¶ Overview
In March 2025, Evans voted for House Republicans’ continuing resolution, which rescinded all community project funding requests, including one that was meant to help the Weld Food Bank. That coupled with grant cuts made by the Trump administration meant the food bank was not able to buy refrigerated trucks or a forklift as a result and had to cancel orders for 120,000 pounds of protein and dairy items that it was going to buy from Colorado farmers.
Next, Evans voted for a bill that made the largest cut to SNAP in history Then, he lied and claimed the food bank supported the cuts when they told him the cuts would only make their lines longer and hurt Coloradans. More than 29,000 Coloradans in Evans’ district rely on SNAP to afford groceries.
¶ Evans Votes Hurt A Local Food Bank, Then He Lied About It
¶ A Food Bank in Evans’ District Was Stripped of Promised Funding Because Evans Voted for Republican’s Continuing Resolution
HEADLINE: "‘Devastating Impact:’ Evans Meets With Food Bank Staff, Still Supports Budget Bill Which Could Overwhelm Them" [Colorado Times Recorder, 6/27/25]
Evans Voted For A Continuing Resolution That Rescinded Anticipated Funding For The Weld Food Bank. According to Colorado Public Radio, "Weld Food Bank was planning to add two refrigerated trucks and a forklift to improve distribution throughout its 4,000-square-mile service area in Northern Colorado. Those purchases are on hold after U.S. lawmakers stripped funding for the food bank from the spending bill signed by President Donald Trump last week. The group was one of thousands across the country that got left behind after House Republicans crafted a so-called continuing resolution to fund the government through the rest of the fiscal year rather than pass an appropriations package. The bill cut all the 2025 earmarks, otherwise known as congressionally directed spending or community project funding, that lawmakers had requested." [Colorado Public Radio, 3/18/25]
- 2025: Evans Voted For The FY 2025 Continuing Resolution That Cut Nondefense Spending By $13 Billion While Increasing Defense Spending By $6 Billion And Extended Certain Health Programs Through September 30th. In March 2025, Evans voted for. , according to Congressional Quarterly, “the bill that would extend government funding through the end of fiscal year 2025 (Sept. 30). The measure would retain most programs and activities at fiscal year 2024 funding levels, but would make cuts to certain domestic and foreign assistance programs. The continuing resolution would reduce nondefense funding by approximately $13 billion, while increasing defense spending by $6 billion, making for a net decrease of $7 billion in discretionary spending. The bill also would include an extension of several health care programs through Sept. 30 including funding for community health centers, graduate medical education programs, and the special diabetes programs. It also would extend add-on payments for low-volume hospitals and Medicare add-on payments for rural ambulance services and extend telehealth flexibilities for hospitals to treat patients in their own homes.” The vote was on passage. The House passed the bill by a vote of 217 to 213. [House Vote 70, 3/11/25; Congressional Quarterly, 3/11/25; Congressional Actions, H.R. 1968]
- House Republicans’ Continuing Resolution Cut All Congressionally Directed Spending Requests And Community Project Funding Requests That Lawmakers Had Requested For 2025. According to Colorado Public Radio, "The group was one of thousands across the country that got left behind after House Republicans crafted a so-called continuing resolution to fund the government through the rest of the fiscal year rather than pass an appropriations package. The bill cut all the 2025 earmarks, otherwise known as congressionally directed spending or community project funding, that lawmakers had requested. Colorado communities were in line to receive as much as $194 million in federal funding for a wide range of projects and services, including hospitals, law enforcement, colleges, a childcare center, a local firehouse, mental health programs, wildfire research, infrastructure upgrades and much more." [Colorado Public Radio, 3/18/25]
The Weld Food Bank Lost $400,000 It Had Planned To Spend On Refrigerated Trucks And A Forklift, And It Had To Cancel Orders For 120,000 Pounds Of Protein And Dairy Items It Was Going To Buy From Colorado Farmers. According to the Colorado Times Recorder, "In the following six months, the Weld Food Bank saw its monthly visits increase from 9,200 to over 14,000, according to Communications Director Weston Edmunds. Then the Trump Administration took office and started slashing grants and programs, including the Local Foods for Schools and Local Food Purchase Assistance Cooperative Agreement (LFPA) that provided over $13M of assistance in Colorado. The Weld Food Bank lost $400,000 it had planned to spend on refrigerated trucks and a forklift. They also had to cancel orders for 120,000 pounds of protein and dairy items that was going to be purchased from Colorado farmers." [Colorado Times Recorder, 6/27/25]
