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Adams County Commissioners Expose the Real Costs of Cuts: “Big Beautiful Bill Act” Increases Costs for Local Communities by Slashing Access to Healthcare and Food

As Congress prepares to vote on H.R. 1, also called the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” the Adams County Board of Commissioners (BoCC) is raising serious concerns about the proposed legislation, warning that it would harm working families, children, seniors, and veterans across the county.

The BoCC has shared this data and firsthand stories during two federal lobby visits and multiple points of communication with lawmakers, efforts that resulted in the urgent letter sent to Colorado’s congressional delegation on July 1. That letter, addressed to key representatives including Reps. Gabe Evans and Lauren Boebert, outline how the bill would harm working families, seniors, veterans, and children. Commissioners also spoke directly with Rep. Evans to share their concerns in person.

“We are grateful for the opportunity to speak candidly about the needs of our residents,” said Lynn Baca, Chair of the Board of County Commissioners. “Because the truth is, this bill, if passed, will take food off tables and healthcare away from our neighbors. It threatens the lives and livelihoods of real people across Adams County.”

The Commissioners outlined the critical risks facing the community:

Healthcare for more than 150,000 people on the line: Nearly one in three Adams County residents rely on Medicaid, including children, veterans, seniors, and working families. H.R. 1 would slash access to this essential program.

“If this bill passes, families will be left without care,” Baca said. “Parents will have to choose between getting treatment or putting gas in the car. That’s not freedom, that’s desperation.”

Food security for 70,000 at risk: SNAP benefits help tens of thousands of the most vulnerable people in our community afford groceries. The proposed changes would put nearly 7,000 residents at immediate risk of losing this lifeline.

“No one should be going hungry in Adams County. But if this bill passes, they will,” Baca said.

Rural hospitals in danger: By capping provider taxes that fund Medicaid, the bill threatens rural healthcare. Hospitals could be forced to reduce services or shut down, with rural hospitals most at risk.

“I grew up where the city ends and the plains begin,” Baca shared. “My grandfather’s farm is still in our family. These rural communities are not a statistic—they’re our heritage, and they deserve to be healthy and whole.”

Unfunded mandates for local government: One of the most alarming aspects of the bill is the slew of new responsibilities pushed onto local governments without any funding to support them. Counties like Adams would be forced to implement sweeping changes by the end of the year with no federal dollars to back them.

“This bill shifts the burden to counties already doing more with less,” said Commissioner Julie Duran Mullica, Vice Chair of the BoCC. “We’ll be asked to do the impossible, again, and this time without the staff or budget to succeed.”

Baca added, “When federal help disappears, the needs don’t go away. Our residents will show up at our doors. And we won’t have enough resources.”

These cost shifts won’t just strain local budgets—they’ll require counties to backfill funding from other critical areas. That means less money for core services like public safety, affordable housing, infrastructure improvements, and behavioral health programs. The BoCC warns that this legislation, if passed, would force counties into impossible choices: reduce services that keep communities safe and functioning, or leave vulnerable residents without basic support.

In their letters and during the conversation with Rep. Evans, the BoCC made a clear and urgent appeal: As written, H.R. 1 does not protect working families, preserve access to healthcare, or give counties the tools to deliver vital services. In fact, it directly contradicts its stated objectives. Rather than promoting fiscal responsibility, it would increase the national deficit and drive more people into financial and physical distress.

“We’re not asking for political favors. We’re asking for compassion and for basic humanity,” Mullica said. “This bill, as written, fails our communities. We hope our federal partners will stand with us and with the people who sent them to Washington.”