May 14, 2025 04:04 PM UTC

Gabe Evans Celebrates 'Only' 7.6 Million Losing Medicaid Coverage

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• by: Colorado Pols

This afternoon, the U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee advanced on a party-line 30-24 vote their contribution to President Donald Trump’s “big beautiful bill” seeking hundreds of billions of dollars in cuts to essential programs like Medicaid in order to pay for the permanent extension of Trump’s first-term tax cuts. This politically noxious legislation, opposed by an overwhelming majority of Americans, is the centerpiece of Republican fiscal agenda under Trump, carried out under the “reconciliation” process to avoid having to obtain Democratic support for a plan antithetical to Democratic values.

For freshman Rep. Gabe Evans of Colorado, supporting this legislation against the lopsided wishes of his constituents is a political risk that defies easy comprehension. Does Evans believe loyalty to Trump will save him from constituent backlash? Or is Evans simply committed as a team player to going down with the ship in the 2026 midterms?

Either way, Gabe Evans continues to lash his own fate to the fate of this unpopular, unnecessary effort, sending this blast to followers right after today’s vote:

Congressman Evans’ statement on the bill:

“Today, Republicans followed through on our promises to prioritize American energy, repeal Green New Deal policies, and strengthen the economy. This is commonsense legislation that puts America first. This bill is a win for Colorado and it was a shame to see Democrats – including those from Colorado – oppose these efforts today.”

Congressman Evans’ statement on the Medicaid portion of the bill:

“Medicaid spending under the Republican plan is projected to increase every year, and anyone who suggests otherwise is fear mongering for political purposes. This bill follows through on our promises to cut waste, fraud, and abuse while simultaneously protecting coverage for Colorado’s most vulnerable populations. As the father of a medically complex kid, I understand how significant programs like this are, and that’s why I am committed to protecting Medicaid and ensuring its longevity for the people who need it most.”

That’s almost exactly what Evans told Denver7 on Monday, and it’s one of the old examples of “lying with numbers” in the book. Sure, if you ignore the increasing rate of need and cost of services covered by Medicaid, you can falsely claim that “Medicaid spending is increasing” even as individuals get a smaller slice of the pie each year–otherwise known as, at least in individual terms, a cut.

But then, Evans made a new assertion that is very likely to come back to haunt him:

The New York Times refuted Democrats’ claims that 13.7 million people will be kicked off of Medicaid is an “exaggeration.” The real number is 7.6 people – made up of illegal immigrants, able-bodied people who don’t want to work, and people who are illegible recipients. [Pols emphasis]

First of all we assume that by “7.6 people” Evans means 7.6 million people, and though the omission is psychologically a little curious we won’t dwell on it.

More importantly, this could be the first time we have ever seen a politician in a competitive seat excited to explain how they ‘only’ intend to kick 7.6 million people off the Medicaid rolls. There is absolutely no way that among those millions of people, every single person will fall into one of Evans’ undesirable categories. Studies have shown that people with disabilities frequently get snared by work requirements intended to apply to “able-bodied adults.” There will be hundreds, even thousands of people in Evans’ district who will make him look not only dishonest, but heartless in the extreme as they suffer under these new requirements.

Gabe Evans didn’t have to be the face of this unpopular policy. Evans chose this. Evans’ unapologetic spearheading of the Trump agenda is totally at odds with his high degree of vulnerability. Every day he rushes to put a smiley face on the Trump administration’s latest atrocity, Evans chooses his fate once again.

Either that, or like Trump himself there’s a dynamic at work here we don’t understand. But we don’t see that in Gabe Evans.

We see the mistakes that make for short political careers.