¶ Evans Voted for The House Republican Reconciliation Bill that Cut Snap Benefits for Millions
¶ July 2025: Evans Voted For The Final GOP Reconciliation Bill, Which Contained The Largest SNAP Cut In History
July 2025: Evans Voted For The Senate FY 2025 Budget Reconciliation Bill That Extended $4 Trillion In Expiring Tax Cuts, Added New Tax Breaks, Appropriated $448 Billion In Defense, Border, And Immigration Enforcement Funding, Increased The SALT Deduction To $40,000, And Cut Medicaid And Other Social Programs To Offset The Costs. In July 2025, Evans voted for, according to Congressional Quarterly, the “motion to concur in the Senate amendment to the bill that would permanently extend nearly $4 trillion in expiring individual and business tax cuts, create several new tax breaks and fund border and immigration enforcement and air traffic control upgrades. It would cut Medicaid and other safety net programs to partly offset the cost. Among other provisions, it would raise the statutory debt ceiling by $5 trillion and appropriate more than $448 billion in mandatory funding for Trump administration priorities and other needs, including $153 billion for defense, $89 billion for immigration enforcement, and $89.5 billion for border control and security. It also would increase the state and local tax deduction cap to $40,000 annually for five years for households making up to $500,000 a year until 2030, when it would permanently revert to $10,000.” The House passed the bill by a vote of 218 to 214. [House Vote 190, 7/3/25; Congressional Quarterly, 7/3/25; Congressional Actions, H.R. 1]
- HEADLINE: "Trump’s ‘Big Beautiful Bill’ Cuts Food Stamps For Millions — The Average Family May Lose $146 Per Month, Report Finds" [CNBC, 7/10/25]
- The GOP Reconciliation Bill Would Cut SNAP Funding By $186 Billion, Which CBPP Said Constituted The “Largest Cut To SNAP In History.” According to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, "The Senate Republican leadership’s reconciliation bill would dramatically raise costs and reduce food assistance for millions of people by cutting federal funding for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) by $186 billion through 2034, according to the Congressional Budget Office (CBO), about 20 percent — the largest cut to SNAP in history. These cuts would increase poverty, food insecurity, and hunger, including among children. The so-called ‘Big Beautiful Bill’ is anything but beautiful; it would cause widespread harm by making massive cuts to Medicaid and SNAP, which would raise costs on families and make it much harder for them to afford the high cost of health care and groceries." [Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, 6/30/25]
¶ May 2025: Evans Voted For The House Version Of The Republican Reconciliation Bill, Which Included A $300 Billion Cut To SNAP
2025: Evans Voted For The FY 2025 Budget Reconciliation Bill That Included $3.8 Trillion In Tax Cuts Offset By $1.5 Trillion In Spending Reductions To Programs Like Medicaid And The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. In May 2025, Evans voted for, according to Congressional Quarterly, “the bill that would provide for approximately $3.8 trillion in net tax cuts and $321 billion in military, border enforcement and judiciary spending, offset by $1.5 trillion in spending reductions, as instructed in the fiscal 2025 budget resolution (H Con Res 14). It would raise the statutory debt limit by $4 trillion and provide for increased spending on defense and border security, spending cuts on social safety net programs, such as Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. It also includes a mix of tax breaks for businesses and individuals; tax increases on universities and foundations; and a phase-down of clean energy tax credits. […] It would reduce federal spending on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program by requiring states to shoulder more of the cost, expand work requirements for SNAP, extend programs authorized under the 2018 farm bill, and prohibit the U.S. Department of Agriculture from increasing the cost of the Thrifty Food Program. As amended, it would cap state and local tax deductions at $40,000 for households with incomes below $500,000.” The House passed the bill by a vote of 215 to 214. [House Vote 145, 5/22/25; Congressional Quarterly, 5/22/25; Congressional Actions, H.R. 1]
- The House Republican Reconciliation Bill Included Nearly $300 Billion In Cuts To The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. According to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, "The House-passed Republican reconciliation plan would cut nearly $300 billion from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) through 2034, based on Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimates — by far the largest cut to SNAP in history.[1] As a result of these cuts and other policies in the legislation — which are being used to pay partly for trillions in tax cuts skewed to the wealthy — millions of people would lose some or all of the food assistance they need to afford groceries, when many low-income households are struggling to afford the high cost of food and other basic needs." [Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, 5/28/25]
