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Tag: One Big Beautiful Bill

  • Trump May Have Already Signed His Last Big Piece of Legislation

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    Photo: Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images

    Hard-core conservative Republicans have been agitating lately for a follow-up to last year’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act. A second budget-reconciliation measure would let them do various things that Democrats would normally be able to block in the Senate, if not in the House. Some want a Second Big Beautiful Bill to repeal and replace Obamacare, such as Trump and Republicans unsuccessfully tried to pass in 2017. Others may want to implement some of Trump’s recent proposals to put thousands of dollars into the pockets of taxpayers right before they vote in the 2026 midterms, deficits be damned.

    But whatever fantasies Republicans were harboring seem to have come to an abrupt end. Last week, the president said one Big Beautiful Bill was enough, per Politico:

    President Donald Trump on Tuesday ruled out pushing another one-party reconciliation package through Capitol Hill.

    “In theory we’ve gotten everything passed that we need,” Trump said in an interview with Fox Business Network’s Larry Kudlow. “Now we just need to manage it. But we’ve gotten everything passed that we need for four years.”

    … The president didn’t rule out any legislation in the remainder of his term, but indicated he’s focusing on smaller-scale bills.

    “Do we have other things in mind? Yeah. We do — we have things in mind,” Trump said. “And we have, perfecting a little bit about what we did.”

    This means Trump is standing pat for the midterms, at least legislatively. Sure, he and his congressional allies will pursue “messaging bills” like the SAVE Act, which they are currently ventilating about at great length. But they know that such bills won’t survive a Senate filibuster. And it’s abundantly clear by now that Senate Republicans won’t kill the filibuster, either; this is the one thing — perhaps the only thing — they won’t give Trump in a million years, since they need to preserve the filibuster for a future Democratic presidency. So what Trump is admitting is that it’s time to buckle down for the midterms and forget about addressing troublesome issues like health-care costs or ICE outrages that would require a degree of genuine bipartisanship that has largely gone out the window since the president’s second inauguration.

    Obviously enough, the president will continue his efforts to expand his own powers to the maximum, making legislation — and Congress itself — largely unnecessary. But if you look closely at what he told Kudlow, he wasn’t just talking about 2026; he said, “We’ve gotten everything passed that we need for four years” [emphasis added]. Now, in part he may be thinking of the current brouhaha over ICE; the super-funding of immigration enforcement in the OBBBA means his masked thugs don’t need further money from Congress until every single immigrant has been deported. But more generally, he may feel inclined to stop relying on Congress for much of anything until he leaves the White House in 2029.

    The truth is, of course, that he may not be able to rely on Congress for much of anything in the last two years of his presidency. The odds are very high that Republicans will lose control of the House in November. History says so; conditions in the country are nothing like those in the two midterms since FDR when the president’s party didn’t lose House seats. And the handicappers agree: The Kalshi prediction market currently projects a Democratic majority of at least ten seats. Republicans are favored to hold on to the Senate, but a Democratic-wave election could still flip the chamber. Even if Republicans lose only the House, you can forget about any budget-reconciliation bills like the OBBBA. And thanks to the torching of bipartisanship by the 47th president and his congressional allies, compounded by Trump’s lame-duck status, there’s precious little Congress will be able to do on a simple majority-vote basis.

    Yes, in the waning days of a Trump administration there will still be occasional crises over must-pass legislation involving appropriations and debt limits. (It’s now estimated that the federal debt limit will again be breached by the spring or summer of 2027.) There may be partial or full government shutdowns now and then, which could lead to bipartisan negotiations on spending or even unrelated matters. And a lot of the overall atmospherics in Washington will depend on whether there is a Republican Senate to approve Trump’s judicial and executive-branch appointments (if not, you could see a vast number of judicial openings along with temporary appointments to key federal offices). But any way you slice it, the legislative phase of Trump 2.0 may be coming to an end. And the president himself seems fine with that. Believe it or not, he may become even more aggressive in asserting that he can do whatever he wants without congressional authorization.


