¶ Overview
Evans voted for a bill that is estimated to kick 17 million Americans off their health insurance, including nearly 12 million Americans who rely on Medicaid. An estimated 29,000 Coloradans could lose their health insurance as a result of Evans’ vote.
Evans has previously said “we need to go back to the drawing board” when it comes to the Affordable Care Act, which enabled Medicaid expansion that covers more Coloradans. More than 282,000 Coloradans were enrolled in Affordable Care Act Marketplace health insurance plans.
¶ Evans Voted To Take Health Insurance Away From Millions Of Americans Who Relied On Medicaid
¶ February 2025: Evans Voted for A Budget Resolution that Set up Future Medicaid Cuts
HEADLINE: “Gabe Evans Can No Longer Hide That He’d Put Health Care At Risk” [Colorado Newsline, 2/27/25]
2/25/25: Evans Voted For A House Budget Resolution That Opened The Door To Future Medicaid Cuts. According to KDVR, "U.S. Congressman Gabe Evans has been facing backlash from constituents who rallied outside his Northglenn office at least twice in the past month to tell the representative to vote against any U.S. House budget resolution that cuts Medicaid funding. On Tuesday night, he voted in favor of a budget resolution that would do just that in a 217-215 vote, with all Democrats in the House voting in opposition." [KDVR (Fox), 2/25/25]
- 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]
- New York Times Reported The $880 Billion In Cuts Required By The Republican Budget Proposal Would Have To Come From Medicaid, Medicare, Or CHIP. According to the New York Times, "The budget resolution itself is silent on whether Congress cuts Medicaid, which provides health coverage to 72 million poor and disabled Americans. But it instructs the House Energy and Commerce Committee, which has jurisdiction over the program, to cut spending by $880 billion over the next decade. If the committee can’t save at least that much, the entire effort could be imperiled because of the special process Congress is using to avoid a Senate filibuster. Ten other committees have their own instructions to follow, though none have been assigned with cutting nearly as much. It’s not so simple as finding the cuts elsewhere. The special process, known as budget reconciliation, means Republicans will have to find all $880 billion from within the Energy and Commerce Committee’s jurisdiction. That leaves them with fewer options than one might think. […] If Republicans want to avoid major cuts to Medicaid, the largest pot of available money is in the other big government health insurance program: Medicare. […] Even if the committee cuts everything that’s not health care to $0, it will still be more than $600 billion short. The committee could also save around $200 billion by eliminating the Children’s Health Insurance Program, but that option has not been raised by the budget committee or anyone in House leadership. […] Even if all of these cuts, revenues and rule cancellations from outside health care can pass muster, the committee will still be left with hundreds of billions of dollars to cut to hit its goal. Mathematically, the budget committee’s instructions mean the committee would need to make major cuts to either Medicare, Medicaid or both." [New York Times, 2/25/25]
¶ Evans Was A Member Of The House Energy And Commerce Committee, Which Is Tasked With Making The $880 Billion In Cuts
Evans Sat On The Energy And Commerce Committee In The 119th Congress. According to a post on Rep. Gabe Evans’ Twitter, "Honored to begin serving on the @HouseCommerce Committee on the Energy, Environment, and Trade Subcommittees today, making history as the first incoming freshman member in 14 years to do so. Energy is crucial to #CO08, and I am ready to make impactful progress on this committee." [Twitter, @repgabeevans, 1/15/25]
¶ Evans Claimed House Republicans’ Budget Resolution Would Provide A Long-Term Sustainable Solution For Medicaid And Medicare
Evans Said He Voted In Favor Of The 2025 Budget Resolution Because He Thought It Would Be A Long-Term Sustainable Solution For Medicaid And Medicare. According to KDVR (Fox), "Evans said in a statement he voted in favor because he supported several issues in the measure, such as addressing the fentanyl trafficking problem in the U.S., promoting domestic manufacturing and updating internet policy to reflect current infrastructure. He said that he believes the House Budget Resolution will lead to ensuring a long-term sustainable solution for Medicare and Medicaid. According to the Colorado Democratic Party, there are about 73,000 Medicaid recipients in District 8, which Evans represents." [KDVR (Fox), 2/25/25]
- Evans Claimed That By Voting For House Republicans’ Reconciliation Bill He Was “Ensuring A Long-Term Sustainability Solution For Medicare And Medicaid.” According to a press release from Rep. Gabe Evans’ office, "By voting for the budget resolution, here is what Rep. Evans supported: […] ✅ Ensuring a long-term sustainability solution for Medicare and Medicaid so these programs can continue to serve pregnant mothers, children, seniors, and the disabled." [Press Release – Rep. Gabe Evans, 2/25/25]
- HEADLINE: “U.S. Rep. Evans Defends Federal Budget Proposal, Despite Threat Of Medicaid Cuts” [Axios Denver, 3/4/25]
¶ Evans Claimed The February 2025 Budget Resolution Did Not Make Any Specific Cuts To Medicaid
Evans Alleged The 2025 Budget Resolution Did Not Make Any Specific Cuts To Medicaid. According to a video Rep. Gabe Evans’ shared to Facebook, “This bill is not a tax break for millionaires and billionaires. This bill is not a tax break for large corporations. And this bill does not set any specific policies directing cuts to any specific program to include Medicaid.” [Facebook, Congressman Gabe Evans, 2/26/25]
