Dear Colorado Legislature: Here’s Your $1 Billion Cut List

By Scott K. James | Commentary, ScottKJames.com

Colorado’s $1B budget hole isn’t rocket science – we found the cuts. From illegal immigration perks to bloated credits, here’s the fix.

(And Yes, We Found It In the Couch Cushions)

Colorado lawmakers are about to lock themselves in a special session cage match because they’ve managed to spend themselves $1 billion into the red.

Cue the finger-pointing, cue the “hard choices” speeches, cue the “we just need more revenue” crocodile tears.

Well, guess what? We did your homework for you. We found your billion. And unlike your staff memos written in bureaucrat-ese, this cut list is in plain English – with receipts. Brace yourselves, this will be long, but I’ll give you a TL, DR version right up front…

TL;DR: Colorado’s in a $1 billion budget hole, but the fixes are hiding in plain sight. Half the problem vanishes if the state quits showering illegal immigration with taxpayer-funded goodies—$352M on inflated K-12 costs, $97M on bloated healthcare programs like OmniSalud, $90M in college financial aid, plus millions more for driver’s licenses, “welcome” grants, and even taxpayer-funded lawyers. Total savings: $577M. That’s more than halfway to balanced without touching a single classroom or cop car.

The rest? Easy. Auction off boutique green tax credits for $90M, take a one-year holiday on the fluffiest credits for another $250M, and trim 0.5% of bureaucratic fat for $85M. Boom—another $425M. Add it up, and you’ve got just over $1B in cuts, no tax hikes required. For once, lawmakers even have a bill draft (LLS 25B-0027.01) that treats tax credits like what they really are—spending. Pause them when money’s tight, sell a few for upfront cash, and stop acting like candy-store clerks with taxpayer wallets. Balanced budget, done. You’re welcome.

Step One: Pull the Plug on Illegal Immigration Freebies = $577,250,000

In recent years, Colorado’s been on a mission to blur the hell out of the line between citizenship and eligibility for government freebies. And surprise – when you hand out benefits like Halloween candy, someone’s gotta pay the tab. Spoiler: it’s you.

The Legislative Council Staff (aka the people paid to quietly panic on paper) dropped a report that barely scratches the surface of the fiscal dumpster fire smoldering beneath Colorado’s budget – thanks in large part to the tidal wave of undocumented residents putting pressure on state and local coffers.

What’s inside that report? Oh, just a greatest hits list of overspending, mission creep, and government programs that have evolved from “helping hand” to “bottomless pit.” Below is a breakdown of the most facepalm-worthy findings, paired with the original dollar amounts rubber-stamped by the General Assembly. I’ve also thrown in some bonus context on how these programs started and how far they’ve wandered from their original purpose – because nothing says “accountability” like watching your tax dollars get lit on fire in slow motion.

Health Care Spending on Illegal Immigration: $96,800,000

House Bill 22-1289: Health Benefits for Colorado Children & Pregnant Persons (sheesh, you can’t even say ‘Pregnant Women’ while you burn our cash)

This bill claims it’s about helping moms and babies, but most of the cash is getting sucked into bureaucracy. Think more office chairs and admin drones than actual healthcare. HCPF’s (Health Care Policy and Finance) hiring a small army just to push paper, outreach alone costs $750K a year (with $500K going to consultants billing like they’re heart surgeons), and they’re blowing over $13 million on computer code. If we’re footing the bill for non-citizen healthcare, maybe—just maybe—don’t set it on fire first.

The price tag on this bill just did a nice little inflation dance – up 32% next year and 44% the year after. What started as expensive is now full-blown “hope you weren’t attached to your wallet.” Total costs? Nearly $6 million in 2024-25 and a jaw-dropping $18 million the year after. Government budgeting: where numbers only go up and logic goes to die.

Senate Bill 20-215: Health Insurance Affordability Enterprise

This bill birthed the Health Insurance Affordability Enterprise and paved the way for OmniSalud – a program handing out low-to-no-cost insurance to low-income illegal immigrants. First year? 10,200 enrollees racked up a $57.8 million tab, with 92% of them in the priciest plans. Congrats, taxpayers – you’re now sponsoring platinum-tier coverage for people who aren’t here legally.

OmniSalud enrollment barely ticked up to 11,000 in 2023—but the cost? That exploded to $73 million. That’s a hell of a price jump for 800 extra people. Some of it’s “covered” by carrier fees and federal funds, but let’s be real—it’s still your money doing backflips into a bottomless pit. Oh, and they’re playing legal hopscotch around TABOR by calling it an “enterprise.” Bonus: taxpayers also get hit with a $13.9 million tab for uncompensated care in 2025. What a deal!

2025 Supplemental Increase for Uncompensated Care: $13,900,000

READ THE FULL COMMENTARY AT SCOTTKJAMES.COM

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