¶ February 2025: Evans Voted For House Republicans’ Budget Framework, Which Set Up Future Cuts To SNAP
2025: Evans Voted For The FY 2025 Budget Framework That Included $2 Trillion In Cuts, Raised The Statutory Debt Limit By $4 Trillion, And Required House Committees To Recommend Legislation That Would Implement Trump’s Agenda. In February 2025, Evans voted for, according to Congressional Quarterly, “the concurrent resolution that would recommend a budget for fiscal 2025 and budget levels through fiscal 2034. The resolution would assume minimum savings of $1.5 trillion over 10 years and 2.6 percent economic growth over the same period. It also would require the statutory debt limit to be raised by $4 trillion. It also would authorize the House Ways and Means Committee to increase deficits by $4.5 trillion over 10 years to extend the 2017 tax cuts and implement new tax cuts proposed by the White House. It also would provide instructions for the budget reconciliation process through which separate legislation could be considered and passed in the Senate via a simple majority vote. The measure would deliver instructions to 11 House committees to report legislation that would implement President Donald Trump’s agenda, such as expanding tax cuts and bolstering border security and immigration enforcement. The committees would be required to report their legislative recommendations to the House Budget Committee by March 27, 2025. It also would set a $2 trillion target for the spending cuts to be submitted to the House Budget Committee. The resolution also would stipulate that if the committees don't reach that target, the Ways and Means’ reconciliation instructions to increase the deficit by a maximum of $4.5 trillion would be decreased by the amount the other committees come in below the target. Similarly, it would stipulate that Ways and Means could increase the deficit above the $4.5 trillion level by the amount of savings the committees achieve above the $2 trillion target.” The vote was on passage. The House passed the resolution by a vote of 217 to 215. [House Vote 50, 2/25/25; Congressional Quarterly, 2/25/25; Congressional Actions, H. Con. Res. 14]
- HEADLINE: "House Republican Budget Takes Away Health Care, Food Aid To Pay For Expanded Tax Cuts For Wealthy" [Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, 2/21/25]
- CBPP Said The Republican Budget Resolution Outlined $230 Billion In Cuts, Primary From SNAP Benefits. According to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, "The House Republicans’ budget plan would give major tax cuts to high-income, wealthy households. Extending the expiring individual income and estate tax provisions for households with incomes in the top 5 percent of the income distribution (households with incomes over $321,000) costs around $1.8 trillion through 2034, accounting for 49 percent of the total $3.6 trillion cost of extension through 2034. That $1.8 trillion for wealthy and high-income households is close to the amount of the spending cuts House Republicans have outlined — including at least $880 billion primarily from Medicaid, $230 billion primarily from SNAP benefits, and $330 billion primarily from making student loans more expensive. Of the tax cuts for wealthy households, nearly $200 billion is for an estate tax giveaway that showers some $6 million per estate on the 1 in 1,000 wealthiest estates. In contrast, the average SNAP benefit is $6.20 per person per day, which helps struggling families put food on the table." [Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, 2/21/25]
¶ Evans Mischaracterized the Conversation He Had with The Weld Food Bank About the Republican Budget Bill
¶ The Weld Food Bank Said They Made It Clear To Evans That Cuts To SNAP And Medicaid Would Make Their Lines Longer, Not Shorter
The Weld Food Bank Said They Made It Clear To Evans That Cuts To SNAP And Medicaid Would Make Their Lines Longer, Not Shorter. According to the Colorado Time Recorder, "A spokesman for the Weld Food Bank says they made it clear to Congressman Gabe Evans (R-CO) that the Medicaid and SNAP food aid cuts in the budget he supported will make their lines longer, not shorter. Weld Food Bank Communications Director Weston Edmunds summarized his team’s conversation in response to an inquiry by the Colorado Times Recorder about Evans’ public statements about the food bank last week." [Colorado Times Recorder, 7/31/25]
- Weld Food Bank Said Cutting Vital Safety Nets Like SNAP And Medicaid Would Not Accomplish The Goal Of Making It So That Coloradans Didn’t Need The Food Bank. According to the Colorado Time Recorder, "Evans went on to list the ways he claims Trump’s budget bill will improve the economy, all of which focus on tax cuts stimulating the economy. He did not mention the massive cuts to Medicaid and SNAP, but did repeat his assertion that the Weld Food Bank wanted to return to serving fewer clients, as they did prior to the pandemic. ‘Our meeting with Rep. Evans was strictly informational,’ said Edmunds. ‘We communicated the intense need we are seeing as well as emphasized how the need will get worse should the cuts to SNAP and Medicaid go through… These cuts that have been passed will make the line longer, not shorter. ‘Certainly, we would like to see the line shorter because that would be a strong indication that our neighbors are doing better and do not need our assistance. Cutting vital social safety nets like SNAP and Medicaid will not accomplish that for our neighbors.’" [Colorado Times Recorder, 7/31/25]