Evans Said It Was A “Falsehood” To Say Cuts Would Come From Medicaid Despite The Congressional Budget Office’s Assessment That The Cuts Would Likely Come From Medicaid Given It Was 93 Percent Of The Energy And Commerce Committee’s Budget. According to CBS News, "‘To say that those $880 billion are going to come from Medicaid or even from health care is a complete falsehood because the committee has jurisdiction over pretty much the rest of the U.S. economy. So there's a wide range of places where those cost savings can be found,’ Evans said. But the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office says Medicaid will likely be one of those places since it accounts for 93% of the funding under the committee's jurisdiction." [CBS News, 3/18/25]
- The Congressional Budget Office Found That House Republicans Could Not Meet Their Target Amount In Cuts Without Cutting Medicare Or Medicaid. According to NBC News, “House Republicans can’t meet their own budget target that is necessary to pass President Donald Trump’s legislative agenda without making significant cuts to Medicare or Medicaid, the official budget scorekeeper confirmed Wednesday. House Republicans adopted a budget blueprint last week that opens the door to pass Trump’s policy priorities on immigration, energy and taxes. It instructs the House Energy and Commerce Committee to cut spending under its jurisdiction by $880 billion. The Congressional Budget Office, a nonpartisan in-house think tank that referees the process, said that when Medicare is set aside, the total funding under the committee’s jurisdiction is $8.8 trillion over 10 years. Medicaid accounts for $8.2 trillion of that, or 93%.” [NBC News, 3/5/25]
¶ March 2025: Evans Would Not Directly Say If He Would Vote For A Bill That Included Cuts To Medicaid
Evans Would Not Answer Directly When Asked If He Would Support A Bill That Included Specific Language Stipulating Cuts To Medicaid. According to Axios, “But the freshman congressman did not directly answer Axios when asked whether he would still support a bill that included language stipulating cuts to Medicaid.” [Axios, 3/4/25]
¶ May 2025: Evans Voted for House Republicans’ Budget Bill, Which Would Kick Millions of People Off Medicaid and Snap to Give Tax Breaks to Billionaires
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 GOP Budget Bill Was Estimated To Increase The Uninsured Population By 8.6 Million By 2034. According to CNN, “The Medicaid and Affordable Care Act provisions in the package could result in 8.6 million more people being uninsured in 2034, according to an early CBO estimate released by Democratic lawmakers. That number is expected to grow with the latest changes.” [CNN, 5/28/25]
- The House GOP Budget Bill Codified A Trump Administration Proposal That Restricted Access To The Affordable Care Act. According to CNN, “The bill also calls for codifying a Trump administration proposal that would make changes to the Affordable Care Act enrollment process, including shortening the open enrollment period and eliminating the ability of low-income Americans to sign up year-round.” [CNN, 5/28/25]
- The House GOP Budget Bill Made The 2017 Income Tax Breaks Permanent And Added An Estimated $3.8 Trillion To The National Debt Over 10 Years. According to CNN, “The package includes several controversial measures that would deeply cut into two of the nation’s key safety net programs – Medicaid and food stamps – while making permanent essentially all of the trillions of dollars of individual income tax breaks contained in the GOP’s 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. What’s more, it would fulfill Trump’s campaign promises to cut taxes on tips and overtime, albeit temporarily. The magnitude of the measures is evident in the estimates of the cost they would incur or the savings they would produce. […] The tax changes in the package would add $3.8 trillion to the nation’s debt over a decade, according to a Congressional Budget Office analysis released before last-minute changes were made to the bill.” [CNN, 5/28/25]
¶ July 2025: Evans Voted for The Final Version of Republicans’ Reconciliation Bill
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: "At Least 17 Million Americans Would Lose Insurance Under Trump Plan" [Washington Post, 7/1/25]
- The Congressional Budget Office Estimated That 11.8 Million People Would Become Uninsured As A Result Of The Medicaid Cuts In Republicans’ Reconciliation Bill. According to the Washington Post, "The bill, which narrowly passed the Senate on Tuesday and now heads back to the House, would effectively accomplish what Republicans have long failed to do: unwind many of the key components of the ACA, President Barack Obama’s signature domestic achievement, which dramatically increased the number of Americans with access to health insurance. To start, the Congressional Budget Office estimated that the Senate version of the bill would result in 11.8 million more uninsured in 2034, mostly because of Medicaid cuts, compared with 10.9 million if the House version became law." [Washington Post, 7/1/25]
- HEADLINE: "The GOP’s New Lie After Cutting $1 Trillion From Medicaid: We Gave It More Money!" [Huffington Post, 7/9/25]
¶ An Estimated 163,000 Coloradans In The Eighth Congressional District Relied On Medicaid For Health Insurance
163,000 Coloradans In The 8th Congressional District Relied On Medicaid.
