Colorado Budget Committee Review State's $1.5B Deficit

Colorado state budget shortfall expands to $1.5 billion

The Colorado Capitol is pictured on the opening day of the Colorado Legislature, Jan. 14, 2026. (Photo by Lindsey Toomer/Colorado Newsline)Colorado lawmakers will need to close a nearly $1.5 billion gap in the state budget in the coming weeks, hundreds of millions of dollars more than they expected, according to a new nonpartisan economic analysis. Legislative Council Staff and the Governor’s Office of State Planning and Budgeting presented thei…

Colorado budget committee review state's $1.5B deficit

(The Center Square) – Lawmakers tasked with determining Colorado’s state budget are looking at a $1.5 billion deficit following a pair of economic forecasts presented on Thursday.

Colorado’s state budget shortfall grows to more than $1.5 billion, forcing legislature to make much deeper cuts

The legislature’s Joint Budget Committee has already been slashing spending for weeks as it works to draft the state’s 2026-27 fiscal year budget. That includes cuts to Medicaid, which is the primary driver of the state’s budget shortfall.

Colorado revenue forecast worsens, pushing budget shortfall to nearly $1.5B

The latest revenue forecasts from economists in both the governor’s office and the Colorado legislature show that the state’s budget predicament has worsened — by hundreds of millions of dollars more. That, in turn, means cuts programs and services in next year’s fiscal budget will go much deeper. The state’s fiscal predicament also means no […]