DENVER — U.S. Representatives Gabe Evans and Lauren Boebert defended their support for President Donald Trump’s sweeping tax cut and spending bill on Thursday, as protesters attempted to drown them out during a press conference at the Colorado State Capitol.
As the Colorado Republicans touted the bill’s economic and public safety benefits, they were met with constant chants and signs from protesters who accused them of cutting vital programs like Medicaid.
“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,” Boebert said, responding to the disruptions.
Despite the protests, Evans, who represents Colorado’s 8th District, and Boebert, who represents the 4th District, stood firm. They described the bill as a win for Coloradans, saying it would extend tax cuts, boost tax credits for families, and increase funding for border security and law enforcement.
“There’s a lot of good in this bill, and unfortunately, that good is being lost because of a lot of the blatant fearmongering that is occurring around this bill,” Evans said. “The truth is this one big, beautiful bill... it delivers the resources to protect our country, to protect our border, to get violent criminals out of our community.”
Colorado Republican Congressman Gabe Evans and Congresswoman Lauren Boebert are holding a press conference about the GOP budget bill Congress is considering. It’s being drowned out by protesters. @DenverChannel #copolitics pic.twitter.com/MLSypNAOrb
— Brandon Richard (@BrandonLRichard) May 29, 2025
The lawmakers also pushed back on claims that the bill would gut Medicaid. They said the legislation would strengthen the program by implementing work requirements, eliminating coverage for gender transition care, and cracking down on waste and fraud.
“Medicaid is not being cut,” Evans said.
“Waste, fraud and abuse, improper payments, that is what we are eliminating,” said Boebert.
But according to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, the bill would reduce Medicaid spending by nearly $700 billion over the next decade, a figure that Democrats and healthcare advocates say would significantly reduce access to care. State Rep. Shannon Bird, D-Westminster, who is running for the Democratic nomination in the 8th Congressional District, warned that the proposed cuts could ripple across the healthcare system.
“When people lose access to Medicaid, they become uninsured, and the rest of us all have to pay that cost,” Bird said.
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Desiree Maestas, a Coloradan whose family relies on Medicaid, said she doesn’t believe Republican lawmakers are being honest about the bill’s consequences.
“I think they’re lying. I think that they don’t have our best interest at heart — for any of us,” she said.
The bill passed the U.S. House last week and is now being considered by the Senate, where it faces an uncertain future. Some Republicans have expressed concerns about the trillions of dollars the bill would add to the national debt.