- Weld Food Bank Estimated It Would Need An Additional $2 Million To Provide Its Well-Balanced Food Package Through Its Emergency Food Program And Mobile Food Pantry. According to the Colorado Time Recorder, "Now, with the budget bill signed into law, the Weld Food Bank has started planning for the longer lines of hungry families they know will need their help. The anticipated price tag is in the millions. ‘We estimate that we need to raise an additional $2 million on top of our regular budget to provide a well-balanced food package through our Emergency Food Program and Mobile Food Pantry,’ says Edmunds." [Colorado Times Recorder, 7/31/25]
¶ Evans Suggested The Republican Budget Bill Would Help The Weld Food Bank Make Its Lines Shorter
Evans Claimed Republican Budget Bill Would Help The Weld Food Bank. According to Colorado Public Radio, "Evans: And so that's what the Big Beautiful Bill does. The Big Beautiful Bill, on average, puts $2,000, a little bit more than $2,000, directly back into the pockets of working families in Colorado. This is through things like no tax on tips, no tax on overtime, a wide variety of other tax breaks. We're giving tax cuts to small businesses so that they can reinvest that back into their employees or their business. We're giving tax breaks to families with kids, increasing the size of the child tax deduction. There's so many different tax breaks in this bill that, in addition to a little bit more than $2,000 on average, that working families – and when I say working families, I'm talking the bottom 85 percent. There's a lot of fear mongering going around about this bill that says it's tax breaks for billionaires. False. The tax breaks are aimed at the bottom 85 percent of wage earners. In my district, results in about $2,000 on average directly back into the pockets of working class families. And then when you factor in all of the other positive things for the economy, it's estimated to result in somewhere between $5,000 and $10,000 per year of additional purchasing power for average everyday Americans through things like we talked about, helping small businesses, being able to reinvest back into their employees, fixing the economy, things of that nature. That's what is going to help the Weld Food Bank get back to just those pre-COVID numbers. Again, they've seen three times as many people using the food bank now as were using it pre-COVID. We want to get back to the pre-COVID numbers. They want to get back to the pre-COVID numbers when I had the conversation with them. And the way we do that is by fixing the economy because that rising tide lifts all boats." [Colorado Public Radio, 7/22/25]
- Evans Said The Weld Food Bank Told Him They Wanted To Cut Down On Their Line And Evans Said The Way To Do That Was By Fixing The Economy, Taxing Less, And Lifting People Up So They Could Provide For Themselves. According to Colorado Public Radio, "Birkeland: I talked to the Weld County Food Bank recently about what they viewed as the impacts of the Big Beautiful Bill and what it would mean on the ground, and they said they don't think they'll be able to provide as many meals to people who come in for help. That already is the case in terms of, pound for pound, how much food they were able to provide in previous years. One of the staffers got teary and she doesn't feel like the food bank will be able to deliver for working families in Weld County the way they want to and the way the community needs them to. What is your response and what do you tell them? Rep. Evans: Yeah, so I sat down and had this exact same conversation with the Weld County Food Bank. And you know what they told me? They said, ‘Gabe, we need to cut down,’ and the line he was referring to was the line of folks that were coming to the food bank. He said, ‘We need to cut down on the line.’ And the way you cut down on the line of folks that are relying on the food bank is you fix the economy. When you put more money back into people's pockets and they have the wherewithal to be able to provide for themselves, we're able to reward work by taxing less of their money, giving them that ability to provide for themselves, that rising tide lifts all boats. And we talked through the numbers with the Weld Food Bank. Just a few short years ago, when the economy was doing better, the Weld Food Bank was only serving about a third as many people as they currently are right now." [Colorado Public Radio, 7/22/25]
¶ More Than 29,000 Coloradans in The 8th Congressional District Relied on Snap to Buy Groceries
2023: 29,494 Coloradans In The 8th Congressional District Relied On SNAP.
[U.S. Department of Agriculture, SNAP Community Characteristics, Viewed 9/22/25]