February 24, 2025 12:04 PM UTC

Gabe Evans Called Out for Not Protecting Medicaid

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• by: Colorado Pols

Colorado Democrats scheduled a noon rally today outside of the Northglenn office of Rep. Gabe Evans (R-Adams County), calling on the freshman Congressman to oppose the latest Republican budget proposal that would make at least $880 billion in cuts to Medicaid.

Some 1.1 million Coloradans rely on Medicaid to some degree — essentially 1 out of every 5 Coloradans. This includes at least 126,000 residents in the eighth congressional district represented by Evans. One in three children in Evans’s district count on Medicaid for health-related expenses, yet Evans would not commit to protecting Medicaid funding when asked last week by The Denver Post. 

Medicaid is more than just a source for health care for lower-income populations. As the Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF) explains, most Americans likely know someone who benefits from the program first established in 1965:

While Medicaid covers 1 in 5 people living in the United States, Medicaid is a key source of coverage for certain populations. In 2023, Medicaid covered nearly 4 in 10 children, over 8 in 10 children in poverty, 1 in 6 adults, and almost half of adults in poverty. Relative to White children and adults, Medicaid covers a higher share of Black, Hispanic, and American Indian or Alaska Native (AIAN) children and adults. Medicaid covers more than 1 in 4 adults ages 19-64 with disabilities, who are defined as having one or more difficulty related to hearing, vision, cognition, ambulation, self-care, or independent living…

Medicaid accounts for more than half of all spending on long-term care in the United States — which includes day care, assisted living, and nursing homes for the elderly. It should come as no surprise, then, that recent polling from KFF shows widespread support for Medicaid across all demographics:

Even if you are lucky enough to not need Medicaid services, drastic cuts to the program would likely still impact your daily life because of how devastating it would be to the economy. As KFF notes:

Medicaid provides a major source of funding for the U.S. health care system, covering 19% of all health care spending and 19% of hospital spending. In addition to covering the services required by federal Medicaid law, all states elect to cover optional benefits including prescription drugs and home care. 

Think about what it would mean for Colorado doctors, pharmacists, and home care providers if one-fifth of their revenue suddenly vanishes.

President Trump claimed last week that he opposed any reductions to Medicaid, though he later offered support for the House Republican budget that plans to slash the program’s funding. Regardless, proceeding with a budget vote that includes Medicaid cuts puts Republicans in a precarious political position. From POLITICO:

A POLITICO review of enrollment in Medicaid by congressional district found that 11 Republicans in competitive seats represent larger-than-average Medicaid populations — collectively nearly 2.7 million recipients. A vote to cut the program presents a politically sensitive decision that may come back to haunt them in 2026. [Pols emphasis]

With a 218-215 House split — the tightest in modern history — Republicans will be fighting for every seat during the midterms to keep control of the chamber. And they can only lose one vote in the House and still pass their budget bill.

House Republican leaders plan to use Medicaid cuts to pay for tax relief, border security and energy production in the coming weeks.

“The bulk of these cuts would have to be in Medicaid, and that’s why they’re not going to get the requisite votes they need to get it passed with the margins that they have right now,” said Bill Hoagland, senior vice president at the Bipartisan Policy Center and a former GOP Senate Budget Committee staffer. “Leaders are going to have a lot of difficulty getting the votes to pass this resolution.”

Evans has pledged his allegiance to House Speaker Mike Johnson, but supporting this budget proposal is political suicide for someone considered to be among the most vulnerable House Republican incumbents in 2026. Senate Republicans have begun to speak up in opposition to Medicaid cuts for exactly this reason.

Evans should have already figured this out. Now he is stuck in the unenviable position of either backtracking or biting his tongue and casting a terrible budget vote.