May 3, 2026

On Monday, Republican legislative leaders finally produced budget numbers. Their damaging proposal was negotiated within the Republican caucus only, with no consultation with Democrats, and ignores the everyday people of Arizona and our basic needs in favor of large corporations and the ultra-wealthy. The House has voted on it, and the Senate plans to Monday — in other words, this budget is still working its way up to the governor’s office for an all-but-assured veto. 

As lawmakers slog past this waypoint and toward an actual budget solution, we’ll detail what’s in these latest bills, examine the “tax cuts at all costs” insanity of Republicans’ current thinking, and explain how you can help influence our lawmakers’ next steps. 

Upside-down priorities. We at CEBV have been wondering how Republican legislative leaders were planning to pay for their massive tax cuts for large corporations and the wealthy, while also refusing to fix Arizona’s runaway $1 billion/year ESA voucher boondoggle. With this Republican-only budget, we got their unsurprising answer: kick Arizonans off Medicaid, cut their SNAP benefits, and slash many other services that everyday people rely on. 

Unserious. Over the last week, Republicans have spent a great deal of time plaintively claiming that their dead-on-arrival budget isn’t that different from what Hobbs signed last year. They insist their budget's priorities are bipartisan, and that it's an "80% Democratic" ¹ proposal, not just a starting point. Not so much: every Democrat voted no. Perhaps most tellingly, Democrats didn’t introduce any amendments to try to improve these bills. We don't blame them; if it’s going nowhere, why bother? 

Despite Republican legislative leaders’ exhortations, this budget isn’t a serious proposal. Gov. Hobbs has already vetoed Republicans’ draconian cuts to Medicaid and food stamps, vetoed full tax conformity proposals (twice!), vetoed federal vouchers, and is unlikely to change her mind on any of it. Sticking those exact same ideas right back into a new bill and sending them to her again is a clown-show move. 

Indiscriminate cuts. Journalists have already written a lot about the irresponsibility of this budget, so we’ll just mention a few highlights:

• across-the-board cuts to nearly all state agencies, including already short-staffed ones that fight wildfires and help vulnerable Arizonans;
• cuts to public education (most notably to universities);
• huge hikes to state employee insurance premiums;
• sweeps from the Housing Trust Fund, which helps low-income families, and repeal of solar and renewable energy tax credits, which help Arizonans take control of their energy bills;
• the failure to renew Prop 123; 
• the preservation of $34 million in state subsidies for data centers — even though Hobbs, legislative Democrats, and even some Republicans think those should go;
• and, of course, the massive $1.4 billion tax cut.

Eye-rolling bluster. During debate, Matt Gress (R-4) and David Livingston (R-28) did an awful lot of talking, making it clear that they authored this failed bit of drama. (This budget is an easily recognizable Gress/Livingston special.) These two blowhards spewed a lot of distasteful arrogance last week — at one point, Gress claimed Republicans “don’t need Democratic votes to pass this budget” (has he forgotten the governor is a Democrat?) and insisted his bills would end up as the final product because Republicans would refuse to negotiate.

But, as they say, his math isn't mathing. This grandstanding offers a potent reminder of why Gress and Livingston initially got removed from this year's budget negotiations. Remember, they ended up with egg on their faces last year after badly bungling things, and they were eventually all but cut out of input on the final budget negotiated between Senate Republicans and Gov. Hobbs. We'd heard they'd been cut out this year as well, but it seems Republican legislative leaders allowed them back into the process — we suspect to send a middle-finger message to Hobbs.

Speaking of Senate Republicans: Warren Petersen (R-14) displayed an eye-popping failure to grasp reality when he told media this week that this Republican-only budget is “real close for something (Hobbs) would sign” (sic) and that “if she doesn't want to make those cuts, she's going to have to come up with something to balance.” (Here's a hint: she's repeatedly suggested reining in Arizona's unaccountable $1 billion/year ESA voucher boondoggle.)

