Senate Republicans Blast Polis for “Crisis of Priorities” in Budget Cuts

Governor Jared Polis has once again drawn fire from Republican leaders in Colorado, this time over his decision to slash more than $100 million in funding to Medicaid and higher education programs through an executive order signed today. The cuts, Republicans argue, come at the expense of Colorado’s most vulnerable families while leaving untouched what they describe as bloated government growth and political pet projects built under Polis’s watch.

The governor’s move follows a special legislative session he called to raise taxes in order to address a mounting $700 million budget shortfall. That session ended with Democrats passing five tax increase bills—measures Republicans say will hit working families—while leaving untouched the hundreds of new offices and programs created since Polis took office in 2019.

“When we called on the Governor to cut spending, we meant cutting his useless pet projects, not slashing Medicaid and higher education,” said Senator Barbara Kirkmeyer, the Ranking Member on the Joint Budget Committee. “Time and again, this Governor has shown he has a crisis of priorities. Instead of protecting programs that millions of Coloradans depend on, he’s shielding the bloated offices he created that have done nothing to make our state more affordable.”

Senate Minority Leader Cleave Simpson echoed the frustration, accusing the governor of sidelining Republicans and blocking responsible alternatives. “While we are glad the Governor has finally realized that spending cuts are necessary, he went about it in the worst way possible,” Simpson said. “By refusing to include spending cuts in the special session, he shut Republicans out of the process and denied Coloradans real solutions. Instead, he’s balancing the budget on the backs of students and families who can least afford it.”

According to Republicans, their caucus proposed numerous bills during the special session that would have generated nearly $800 million in revenue over three years without raising taxes. Those proposals were dismissed by the Democrat majority. Instead, the tax package passed last week is projected to fill only about one third of the budget hole—a gap Republicans blame on unchecked government expansion.

For years, GOP lawmakers have called for trimming what they see as unnecessary and unsustainable programs while preserving core funding for health care and higher education. Their proposed approach would target more than 200 new offices and initiatives created under Polis, but those ideas have repeatedly been blocked.

To Republicans, the governor’s executive order is proof that their warnings were ignored. Rather than scaling back his own administration’s growth, they say, Polis has chosen to make students and vulnerable families pay the price.

“The governor had an opportunity to work with us and craft a responsible plan,” Simpson said. “Instead, he went it alone and left the people of Colorado holding the bill.”

Senate Republicans say they will continue to press for transparency, accountability, and real cuts to government spending. For them, the fight is about more than numbers on a balance sheet—it’s about making Colorado more affordable for everyday families and ensuring that critical programs aren’t the first on the chopping block when budget crises hit.