislature in recent years directed funds to help RTD provide free transit for riders under age 20. Buses and trains running at least every 15 minutes would improve both ridership and safety, she said, because more riders would discourage bad behavior and riders wouldn’t have to wait alone at night on often-empty platforms for up to an hour.
“We’re trying to do what we can to get people back onto the transit system,” Froelich said. “They do it in other places, and people here do ride the Bustang (intercity bus system). RTD just seems to lack the nimbleness required to meet the moment.”
Denver Center for the Performing Arts stage hand Chris Grossman walks home after work in downtown Denver on Thursday, Oct. 16, 2025. (Photo by Andy Cross/The Denver Post)
Riders switch modes
Meanwhile, riders continue to abandon public transit when it doesn’t meet their needs.
For Denver Center for the Performing Arts theater technician Chris Grossman, 35, ditching RTD led to a better quality of life. He had to move from the Virginia Village neighborhood he loved.
Back in 2016, Grossman sold his ailing blue 2003 VW Golf when he moved there in the belief that “RTD light rail was more or less reliable.” He rode nearly every day between the Colorado Station and downtown.
But trains became erratic as maintenance of walls along tracks caused delays. “It just got so bad. I was burning so much money on rideshares that I probably could have bought a car.” Shortly before RTD announced the “slow zones” last summer, he moved to an apartment closer to downtown on Capitol Hill.
He walks or rides scooters to work, faster than taking the bus, he said.
Similarly, Honor Morgan, 25, who came to Denver from the rural Midwest, “grateful for any public transit,” said she had to move from her place east of downtown to be closer to her workplace due to RTD transit trouble.
Buses were late, and one blew by her as she waited. She had to adjust her attire when riding her Colfax Avenue route to Union Station to manage harassment. She faced regular dramas of riders with substance-use problems erupting.
Morgan moved to an apartment near Union Station in March, allowing her to walk to work.
She still hoped to rely on RTD for concerts and nightlife, and to reach DIA for work-related flights at least once a month. But RTD social media posts have alerted her to enough delays on the A Line that she no longer trusts it, she said. To reduce her “anxiety” and minimize the risk of missing her flights, she shells out for rides — even though these often get stuck in traffic.
She and her boyfriend recently tried RTD again, riding a train to the 38th and Blake Station near the Mission Ballroom. They attended “an amazing concert” there, she said, and felt happy as they walked to the station to catch the train home.
A man on the platform collapsed backward, hitting his head. He was bleeding. She called 911. Her boyfriend and other riders gathered. She ran across the street to an apartment building and grabbed paper towels. RTD isn’t really to blame, but “I just wish they had a station platform attendant, or someone. I do not know head-injury first aid,” Morgan said.
The train they’d been waiting for came and went. An ambulance arrived. They got home late, the evening ruined, she said.
“His head cracked open. He had skin flaps hanging off his head. This was stuck in my head, at least for the rest of the night.”
The White House has begun laying off federal workers as the government shutdown drags into the weekend, affecting employees at the Department of Health and Human Services and the Department of Education, according to the Office of Management and Budget. Military families could miss their first paycheck next Wednesday if the government does not reopen. Although the Senate is set to return on Tuesday, the President has publicly assured service members that they will receive pay regardless of the shutdown, though it remains unclear how this will be achieved.Rep. Mike Johnson, the House Speaker, says some people will receive partial paychecks while others won’t receive a check at all. “Real people are being hurt. You got 700,000 federal workers that will receive paychecks today, followed by an additional 400,000 workers on 10/14. That’s their last paycheck. That is the last paycheck they’re going to have until the Democrats reopen the government,” Johnson said.The House Speaker has rejected a standalone bill to pay troops during the shutdown, urging Democrats to support his short-term plan to reopen the government. Democrats have repeatedly voted against this measure, demanding health care extensions.Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, the Minority Leader, said, “Extend the Affordable Care Act tax credits, address the Republican health care crisis, reopen the government, pay our troops, pay our hardworking federal employees, and enact a spending agreement that actually makes life better for the American people.”The Agriculture Department has stated that the WIC program, which provides food benefits for women, infants, and children, will continue operating “for the foreseeable future” using tariff revenue to remain functional.PHNjcmlwdCB0eXBlPSJ0ZXh0L2phdmFzY3JpcHQiPiFmdW5jdGlvbigpeyJ1c2Ugc3RyaWN0Ijt3aW5kb3cuYWRkRXZlbnRMaXN0ZW5lcigibWVzc2FnZSIsKGZ1bmN0aW9uKGUpe2lmKHZvaWQgMCE9PWUuZGF0YVsiZGF0YXdyYXBwZXItaGVpZ2h0Il0pe3ZhciB0PWRvY3VtZW50LnF1ZXJ5U2VsZWN0b3JBbGwoImlmcmFtZSIpO2Zvcih2YXIgYSBpbiBlLmRhdGFbImRhdGF3cmFwcGVyLWhlaWdodCJdKWZvcih2YXIgcj0wO3I8dC5sZW5ndGg7cisrKXtpZih0W3JdLmNvbnRlbnRXaW5kb3c9PT1lLnNvdXJjZSl0W3JdLnN0eWxlLmhlaWdodD1lLmRhdGFbImRhdGF3cmFwcGVyLWhlaWdodCJdW2FdKyJweCJ9fX0pKX0oKTs8L3NjcmlwdD4=
WASHINGTON —
The White House has begun laying off federal workers as the government shutdown drags into the weekend, affecting employees at the Department of Health and Human Services and the Department of Education, according to the Office of Management and Budget.
Military families could miss their first paycheck next Wednesday if the government does not reopen. Although the Senate is set to return on Tuesday, the President has publicly assured service members that they will receive pay regardless of the shutdown, though it remains unclear how this will be achieved.
Rep. Mike Johnson, the House Speaker, says some people will receive partial paychecks while others won’t receive a check at all.
“Real people are being hurt. You got 700,000 federal workers that will receive paychecks today, followed by an additional 400,000 workers on 10/14. That’s their last paycheck. That is the last paycheck they’re going to have until the Democrats reopen the government,” Johnson said.
