PHOENIX — Democratic Governor Katie Hobbs’s budget proposal is receiving a chilly reception from members of the Arizona state legislature, many of whom describe it as “dead on arrival.”
The proposal, which Hobbs released last week, attempts to repeal Arizona’s school choice program and defund the Border Strike Force — and lawmakers are having none of it.
Republicans released their own budget on January 12 promising to “safeguard Arizona’s future,” with a number of members weighing in individually to express their dissatisfaction with Hobbs’s proposal:
- Senator Anthony Kern: “… Hobbs wants to take away money for pregnant homeless mothers and allocate that money for State funded abortions.”
- Senator Warren Petersen: “Definitely DOA … I look forward to sending our planned budget up with my colleagues that will not Calif. our AZ.”
- Senator Wendy Rogers: “… Friday the 13th NIGHTMARE budget.”
- Senator T.J. Shope: “… more in line with a California style budget than a fiscally sound one.”
- Senator Justine Wadsack: “Yeah … NO!”
- Representative Leo Biasiucci: “If Governor Hobbs really wants to work with us on a state budget, she has a funny way of showing it.”
- Representative Michael Carbone: “[Hobbs] is competing with [Gavin Newsom] for worst Governor in the country by destroying Arizona in one fiscal year. What a disaster!”
- Representative Joseph Chaplik: “… it’s a worse HORROR show than we feared.”
- Representative Lupe Diaz: “This is not where our tax dollars should go. We can’t allow this kind of misuse of tax dollars.”
- Representative Tim Dunn: “… Hobbs budget threatens your family. We should be adding to Az border strike force not taking money away.”
- Representative John Gillette: “… Hobbs (D) budget proposal…. when it gets to AZ Legislature… DOA!”
- Representative Travis Grantham: “… already DOA (Dead on Arrival) and will never garner the support needed to pass the house or senate.”
- Representative Matt Gress: “This budget will never be enacted on our watch and it definitely does NOT reflect an ‘Arizona for Everyone.’”
- Representative Rachel Jones: “Has anyone seen the catastrophic Katie Hobbs budget?!!!”
- Representative Alexander Kolodin: “Her budget says that poor kids need to stay in their lane – not darken the door of ritzy private schools like the one she went to.”
- Representative Teresa Martinez: “[Hobbs] has to realize she can either be the governor of Arizona or an Activist but she can not be both … Looks like she wants to be an activist.”
- Representative Cory McGarr: “[Hobbs] is the proud new author of a new book. How To Destroy A Great State In One Year …”
- Representative Quang Nguyen: “I’m not lying down on this one.”
- Representative Jacqueline Parker: “Hobble is willing to spend AZ tax dollars on everyone EXCEPT Arizonans.”
- Representative Austin Smith: “This is how out of touch she is. Demand governor Hobbs send a more common-sense budget to the legislature.”
- Representative Ben Toma: “… based on the left-wing wish list of spending details disclosed so far, I’m confident to say that it will be dead on arrival.”
- Representative Justin Wilmeth: “This FY24 budget proposal by the Governor is a bloated turkey with two left wings. Translation: it won’t fly.”
Lawmakers recently acknowledged that they may investigate the dark-money apparatus that secretly funded Hobbs’s inaugural events.
The Arizona Freedom Caucus also announced last week that it will be filing a lawsuit to challenge the constitutionality of the governor’s use of executive orders after the Democrat admitted in December that she is seeking to implement her policy agenda “without legislative approval.”
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