Here’s how we absolutely, positively know that Arizona Republican U.S. Reps. Andy Biggs, David Schweikert, Eli Crane, Paul Gosar, Abe Hamadeh and Juan Ciscomani sold out every person who voted for them and betrayed rural counties when they supported Donald Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act:
It is because the worst elements of the legislation — and there are a lot — won’t kick into until after the 2026 midterms.
Trump’s toadies from Arizona were more than happy to shrivel under the thumb of Dear Leader and vote for the bill, knowing that he had provided them cover until after their next reelection campaigns.
The billionaires will get their tax breaks right way, but the big pain to states like Arizona won’t happen until after November 2026.
Of course, by then the congressmembers who supported the bill will expect to have been reelected and can start laying out promises (that they won’t keep) for 2028.
Medicaid cuts will hit Arizona among the hardest
In the meantime, Arizona will be one of the three hardest hit states when the $1 trillion in cuts to Medicaid start taking effect.
That’s because Arizona is one of the few states with a so-called “trigger law.”
In our case, the state would automatically repeal our Medicaid expansion program if federal funding drops below 80%.
According to KFF, formerly known as the Kaiser Family Foundation, more than 2.1 million people are enrolled in the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System, or AHCCCS.
That includes 754,600 children, 194,040 seniors and 172,480 people with disabilities.
Under Trump’s bill (approved by Republicans only) hundreds of thousands of those Arizonans could lose health care coverage. Seniors. Children. People with life-threatening conditions.
Fealty to Donald Trump, not voters, is all that matters
Apparently, our GOP representatives in Washington are much more interested in saving their professional lives than in saving the actual lives of Arizonans.
Their fealty is to Trump and Trump only.
Opinion: Trump shows charity to none, malice to all
And because Trump wanted to make sure that the wealthiest 1% got their massive tax cuts, our representatives wanted to make sure that the wealthiest 1% got their massive tax cuts — a total $117 billion in 2026 alone.
After all, whom do you think finances political campaigns?
Arizona's GOP leaders are covered until the election
Among other things, the massive Medicaid cuts are expected to cause numerous rural health care facilities around the country to close. That means even people with health care will have nowhere to get help.
Democratic U.S. Rep. Greg Stanton said of his Republican colleagues, “They’re going to regret this vote. Not just politically, but on a moral level.”
I doubt that.
The Trump toadies are covered, politically, until after the next election.
And to regret what they did on a “moral level” they would need to have … well, morals.
Reach Montini at ed.montini@arizonarepublic.com.
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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Big beautiful bill destroys Arizona Medicaid. GOP won't pay | Opinion
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