Arizona MAGA House Republican Appropriations Chair David Livingston has thrown down the government shutdown gauntlet if the State Senate and Governor Katie Hobbs does not agree to the “Freedom Caucus” Skinny Budget.
With many Freedom Caucus MAGA Republicans members, encouraged by their Senate Puppetmaster Jake ‘Indicted Troll Farm” Hoffman, still pouting and whining that the Senate would not consider their budget legislation from last week (this after they took a month off siesta and avoided negotiations with the Senate and Governor,) Mr. Livingston, in opening remarks to the Appropriations Committee this morning (June 24, 2025,) maintained that their skinny budget is the only one that would get his vote and that of the Republicans on the House Floor, telling Governor Hobbs and her team that their House continuation budget is the only fiscal game in town.
Giving Governor Hobbs and the Senate a take it or leave it approach, Mr. Livingston also delivered a veiled threat on what would happen if the Governor and the Senators did not agree to their budget diktat, a shutdown would ensue and “if we go a month, K-12 payments are in jeopardy. During that month, a lot of state employees are going to be laid off. Central services like DPS will continue but they will be reduced.”
In that one quote, Mr. Livingston has said that he and the whiny “Freedom Caucus” Republicans, are perfectly content to hold teachers, public safety, and state employees pay and services hostage if they do not get their way on their draconian starvation skinny continuation budget.
This is the modern Republican Party. Cruel and bullies to the core.
Blog for Arizona asked Governor Hobbs’s office for her reaction to Mr. Livingston’s gauntlet ultimatum. They replied that the Governor stands by her weekend statement where she said that the House Republican budget position was “a farce” and their continuation budget “DOA” if it made it to her desk and veto pen.
Voting no on the Continuation Budget at the House Rules Committee, Democratic Leader Oscar De Los Santos said:
“This House Republican starvation budget, will throw Arizona into chaos. This budget cuts funding for K-12 schools and free school meals, slaps veterans in the face by cutting services, and denies the brave women and men of law enforcement pay raises. It also denies firefighters a raise. Perhaps most importantly, though it has zero percent chance of ever being signed into law. We have a negotiated bipartisan budget in this chamber that we should be passing. It is time for this chamber to act like adults. We were elected to lead with Integrity and to act in a bipartisan matter and pass a budget. We have a budget that delivers on that bipartisan mandate. It is time to stop the political games and pass that bipartisan budget. This budget has zero chance of passing and being signed into law, and for that reason I vote no.”
Earlier on social media, Representative De Los Santos posted:
“Livingston is knowingly and deliberately barreling Arizona toward a very dangerous shut down. We have a bipartisan, negotiated budget (that he was MIA from bc he was at his vacation home in Michigan). Now, he’s throwing a tantrum bc he didn’t get everything he wanted.”
Speaking at the Appropriations Committee, Ranking Member Stephanie Stahl Hamilton relayed:
“We find ourselves back moving a budget that once again doesn’t meet the moment. More than anything, I want to come to the table and take the time to hash out our differences and in spite of them craft a budget that works for our people. We negotiated a budget that funds our public schools, including books, computers, and opportunity rates for schools in lower income communities. We negotiated a bipartisan budget that keeps rural hospitals open and provides working and the most vulnerable arizonans with health care. This skeleton starvation budget won’t do that. It just won’t. It also doesn’t include the pay races supported by Republicans and Democrats for firefighters and DPS Troopers that keep our communities safe. This divided government negotiated a bipartisan budget that cuts in half the wait list for our children in child care. This does nothing. This Starvation budget will force struggling people out of the workforce and on to State Services because we can no longer assist with child care. That is self-defeating and unnecessary for our workforce and economy. Wildfire season is upon us. If a Fourth of July fireworks sparks around while in our forest, we won’t have the resources to fight it because we won’t have a real budget. We’ll have a starvation skeleton budget. Our people elected us to serve them. This budget doesn’t begin to serve our people. It robs our community from the investments and resources that will invest in the economy, invest in our people, and move our state forward, much stronger than it is now, and we will meet the moment for all of the chaos we know that is headed our way From the federal government.“
Assistant Democratic Leader Nancy Gutierrez also offered her perspectives in some posts, relaying comments like:
“This is a lesson in male ego folks….”
“Because the House Republicans walked away from a bipartisan budget. They aren’t even listening to DPS. We are in the upside down.”
“With the House Republican budget, we are giving up $222m for tribal healthcare because it doesn’t have a $100k line item. This is a gross mismanagement in state government.”
Make no mistake. If the government shuts down, the people in the world of facts and reality are not going to blame Katie Hobbs, the Senate and House Democrats, or the Senate Republicans.
They are going to look at House Speakers Steve Montenegro’s Friday statement disavowing the bipartisan Senate Budget.
They are going to watch David Livingston’s remarks earlier today threatening the people of the state with a shutdown if the Governor does not do what the House Republicans dictate to her.
De Los Santos is right. The MAGA “Freedom Caucus” Republicans, the ones who took their marbles home away from the Capitol for a month, need to stop acting like whiny babies and start behaving like adults by considering the one bipartisan budget that the Governor has already agreed to sign.
Time for them to grow up and perform their basic service to the people. Pass a budget that actually works for the people.
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