Gallego: the Big Bad Bill is a Disaster

by Ruben Gallego

The tax package that House Republicans passed last month threatens food assistance, healthcare, jobs, and energy prices in Arizona. All to give tax cuts to billionaires. This plan would take our state backward.

Here’s what’s at stake: 

Republicans’ Nutrition Plan 

I was a free lunch kid. That tray meant my mom could breathe a little easier, and I could just be a kid. Now, Republicans are trying to take that away from Arizona children. 

The House Republican tax package guts food assistance programs across the board, cutting the Supplemental Food Assistance Program (SNAP)—which 1 in 5 rural Arizonans rely on— and slashing funding for free school meals. 

Here’s what that means for Arizona: 

• 35,700 Arizona students would be in jeopardy of losing access to breakfast and lunch. 
• 63,000 families would lose some or all of their Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits—including 21,000 families with kids. 

And they want to force Arizona to pick up the tab—which could be up to $501 million a year—shifting the burden to our state’s budget, which simply can’t afford it. 

For families already struggling to get by, cutting off food assistance means skipped meals and kids going to school hungry. I know how much food assistance matters. I lived it. And I’ll keep fighting for the families who count on it. 

Republicans’ Health Care Plan 

Because of Congressional Republicans’ dangerous tax plan: 

• Almost 200,000 Arizonans will lose Medicaid coverage  
• Over 100,000 Arizonans will lose Affordable Care Act coverage 
• Over 1,000 Arizonans will lose their lives 

Republicans’ Energy Plan 

I voted for the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) because I knew it would bring good-paying jobs and economic growth to Arizona – and it has. Since its passage in 2022, the IRA has brought over $13 billion in investments to Arizona and created more than 13,000 high-paying jobs that don’t require college degrees. 

Now, Republicans are putting that all at risk. The Congressional Republican tax plan will roll back the energy tax credits from the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA).  

Here are just some of the Arizona projects these cuts would jeopardize: 

• LGES Gigafactory, Queen Creek – 3,650 jobs
• Lucid Motors Advanced Manufacturing Production Facility, Casa Grande – 3,000 jobs
• American Battery Factory, Tucson – 1,000 jobs
• + more 

These cuts would also raise utility bills by more than $110 per year for Arizona families. For businesses, electricity bills would increase by about 10%, with costs likely passed on to consumers in the form of higher prices for goods and services.  

All told, rolling back the IRA’s energy tax credits is expected to shrink Arizona’s economy by $2.89 billion in 2030 and $1.8 billion in 2035.  

The Congressional Republican tax package is now headed to the Senate. As it stands, the plan cuts food assistance, health care, and jobs, and raises costs for Arizona families. Actually, it does everything but lower your prices. 

Arizona deserves a plan that invests in our future. This isn’t it.