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    Ed Kilgore

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  • Fetterman’s Case for Helping GOP Nuke Filibuster Is Faulty

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    Photo: Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images

    Pennsylvania Democratic senator John Fetterman has notoriously been taking an unorthodox path since Donald Trump reentered the White House. It’s a matter of some dispute as to whether Fetterman’s growing estrangement from his own party has anything to do with his medical and mental-health struggles following a 2022 stroke. Regardless of these concerns, Fetterman’s political situtation is becoming increasingly fraught, particularly for someone once firmly ensconced in the progressive, Bernie Sanders wing of the Democratic Party.

    Fetterman has famously criticized other Democrats for saying mean things about the 47th president. He has split from them on certain confirmation votes (he was, for example, the only Democrat to vote to confirm Pam Bondi as attorney general). He has defended ICE against Democratic criticism. And most conspicuously, he has become perhaps one of the Senate’s most hardcore supporters of everything Israel has done in its war with Gaza. Public-opinion polls in Pennsylvania show he is now more popular with Republicans than with Democrats.

    So it wasn’t particularly surprising when Fetterman joined two of the 47 Senate Democrats (Catherine Cortez Masto and Angus King) in voting for the Republican-sponsored stopgap spending bill at the end of September, rejecting the conditions most Democrats placed on cooperating to keep the federal government open. Fetterman is, however, placing himself on an island by agreeing with far-right Republicans like Marjorie Taylor Greene and Chip Roy that it’s time to crush the Senate Democratic opposition by “nuking” the filibuster, as The Hill reported:

    Democratic Sen. John Fetterman (Pa.) told reporters Tuesday that he would support Republicans using the so-called nuclear option to override the Senate filibuster to pass a bill to reopen the government.

    Fetterman said the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is running out of money and people “need to eat” as the government shutdown dragged into its 21st day …

    “This is just bad political theater. Open it up,” he said.

    Asked if he would support Republicans “nuking” the filibuster to let a House-passed funding measure pass the Senate with a simple-majority vote, Fetterman replied affirmatively.

    More specifically, Fetterman appeared to endorse not a total abolition of the filibuster but a “carve-out” to allow a vote to reopen the government to pass the Senate by a simple majority. And he rationalized that position by noting that Democrats had in the past supported their own carve-outs.

    “We ran on that. We ran on killing the filibuster, and now we love it. Carve it out so we can move on. I support it because it makes it more difficult to shut the government down in the future, and that’s where it’s entirely appropriate,” he said. “I don’t want to hear any Democrat clutching their pearls about the filibuster. We all ran on it.”

    The filibuster isn’t an all-or-nothing proposition, and not all carve-outs are alike. Over the years, Congress has carved out a series of exceptions to the right to filibuster Senate votes, notably executive- and judicial-branch confirmations and congressional budget measures (e.g., the huge “budget reconciliation” bills like this year’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act). This year, Senate Republicans also implicitly carved out certain budget scoring rules to make it easier to disguise the deficit-swelling nature of the OBBBA. So the question is not, as Fetterman appears to suggest, whether to have filibuster carve-outs: It’s what the carve-out is for and whom it benefits.

    The Democratic carve-out proposal Fetterman is apparently alluding to as something “we ran on” was to exempt voting-rights measures from the filibuster following a series of state voter-suppression measures sponsored by Republican-controlled states and defended by Senate Republicans. Some Democrats (notably Kamala Harris) also backed a carve-out for congressional measures to ensure abortion rights in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court decision reversing Roe v. Wade. In both cases, the proposed carve-outs involved fundamental rights. In the current situation, the right in question is the Senate majority’s power to deny Democrats their one bit of significant leverage over the Trump administration and its congressional allies at a time when Republicans are running the country almost exclusively via executive actions and filibusterproof budget measures (e.g., the OBBBA). The lights really do go out for congressional Democrats if they can’t use this limited power to stand in the way of the Trump 2.0. steamroller.