The House Speaker has rejected a standalone bill to pay troops during the shutdown, urging Democrats to support his short-term plan to reopen the government. Democrats have repeatedly voted against this measure, demanding health care extensions.
Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, the Minority Leader, said, “Extend the Affordable Care Act tax credits, address the Republican health care crisis, reopen the government, pay our troops, pay our hardworking federal employees, and enact a spending agreement that actually makes life better for the American people.”
The Agriculture Department has stated that the WIC program, which provides food benefits for women, infants, and children, will continue operating “for the foreseeable future” using tariff revenue to remain functional.
The White House has begun laying off federal workers as the government shutdown drags into the weekend, affecting employees at the Department of Health and Human Services and the Department of Education, according to the Office of Management and Budget. Military families could miss their first paycheck next Wednesday if the government does not reopen. Although the Senate is set to return on Tuesday, the President has publicly assured service members that they will receive pay regardless of the shutdown, though it remains unclear how this will be achieved.Rep. Mike Johnson, the House Speaker, says some people will receive partial paychecks while others won’t receive a check at all. “Real people are being hurt. You got 700,000 federal workers that will receive paychecks today, followed by an additional 400,000 workers on 10/14. That’s their last paycheck. That is the last paycheck they’re going to have until the Democrats reopen the government,” Johnson said.The House Speaker has rejected a standalone bill to pay troops during the shutdown, urging Democrats to support his short-term plan to reopen the government. Democrats have repeatedly voted against this measure, demanding health care extensions.Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, the Minority Leader, said, “Extend the Affordable Care Act tax credits, address the Republican health care crisis, reopen the government, pay our troops, pay our hardworking federal employees, and enact a spending agreement that actually makes life better for the American people.”The Agriculture Department has stated that the WIC program, which provides food benefits for women, infants, and children, will continue operating “for the foreseeable future” using tariff revenue to remain functional.PHNjcmlwdCB0eXBlPSJ0ZXh0L2phdmFzY3JpcHQiPiFmdW5jdGlvbigpeyJ1c2Ugc3RyaWN0Ijt3aW5kb3cuYWRkRXZlbnRMaXN0ZW5lcigibWVzc2FnZSIsKGZ1bmN0aW9uKGUpe2lmKHZvaWQgMCE9PWUuZGF0YVsiZGF0YXdyYXBwZXItaGVpZ2h0Il0pe3ZhciB0PWRvY3VtZW50LnF1ZXJ5U2VsZWN0b3JBbGwoImlmcmFtZSIpO2Zvcih2YXIgYSBpbiBlLmRhdGFbImRhdGF3cmFwcGVyLWhlaWdodCJdKWZvcih2YXIgcj0wO3I8dC5sZW5ndGg7cisrKXtpZih0W3JdLmNvbnRlbnRXaW5kb3c9PT1lLnNvdXJjZSl0W3JdLnN0eWxlLmhlaWdodD1lLmRhdGFbImRhdGF3cmFwcGVyLWhlaWdodCJdW2FdKyJweCJ9fX0pKX0oKTs8L3NjcmlwdD4=
WASHINGTON —
The White House has begun laying off federal workers as the government shutdown drags into the weekend, affecting employees at the Department of Health and Human Services and the Department of Education, according to the Office of Management and Budget.
Military families could miss their first paycheck next Wednesday if the government does not reopen. Although the Senate is set to return on Tuesday, the President has publicly assured service members that they will receive pay regardless of the shutdown, though it remains unclear how this will be achieved.
Rep. Mike Johnson, the House Speaker, says some people will receive partial paychecks while others won’t receive a check at all.
“Real people are being hurt. You got 700,000 federal workers that will receive paychecks today, followed by an additional 400,000 workers on 10/14. That’s their last paycheck. That is the last paycheck they’re going to have until the Democrats reopen the government,” Johnson said.
The House Speaker has rejected a standalone bill to pay troops during the shutdown, urging Democrats to support his short-term plan to reopen the government. Democrats have repeatedly voted against this measure, demanding health care extensions.
Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, the Minority Leader, said, “Extend the Affordable Care Act tax credits, address the Republican health care crisis, reopen the government, pay our troops, pay our hardworking federal employees, and enact a spending agreement that actually makes life better for the American people.”
The Agriculture Department has stated that the WIC program, which provides food benefits for women, infants, and children, will continue operating “for the foreseeable future” using tariff revenue to remain functional.
We independently select these products—if you buy from one of our links, we may earn a commission. All prices were accurate at the time of publishing.
My partner and I are busy people; we also like to cook and have a variety of food options in our home. Earlier this year we noticed we’d buy a bunch of groceries, only for them to sit in our fridge and spoil (but not because we didn’t want to eat them — we just literally forgot they were there).
You see, we’re both neurodivergent and tend to struggle with object permanence. Essentially, if something is out of sight, it’s out of mind. So we started printing out a physical menu and hanging it in our kitchen — as if we were dining at our very own private restaurant each week.
Why I Print Out a Weekly Food Menu (and You Should Too!)
Our weekly food menu includes our basic dinner lineup, plus a list of snacks, drinks, and lunch ideas that we can easily reference without much thought. Brainstorming our dinners helps us remember what groceries we actually have, and encourages meal planning ahead of time — rather than in the moment when we’re hungry (or hangry!). It’s much less overwhelming when I see “ham sandwiches” on our menu. Instead of staring at random ingredients that seemingly don’t go together and trying to come up with an idea for dinner on the spot, we just grab what we need in the fridge and get cooking.
Implementing the weekly food menu has also helped us save money at the grocery store and reduce food waste. When we don’t print out the weekly menu, we sometimes end up throwing out entire packages of blueberries, deli meat, and salad kits — just because we completely forgot we had them. Or we end up ordering takeout because it’s easier than figuring out what we want to cook.
During the weeks we do print out the menu and hang it up, we cook more often, toss fewer ingredients, and save more than $50 between unused groceries and takeout.
3 Tips for Creating Your Weekly Food Menu
Do you have a smart tip for saving money on groceries? Tell us about it in the comments below.
