A Representative that Puts Arizonans Over Partisan Politics

On Monday, Janet Yellen reported that in less than a month the Treasury Department will have exhausted all “extraordinary measures” available to keep the nation from defaulting on our obligation to pay our current debt. If at that point Congress has stubbornly still failed to raise the debt ceiling — something it has routinely done in the past, including three times during the Trump administration — the calamity of the strongest economy on earth being unable to pay its creditors could start to impact our everyday lives.

The most vulnerable will likely to be the hardest hit, from seniors experiencing delays in receiving their social security checks to workers being laid off by panicked employers. The harm to the economy is potentially so huge — economists warn of 8 million job losses and a stock market crash rivaling that of 1929 — you would think Congress would do everything possible to avoid the slightest possibility we would fall into this economic abyss.

But no. Astoundingly, the Republican majority in Congress, joined by southern Arizona’s Congressional District 6 representative, Juan Ciscomani, is not only leading the charge to this point of economic collapse, but doing so to gain political leverage, and for what? For budget cuts in that will hurt Arizona’s veterans, seniors and students and undermine the prospects for building a stronger future Arizona economy.

As a condition of raising the debt ceiling, Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s bill would require cuts that could, according to the White House and federal agencies:

Threaten medical care for 186,100 Arizona veterans, leaving them unable to get appointments for care like wellness visits, mental health services, and substance disorder treatment.

Force Customs and Border Patrol to implement a hiring freeze, just when we are facing an increase in demand for agents at the border with the imminent repeal of Title 42. With limited staffing, the agency’s ability to carry out inspections would be reduced, risking our border security and an increase in the amount of fentanyl entering the United States.

Make life for seniors harder by severely increasing Social Security and Medicare wait times for 1.5 million Arizona seniors due to staff cuts and field office closures.

Make college more expensive for Arizonans. It may require elimination of Pell Grants for up to 2,000 Arizona students, it could also force reduction of the maximum award by nearly $1,000 for 314,000 students the who currently receive Pell Grants—making it harder for them to attend and afford college.

Place hundreds of new clean energy jobs in Arizona at risk and undo recent efforts to battle climate change-driven drought by repealing clean energy production tax credits and consumer rebates, all the while giving huge breaks to big oil companies.

Slash funding for low-income students. Arizona’s Title I funding could be reduced by $80 million, impacting approximately 260,000 students in Arizona, and cutting the equivalent of 1,200 teachers and specialized personnel from our schools.

The Good Faith and Credit of the United States is the bedrock of global markets and makes our economy the envy of the world. An honorable nation, a prosperous nation, pays its bills. Going forward, Congress should aim for revenue neutral legislation, but the need to raise the debt ceiling concerns the need to pay the nation’s currently accumulated debt, much of it resulting from the Trump tax cut.

This is why I am once again running to represent Southern Arizona in Congress. Our community deserves a Representative who will support our veterans, protect seniors, fight to improve access to higher education, secure our water future and provide the resources needed to stop drug trafficking. We deserve a Representative who will put the people and future of Southern Arizona over party politics and results over political gamesmanship.

I pledge to be that kind of Representative.