For months, politically minded Arizonans have waited for State Legislative Republicans to put forth their budget proposal.
Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs has had hers out since January, and she had to resort to a bill-signing moratorium to pressure the state MAGA bunch to put forth their budget.
Last week, Legislative Republicans finally publicly broadcast their fiscal abomination, complete with unchecked spending for the welfare for the wealthy and scam artist Empowerment Scholarship Account (ESA) Private School Voucher Program and tax credits for environmentally toxic and utlity price raising data centers, in committee and, after less than a week of debate, voted on it in both chambers, with Democrats like Senate and House Leaders Priya Sundareshan and Oscar De Los Santos framing the budget monstrosity as “Corporations First and Arizonans Last,” passing it on a party-line vote.
After passing their putting people last fiscal measure that in many ways mirrors the National Republican Big Billionaires First Act, Legislative Republicans decided, like last year, to run like hell from the State Capitol and take a month off for vacation.
Not wasting time, Governor Hobbs, after penning an op-ed earlier in the day outlining her grievances with their plan, vetoed the Republican dead-on-arrival budget, commenting in a Gubernatorial Press Release:
“This budget is unbalanced and reckless. With it, Arizona would default on our debt obligations, endanger vulnerable children, slash critical public safety funding, and pay for tax breaks to billionaires, data centers, and special interests by kicking Arizonans off their healthcare and taking food off their tables. Arizonans cannot afford chaotic and dysfunctional Washington-style budgeting in our state government.
“This budget has a long list of problems, but to name a few, it:
- Delivers over $600M in tax breaks to billionaires, data centers and special interests while kicking up to 200,000 Arizonans off their healthcare and taking food off their table;
- Ends funding for the Rio Nuevo project, eliminating good-paying jobs and defaulting on the state’s debt obligations;
- Cuts $16 million from DCS, potentially forcing the agency to cut spending on social workers and putting vulnerable kids in harms way;
- Cuts $1.8 million in SUN Bucks, leaving 640,000 children to go hungry during the summer and forfeiting $79 million in federal funds;
- No funding for the Colorado River Litigation Fund or the Colorado River Protection Fund, undermining our ability to fight for our fair share of water;
- Sweeps money from the Arizona Competes Fund, risking 21,000 jobs and kneecapping our ability to compete with other states for business investments;
- Cuts $2.2 million from the Department of Forestry and Fire Management and invests nothing in wildfire suppression, putting Arizonans at risk during wildfire season;
- Sweeps the Border Security Fund, yanking critical resources away from local law enforcement who keep illicit activity out of our communities;
- Includes previously vetoed bills that kick Arizonans off their healthcare and take food off their tables.
“While forcing devastating cuts on Arizonans, the legislature has refused to sweep their own $28 million slush fund, including $6 million that may be used to replace their carpets, upgrade their media studio, and renovate their offices. I have made it clear that I will engage in good-faith negotiation. But I will not sign a budget that brings Washington-style chaos and dysfunction to Arizona’s budget. Let’s get back to the negotiating table and get serious about delivering for Arizonans. I am ready when you are.”
Commenting in a Senate Democrat Press Release, Leader Priya Sundareshan wrote:
“This budget makes one thing clear. Senate Republicans are choosing corporations and billionaires over working families. At a time when Arizonans are struggling to keep up with rising costs, this proposal raises expenses, cuts essential services, and jeopardizes our state’s financial stability, all to hand out massive tax breaks for the top. This is not fiscal responsibility. It’s reckless and short-sighted. Amid ongoing economic uncertainty and national instability, Arizonans deserve a budget that invests in affordability, not one that pulls the rug out from under them. We are ready to negotiate, but we will not support a budget that fails Arizona’s families. Our priority is simple: delivering for working families, not corporations.”
After Legislative Republicans bolted from the Capitol, Democratic House Leader Oscar De Los Santos posted:
Later in a House Democrat press release, Representative De Los Santos wrote:
“After passing an budget stuffed with $100 million in corporate tax cuts to data centers. and $100 million in cuts healthcare – a budget they knew would be immediately vetoed — Republicans voted to go on vacation for a month. That is just wrong. We must stay here and pass a budget to make life affordable for Arizona , who are struggling to stay afloat with Donald Trump’s economic chaos and failing Presidency.”
Voters in November have a decision to make.
Will they vote for the people that puts the wealthy and corporations first, sacrificing assistance to the poor and middle class to do so?
Will they vote for the people that cuts funds to public K-12 schools, colleges, and universities while funding, from working and middle class taxpayers, with no strings attached, their replete with fraud ESA program that their wealthy and holy roller base takes advantage of.
Or
Will they vote for the people who support an affordability agenda that helps people advance and thrive, fund ACHCCS and Meals on Wheels, fully appropriate all levels of public education, provide funding for law enforcement, and maintain clean energy sustainability tax credits?
Hopefully, voters will make the right decision this fall.
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