The Denver Board of Ethics has cleared Denver International Airport CEO Phil Washington of using his position for private gain when he flew himself and eight other executives to Madrid on a spring trip that cost about $18,000 per person.
But the board members said in a written decision that even if Washington technically followed city policy, they were “appalled” by the amount of money he approved spending for an aviation conference — and by his “seemingly cavalier attitude in responding to this complaint.”
The decision, issued Friday, came five months after CBS News Colorado revealed the cost of the tickets and other travel expenses after filing a request under the Colorado Open Records Act. Soon after the story came out in May, someone anonymously filed an ethics complaint about the report.
“While the Board of Ethics believes that officers, officials, and employees of the City and County of Denver should be better stewards of public funds, the Board must apply the facts to the law as it stands,” according to the ruling document.
In an interview with the board’s executive director, Washington said he wouldn’t have allowed the purchase of the airline tickets if he knew how much they would cost, according to the decision. But the board found that when Washington approved the expenses, the estimates he saw were mostly in line with the actual costs.
“Mr. Washington’s statement that he was unaware of the actual costs of the airfare is concerning,” the members wrote in the statement.
The airport’s travel policy allows employees to fly business class on flights longer than eight hours, and on this trip all nine flew business or first class. The group’s round-trip flights ranged in price from about $9,300 each for three officials to nearly $19,200 for the airport’s chief operating officer, Dave LaPorte. Washington’s flights cost about $12,000.
The board also took issue with Washington saying it was a “once in a lifetime opportunity” to attend the Passenger Terminal Expo and Conference, since it happens annually. Washington said the higher-class seats were necessary so that the executives could “hit the ground running” when they arrived, even though almost none of them had speaking engagements until one to two days after they arrived in Madrid.
The board found that Denver Mayor Mike Johnston’s Chief of Staff Jenn Ridder also approved the estimated expenses but said she was compelled to do so because the costs came from the airport’s own budget, rather than the city’s general fund. The airport operates off revenue it generates, including from airlines and passengers.
Washington described the three-day conference, which began April 8, as an opportunity to learn from the “best in aviation” and a chance to bring ideas back to Denver.
The Board of Ethics is an independent agency established by the city charter that investigates ethics complaints and issues opinions on ethical responsibilities.
As the U.S. headed for a government shutdown, Republicans repeatedly accused Democrats of forcing the closure because they want to give health care access to immigrants in the U.S. illegally.
“Democrats are threatening to shut down the entire government because they want to give hundreds of billions of dollars of healthcare benefits to illegal aliens,” Vice President JD Vance said Sept. 28 on “Fox News Sunday.”
President Donald Trump, House Speaker Mike Johnson and Republican members of Congress have repeated this line.
It’s wrong.
Democrats have refused to vote for Republicans’ resolution to extend the federal spending deadline, and their position does, in part, hinge on health care spending. Democrats want to extend pandemic-era Affordable Care Act subsidies that are set to expire at the end of the year and roll back Medicaid cuts in the tax and spending bill that Trump signed into law this summer.
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The Democrats’ proposal wouldn’t give health care to immigrants illegally in the U.S. — they are already largely ineligible for federally funded health care. Instead, the proposal would restore access to certain health care programs for legal immigrants who will lose access under the Republican law.
The White House did not respond to PolitiFact’s request for comment for this fact-check. Vance addressed criticism of his talking point in another interview by saying it was included in the Democrats’ spending proposal; it’s not.
A White House X account followed up with screenshots of the Democratic proposal repealing a section of the Republican law labeled “alien Medicaid eligibility.” It’s important to know that these changes would not give Medicaid access to immigrants illegally in the U.S.
IMAGE 1: Straight from Democrat proposal
IMAGE 2: OBBB Table of Contents (Title VII, Subsection B repealed in Democrat proposal)
Vance defended his statement again in an Oct. 1 White House press conference, saying former President Joe Biden “waived away illegal immigration status” that helped migrants access federal assistance. It’s important to note that many people granted lawful status through humanitarian parole or Temporary Protected Status programs don’t automatically qualify for Medicaid; TPS recipients aren’t eligible, and many people who entered the U.S. on humanitarian parole are required to wait five years before accessing it.
The Trump administration has ended humanitarian parole and Temporary Protected Status for many people, rendering them ineligible for Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act marketplace.
We did not find evidence that Democrats want to spend “hundreds of billions” in costs for insuring migrants with unlawful presence.
Immigrants in the U.S. illegally are ineligible for federally funded health care
The vast majority of federal health care dollars cannot be spent on health care for people in the U.S. illegally. They cannot enroll in Medicaid or Medicare, and they are ineligible to purchase health care coverage through the Affordable Care Act marketplace. A small Medicaid program reimburses hospitals for uninsured emergency care, which can include immigrants in the country illegally but is not exclusive to them.
Some states including California and Illinois expanded Medicaid coverage for people regardless of their immigration status, and the states pay for that. Federal law already banned states from using federal money for these programs. An earlier version of the Republican spending law would have penalized such states by withholding funding, but that provision didn’t last.
People in the country illegally might receive some federally funded health care in emergency cases; in those situations, hospitals must provide care even if a person is uninsured or in the country illegally. Emergency Medicaid covers hospital care for immigrants who would be eligible for Medicaid if not for their immigration status. The Republican tax and spending law reduced the amount hospitals can receive for emergency immigrant care.
Most of the Emergency Medicaid spending is used on childbirth. In all, it represented less than 1% of total Medicaid spending in fiscal year 2023, according to KFF, a health think tank.
Republican law limited health care access for immigrants with legal status
The Republican tax and spending law made several changes to health care eligibility for immigrants in the country with legal permission. An estimated 1.4 million legal immigrants are expected to lose their health insurance, according to KFF’s analysis of Congressional Budget Office projections.
Starting October 2026, the law will restrict eligibility for Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program to lawfully permanent residents, people from the Marshall Islands, Micronesia or Palau who lawfully reside in the U.S. under an international agreement, and certain Cubans and Haitians.
Previously, a broad group described as “qualified noncitizens” were eligible for Medicaid and CHIP, including refugees and people granted asylum.
