Colorado Democrats steer millions to Planned Parenthood as multimillion-dollar deficit looms

Colorado Democrats approved millions in Medicaid reimbursements for Planned Parenthood during a special legislative session last week, even as the state faces a projected budget shortfall of up to $1.2 billion.

Republicans argue Democrats used the passage of HR-1 as political cover to rush into a special session, even though the Joint Budget Committee told lawmakers in June to expect a high-figure budget deficit in the next budget cycle.

When HR-1 took effect in July, it immediately prohibited the use of federal Medicaid funds at Planned Parenthood for one year. The law also introduced stricter Medicaid rules, including more frequent eligibility checks, new work requirements and tighter enrollment standards.

"Colorado Democrats have responsibly picked up the pieces from Trump and Washington Republicans' big, ugly budget, which any one of the GOP members of our congressional delegation could have stopped," Democrat House Speaker Julie McCluskie said in a statement. "Their bill gave corporations massive tax cuts that blew a billion dollar hole in our budget. We took a balanced approach that closed corporate tax loopholes, established a process to cut some spending, and used some of our rainy-day savings to protect funding for health care, roads and education."

But the budget battle is far from over, Pugliese warned. Lawmakers left roughly $300 million in cuts for Gov. Jared Polis to propose in the coming weeks, setting the stage for another round of negotiations over which programs will bear the brunt of reductions.

"I think the overall theme is, we spent money that we didn't have, and now our budget deficit is bigger," she added.