    Fetterman is obviously within his rights to conclude that the cost the country is paying for the government shutdown is too high and to cross the aisle to help the GOP end it. But there’s nothing hypocritical about Democrats wanting to get rid of the filibuster for one thing and not for another; it’s not and never has been an all-or-nothing matter. So Fetterman should probably omit this argument from his litany of grievances about his party.


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    Ed Kilgore

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  • Nearly $1.1B to be spent on ‘Smart Wall’ at California border under ‘One Big Beautiful Bill’

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    CONCERNING HER FIRING. THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION ANNOUNCED IT’S PLANNING TO BUILD NEW SECTIONS OF THE SOUTHERN BORDER WALL. THE NEW BARRIERS WOULD EXTEND NEARLY TEN MILES ALONG THE SAN DIEGO MEXICO BORDER. KCRA 3’S ANDREA FLORES HAS BEEN COVERING THE SOUTHERN BORDER FOR MORE THAN THREE YEARS. UNDER THE BIDEN AND TRUMP ADMINISTRATION. SHE JOINS US WITH WHAT THIS MEANS FOR BORDER SAFETY AND HOW IT’S GETTING FUNDED. SO THE NEW WALL SYSTEM IS BEING FUNDED BY THE SO-CALLED BIG BEAUTIFUL BILL ACT, AND IT GIVES CBP MORE THAN $46 BILLION THROUGH 2029 FOR CONSTRUCTION AND MAINTENANCE COSTS. SO THIS IS VIDEO FROM KCRA 3’S TIME AT THE BORDER. THIS WAS BACK IN APRIL OF THIS YEAR WHEN THOUSANDS OF MILITARY TROOPS WERE SENT TO THE AREA TO ASSIST CBP WITH SURVEILLANCE AND INFRASTRUCTURE. NOW, THE PROPOSED BARRIERS WOULD BE BUILT NEAR THE TECATE AND OTAY MESA PORTS OF ENTRY. CBP SAYS IT PLANS TO BUILD AND MAINTAIN NEARLY TEN MILES OF BORDER WALL. IT ALSO PLANS TO ADD NEARLY 52 MILES OF IMPROVED INFRASTRUCTURE ALONG EXISTING BARRIERS, INCLUDING SURVEILLANCE CAMERAS, ACCESS PATROL ROADS AND ARTIFICIAL LIGHTS. BUT IMMIGRATION ADVOCATES LIKE AMERICAN FRIENDS SERVICE COMMITTEE, WHO WE SPOKE WITH BACK IN APRIL, OPPOSES THE PLAN, SAYING THIS WOULD DIVERT MIGRATION FLOWS INTO MORE DANGEROUS AREAS WITH POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS CONSEQUENCES. U.S. CUSTOMS AND BORDER PROTECTION SAYS APPREHENSIONS ARE DOWN IN THE SAN DIEGO SECTOR. LAST MONTH, THEY RECORDED 715 ENCOUNTERS. THAT’S A 95% DECREASE FROM AUGUST OF 2024. WE DID REACH OUT TO CBP FOR AN INTERVIEW ON WHEN THE CONSTRUCTION OF THIS NEW AREA OF THE BORDER WALL WOULD BEGIN

    Nearly $1.1B to be spent on ‘Smart Wall’ at California border under ‘One Big Beautiful Bill’