Some immigrants who are eligible for Medicaid and CHIP, such as lawful permanent residents, are required to wait five years before accessing the benefits.
The law also limited Affordable Care Act marketplace eligibility to the same group eligible for Medicaid and CHIP beginning Jan. 1, 2027. Previously, people who were described as “lawfully present” were eligible. That group included the “qualified noncitizens” eligible for Medicaid and people with short-term statuses, such as Temporary Protected Status or international students.
Beneficiaries of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, known as DACA, for immigrants who entered the U.S. illegally as children were previously eligible for Affordable Care Act coverage and its subsidies. They are ineligible after an August Trump administration rule.
Democrats’ proposal would restore legal immigrants’ access to federally funded health care
The Democrats’ Sept. 17 budget proposal would, in part, permanently extend the Affordable Care Act subsidies and roll back billions in Republican cuts to Medicaid and other health programs.
The change would make Medicaid, CHIP and Affordable Care Act coverage available to all legal immigrants who were previously eligible for it, such as refugees and people granted asylum.
The Democratic proposal would not broaden eligibility to federally funded health care programs to immigrants who are in the U.S. illegally.
Vance said the Democratic policies would “give hundreds of billions of dollars of health care benefits to illegal aliens,” and the White House did not offer its source for that figure. When Johnson was pressed to support a similar talking point, he referenced the Congressional Budget Office. An August KFF analysis of CBO estimates found that the Republican law’s provisions related to legal immigrants would reduce federal spending by $131 billion; this projection did not include an estimate for people without legal status.
Our ruling
Vance said, “Democrats are threatening to shut down the entire government because they want to give hundreds of billions of dollars of health care benefits to illegal aliens.”
Immigrants in the U.S. illegally are largely ineligible for federally funded health care programs Medicare and Medicaid, and they cannot seek coverage in the Affordable Care Act marketplace or apply for subsidies.
The Democrats’ budget proposal would not change that.
The Democrats want to restore access to certain health care programs to legal immigrants who will lose access under the Republican tax and spending law — among other measures aimed at making Medicaid and Affordable Care Act insurance plans easier to keep.
Their proposal would not grant federally supported health care benefits to people in the U.S. illegally, because they did not have access to them in the first place. The small amount of funding designated for Emergency Medicaid reimburses hospitals that provide emergency care to immigrants who would be eligible for Medicaid if not for their immigration status. Finally, we did not find evidence for Vance’s assertion that Democrats want “hundreds of billions” in health benefits for migrants in the country illegally.
With a government shutdown in effect, both sides of the aisle are looking to place blame on the other. House Speaker Mike Johnson pointed out that while Democrats expressed outrage over the proposed legislation, it is similar to several continuing resolutions that passed under the Biden administration.
“The nonpartisan clean CR only appears ‘partisan’ because 212 House Democrats and 46 Senate Democrats chose to make it that way. This CR is the same short-term funding extension that virtually all Democrats voted to pass 13 times during the Biden Administration. Despite this voting history, nearly every Democrat has refused to support the current clean, nonpartisan funding extension to keep the government open and operational,” Johnson said in a statement.
During the Biden administration, there were 13 instances in which Congress enacted short-term funding measures, also known as continuing resolutions.
Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-LA) speaks as U.S. Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) looks on during a press conference on the first day of a partial government shutdown, at the U.S. Capitol, in Washington, D.C., Oct. 1, 2025. (Jonathan Ernst/Reuters)
1. September 2021
On Sept. 30, 2021, Congress passed H.R. 5305, also known as the Extending Government Funding and Delivering Emergency Assistance Act. This legislation gave the government nine weeks of funding and averted a shutdown.
The act not only extended funding levels, but also added allocations for natural disaster relief and the influx of evacuees from Afghanistan following the Biden administration’s botched withdrawal.
Additionally, it extended programs and authorities such as the National Flood Insurance Program, the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program, the National Advisory Committee on Institutional Quality and Integrity and the United States Advisory Commission on Public Diplomacy, among others.
2. December 2021
Following the previous short-term funding measure, on Dec. 2, 2021, Congress enacted H.R. 6119, the Further Extending Government Funding Act, providing FY2022 appropriations through Feb. 18, 2022.
Like the act before it, this legislation also provided appropriations for several federal agencies for activities related to Afghanistan evacuees. This included what was then called the Department of Defense (now, the Department of War), the Department of Homeland Security, the Department of Health and Human Services, and the Department of State.
The resolution also extended several authorities, including the authority for HHS to make appointments for the National Disaster Medical System. There was also an extension of the pay freeze for certain senior officials and political appointees in the executive branch.
3. February 2022
The Further Additional Extending Government Funding Act, H.R. 6617, went into effect on Feb. 18, 2022, as its predecessor expired. The legislation continued to fund most programs at FY2021 levels with some exceptions that provided what Congress referred to as “funding flexibility.”
The continuing resolution also included provisions on then-President Joe Biden’s authority “draw down defense articles and services to respond to unforeseen emergencies” and the Department of the Interior’s implementation of cybersecurity safeguards.
H.R. 6617 gave the government just under a month — until March 11, 2022 — to avoid a shutdown.
4. March 2022
Unlike previous continuing resolutions that gave the government weeks to avert a shutdown, the Extension of Continuing Appropriations Act, 2022, also known as H.J.Res. 75, was set to expire days after it was enacted.
Just before this legislation was set to expire on March 15, 2022, Biden signed the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2022, which served as the omnibus appropriations package for FY2022.
The U.S. Capitol building in Washington, D.C.(Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Congress enacted H.R. 6833, the Continuing Appropriations Act, 2023, which provided FY2023 appropriations to federal agencies through Dec. 16, 2022. It also provided supplemental appropriations that allowed the U.S. to help Ukraine and established a compensation program for victims of the Hermit’s Peak/Calf Canyon fire in New Mexico.
The legislation also extended several immigration-related programs and provided additional funding for the Administration for Children and Families to carry out the Unaccompanied Children Program, a federal program aimed at helping unaccompanied minors encountered at the border.
6. December 2022
The Further Continuing Appropriations and Extensions Act, 2023, H.R. 1437, provided several extensions, though most of them were set to expire on Dec. 23, 2022.
