Congressman Gabe Evans Attacks Polis Over Housing Executive Order

WASHINGTON — Congressman Gabe Evans is once again holding Governor Polis accountable for making Colorado more expensive and less safe. In a letter, Congressman Evans takes Polis head-on in response to Executive Order D 2025 005, which threatens to withhold over $100 million in state funds from Colorado cities that aren't complying with recent state housing mandates, including municipalities in CO-08.

This letter comes after six Colorado cities sued Polis over the EO, including Westminster, a constituent city of Congressman Evans.

Executive Order D 2025 005 is a blatant attack on Colorado’s long-standing Home Rule system, as it undermines cities‘ constitutional rights to set their own zoning laws and jeopardizes state support for critical community projects.

Congressman Evans' letter states that the Executive order will hurt public safety, drive up costs, and push more working families out of the state saying:

“This isn’t about a political or ideological position, it’s about trusting local governments to govern themselves. Using state funds as leverage to force compliance undermines home rule and punishes communities for asserting their constitutional rights."

Background:

Executive Order D 2025 005 was signed on June 26, 2025. It directs state agencies to withhold funding from local governments that are non-compliant with state housing laws passed in 2024, which focus on items such as minimum parking requirements and housing developments near transit..

In 2015, then-Rep. Jared Polis submitted an amicus brief defending local zoning authority, saying “Local Government is elected to represent its community members and is ultimately responsible for preserving the character of the community,” directly contradicting his 2025 executive order.

This isn’t the first time Evans has taken Polis head-on to hold him accountable for not putting Coloradans first. His other fights with Polis have been about Medicaid, Second Amendment rights, and illegal immigration and sanctuary state laws.