This Fourth of July feels bittersweet. While it’s a day to celebrate freedom, many are left wondering whether the very programs that help secure “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness”—like SNAP, Medicaid, and public education—are at risk of being dismantled.

Tell Congress to reject these cuts. Act now to contact your federal representatives.

True freedom means having access to the basics: food on the table, healthcare when you need it, affordable education, and family supporting job opportunities. But in Colorado, decades of disinvestment and outdated fiscal rules—especially the so-called Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights, or TABOR—have held us back from delivering on that promise.

While we gather to celebrate independence and community, let’s also talk about what it takes to build a truly free and thriving Colorado: bold, equitable public investment.

TABOR locks our state into chronic underfunding, restricting how much we can invest in our people—even when the need is urgent and the revenue is available. That’s why repealing TABOR isn’t just a budget fight—it’s a fight for Colorado’s future.

It’s time to reckon with the real consequences of our fiscal policies—underfunded schools, empty hospital beds, and inaccessible higher education. Let’s reimagine what shared prosperity could look like. Let’s celebrate freedom today, and start fighting for structural solutions that make the American dream a reality for more Coloradans.

Federal SNAP Cuts Threaten Food Security

More than 100,000 Coloradans could lose their food assistance under the House Republican budget reconciliation bill—including tens of thousands of children. Nationally, the proposal would cut or terminate SNAP benefits for over 7 million people.

In Colorado, SNAP doesn’t just feed families. It supports 21,500 grocery stores, sustains over 10,000 jobs, contributes nearly $486 million in wages, and generates close to $70 million in state tax revenue. Cuts to the program would devastate families, workers, and local economies alike.

And because of TABOR’s artificial budget constraints, Colorado can’t step in to fill the gap. The proposed $328 million cost shift to states would mean longer waitlists, slashed benefits, and more families left behind. Congress must reject these cuts—but Colorado also needs the fiscal flexibility to protect our communities when federal support falls short.

Medicaid Gaps Undermine the Right to Health Care

More than 1.1 million Coloradans rely on Medicaid. Proposed federal budget cuts threaten not only their health security, but the financial survival of hospitals and clinics—especially in rural and underserved areas.

Medicaid funding is foundational to Colorado’s healthcare system. Nearly 19 cents of every state budget dollar comes from federal Medicaid funds. With TABOR tying our hands, we simply can’t replace that funding if it disappears. Colorado already spends less than the national average per enrollee; further cuts would push our healthcare infrastructure to the brink, and mean millions of Coloradans risk losing access to the care they need.

Even those with private insurance would feel the impact—fewer providers, longer waits, and overcrowded emergency rooms. If we want freedom that includes health and dignity, we must protect Medicaid.

Rising College Costs Block Economic Opportunity
Tens of thousands of Coloradans are facing the return of student loan collections—putting many at risk of default and wage garnishment, seized tax refunds, and lost safety-net benefits. These aggressive tactics hit hardest for low-income borrowers, communities of color, and young people just starting out.

And it’s not just a federal problem. Colorado’s student debt crisis is rooted in decades of disinvestment. Since TABOR passed in 1992, the share of higher ed costs paid by students and families has jumped 42%. Today, 65% of funding for public colleges comes from students—up from just 46% in 1992. Colorado now ranks near the bottom nationally in per-student support.

 Reforming our tax and spending rules would allow Colorado to reduce debt and defaults by cutting the impossibly high costs of higher education upfront rather than punishing borrowers on the back end. Student loan defaults aren’t personal failures—they’re the result of policy decisions. Colorado can and should do better.

Colorado must address the deeper systems that create unaffordable education and unsustainable debt; TABOR doesn’t just restrict how much Colorado can spend—it limits how much we can invest in our young people’s future.  We can choose to invest in young people’s potential, or we can keep garnishing their wages to pay for our policy failures. 

Structural tax inequality

The deeper crisis behind it all? Structural tax inequalities, both in the federal tax cuts for the ultra wealthy and in Colorado’s tax code. 

For decades, Colorado has been sold the myth that fiscal restraint equals freedom. But TABOR’s restrictions don’t just shrink the state government—they shrink our collective ability to solve problems and fund solutions. 

TABOR limits how we can tax folks, so we can’t ensure the wealthy and corporations pay their share, through equitable revenue raising strategies like a graduated income tax or an estate tax. Meanwhile, a second home in Aspen goes untaxed at the same rate as a modest starter home, while working families are asked to approve another sales tax hike to fund essential services.

This year, patriotism means demanding real public investment in our communities.

From hunger to healthcare to college affordability, the cost of disinvestment is being paid by working families. Let’s honor this Independence Day not just with fireworks, but by fighting for a Colorado where freedom is real for everyone.