One of the extensions that the act provided was for the FCC to continue auctions for electromagnetic spectrum licenses. The legislation also provided for the payment to the family of the late Rep. Donald McEachin, D-Va., who died in office.
Additionally, the act required the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to update precipitation estimates.
7. December 2022
The Further Additional Continuing Appropriations and Extensions Act, 2023, H.R. 4373, extended FY2023 appropriations to several federal agencies through Dec. 30, 2022. Additionally, it extended expiring programs and authorities.
H.R. 4373 was the final stopgap legislation of FY2023. On Dec. 29, 2022, an omnibus bill known as the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023, was signed into law. The $1.7 trillion spending bill funded the government through Sept. 30, 2023.
A closed sign stands in front of the National Archives on the first day of a government shutdown, Wednesday, Oct. 1, 2025, in Washington. (Julia Demaree Nikhinson – AP Photo)
H.R. 5860, also known as the Continuing Appropriations Act, 2024 and Other Extensions Act, provided extensions of FY2024 appropriations for federal agencies through Nov. 17, 2023 and provided emergency funding for disaster relief.
The legislation also gave extensions for Federal Aviation Administration programs, such as the Airport Improvement Program and the Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) Test Site Program. Additionally, the bill reauthorized the FDA to collect fees for generic animal drug applications through FY2028.
9. November 2023
The Further Continuing Appropriations and Other Extensions Act, 2024, H.R. 6363, provided continuing FY2024 appropriations for federal agencies.
The legislation was laddered, meaning it contained various expiration dates for different provisions. Some of the funding was set to be provided through Jan. 19, 2024, while other parts expired on Feb. 2, 2024.
Additionally, it provided for a payment to the family of the late Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., who died in office.
10. January 2024
The Further Additional Continuing Appropriations and Other Extensions Act, 2024, P.L. 118-35, was signed on Jan 19. 2024, averting a government shutdown. It was also laddered, giving some programs an expiration date of March 1, 2024, and others March 8, 2024.
The legislation itself gave Congress more time to negotiate by making technical adjustments rather than sweeping policy changes.
11. March 2024
H.R. 7463, also known as the Extension of Continuing Appropriations and Other Matters Act, 2024, modified requirements for determining eligibility for federal student aid, provided continuing FY2024 appropriations for federal agencies as well as additional funding for Federal Pell Grants.
This acted as a continuation of the Further Additional Continuing Appropriations and Other Extensions Act, 2024, and moved the March 1, 2024, expiration date to March 8. Additionally, the March 8 expiration date was extended to March 22, 2024.
Biden then signed the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2024, on March 9, 2024, which provided the government with funding through Sept. 30, 2024. It included several appropriations bills, such as the Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2024; the Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2024; and the Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2024, among others.
U.S. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) speaks to the media next to U.S. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), on the day U.S. President Donald Trump meets with top congressional leaders from both parties, just ahead of a September 30 deadline to fund the government and avoid a shutdown, at the White House in Washington, D.C., Sept. 29, 2025. (Kevin Lamarque/Reuters)
Continuing Appropriations and Extensions Act, 2025, also known as H.R. 9747, which provided continuing FY2025 appropriations to federal agencies through Dec. 20, 2024.
The legislation provided additional funding for the U.S. Secret Service and extended several expiring programs and authorities. Some of the miscellaneous extensions were given to the DHS Joint Task Forces, the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park Commission and others.
13. December 2024
H.R. 10545, the American Relief Act, 2025, provided continuing FY2025 appropriations to federal agencies through March 14, 2025. It also provided supplemental appropriations for disaster relief and assistance related to hurricanes, wildfires, severe storms, flooding, tornadoes and other natural disasters.
The legislation also included public health funding extensions through March 31, 2025.
Rachel Wolf is a breaking news writer for Fox News Digital and FOX Business.
Quick! What’s the first meal that comes to mind when you think of ground beef? For me it’s grilled burgers or crunchy tacos that I used to eat as a kid. But those two foods barely scratch the surface of all the different dinners you can cook up with some ground beef. Arm yourself with a pack of ground beef and the sky’s the limit when it comes to dinner possibilities. READ MORE…
Denver’s savings are low, the national economy is uncertain and the city’s budget is on shaky ground.
In response, Mayor Mike Johnston plans to reduce general fund spending by about 6 percent from 2025, merging departments, slashing offices and cutting homeless shelter sites, marketing campaigns, contracts and more.
The mayor says he’s fixing over a decade of bad city spending habits, and it could just be the beginning. The proposed 2026 budget would cut spending by more than $100 million from this year and $200 million compared to earlier projections.
“You really do have to reduce the size of city government,” Johnston told Denverite. “You have to deliver a government that works better and costs less.” He points out that other cities are facing similar struggles.
But the mayor’s critics tell a different story. Some blame his spending on homelessness and immigration, while others say he ignored warning signals.
“He bankrupted the city,” said third-term Councilmember Stacie Gilmore, whose husband lost his job in a recent round of layoffs.
The stakes are significant. Johnston laid off about 170 city employees and closed hundreds more open positions, some of the city’s biggest cuts in decades. Independent agencies like the courts also saw cuts.
The proposed budget would mark one of the few times this century that a mayor has intentionally planned a budget reduction. And even with Johnston’s cuts, the city could still be vulnerable to an economic downturn.
So, how did this happen?
Mayor Mike Johnston presents on the city budget. May 22, 2025.Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite
Johnston says years of spending have put the city in a bad situation.
The number of Denver employees has grown faster than the population — adding about 40 percent to its employee count and 70 percent to its general fund spending since 2012. Meanwhile, the city’s population has grown by only about 15 percent.That’s been a central talking point for Johnston.
“We have to live within our means. It’s what every family in the city does. And so we think that we, you know, we don’t think that we need to grow at 40 percent to 70 percent over time to be able to provide core services.
Johnston has implicitly put some of the blame on his predecessor, former mayor Michael Hancock, who ran the city from 2011 to 2023.