    Updated: 11:19 PM PDT Oct 13, 2025

    Editorial Standards ⓘ

    The Department of Homeland Security and Customs and Border Protection have awarded $4.5 billion in new contracts under the “One Big Beautiful Bill” for Smart Wall construction along the southwest border.At least 10 new construction contracts will add 230 miles of barriers and nearly 400 miles of technology, delivering on the Trump Administration’s promise to secure the border.(Video Above: Trump administration announces plans to build new sections of southern border wall)“For years, Washington talked about border security but failed to deliver. This president changed that,” said CBP Commissioner Rodney Scott. “The Smart Wall means more miles of barriers, more technology, and more capability for our agents on the ground. This is how you take control of the border.”The Smart Wall is a border security system that combines steel barriers, waterborne barriers, patrol roads, lights, cameras, and advanced detection technology to give Border Patrol agents the best tools in the world to stop illegal traffic. The technology additions will further secure the existing wall in areas where the Biden administration’s policies canceled contracts to do so, according to a joint statement by DHS and CBP.The 10 contracts, awarded between Sept. 15 and 30, are the very first to be funded by President Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill. They also include minimal prior year funding from fiscal year 2021 wall appropriations. That funding was on hold during the Biden administration, according to the release.To expedite the construction of the Smart Wall, Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem also issued two new waivers for approximately nine miles of Smart Wall in CBP’s San Diego sector and approximately 30 miles of new Smart Wall in New Mexico within the El Paso sector.Contracts in California include:San Diego 1 Project – Awarded to BCCG Joint Venture for $483,486,600 for the construction of approximately nine miles of new Smart Wall and approximately 52 miles of system attributes in USBP’s San Diego Sector in California.El Centro 1 Project – Awarded to Fisher Sand & Gravel Co. for $574,000,000 for the construction of approximately eight miles of new primary Smart Wall and the installation of approximately 63 miles of system attributes in USBP’s El Centro and San Diego Sectors in California.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

    The Department of Homeland Security and Customs and Border Protection have awarded $4.5 billion in new contracts under the “One Big Beautiful Bill” for Smart Wall construction along the southwest border.

    At least 10 new construction contracts will add 230 miles of barriers and nearly 400 miles of technology, delivering on the Trump Administration’s promise to secure the border.

    (Video Above: Trump administration announces plans to build new sections of southern border wall)

    “For years, Washington talked about border security but failed to deliver. This president changed that,” said CBP Commissioner Rodney Scott. “The Smart Wall means more miles of barriers, more technology, and more capability for our agents on the ground. This is how you take control of the border.”

    The Smart Wall is a border security system that combines steel barriers, waterborne barriers, patrol roads, lights, cameras, and advanced detection technology to give Border Patrol agents the best tools in the world to stop illegal traffic. The technology additions will further secure the existing wall in areas where the Biden administration’s policies canceled contracts to do so, according to a joint statement by DHS and CBP.

    The 10 contracts, awarded between Sept. 15 and 30, are the very first to be funded by President Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill. They also include minimal prior year funding from fiscal year 2021 wall appropriations. That funding was on hold during the Biden administration, according to the release.

    To expedite the construction of the Smart Wall, Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem also issued two new waivers for approximately nine miles of Smart Wall in CBP’s San Diego sector and approximately 30 miles of new Smart Wall in New Mexico within the El Paso sector.

    Contracts in California include:

    • San Diego 1 Project – Awarded to BCCG Joint Venture for $483,486,600 for the construction of approximately nine miles of new Smart Wall and approximately 52 miles of system attributes in USBP’s San Diego Sector in California.
    • El Centro 1 Project – Awarded to Fisher Sand & Gravel Co. for $574,000,000 for the construction of approximately eight miles of new primary Smart Wall and the installation of approximately 63 miles of system attributes in USBP’s El Centro and San Diego Sectors in California.

    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

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  • State lawmakers return to Colorado Capitol for special session to address massive budget gap

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    DENVER — State lawmakers returned to the Colorado Capitol on Thursday to begin a special session to address a massive budget shortfall.

    Governor Jared Polis blames the budget deficit on the tax changes made in President Donald Trump’s One Big Beautiful Act (H.R.1). According to the governor and fellow Colorado Democrats, Colorado is set to collect less revenue than expected when lawmakers approved the state budget in May.

    Across the aisle, Colorado Republicans say the federal government’s spending bill isn’t to blame.

    Lawmakers will also attempt to tackle other issues during the special session, including a proposal to provide financial support to Planned Parenthood, which was targeted by the OBBA.

    Politics

    Denver7 presses lawmakers on how they plan to address the state’s $1B budget gap

    What caused Colorado’s budget shortfall?

