DENVER (KDVR) — The federal government shutdown continues. Services nationwide are beginning to feel the impact. Here at home in Colorado, the state is stepping up its efforts to close this gap. But for how long will he do that?
There is still no clear path to a solution in Congress. Colorado might be poised to keep things going, at least for now.
“It is unfathomable, the chaos, the dysfunction, the inability to come together to meet the needs of the American people,” said Congresswoman Brittany Petersen, a Democrat who represents Colorado’s 7th Congressional District.
Frustration is growing on Capitol Hill in Washington and beyond as the federal government remains closed for the 23rd day. And with federal funding shut down, Colorado is footing the bill for a few things.
Colorado moves to temporarily fund services
“Where we can, like staffing a visitor center in a national park, we will do so to get through this as easily as we can,” Gov. Jared Polis told reporters Thursday. “In the meantime, I call on Congress to reopen the government and fix rising health care costs.”
The Governor announced that the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and the state Tourism Office (CTO) will work together to spend $3,200 per day to keep two visitor centers open in Rocky Mountain National Park. This comes after him required $10 million to help cover the loss of SNAP funding and an extension of $7.5 million that the state Joint Budget Committee (JBC) approved earlier during the WIC shutdown. JBC members say they plan to approve the latest funding request next week for approval by the end of the month.
FOX31 asked JBC Senator and Colorado State Treasurer candidate Jeff Bridges if this state can continue to handle the fiscal impact. “We’re fine for now, and again, we expect the federal government to recoup these costs once we open back up,” Senator Bridges said. “We’re just waiting for Republicans at the national level to say: Yes, we’re going to help make sure that these premium increases that we’ve called for don’t fall entirely on middle-income people trying to get health care coverage on the exchange.” “You’re talking about young children and mothers who can’t afford food. Yes, we have to help these people. The federal government stepped in and said we’re going to do it, they created the program, and that’s great, we support it, but now they’ve bailed it out and we have to step in and make sure these children and mothers don’t go hungry. And at the end of the day, if we have to accommodate that, it’s the right thing to do. Question.”
State Sen. Barbara Kirkmeyer, the ranking Republican on the Joint Budget Committee and the 2026 Republican gubernatorial nominee, expressed dismay at the way the governor covers services instead of federal funding. “I’m very concerned here that he’s creating another problem. I mean obviously this is one of those cases where he’s trying to make it seem like he’s doing something, and he’s not doing enough and he’s going to make things worse,” she said. “We have emergency planning processes. This is called incident command. He could have brought all his departments together, we could have brought together the nonprofit groups, the school districts of Feeding America, Hunger Free Colorado, all of these groups, the food banks, the food pantries, we could have brought them all together in a question of how to develop a plan that worked. He didn’t do that. And that’s why I feel Frustrated by him.”
Enhanced premium tax credits remain a sticking point as representatives wait to vote
Democrats in Congress refuse to budge without a permanent solution to boost premium tax credits, health care subsidies designed to keep premiums low and set to expire on December 31. Colorado Republicans are asking these Democrats to get their act together. “Senator Bennet and Senator Hickenlooper: Stop gambling with everyone’s lives and their ability to feed their kids. Go back and take the vote you need to vote. Go figure out how to solve your problems,” said Senator Kirkmeyer.
A vote for the release of the Epstein Files is likely waiting for you
House Democrats say they will vote on a separate, long-term relief measure to go along with the government funding bill they have already passed, but the Speaker will not call them back for a vote.
“We have not been sent back to the House and I think that makes it less likely that they will send us back for a continuing resolution that extends beyond January because of their need to swear in an Arizona representative that they don’t want to swear in,” Congresswoman Petersen said. “It is no coincidence that it is the final vote needed to force a vote on the Epstein files; something Donald Trump is desperately trying to avoid and the leadership has backed away from.”
US House Speaker Mike Johnson said he would hold a vote on the Epstein files once members return to work if signatures are in place and senators approve the chamber’s spending plan.
House Democrats from Colorado and Republican Congresswoman Lauren Boebert signed the petition to vote on releasing the files.