When Hancock took office, the city was still recovering from the Great Recession, and its budget was reeling. But by 2014, Denver was booming. Its general fund spending grew by an average of 7 percent between 2014 and 2019.
Hancock defended his administration’s spending in an interview with Denverite. He noted that he oversaw the city through a period of intense growth, as well as the pandemic and the subsequent recovery.
“We had extraordinary boom times, which required us to ramp up to meet the services of this new population and demands of development that were occurring in the city,” Hancock said.
Denver, I-25 and the South Platte River. Sept. 19, 2025.Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite
Meanwhile, voters passed multiple new taxes to pay for everything from affordable college tuition to climate and homelessness response, increasing the tax load and the size of government.
Denver recovered faster and better from the Great Recession than most cities, said former Councilmember Robin Kniech. As it did, the government grew to meet increasing demands.
Individual departments like Parks and Recreation, Tech Services and the Office of Economic Development saw their budgets grow significantly, and the city launched new programs focused on housing stability and mental health.
Despite all the growth, Hancock said he managed the budget responsibly.
Like most cities, Denver keeps reserves to spend in case of an emergency. The city tries to keep savings equal to at least 15 percent of general fund expenditures.
Under Hancock, the city almost always hit its savings goal, though it still ran a deficit in some years.
“Whether we were in boom or bust, we wanted to make sure we had 15 percent,” Hancock said.
Former Mayor Michael Hancock in his then-office. June 27, 2023.Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite
Hancock did dip below that target when the pandemic hit. In response, he froze hiring, furloughed workers and paused pay raises for police, sheriff’s deputies and firefighters. Through it all, he avoided mass layoffs.
Then, Hancock enjoyed some macroeconomic luck: Federal emergency support flooded in, and local tax revenue rebounded quickly.
By 2022, the city had healthy reserves of 26 percent. But the city’s spending was growing, too, and trouble was ahead.
The turning point was 2023.
Johnston took office in July 2023, inheriting Hancock’s spending plan for the year.
The new mayor had made big promises to voters. On his first full day in office, Johnston swore to end street homelessness.
Then came another new challenge. Thousands of new immigrants had begun arriving in Denver in 2022 with little warning and nowhere to stay. In the fall of 2023, the influx grew faster. Johnston and City Council set up shelters, work authorization programs and legal clinics, a widely popular move at the time.
Denver City Council member Kevin Flynn on March 16, 2022.Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite
“We made an intentional decision to be compassionate when the governor of Texas started busing people up here from the border and dumping them on our doorsteps in the middle of the night, the middle of the winter, in front of the governor’s mansion,” Councilmember Kevin Flynn said.
The homelessness and immigration programs came at a cost. The Johnston administration estimates it spent a total of $87 million on new immigrant services in 2023 and 2024 and around $57 million a year on homelessness, not including the purchase of long-term shelters and hotels.
Meanwhile, revenue growth began to soften due to an uncertain economy. With slowing income and higher costs, Johnston temporarily reduced spending at parks and motor vehicle offices in 2024. Even still, the city spent $108 million from its reserves that year — dropping below its savings target.
Former Denver City Councilwoman Debbie Ortega at a meeting.
Today, former City Councilmember Debbie Ortega wonders if the city could have done more to collaborate with other governments and charities to defray the costs of its biggest challenges.
“It takes a village,” she said.
The immigration crisis eventually subsided, with new arrivals dropping dramatically. But at the same time, the city continued spending heavily on housing, shelter and health care, even as federal assistance dried up.
Johnston argues that he responded early and aggressively to signs of budget trouble.
While some expenses have kept growing, Johnston has slowed the overall expansion of the general fund.
In 2024, his first full year in office, general fund spending increased by about 5 percent, with the mayor cutting or slowing departments like Finance and Tech Services. That was a significant slowdown from the prior year, returning the city to a more typical growth rate.
Among other changes, Johnston strengthened a “position review committee” to oversee city hiring. (Hancock launched that effort in May 2023.)
Then, Johnston says, the city wrote a conservative budget in fall 2024, anticipating slow growth for 2025. The city slowed hiring and reduced positions at the beginning of this year.
“We reduced the growth of government in a city that normally sees 5 percent revenue growth every year. We projected half of that,” Johnston said. “So we did start slowing.”
Mayor Mike Johnston presents on the city budget. May 22, 2025.Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite
But the economy slowed even more than expected, resulting in zero revenue growth in 2025. Johnston blamed the uncertainty of the presidential election and this year’s trade wars. The city reacted by freezing most hiring in May — and then laying off workers and closing open positions over the summer.
Still, the city has kept spending more than it makes. The administration expects to spend another $61 million from reserves this year, drawing them down to just 10 percent of spending.
The erosion of the reserves has deeply concerned Hancock, the former mayor said.
Meanwhile, Johnston says his proposed 2026 budget is the first step toward fiscal health. By cutting spending, he expects to replenish the city’s reserves to 11 percent, or about $183 million.
But that’s still below the target, and it could leave the city vulnerable if the economy significantly weakens.
Has Johnston cut enough?
Despite the cuts, critics say Johnston has ignored some savings strategies.
Unlike Hancock, Johnston has not offered early retirement incentives to employees. Instead, he ordered department heads to close vacant positions and carry out layoffs.
Meanwhile, Johnston has pushed for raises to police, fire and likely sheriff deputies, even as other city workers won’t likely get raises. Uniformed employees also avoided furloughs.
In contrast, both Hancock and former mayor John Hickenlooper saved millions by convincing police unions to accept delays in salary increases.
A parked Denver Police cruiser. Sept. 30, 2021.Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite
“Sometimes we had to have tougher conversations with them,” Hancock said. “But for the most part, most of them just stepped up and said, ‘We’ve got you.’”
Johnston also will not ask voters to raise sales taxes to support the general fund. He fears higher taxes would discourage people from shopping and exacerbate the city’s affordability crisis. That’s conventional wisdom shared among many city leaders.
“You can’t nickel and dime businesses and households to a point where, you know, they’re choosing to go elsewhere,” Ortega said.
Overall, Johnston said the city couldn’t cut much deeper without impacting core services.