    Despite misinformation on social media, the state’s current budget shortfall was not caused by excessive spending on undocumented immigrants or the state’s spending over the past several years.

    State Rep. Bob Marshall, D-Highlands Ranch, said he’s tired of hearing misinformed arguments about the budget deficit.

    “Well, it’s really irritating,” Marshall said. “I mean, the reason we’re here is because we have a $1.2 billion hole blasted in the middle of our budget.”

    While the federal government can spend more money than it collects, Colorado’s constitution requires state lawmakers to pass a balanced budget each year. Indeed, that’s what lawmakers did earlier this year.

    But that wasn’t the end of the story.

    Colorado is one of a handful of states with “rolling” conformity, meaning that it automatically adopts changes to the federal tax code. So, if Congress passes legislation that cuts or raises federal taxes, Colorado automatically mirrors it.

    Budget analysts say this automatic mirroring has benefits, such as making filing taxes easier for Coloradans. It can also create problems.

    Trump’s bill made a lot of changes to the federal tax code and cut taxes. Because of its automatic mirroring, Colorado adopted those changes. Many provisions from the OBBA will take effect in 2026 and 2027, but several took effect immediately, resulting in less revenue for the state to collect.

    Colorado approved its state budget in May. State lawmakers approved the budget, anticipating no major changes to the federal tax code. But in July, Congress gave approval to the OBBA, and the president signed it into law on July 4.

    “The impacts on Colorado are particularly immediate,” Polis said. “The impact on taxpayers depends on your tax situation. You may benefit; you may not. But there is a significant loss in revenue, largely from the corporate tax changes that are in this bill.”

    Polis called a special session to address the sudden budget shortfall.

    • Political reporter Brandon Richard recaps Day 1 of the special legislative session in the video player below

    Colorado lawmakers conclude first day of special legislative session

    How much is the shortfall?

    According to Mark Ferrandino, Colorado’s budget director, the OBBA created a $1.2 billion budget gap for the current budget.

    Some of that revenue loss was absorbed by the state education fund and the affordable housing fund. Around $300 million that the state had in surplus, which would have been refunded to taxpayers, will now be used to help fill the gap.

    That still leaves lawmakers with a budget gap estimated to be around $783 million.

    How do lawmakers plan to fill the budget gap?

    Democrats, who are in charge of both chambers of the legislature, have proposed a three-pronged approach: end corporate tax breaks, dip into the state’s rainy-day savings, and cut some spending.

    House Speaker Julie McCluskie said on Tuesday that she anticipates closing the corporate tax loopholes would provide $300 to $400 million. She estimates lawmakers will need to take $200 to $300 million from the state’s reserves, which would leave about $300 million in cuts that would need to be made.

    McCluskie said Democrats would make cuts “responsibly.” However, Democrats want the governor to make those cuts for them.

    Democrats have introduced SB25B-001, which would establish procedures for the Joint Budget Committee (JBC) to hold hearings with the governor’s office when the state doesn’t have enough money to provide state services.

    Under current law, the governor can end or pause functions of state agencies for up to three months if the state doesn’t have enough money for state services. The bill will give the legislature, through the JBC, more involvement in those decisions.

    “To come in in the middle of August, and cut the hundreds of millions of dollars that need to be cut, that’s just not something that the budget committee is equipped to do,” said State Sen. Jeff Bridges, the chairman of the JBC.

