‘Devastating’: Arizona Gov. slams Trump’s budget cuts

Gov. Katie Hobbs sent a warning to Republicans in Congress debating a federal budget that would slash spending on health care and food assistance to pay for tax cuts that passing it would be “devastating for Arizonans.”

The Democratic governor made the comments Tuesday at a ceremonial signing of the state budget. Last week, after weeks of feuding between the Republicans who control the state House of Representatives and Senate, Hobbs signed the state budget with bipartisan majorities in both chambers, narrowly avoiding a June 30 deadline to prevent a government shutdown.

The signing evet comes as Republicans at the federal level are grappling over a budget, with senators working late into the night yesterday to pass President Donald Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill”. That spending package, which must be given final approval by the U.S. House of Representatives, would kick an estimated 12 million people off of Medicaid and shift a significant portion of the costs of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, to states.

“This budget bill will be devastating for Arizonans,” Hobbs told members of the media. “We don’t have the capacity to mitigate these cuts.”

Hobbs reiterated that the cuts would harm a large number of people in the state, largely in rural areas. The Arizona Hospital and Healthcare Association has previously said that, if the proposed cuts were to pass, some hospitals in the state would likely close.

“I hope this bill doesn’t become law,” Hobbs said.

In a statement issued today, the Arizona Hospital and Healthcare Association urged U.S. House Republicans to “stand firm…(and) prioritize the protection of our most vulnerable populations,” particularly those in rural communities.

“We estimate Arizona’s healthcare system would lose over $6 billion over the next seven years. In other words, more than 55% of Arizona hospitals would be operating in the red. Hospitals will be, at best, forced to restrict services such as obstetrics, behavioral healthcare, and other complex services, and at worst, will close their doors altogether,” AzHHA said in its statement.

When asked if the state could tap into its nearly $1.5 billion “rainy day fund” to backfill federal cuts, Hobbs said it “will be a Band-Aid we don’t have” before calling the member of the press who asked a “buzzkill” for asking the question at a “celebration.”

While lawmakers ended the annual legislative session after they passed the budget, Hobbs left open the possibility of a special session to modify the budget in response to federal cuts.

“We’re going to have to look at that when or if it happens,” she said.

Hobbs also spoke about the process it took for Arizona to reach its own negotiated budget.

Republicans in the state House held up the budget process for weeks after they left negotiations between the Senate and Hobbs, choosing instead to create two separate budgets that catered to GOP priorities, both of which Hobbs ultimately vetoed.

Hobbs said that “three out of four caucuses helped on the budget,” while “one caucus decided to go rogue” on the budget process. She added that, ultimately, she ended up being “proud of the work we did.”

“We did everything we could,” Hobbs said about getting House Republicans on board with the budget process.

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