PHOENIX – With the deadline to pass a state budget looming, Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs said the initial proposal submitted by House Republicans is a nonstarter.
“This reckless and partisan budget is dead on arrival,” the Democratic governor said in a statement Thursday. “It slashes $255 million from Medicaid, gutting health care coverage for countless Arizonans.”
Hobbs said the proposed GOP state budget wouldn’t fully cover K-12 public education. She also criticized it for failing to fund her proposed child care initiative and a program that supports veterans experiencing homelessness.
GOP says state budget proposal delivers for families
On the other side, House Speaker Steve Montenegro touted the proposal – filed Wednesday as House Bills 2947-2961 — for its focus on public safety, infrastructure and taxpayer protections.
“This is a sound, disciplined budget that delivers safe communities, strong families, and a government that lives within its means,” Montenegro said in a press release.
“We’re raising pay for our state law enforcement officers, reducing tuition at public universities, fully funding school choice, fixing critical infrastructure and roads and protecting taxpayers.”
The budget bills passed the House Appropriations Committee on Thursday and are set for consideration by the full house on Friday.
Hobbs, who said she has been working to find common ground, accused House Republicans of playing politics. Meanwhile, the state-mandated June 30 deadline to pass a budget for the next fiscal year is less than three weeks away.
“From day one of the budget process, I have worked with leaders of both parties in both chambers to craft a bipartisan, balanced and responsible budget. This reckless and partisan budget is not that,” she said.
State budget negotiations are pushing up against the deadline for a second straight year. In 2024, Hobbs signed the current budget on June 18.
However, that budget had to close a $1.4 billion deficit, adding a degree of difficulty.
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