What do MAGA Republicans, especially in the Arizona House at the State Capitol have against vulnerable children?
This legislative session, they seem to take delight in threatening to cut off funding for poor children’s school lunches or assistance for kids with disabilities.
How sick is that?
Well, House MAGA Republicans, finally returning from an undeserved vacation of their own making, have returned to the State Capitol and unveiled budget parameters that…wait for it…hurt vulnerable children.
At a morning press event at the State Capitol Rose Garden, Arizona Democratic House Leader Oscar De Los Santos and Arizona Education Association (A.E.A.) President Marisol Garcia, accompanied by many of the House Democratic Caucus, blasted House MAGA Republican Leadership for being AWOL from bipartisan budget negotiations and presenting a proposal that mirrors the draconian federal budget ideas from Trumpland that robs from needy children by taking away money from health care, food security assistance, and public schools while subsiding welfare for the wealthy programs like plutocratic tax cuts and Empowerment Scholarship Private School Voucher accounts.
Speaking to the press, Leader De Los Santos said:
“We have a very clear and simple message today. The House Republican proposal that you will see in the Appropriations Committee today is a joke. This is not the bipartisan budget that Democrats, Senate Republicans, and Governor Hobbs have been negotiating in good faith for weeks. Let’s be clear about what is happening. House Republicans have been completely and totally missing an action from Budget negotiations for weeks. In fact, while House Democrats were hard at work in bipartisan negotiations, David Livingston, the House Appropriations chairman, left Arizona to stay at his vacation home in Michigan. Now in a desperate attempt to become relevant to the budget, House. Republicans have introduced this sham written haphazardly behind closed doors to appease the far-right Freedom Caucus. And, as you would expect, it is awful. The sham proposal cuts 50 million dollars from Health Care, ripping away health insurance for thousands of vulnerable Arizonans, including children and people with disabilities, the sham Republican proposal cuts hundreds of millions of dollars from Arizona hospitals. The result. Hospitals that serve rural and tribal Arizona could very well close and Arizonans could die. The sham proposal also robs our students and our teachers. Their plan cuts funding for public schools ripping away at least 60 million dollars for books and classroom materials. And this is just the tip of the iceberg. Frankly, shame on them. This is a desperate and pathetic political stunt. It is not a serious proposal and not a real path forward. How Democrats rejected it. The governor rejects it. And even Senate Republicans rejected it. In fact, John Kavanaugh, the Senate Republican budget chair, has shamed House Republicans for their incompetence and refusal to negotiate in good faith. Senator Kavanaugh says that quote for the first time in 20 years, House Republicans are M.I.A from budget negotiations. Meanwhile, Democrats have been hard at work at the real negotiating table working to deliver a bipartisan budget that works for all Arizonans. It won’t be perfect. No budget is, but even with limited resources, it will better reflect our state’s shared values. And our pressing concerns are the State’s most pressing concerns. We look forward to continuing that hard work and passing a true bipartisan budget that puts Arizona’s hard-working families first, but today’s sham Republican budget is just a farce and a joke...”
AEA President Garcia offered:
“I represent thousands of educators who are right now reviewing and looking over what kind of student development happen over the course of this fiscal year. They also are getting ready for next year’s school year, many of which start in July. And they also are getting ready to start their second jobs this morning. The budget that we are being put in front of us, which, as Mr De Los Santo said, is a sham, is also a damning message that the state does not care about our most vulnerable students. Their plan to cut over 60 million dollars from district additional assistance, as well as our opportunity weight, takes away major programs that support students from all over the state to make sure that they have the appropriate textbooks and school buses for how much longer must Arizona public educators fund these holes out of their own pockets while not receiving the pay that they deserve? This is an intentional decision to not invest in the Next Generation of Arizonans. If this becomes law, this budget would sabotage any upward morbility in Arizona, risking the future of the fiercely determined students that we teach every single day. Thankfully, it doesn’t look like their intention was to have serious conversations because this is an unserious Arizona budget. But in the meantime, our Union of thousands of Educators are sending a strong message that we are watching. That parents are watching. Voters are watching, and we will remember the lawmakers who continue to turn their backs on public education, public school students, and public educators.“
When asked if this was all a political theatrical stunt for their MAGA base before they have to vote for the real thing, Leader De Los Santos replied:
“Absolutely. I mean, a couple years ago, you’ll remember that the House and Senate Republicans sent up a skinny budget that they knew was going to be vetoed by the governor. And they did it just because they like to throw a tantrum, I suppose, before they get serious. We also saw that happen with DDD (Department of Developmental Disabilities.) David Livingston and Matt Grass stood on the house floor for 30 minutes, huffing and puffing and minutes later, their proposal went down in flames. It was, quite frankly, quite humiliating for them to see their own members of their caucus. Reject that proposal. I think they’re in similar terrain right now.”
After the event, Leader De Los Santos posted:
Livingston is complaining that he got “ghosted” by the Governor.
“Livingston is complaining that he got “ghosted” by the Governor. The truth? He left the state for weeks and went to Michigan. Result: For the first time in 20 years House GOP have been missing in action from budget negotiations.
The truth? He left the state for weeks and went to Michigan. Result: For the first time in 20 years House GOP have been missing in action from budget negotiations.”
Speaking with Democratic State Senate Leader Priya Sundareshan after the event, she offered her support for the House Democrats, saying:
“I am in full support of whatever the House Democrats said. I’m just happy to support their opinions on the House Republicans and whatever they’re trying.”
Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs also released a statement on the MAGA House Republican draconian budget cutting proposal, saying:
“This reckless and partisan budget is dead on arrival. It slashes $255 million from Medicaid, gutting health care coverage for countless Arizonans. It cuts hundreds of millions from K-12 spending and leaves public school students without the resources they need to thrive. It ensures our state’s childcare affordability crisis will get worse. And it leaves homeless Veterans out on the streets.
“From day one of the budget process, I have worked with leaders of both parties in both chambers to craft a bipartisan, balanced, and responsible budget. This reckless and partisan budget is not that. House Republicans are yet again playing political games, attempting to jam through a budget that would decimate the middle class families I fight for. I won’t let their partisan antics distract me from working to pass a bipartisan budget that strengthens public safety, lowers the cost of childcare, protects public education funding, and gives our Veterans the support they deserve.”
Stay tuned. More to follow.
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