Colorado

Colorado’s attorney general has filed 66 lawsuits against the Trump administration, and courts have blocked the policy in 36 of them, at least for now. A federal judge wrote that a Trump SNAP threat against Colorado “seems to be about punishment and nothing more.” Democrats control the governor’s office and both chambers of the Legislature, but a $1.5 billion budget deficit is forcing cuts to Medicaid and TABOR refunds.

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Federal Lawsuits

Phil Weiser has sued the Trump administration 66 times since January 2025, according to his office, as tallied by the Colorado Sun on June 17, 2026. Courts have partially or fully blocked Trump policies in 36 cases. Eight went against the state. Twenty-two are still pending.

Weiser blocked Trump’s attempt to end birthright citizenship, and DOGE’s access to private taxpayer data. He joined a 23-state lawsuit seeking the release of $6.8 billion in paused education funds. He also sued over Trump’s tariffs, which the Supreme Court struck down on February 20, 2026.

Weiser is the Democratic nominee for governor. Voters will decide whether that record translates to executive leadership.

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Federal Funding Withheld From Colorado

Senior U.S. District Judge R. Brooke Jackson blocked a USDA threat to Colorado’s SNAP funding, writing that the pilot project “seems to be about punishment and nothing more”. Democracy Docket linked it to the state’s refusal to free Tina Peters, the former Mesa County clerk convicted of facilitating a security breach of county voting machines.

The retaliation hit rural, Republican-voting areas hardest. Trump vetoed a clean water pipeline for southeastern Colorado and denied disaster funding for wildfire recovery in the northwest. He ordered five counties to recertify over 100,000 SNAP households in 30 days or lose millions.

100,000+ SNAP households in five rural counties ordered to recertify within 30 days or lose federal funding

Governor Polis commuted Peters’ sentence on May 15, 2026, cutting her nearly nine-year sentence to four and a half years and ordering her paroled June 1. He said her protected speech was likely considered in her sentencing. The Colorado Democratic Party disagreed. On May 20, 90% of the State Central Committee voted to censure Polis and suspended him from speaking at party events.

The Peters episode shows how federal pressure can fracture state-level coalitions. Trump punished the whole state. Polis tried to relieve the pressure. His own party punished him for it. The funding cuts remain.

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Healthcare and Benefits

Colorado’s budget shortfall grew to $1.5 billion in 2026. The core problem is structural: Medicaid costs grow at roughly 9% per year, but TABOR limits state spending growth to approximately 3.2%.

The Legislature closed the gap by cutting $270 million in Medicaid reimbursement rates (a 2% reduction) and withholding $300 million in TABOR refunds. New eligibility criteria for the Cover All Coloradans program further tightened access.

The federal reconciliation bill made it worse. H.R. 1 constrained investments and deepened the state-level deficit at the same time Colorado was already cutting.

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Immigration

Federal immigration agents have been pulling defendants out of active Colorado criminal cases, including people awaiting trial for sexual assault. ICE refuses to return them to state courts. Victims are denied justice. Cases collapse.

Colorado passed SB25-276, which bars local officials from sharing immigration status with ICE and limits where ICE can operate without a judge-signed warrant (including schools and hospitals).

The Aurora gang prosecutions that followed 2024’s headlines have not gone to trial. Of 30 people charged in two federal indictments, nearly half took plea deals as of February 2026. CPR reported that “the results in court have failed to back up the hype.” Trump continued to cite Aurora to justify military action against Venezuela, muddling facts and omitting context.

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2026 Elections in Colorado

Governor Polis is term-limited. On November 3, the nominees for governor are Phil Weiser (D); Victor Marx (R). The primaries were June 30.

Republicans have not won a Colorado governor’s race since 2002.

The next governor inherits a $1.5 billion deficit and a TABOR constraint that makes Medicaid unsustainable. Voters can ask both nominees how they would close the deficit under TABOR’s limits.

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What You Can Do in Colorado

1. Check your voter registration. The general election is November 3, 2026. Confirm your registration at GoVoteColorado.gov.

2. Track your mail ballot. Use Colorado’s ballot tracking tool and fix any signature issues immediately.

3. Verify your Medicaid and SNAP status. If you receive benefits, check your eligibility and keep your contact information current. Reimbursement cuts and new eligibility rules take effect this year.

4. Know your rights with ICE. Under SB25-276, ICE cannot operate in schools, hospitals, or libraries without a judge-signed warrant. You do not have to answer questions about immigration status.

5. Ask governor candidates about the deficit. TABOR limits spending growth to 3.2% while Medicaid grows at 9%. Every candidate should explain how they will close that gap without gutting services.