Guest Columnist – Congress took a huge first step to cut taxes

Angel Merlos

The LIBRE Initiative – Colorado, a grassroots organization dedicated to empowering the Latino community.

Coloradans are celebrating the passage of the One Big, Beautiful Bill Act, and for good reason. The new law lowers taxes, cuts wasteful spending and fraud, and sets the stage for safer communities. Just look at what the tax provisions are going to do for Colorado.

Come 2026, the average Colorado family was set to see their taxes increase by more than $3,600. That’s huge for a state that is already struggling with a rapid growth in cost of living. Colorado businesses, many operating on thin margins already, would have seen more than $1,500 in tax increases. With the expiration of pro-growth tax and economic policies, Colorado stood to lose more than 19,000 jobs.

But with the One Big, Beautiful Bill Act signed into law, tax rates will not just remain low, but many will benefit from new tax dedications. Coloradans will now be able to enjoy the tax relief they deserve. That’s especially true for Colorado’s growing Latino population. Latinos make up more than 22 percent of the state population and contribute more than $77 billion to the state’s economy. With this law’s passage, Latinos will be better set up to grow our small businesses and achieve our own version of the American Dream.

But for the communities to truly thrive, it will take a combination of low taxes (check!), long term reforms to protect health care, and investments into security.

Congress took a huge first step to cut taxes

The bipartisan Medicare and Medicaid Fraud Prevent Act requires that states regularly check the Social Security Administration’s death file for deceased physicians before sending out Medicare and Medicaid payments. A recent audit found that the state of Colorado had improperly paid over $7 million to deceased Medicaid members, much of which could have been prevented with some protective measures and more respect for the taxpayer.

While opponents of the One Big, Beautiful Bill Act will spend their time misleading you about cuts to Medicaid, the truth is that the law will ensure that the program is more effectively serving the population that it was meant to support. I am certain we can all agree that protecting the fiscal health and quality of Medicaid in the long term is crucial for low income and disabled Americans on the program, and that they should not be crowded out by working age able bodied adults.

Which takes us to the other benefits of One Big, Beautiful Bill Act. Not only will it help create economic opportunities it will also tackle preventing future border crises and help treat immigrants with more legal certainty. Beyond securing resources for border patrol and to help update border crossing facilities to better allow for trade with Mexico and manage illegal immigration, a record amount of money has been set aside to hire immigration judges. Republicans are taking the lead by allocating $3.3 billion to the Executive Office of Immigration Review, which means up to 100 new immigration judges to help review the backlog of asylum cases and give more dignity and judicial review to immigrants.

Congress took a huge first step to cut taxes

This is just the start. There is much more to celebrate in this bill, but while we’re celebrating, let’s not lose sight of this: the One Big, Beautiful Bill Act is just the first step, not the end game. It’s a powerful message that the country is on a better path – one that is pro-growth, pro-freedom, and pro-opportunity.

The One Big Beautiful Bill is proof that solutions are possible. Now is the time to build on that progress. Here in Colorado, we stand to benefit from the largest tax cut in history if our lawmakers see it for the launching point it is and take the next steps to unleash Colorado and America’s full potential.

Orginally posted on El Comercio de Colorado.