“Many cities are facing budget deficits and fiscal stress, driven by weak revenue growth, lingering office vacancies due to remote work, transit ridership that hasn’t fully recovered, higher labor/pension costs, among other city-specific fiscal pressures,” wrote Lucy Dadayan, a researcher with the Urban Institute, a city-focused think tank, in an email to Denverite. “Several cities had to close budget gaps and enact cuts.”
Some larger cities like Chicago and Los Angeles are facing budget gaps of $1 billion or more next year.
“There’s a lot to be nervous about with the state of the economy,” said Denver city economist Lisa Martinez-Templeton. “We’re right on the precipice of an economic downturn.
Even as Johnston makes cuts, he’s planning to spend big.
While he’s reducing short-term spending, the mayor has proposed major infrastructure projects around the city.
This November, he’s asking voters to approve the Vibrant Denver bonds package, which would include about $950 million for projects and potentially $900 million in interest over several decades. The proposal wouldn’t require a tax increase, but it would prolong the payback of the city’s existing debt.
Mayor Mike Johnston in his office. May 14, 2025.Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite
In the next year, Johnston hopes to continue to build affordable housing with public dollars, solidify the purchase of land for a new women’s soccer stadium and to finish a deal to keep the Broncos in town. Meanwhile, the Downtown Denver Authority is set to invest hundreds of millions more in the city center.
Johnston argues that even as the city tries to save money and replenish its savings, it needs to make long-term investments to keep its economy growing.
In the coming months, the city’s voters and its elected leaders will weigh in on that vision — and their decisions will shape the second half of Johnston’s first term in office.
Inside the Denver Public Library’s Central Library on Broadway. Oct. 29, 2024.
Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite
Updated Sept. 26, 2025 at 9:15 a.m.
Several dozen library workers from all corners of Denver converged for an after-work drink on Wednesday — with a side of unionization.
Organizers were hoping to make a show of support for unionization to the entirety of Denver Public Library’s workforce. Just hours earlier, all 800 employees of the library system had met for an all-day conference.
“Management was looking to see how many people wanted the union today, and we showed them a whole hell of a lot,” Jen Lowe, an on-call circulation worker, said at the after-hours union event at Schoolyard Beer Garden.
Denver’s library workers have been organizing since 2020, but that mission has gotten a lot more urgent recently. Starting Jan. 1, they will gain the right to collectively bargain — a key union power. The city government’s layoffs and budget cuts have also increased pressure.
Supporters of the library’s union, known as Denver Public Library Workers United, are planning to hold a union election in the coming months. They’ll eventually need to win support from a majority of affected workers voting in a special election.
One organizer told the crowd gathered that on Wednesday morning that the union was already confident it had the support it needed to force the local government into collective bargaining.
Wednesday’s event saw the launch of the union’s bargaining platform.
Nearly 300 workers have filled out a survey passed around by union organizers. Respondents identified three top issues — compensation, transparency and staffing.
Those will be priorities for the union if it wins the election and begins contract negotiations. They will also ask for a clearer, more equitable disciplinary process.
Many library workers on Wednesday said library staffers are burning out from huge workloads, including caring for homeless or immigrant patrons.
“A lot of people know that a lot of library staff are not fairly compensated,” said Jeremey Bongers, an activities coordinator at the library. “There’s a lot of the work that people are doing in the vein of social work that is not recognized.”
The library faces a cut of 15 percent, or about $9.2 million, in the proposed budget, in addition to a 7.5 percent reduction that was already made for 2025. DPL has avoided layoffs so far, but it has closed 99 open positions. It also has closed four library branches for months in order to save money, and it will cut some $3.7 million in services and supplies.
The cuts have some library employees nervous.
“If the city’s not going to have our backs, if they’re going to give raises to the safety department and forget about the other city and county departments and agencies that do valuable work that’s serve the community, if they’re not going to watch out for them, then the union will do that for DPL staff,” said Juan Manuel Ramirez Anzures, an administrative assistant at the Central Children’s Library.
Denver Public Library Workers United’s election would be the first new union election in decades. No other organizing effort is apparent at other city departments. Denver’s police, fire, sheriff’s department and Denver Public School teachers are already represented by unions.
Editor’s note: Due to an editor’s error (Andy’s), this article contained an inaccurate figure about the library’s budget, which was corrected in an update.
The Sacramento City Unified School District is facing a $43 million budget deficit, leading to a spending freeze starting Oct. 1.Administrators said the freeze is necessary to cover payroll and maintain operations. The district received the grim news about the massive budget shortfall at its Thursday meeting from the chief business and operations officer, Janea Marking. She showed a photo of a city about to be consumed by a large tsunami wave. “SCUSD, no one in particular, it’s in our DNA, has a bad, bad habit of uncontrolled, unbudgeted, unexpected expenses,” she said.The district is scrambling to find ways to come up with $43 million after unexpected budget items, including late payroll payments, unexpected invoices, and unauthorized contract payments. Managers say there were $62 million in unauthorized contracts last year, most for special education programs. “A contract that has not been authorized by the school district, but they provided a service ahead of time because they needed to provide services to students immediately,” Assistant Superintendent Cindy Tao explained.The spending freeze will affect non-classroom hiring, new contracts, travel, and non-emergency overtime, but not teachers’ contracts. “Stretched thin already, and we’ve just accomplished a lot of additional supports for our students that have been long needed and long deserved by our students,” said the president of the Sacramento City Teachers Association, Nikki Davis Melevsky.The SCTA wants the district to be accountable for why and how this happened.”They need to look into who signed these contracts, who authorized them, and why did they not go through the appropriate procedures so that the Budget Office would have been aware that they were out there and that they were needing to be paid?” asked Davis Melevsky.District spokesperson Alexander Goldberg discussed the spending freeze in a statement: “Those measures alone will not fix our problems. There will be many other budgetary sacrifices to make in the coming months to get the district back on a path to solvency before the end of the fiscal year. In reaching that goal, it is our every intention to avoid major disruption to student opportunities, programs, and the day-to-day educational experience.”School Board President Jasjit Singh said in an email, “The board is committed to ensuring our district is financially sound while maintaining the services crucial to student success. School district budgets are in a constant state of fluctuation. We are confident in our staff’s efforts to help cut costs and implement saving ideas.”The board is expected to get an update in December on where they stand financially after a couple of months of a spending freeze.See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel
SACRAMENTO, Calif. —
The Sacramento City Unified School District is facing a $43 million budget deficit, leading to a spending freeze starting Oct. 1.
