Republican U.S. Rep. Gabe Evans of Fort Lupton, along with U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert of Windsor, held a press conference outside the Colorado State Capitol on Thursday, aiming to defend the GOP’s expansive federal budget bill amid a backdrop of protest and dissent from activist groups.
The bill, which has garnered criticism for its sweeping cuts to social programs, including the largest reduction in Medicaid spending in the program’s history, has led both representatives to emphasize what they perceive as its victories for American values, despite significant opposition.
Boebert described the budget bill as a triumph for the Republican party, emphasizing its focus on curbing what she termed “wasteful spending” and protecting the interests of American citizens.
“This is a victory for our values, for our communities and for our American way of life,” Boebert asserted.
Evans echoed her sentiments, stating, “We are protecting Medicaid for the people that need it most,” while also erroneously claiming the bill would remove “illegal immigrants from the taxpayer-funded rolls of Medicaid.”
However, it’s crucial to note that immigrants who are in the U.S. unlawfully are not eligible for federal Medicaid benefits.
The GOP budget bill would impose significant penalties on states like Colorado that opt to extend Medicaid coverage to some undocumented immigrants using state funds.
Regardless of the state’s decisions, the bill’s projected cuts would predominantly impact citizens and lawful residents.
Currently, under a new program effective this year, income-eligible pregnant people and children are able to receive certain benefits from Colorado’s state-administered Medicaid program, irrespective of their immigration status.
In 2025, this program is estimated to cover approximately 15,000 undocumented individuals at a cost of around $50.8 million.
Yet, this figure represents a mere fraction of the anticipated $1 billion annual loss that the state could experience due to changes proposed in the GOP bill’s Medicaid provisions, affecting between 124,000 and 207,000 current enrollees.
A significant portion of the coverage decline is attributed to the rollback of Biden-era rules designed to simplify enrollment and renewal processes, further complicated by additional eligibility checks and work requirements for able-bodied adults without children.
Health care advocates have raised concerns that these new requirements will create bureaucratic hurdles, effectively denying healthcare access to millions of eligible Americans.
Among Medicaid recipients, nearly two-thirds are employed, while the remainder comprises caregivers, students, and individuals with disabilities.
Historical precedents, such as Arkansas’s implementation of similar work requirements, have shown that these changes lead to considerable coverage losses without improving employment rates.
Sara Loflin, executive director of the advocacy group ProgressNow Colorado, voiced the urgency of the situation, stating, “Without Medicaid, people die.”
She criticized Evans for insinuating that those losing coverage do not merit healthcare, highlighting that thousands of Coloradans would be adversely affected by his vote.
At the press conference, Evans was flanked by local Republican figures, including GOP state Senator Byron Pelton, Rep. Carlos Barron, and Weld County Sheriff Steve Reams.
As they spoke, their message was frequently interrupted by chants from a group of demonstrators from ProgressNow and other left-leaning organizations who protested the lawmakers’ stance on Medicaid and healthcare.
With the pressure from activists, Evans, who represents a closely divided 8th Congressional District, found himself facing intense scrutiny.
Despite only recently winning his seat by a narrow margin, he has yet to engage with constituents in public forums like town halls, which protesters have urged him to conduct.
Boebert, reacting to the demonstrations, remarked, “It’s really unfortunate, as a mother of four boys and a grandmother, that I see more order in my home with children than I do with radical leftists.”
She emphasized the desire for dialogue, suggesting that the leftist opposition lacks tolerance for differing opinions.
Responding to concerns about the impact of the budget cuts, Evans claimed that Medicaid would continue to see year-over-year spending increases.
This assertion drew laughter and skepticism from the crowd, particularly since the proposed cuts would total approximately $625 billion over the next decade.
The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office estimates that nationwide, around 10.3 million people could lose access to Medicaid or the Children’s Health Insurance Program due to the bill’s provisions.
When pressed for specific figures regarding constituents’ potential loss of coverage, Evans deflected, insisting on discussing categories rather than providing concrete numbers.
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