Source: The Pueblo Chieftain
While the Colorado State Fair opens on Aug. 22, Colorado legislators may not be there due to a special session called by Gov. Jared Polis to address funding cuts resulting from the Trump administration’s “One Big Beautiful Bill Act.”
Polis announced Wednesday that the session would begin on Aug. 21 at 10 a.m. to discuss a projected $1.2 billion in fiscal year 2026 funding cuts resulting from the federal bill.
Colorado Rep. Ty Winter, a Republican with constituents in Pueblo County, lamented the special session’s potential conflict with the Colorado State Fair in an X post on the same day of Polis’ announcement.
“The State Fair is a time for rural communities to come together and celebrate; feeding our state, powering our economy, and showcasing Colorado values,” Winter wrote. “It is also a moment for the good people of rural Colorado to proudly share the results of their hard work with the entire state. Calling a special session during this time shows just how out of touch the Governor is with the people who do God’s work on God’s land.”
Two prominent Colorado Democrats fired back.
Shad Murib, chair of the Colorado Dems, posted that Winter cares more about going to the fair than “doing his job” to address cuts to Colorado health care, food assistance, tax credits, and Taxpayer Bill of Rights (TABOR) refunds.
Sen. Nick Hinrichsen, a Pueblo resident representing all of Pueblo County, made his own X post stating that while he was “heartbroken” legislators will be in session during key events at the Colorado State Fair, it is a “tragic coincidence” that residents living near the fairgrounds will be “disproportionately” hit the hardest by funding cuts.
“What we do or don’t do in special session will have impacts that will affect how many of those neighbors do or don’t die early due to loss of coverage/available care,” Hinrichsen posted. “We have a duty to protect as many people as possible, not ignore them as we walk past on our way to the party.”
Winter, Hinrichsen at odds on timing of special session, reason for Colorado’s budget woes
Winter told the Chieftian that his concerns about the special session had nothing to do with the session itself and “everything to do” with the timing. He spoke about the possibility of missing the Aug. 22 Legislative BBQ at the State Fair, saying the BBQ is a valuable event where legislators can speak to constituents they are typically unable to meet with.
However, Winter also said there are issues with the state’s budget that have long needed to be addressed. He said that a budget crisis has been created by Colorado Democrats, who are scapegoating the One Big Beautiful Bill Act.
“We’ve seen over $500 million in the last couple of years go to people that are non-citizens of this country, between healthcare, education and attorney fees,” Winter said. “There’s so many things that can be done… you’ll hear me say it over and over and over again, we don’t have a revenue problem in this state, we have a priority problem.”
Hinrichsen told the Chieftain his goals for the special session include ensuring protection of community health centers, protection of healthcare coverage for constituents and protection of food assistance programs for local children. He also said that the special session could not have been held at any other time, as there may be ballot referendums that come out of the special session.
“Going too early and not having accurate information is very risky and not responsible, and at the same time, we have to be able to have full consideration of measures to mitigate the federal impacts before September… We have to go in late August and that is the product of what has been forced on us by the federal government,” Hinrichsen said. “I think we should be really clear about that.”