Administrators said the freeze is necessary to cover payroll and maintain operations.
The district received the grim news about the massive budget shortfall at its Thursday meeting from the chief business and operations officer, Janea Marking. She showed a photo of a city about to be consumed by a large tsunami wave.
“SCUSD, no one in particular, it’s in our DNA, has a bad, bad habit of uncontrolled, unbudgeted, unexpected expenses,” she said.
The district is scrambling to find ways to come up with $43 million after unexpected budget items, including late payroll payments, unexpected invoices, and unauthorized contract payments. Managers say there were $62 million in unauthorized contracts last year, most for special education programs.
“A contract that has not been authorized by the school district, but they provided a service ahead of time because they needed to provide services to students immediately,” Assistant Superintendent Cindy Tao explained.
The spending freeze will affect non-classroom hiring, new contracts, travel, and non-emergency overtime, but not teachers’ contracts.
“Stretched thin already, and we’ve just accomplished a lot of additional supports for our students that have been long needed and long deserved by our students,” said the president of the Sacramento City Teachers Association, Nikki Davis Melevsky.
The SCTA wants the district to be accountable for why and how this happened.
“They need to look into who signed these contracts, who authorized them, and why did they not go through the appropriate procedures so that the Budget Office would have been aware that they were out there and that they were needing to be paid?” asked Davis Melevsky.
District spokesperson Alexander Goldberg discussed the spending freeze in a statement: “Those measures alone will not fix our problems. There will be many other budgetary sacrifices to make in the coming months to get the district back on a path to solvency before the end of the fiscal year. In reaching that goal, it is our every intention to avoid major disruption to student opportunities, programs, and the day-to-day educational experience.”
School Board President Jasjit Singh said in an email, “The board is committed to ensuring our district is financially sound while maintaining the services crucial to student success. School district budgets are in a constant state of fluctuation. We are confident in our staff’s efforts to help cut costs and implement saving ideas.”
The board is expected to get an update in December on where they stand financially after a couple of months of a spending freeze.
Almost one-third of the budget cuts and sweeps of unused money that Gov. Jared Polis used to close a $249 million budget hole will come from Medicaid, and providers are trying to figure out how much disruption that will cause for them and their patients.
About $79.2 million of the $252 million in cuts came from the Colorado Department of Health Care Policy and Financing, which runs Medicaid in the state. The list includes a mix of reductions in the rates paid to people who provide care, unused funds swept from specific programs and plans to review some care types more strictly before paying.
The largest cut, worth roughly $38.3 million, would roll back most of a 1.6% increase that most providers expected to get this year. Since providers received slightly higher rates in the first months of the fiscal year, it will work out to about a 0.4% increase, which is in line with recent years, the department said.
Denver Health estimated the rollback would cost the city’s safety-net hospital about $5 million. The health system isn’t planning any layoffs or service reductions, but could cut back on nonessential maintenance and technology updates, CEO Donna Lynne said. As it was, the increase only partially offset growth in costs in recent years, she said.
“We were already trying to absorb the difference between medical inflation and the 1.6%,” she said. The American Hospital Association estimated hospital costs rose about 5.1% in 2024.
The Colorado Hospital Association said its members were “disappointed” with the rollback, especially since they expect to lose Medicaid funding under provisions of H.R. 1 in 2027 and beyond. An unknown number of patients will lose Medicaid coverage due to new work requirements, and states won’t be able to draw down as much federal funding for hospitals because of limits on provider taxes.
“We recognize the tough choices required in this budget process, but reductions to provider rates — particularly alongside other health care cuts stemming from H.R. 1 — add to the challenges ahead,” the association said in a statement. “CHA and our members remain committed to working with the governor and legislators to identify solutions that protect health care funding and sustain access to care across Colorado.”
Dentists also will receive less for treating Medicaid patients than they anticipated, with about $2.5 million in reductions to planned increases. The Colorado Dental Association said it was waiting for details about which services would take cuts, and how deep they would go.
Other Medicaid cuts include:
$7 million from reviewing applied behavior analysis claims for improper billing. The therapy attempts to teach daily living skills to people with severe autism.
$6.1 million from requiring prior authorization for more than 24 psychotherapy visits in one year
$5.6 million that Colorado was going to spend to keep children covered by Medicaid until age 3. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services revoked permission for the state to do that.
$4.4 million from a fund to raise pay in nursing homes above $15 per hour. The state’s minimum wage will be over $15 next year, making the fund largely irrelevant.
$3 million from reducing the “community connector” benefit to bring kids with disabilities into integrated settings
$3 million from reducing incentives for behavioral health care improvements
$2.7 million from benchmarking the state’s rate for applied behavior analysis for autism to 95% of the rate in comparable states
$1.7 million from requiring prior authorization to administer 17 or more drug tests to the same person in one year
$1.5 million from starting payments to small, rural and pediatric providers in January 2026 instead of July 2025
$1.5 million from reducing the rate paid to family caregivers for people with disabilities
$750,000 from reducing incentives to coordinate primary care
$500,000 in unused funding appropriated for family planning services to undocumented people
$500,000 from training for providers about screening patients for substance misuse and referring them to treatment
$131,000 in funding to advertise Cover All Coloradans, which offers Medicaid-like coverage to undocumented people
METHUEN — Voters on Tuesday will choose which four Central District City Council candidates will move on to the General Election.
The race for central district councilor is the only race to require a preliminary vote this election season. Neither of the incumbent central councilors are seeking reelection. The city wide election will be held on Tuesday, Nov. 4.
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Dallas City Manager Kimberly Bizor Tolbert doesn’t like the words “budget cuts.” She said as much on Wednesday, when the council discussed the proposed tax rate for the upcoming fiscal year, which could be half a penny cheaper per $100 valuation than it was this year…