[Center for American Progress, 3/11/25]
¶ Evans On The Affordable Care Act: “We Need To Go Back To The Drawing Board”
¶ Evans On the Affordable Care Act: “we Need to Go Back to The Drawing Board”
10/25/24: Evans On The Affordable Care Act: “We Need To Go Back To The Drawing Board And Figure Out Something That Actually Works.” According to Colorado Times Recorder, "In his second media exchange on healthcare in two weeks, congressional candidate Gabe Evans repeated his belief that the Affordable Care Act doesn’t work and should be replaced. ‘If it doesn’t work, it doesn’t matter how good it looks on paper, we need to go back to the drawing board and figure out something that actually works, said Evans. ‘And so that’s where I think we are with the Affordable Care Act.’" [Colorado Times Recorder, 10/29/24; Denver 7, 10/25/24] (video) 000:20:02
- Evans: “If It Doesn’t Work It Doesn’t Matter How Good It Looks On Paper, We Need To Go Back To The Drawing Board And Figure Out Something That Actually Works. So That’s Where I Think We Are With The Affordable Care Act.” According to an interview Gabe Evans gave to Denver 7, “EVANS: I want health care to be available and affordable to everyone. When I was overseas in the Middle East flying helicopters we had a simple saying, does it work? Let’s do it. If it doesn’t work it doesn’t matter how good it looks on paper, we need to go back to the drawing board and figure out something that actually works. So that’s where I think we are with the Affordable Care Act. We need to take a long, hard look at it and figure out how we can adjust, modify, tweak and improve a lot of the policy processes in there to actually make health care available, accessible and affordable to everyone that needs it.” [Denver 7, 10/25/24] (video) 00:19:52
10/18/24: Evans Said He Wanted To Go Back To Making Health Care “Actually Affordable.” According to Axios Denver, "Evans, a state lawmaker, came under attack for his positions on health care. He expressed support for repealing the Affordable Care Act, saying it didn't do enough to stem rising costs. ‘We have to go back to making sure we are making health care actually affordable,’ he said." [Axios Denver, 10/21/24]
¶ Previously, Evans Would Not Say If He Would Vote To Repeal The Affordable Care Act But Insisted It Needed Reform
January 2024: Evans Refused To Say Whether He Would Vote To Repeal The Affordable Care Act. According to the Colorado Times Recorder, “Evans blamed ‘leftist policies’ for the loss of a recent loss of insurers in Colorado, and said he’s intimately familiar with the healthcare system due to the health problems faced by his ‘medically complex’ child. ‘We know we have a problem,’ said Evans, when asked after the debate if he’d vote to repeal Obamacare. ‘We have to fix the problem. So we have to take a long, hard look at this.’” [Colorado Times Recorder, 1/26/24]
October 2024: Evans Claimed The Affordable Care Act Needed Reform. According to an interview with Gabe Evans in the Colorado Sun, "QUESTION: What changes would you make to the U.S. health care system if you could? Eliminate the Affordable Care Act? A public option? Medicare for All? ANSWER: He said the Affordable Care Act ‘definitely needs reform. ... I think that we need to cut out a lot of the bureaucratic middlemen and put doctors and patients back in charge.’ He wishes there were a program that would reward doctors who do a good job by giving them authorization to sidestep preauthorization requirements from insurers." [Colorado Sun, 10/9/24]
¶ 2025: More than 282,000 Coloradans Relied on The Affordable Care Act for Health Insurance
2025: 282,481 Coloradans Were Enrolled In Affordable Care Act Marketplace Health Insurance Plans. According to KFF, in 2025, there were 282,481 people in Colorado who were enrolled in Affordable Care Act Marketplace health insurance plans. [KFF, Viewed 6/27/25]
¶ The Affordable Care Act Allowed States To Expand Medicaid, Which Has Dramatically Lowered The Uninsured Rate Among Low-Income Workers
The Affordable Care Act Allowed States To Expand Medicaid And States That Did Had Dramatically Lowered The Number Of People Without Health Insurance. According to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, "The Affordable Care Act (ACA) permits states to expand Medicaid coverage to adults with incomes up to 138 percent of the poverty level (about $20,780 annually for an individual or $35,630 for a family of three). States that have adopted the expansion have dramatically lowered their uninsured rates. Extensive research finds that the people who gained coverage have grown healthier and more financially secure, while long-standing racial inequities in health outcomes, coverage, and access to care have shrunk." [Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, 6/14/24]
- The Uninsured Rate Among Low-Income Workers Fell From 38 Percent In 2013 To 17 Percent In 2022, Which Coincided With Implementation Of Medicaid Expansion. According to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, "Millions of workers have gained coverage through Medicaid expansion, including people working in industries that provide critical goods and services such as health care, transportation, grocery stores, food manufacturers, and child care. Many have no access to health coverage through their jobs. In expansion states, the uninsured rate among low-income workers fell from 38 percent in 2013 to 17 percent in 2022; this sharp decline coincided with a large increase in the share of low-income workers enrolled in Medicaid.[16] In non-expansion states, the uninsured rate among low-income workers fell much less, from 46 percent to 31 percent. (See Figure 3.)" [Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, 6/14/24]