When Colorado lawmakers return to the state Capitol Aug. 21 for a special legislative session, they won’t have the luxury of political posturing or even some public hand-wringing.

They will be staring down a $750 million hole in the state budget, created almost overnight by the One Big, Beautiful Bill imposed on Americans by President Donald Trump and a complicit GOP Congress.

Despite vapid dramatics and misinformation by some Colorado Republicans, the Legislature is legally bound to fill that budget hole.

Just as Gov. Jared Polis pointed out last week, the math is clear.

On July 1, the $43.9 billion state budget for this fiscal year was balanced, as required under state law. Three days later, Trump signed the One Big Beautiful Bill, which dramatically expanded the federal standard ded

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