In the meantime, other Republicans are acknowledging that negotiations will continue. And members of both parties say that, now that numbers are on the table, it’s time for the other party to re-engage in talks. (Both Hobbs and Republican legislative leaders have made it clear they are waiting for the other side to reach out first; we predict Hobbs will be the bigger person and make the first move.)

What’s next? To finish up this bit of political theater, the Senate is expected to vote on the Republican-only budget on Monday. It's widely viewed as a negotiating salvo, not a real budget proposal, and everyone (except maybe Warren Petersen) knows a veto is all but guaranteed. That’s just the reality of divided government: any final product must be negotiated in order to pass. Hobbs is also hinting that she may not lift her bill moratorium “until (Republicans) also engage in good-faith negotiations” — unsurprising given it was part of her initial demand.  

What we can do. A central truism on politicians is that most of them do nothing without pressure, whether that comes from colleagues, donors, lobbyists, or us, their constituents. To get our lawmakers to produce a better budget, we will have to widen the preexisting cracks inside the Republican caucuses by applying pressure. If you have a Republican senator or representative, now is the time to reach out and make it clear you expect them to work toward a budget that benefits people like us — everyday Arizonans and working families — not large corporations and the state’s wealthiest. (Be sure to remind them what that actually looks like, as many Republicans are telling their constituents that's what they're already doing!) Then tell everyone you know to reach out as well.

In the meantime, the calendar is counting down toward our lawmakers' one constitutionally mandated responsibility: the creation of a state budget by midnight on June 30. After this week's theatrics, perhaps they'll finally be ready to take their job seriously — but in the meantime, nothing is quite as motivating as a deadline.

⏰ If you have 5 minutes: Use RTS to give a quick thumbs down to all Senate budget bills: SB1831 through SB1846. (The Senate versions of these budget bills are going through the Rules Committee on Monday, which means we can use Request to Speak!!) You must do this before 9:30 AM on Monday. Remember, the Rules Committee doesn't take testimony and won't read your comments. This is solely to express your opposition via official channels.

⏰⏰ If you have 15 minutes: Contact your state senator directly and express your displeasure with this budget. If your senator's a Democrat, thank them for holding firm; if a Republican, warn them that you are paying attention and share at least one of your priorities with a clear example.

⏰⏰⏰ If you have 30 minutes: Also contact your two state representatives. Let them know that you're aware this budget is DOA and share your priorities for the next one, with a clear example.

⏰⏰⏰⏰ If you have 45 minutes: Reread the section above that starts with "indiscriminate cuts," down to the boxed quote below it. Choose an issue in this budget that speaks to you, click through to read more, and then talk to someone you know (friend, family member, co-worker, neighbor, etc.) about what's happening. Educating those around us is critical to building a positive outcome for November.

⏰⏰⏰⏰⏰ If you have 60 minutes: Join us on Zoom for our CEBV Happy Hour conversation, packed with political analysis, conversation and community. Happy Hour meets every Sunday at 4 PM through the end of legislative session. We're looking forward to seeing you! 

2026 Session Timeline

Wednesday 6/24: Early ballots drop for the 7/21 primary election
Tuesday 6/30: Constitutionally mandated deadline to pass a state budget

Committees & Contacts

Here's a handy list of lawmaker contact info, committee chairs and assignments.

CEBV Action Linktree

Want other ways to take action? Need to stay informed? Looking for our social media, inspiration, or self-care tips? Look no further than our Linktree.

Congratulations, you made it to the end! Please enjoy this heartwarming 21-minute video of President Barack Obama and New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani visiting the Bronx Child Care Center. The pair are genuine and guileless in their interactions with the kids; they sing an animated rendition of “Wheels on the Bus,” read the children a picture book about the importance of community, field a variety of questions and random comments, and tease each other about whose city's pizza is better. At the end, they sit on the floor with the kids for a group photo. We'd almost forgotten what it sounded like to hear public figures express basic human values so clearly and kindly. Well done to these two.

1. Yes, one of them actually said this — House Appropriations chair David Livingston (R-28).