    2025 special session bills authorized by sponsor for pre-release

    House Bills

    • Artificial Intelligence Systems (25B-0004)
    • Sale of Tax Credits (25B-0005)
    • Insurance Premium Tax Rate for Home Offices (25B-0006)
    • Eliminate State Sales Tax Vendor Fee (25B-0007)
    • Corporate Income Tax Foreign Jurisdictions (25B-0008)
    • Qualified Bus Income Deduction Add-Back (25B-0009)
    • Prescription Drug Benefit Information Transparency (25B-0011)
    • Consumer Protections for AI Interactions (25B-0013)
    • Continuity of Care for Impacted Communities (25B-0018)
    • Improve Affordability Private Health Insurance (25B-0021)
    • Health Ins Affordability Enter Board Appointment (25B-0023)
    • Voter Approval for State Vendor Fee Reductions (25B-0024)
    • Prohibit Certain Cash Fund Use Against Fed Action (25B-0025)
    • Additions to Definition Federal Taxable Income (25B-0028)
    • Health Insurance Affordability Fund Allocation (25B-0033)
    • Spending Reduction Procedures (25B-0034)
    • Transfer of Money in Refinance Discretionary Account (25B-0036)
    • Health Providers Practice Scope Preventive Care (25B-0037)
    • Limit Subsidies Health Ins Affordability Enterprise (25B-0042)
    • Retention of Vendors Fees for Collecting Sales Tax (25B-0043)

    Senate Bills

    • State-Only Funding for Certain Entities (25B-0001)
    • Healthy School Meals For All (25B-0002)
    • Processes to Reduce Spending During Shortfall (25B-0003)
    • Reallocate DNR Wolf Funding to Health Ins Enterprise (25B-0010)
    • Tech-Neutral Anti-Discrimination Clarification Act (25B-0012)
    • Increase Transparency for Algorithmic Systems (25B-0017)
    • Voter Approval Additions to Federal Taxable Income (25B-0031)
    • Tax Credit for Health Savings Accounts (25B-0032)

    Courtesy of Colorado General Assembly website

    Republicans call special session ‘premature’

    While Polis and Democratic lawmakers say the special session is necessary, Republicans aren’t so sure about the timing.

    “I think the special session is very premature,” said Colorado House Minority Leader Rose Pugliese. “I think that the impacts of the bill really should have gone through the Joint Budget Committee process, and then once the Joint Budget Committee can understand what the implications of the budget are, then we can come in for a special session or during a regular session to get this budget issue dealt with.”

    Republicans said the special session fails to address the state’s structural budget challenges and believe Democrats plan to raise taxes.

    “For years, Democrats at the Capitol have spent beyond their means and ignored Republican solutions. Now, they want taxpayers to bail them out,” Pugliese said. “Republicans will protect your right to vote on tax increases, defend your refunds, and not give Democrats a blank check. Our bills repeal hidden tax hikes, protect small retailers, and preserve Medicaid for the most vulnerable. These are real solutions for Colorado families.”

    Republicans have introduced bills that they say would provide “common-sense solutions,” but the proposals are not expected to pass the Democratic majority.

    Politics

    How common are special sessions in Colorado? Here are all 52 that’ve been called

    Lawmakers will address other issues

    The OBBA made reproductive clinics like Planned Parenthood ineligible for federal reimbursements. Colorado Democrats have introduced a bill, SB25B-002, which would authorize state funding for those clinics until they become eligible for federal reimbursements again.

    “We are irreplaceable,” said Jack Teter, the vice president of government affairs for Planned Parenthood. “And I’m very grateful that the legislature and the governor’s office recognize that and that they’re acting during special session to preserve access for our patients.”
     
    Lawmakers will also consider SB25B-003, a bill to ask voters to provide more money for the SNAP food assistance program.

    “Republicans in Congress made unprecedented cuts to SNAP in their federal budget, which slashed millions from nutrition programs that helped Coloradans feed their families,” said State Sen. Dafna Michaelson Jenet, D-Commerce City.

    Lawmakers will also consider changes to Colorado’s artificial intelligence law.

    The special session is expected to last into the first part of next week.

    Denver7

    Denver7 | Your Voice: Get in touch with Brandon Richard

    Denver7 politics reporter Brandon Richard closely follows developments at the State Capitol and in Washington, and digs deeper to find how legislation affects Coloradans in every community. If you’d like to get in touch with Brandon, fill out the form below to send him an email.

