In a move that Arizona House Democratic Leader Oscar De Santos called “Shady” on social media, MAGA Republican Leadership at the State Legislature, when they realized there was bipartisan support for an amendment offered by Representative Julie Willoughby to a legislative proposal to provide supplemental funding assistance to children with disabilities, decided to stack the voting deck at the House Appropriations Committee, adding three like MAGA minded conservatives that provided the difference in defeating the bipartisan compromise and securing passage of their draconian measure to rob from other agencies like the Housing Trust Fund and the State Medicaid Program to pay for the new funding for the Department of Developmental Disabilities.
They did this while families of disabled children sat in both the hearing room and a spillover location where families watched the proceedings on television.
Watching Republican Appropriations Chair and Co-Chair David Livingston and Matt Gress contend that they are for funding supplemental monies to help disabled children with certain strings and it is Governor Katie Hobbs and her team that are being the true obstructionists strained credibility given their enthusiastic support for the welfare for the wealthy Empowerment Scholarship Account (ESA) Private School Voucher supplemental funding (a line item that sucks up more of the state revenue than the appropriations for disabled children) with no conditions.
Today was another example of MAGA Republicans warring again on the vulnerable and weak. In this case, disabled children.
They are all seem to subscribe to Musk’s views on eugenics and long termism where the poor and needy are deprived of needed assistance and the rich and powerful get all the benefits of government aid.
In trying again to offer a clean funding supplemental to help these children, House Assistant Democratic Leader Nancy Gutierrez said:
“These are bills that need to be paid and I care about the families who are at their wits end right now because they are going to lose vital life saving services…I think that we have heard a lot of disrespect and I truly hope that we can put all the nonsense about whose fault this is and about why this happened aside because every single one you…Every one of these families that is using this money is doing so lawfully…All of the DDD families are our families that we are here to represent. They deserve this. And that is where the hard work is. It’s stepping up and doing what is right for our Arizona Families…”
It should be noted that while, according to Representative Gutierrez, there are no cases of fraud with the families getting assistance for their disabled children, the same can not be said for the ESA Program where multiple examples of fraud have been uncovered and prosecuted.
Later on social media, Leader Gutierrez posted:
“I’m tired of the Republicans being hypocrites and funding ESA vouchers with supplementals but not wanting to fund our most vulnerable.”
House Democratic Leader De Los Santos offered his insights, conveying:
“I am beyond disgusted by the actions of Republicans in the Appropriations Committee today. The Willoughby amendment offered today, though imperfect, would have been a potential bipartisan path forward. Instead of working toward a solution, the majority of Republicans killed it by rigging the committee. Just 10 minutes before the committee hearing, Republicans added three additional Republicans to the committee in order to kill the bipartisan path forward. I am also appalled that extremist Republicans put forward an amendment to kill the Parents as Paid Caregivers program entirely.
This is the most shameful and despicable day I have ever seen in my time at the Legislature. After Republicans forced people with disabilities and their families to beg and plead for basic funding for lifesaving services, the Republicans turned their backs on our families. Remember, every single person with a disability who came to the Capitol came to oppose this bill.
I hope the Republicans who worked to kill the bipartisan path forward pray for God’s forgiveness mercy — they will need it.”
Meanwhile, while MAGA House Republicans were screwing over disabled children in front of their families who they allowed to speak before breaking their hearts, their kindred spirits in the Senate torpedoed a clean supplemental funding request for disabled children offered by State Senator Lauren Kuby.
During the Senate Hearing, Senator and Democratic Caucus Chairperson Lela Alston voiced her strong objections to MAGA obstructionism.
In her comments, Senator Alston relayed:
“One of the things we didn’t talk about at all was the funding source. Now this is owed by the state of Arizona and should be paid for out of the general fund money. To put one vulnerable population who is in desperate need of housing against another vulnerable population Is just wrong. Wrong! Wrong! Wrong!…And we pride ourselves. At least we say that we listen to our constituents, and our communities, and our stakeholders. And this particular instance, Mr. Chairman, I think we’re failing miserably and I vote No.”
In response to this heartless move, Senate Democrats also posted on social media:
“It is absolutely disgraceful that the Republican Party continues obstruct a clean supplemental and hold the futures of our disability families in the balance.”
Governor Katie Hobbs issued a press release following the MAGA travesty: writing:
“Today, Republicans forced through their unserious proposal in a stacked committee to slash services for Arizonans with disabilities, threaten Medicaid programs for middle class children and people with severe mental illness, and gut down payment assistance for working families.
“It’s time for Reps. Gress and Livingston to stop playing games while Arizonans in need grow increasingly desperate for the lifesaving services provided by the Parents as Paid Caregivers Program. This political theater is an attempt to attack me and my administration, but the only people harmed are everyday Arizonans, including the ones who bravely spoke up in committee asking Republican lawmakers to acknowledge their right to live with independence and dignity.
“I was glad to see some Republicans join Democrats in having serious conversations about a path forward for the supplemental funding. I also thank the bipartisan group of legislators, advocates, business and community leaders who spoke today to call these unserious proposals what they are: an attack on health care for everyday Arizonans. As I have been from day one, I am ready to negotiate with anybody who is ready and willing to discuss a serious funding bill. Unfortunately, the legislation as it stands is a non-starter for me, for caregivers, and for Arizonans with disabilities who rely on Parents as Paid Caregivers.”
All Arizonans should be paying attention to parents like Dr. Kathleen Muldoon who spoke on how beneficial assistance has been to her 11 year old son, Gideon, a child with 42 disability diagnoses.
In her remarks, Dr. Muldoon said:
“He (Gideon) relies on a team of 20 medical professionals and on me and my husband for every part of his day. He is 11 years old, a middle schooler who needs total care. That means he can’t do anything without help. We lift him from his bed, to his wheelchair, replace the support, around his neck, to help him hold his head up. I cook and blend his specialized diet a smoothies and eats through two places in his belly. He qualifies for nursing, habilitation attendant, and respite care and more at home by a nurse and service coordinator. Not me, Because of these services, he is healthy, included, thriving, and even meeting State Assessment standards at school. He is the definition of extraordinary care. But life is a constant juggle and struggle. Due to the DDD funding uncertainty, we have already lost two essential care workers from Gideon’s team and a third has put her home on the market in anticipation of moving to another state When you talk about big government, please remember, it is also a big government to strip away, essential care, and force families to choose between their jobs and their children’s health. This value goes against the very values this committee promotes: family, work and self-reliance. I understand the need for accountability, but this bill is not the place to achieve it. Tying long-term policy decisions to a funding crisis is not responsible governance. It is dangerous.”
Frankly, it was very nervy that someone rushed this parent to complete her comments, saying she only had 30 seconds left to pour her heart out on why this program was essential to the well being of her son.
Shows again how much Republicans do not care and how much it is vital that Democrats, like minded Republicans, and the Governor band together to ensure these children get the care they need and deserve without robbing from other essential areas that other people rely on.
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