May 22, 2025
Contact: Hannah Morris, Directora de Comunicación
Instituto Fiscal de Colorado
morris@coloradofiscal.org

DENVER, CO – In the dead of night, the U.S. House of Representatives narrowly passed a sweeping tax cut and spending bill that would extend President Trump’s expiring 2017 tax cuts for the wealthy, gut hundreds of billions of dollars in funding from Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), repeal clean energy investments, and raise the debt ceiling by $4 trillion. The Colorado Fiscal Institute condemns the legislation and the decision by every Republican member of Colorado’s House delegation to support it—despite clear opposition from their constituents.

“This bill is a war on working people,” said Kathy White, Executive Director of the Colorado Fiscal Institute. “Passing the bill in the wee hours of the morning—while families slept—was not only shameful but intentional. It was an effort to silence dissent and hide from public accountability. Every Colorado Republican who voted for this turned their back on the families they were elected to serve while they were sleeping. They are derelict in their duty to do what’s best for Coloradans.”

Dubbed the “Big Beautiful Bill” by Trump himself, the legislation is an ugly reminder of how the Trump Administration and its state allies continue to prioritize the wants of the billionaires over the needs of the American people. Pointedly, it extends expiring tax cuts for the ultra-wealthy, pours more money into mass deportation efforts and military expansion, and decimates essential programs like Medicaid and SNAP. It also strips away clean energy tax credits—jeopardizing Colorado’s leadership in electric vehicle adoption and climate innovation.

“This is the most devastating attack on Medicaid and SNAP in history,” White said. “It threatens to strip millions of Americans—including tens of thousands of Coloradans—of the basic support they need to stay healthy and fed. All so the ultra-wealthy can buy another private jet or build ski lodges on land that belongs to all of us. It’s outrageous and immoral.”

TABOR Will Make the Harm Even Worse for Colorado Families

Colorado families will suffer even more from this federal gutting of basic needs programs due to our state’s uniquely restrictive tax laws. The Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights (TABOR) is the most extreme anti-government fiscal policy in the nation. It places artificial, rigid caps on how much revenue the state can collect and spend—regardless of population growth, inflation, or increased need.

“TABOR was built on the elitist notion that the rich deserve more, and the poor deserve less,” said White. “It’s a policy designed to keep public dollars out of public programs—health care, education, infrastructure—and ensure they never reach the families who need them most.”

Because of TABOR’s formula, even when Coloradans vote to raise revenue or when the economy grows, the state is forced to refund money rather than invest in the services people rely on. With the looming cuts to Medicaid, SNAP, and clean energy investments, Colorado won’t be able to step in and soften the blow. The TABOR cap means the state can’t legally spend the money needed to replace lost federal dollars—no matter how dire the situation becomes.

“Other states might be able to fill in the gaps when the federal government fails its people,” White said. “But Colorado can’t. We’re handcuffed. Our legislature is constitutionally prohibited from responding to this crisis at scale because of a decades-old policy that favors the wealthy over working families.”

The bill includes:

• $625 billion in cuts to Medicaid, jeopardizing health care for children, seniors, people with disabilities, and those living on low incomes.
  
• $300 billion in cuts to SNAP, pushing states like Colorado to either slash benefits, raise taxes, or cut other critical services.
  
• En cancellation of clean energy tax credits that support jobs and innovation in Colorado’s thriving green economy.
  
• A $500 billion “triggered” cut to Medicare hidden behind budget gimmicks.
  
• A projected increase of $3.8 trillion to the deficit due to regressive tax cuts overwhelmingly benefiting the top 1%.

“This bill is a massive giveaway to the rich, paid for by snatching food off kitchen tables and pulling needed prescriptions out of medicine cabinets,” White said. “It’s a slap in the face to every middle-class and working Coloradan who’s just trying to stay afloat amid rising costs. The Senate must reject this heartless and harmful legislation. Colorado deserves better. America deserves better.”

Colorado Republicans’ support for the bill flies in the face of clear and vocal opposition from Coloradans who rely on these programs to survive. Instead of standing with their constituents, Reps. Jeff Hurd, Lauren Boebert, Jeff Crank, and Gabe Evans chose to side with corporate donors and extremist ideology.

The bill now heads to the Senate, where the public has another opportunity to show Republicans just how toxic these proposals are.

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Acerca del Instituto Fiscal de Colorado
El Instituto Fiscal de Colorado utiliza la investigación, la defensa, las comunicaciones estratégicas y la educación a nivel estatal para promover políticas fiscales y económicas responsables, centradas en las personas, que fomenten la equidad y la prosperidad generalizada en Colorado. Para más información, visite www.coloradofiscal.org.