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  • Ahead of special session, Denver7 presses lawmakers on how they plan to address the state’s $1B budget gap

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    DENVER — In nearly 12 hours, state lawmakers will convene at the Colorado Capitol for a special legislative session.

    Governor Jared Polis called the session in order to address the state’s $1.2 billion budget hole.

    Politics

    Polis calls special session, hiring freeze to address $1.2B loss of revenue

    Polis blames the budget deficit on the tax changes made in President Donald Trump’s One Big Beautiful Act (H.R.1). According to the governor and fellow Colorado Democrats, Colorado is set to collect less revenue than expected when lawmakers approved the state budget in May.

    “The whole reason for the special session is the ‘big, beautiful bill,’” said State Senator Judy Amabile, a Democrat representing District 18.

    Across the aisle, Colorado Republicans say the federal government’s spending bill isn’t to blame.

    “I think this is a very complicated issue,” said House Minority Leader Rose Pugliese, who represents District 14. “It was not caused by H.R. 1.”

    Pugliese said the state was already dealing with a budget shortfall before H.R. 1 was signed into law, and some changes outlined in the legislation won’t take effect for another year.

    • Below is the state’s estimated revenue impact

    Denver7 sat down with both parties ahead of the special session to listen to their proposed solutions for the shortfall.

    Amabile said her party will focus on drawing down the state’s budget reserve and raising revenues. To do that, Colorado Democrats will push to close corporate tax loopholes.

    The party has introduced a handful of bills aimed at closing such loopholes, like 25B-008, which would crack down on companies that may be hiding their income taxes in other countries.

    In addition, Amabile said Democrats will attempt to amend the language on upcoming ballot questions involving the Healthy School Meals For All program.

    Colorado voters approved the Healthy School Meals For All program in 2022, which offers every student, regardless of their family’s income, free breakfast and lunch. The program is funded by capped charitable tax deductions for those making $300,000 or more.

    During this year’s legislative session, Colorado lawmakers passed a bill that added two ballot measures to the November ballot. One will ask voters for permission to keep the excess revenue the state collected during the program’s first year. The other will ask voters to raise taxes for wealthier Coloradans to pay for the program.

    The hope, according to Amabile, is to amend the ballot language so that increased tax revenue will be directed to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).

    • Read our previous coverage about the ballot questions in the story below

    Politics

    CO lawmakers consider asking voters for more funding for school lunch program

    During our interview on Wednesday, Denver7 asked Amabile if Coloradans can expect any cuts to services in order to fix the budget gap.

    “No. We’re not going to see that in the special session, but we do expect that the Governor will make some spending cuts,” she said.

    Across party lines, Pugliese said Colorado Republicans are focused on reigning in waste.

    One example she gave would be redirecting funds from reproductive and immigrant health benefits to rural health providers. That alone would save more than $34 million, according to the GOP.

    Colorado House Republicans

    Colorado’s GOP provided Denver7 with a list of its proposed solutions to address the state’s budget gap.

    “We are going to be bringing forward solutions that help protect the voices of the people, especially against tax increases,” Pugliese said.

    She said her party will also zero in on finding out what federal COVID-funded programs can be cut.

    “Is there an opportunity to maybe eliminate some of these new offices that were created?” Pugliese said.

    State lawmakers will be working to find solutions and reach a compromise as quickly as possible. The longer the special legislative session lasts, the more it will cost taxpayers.

    “Yes, the session does cost money, but that amount pales in comparison to the thing that we’re trying to fix,” Amabile said when asked about the cost.

    Both parties told Denver7 they’re hopeful to find bipartisan solutions.

    “My message to the taxpayers is that we’re going to continue to fight to make sure that we cut back on regulations and taxes and fees and do not put that on the burden on the backs of hardworking Coloradans,” Pugliese said.

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    Denver7 | Your Voice: Get in touch with Claire Lavezzorio

    Denver7’s Claire Lavezzorio covers topics that have an impact across Colorado, but specializes in reporting on stories in the military and veteran communities. If you’d like to get in touch with Claire, fill out the form below to send her an email.

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