The so-called “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” cuts Medicaid by at least $698 billion, putting hundreds of thousands of Arizonans at risk of losing their health care, and makes another $300 billion in cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). Roughly 1 million Arizonans rely on SNAP to put food on the table, and many of them could lose their benefits under the budget.
The Congressional Budget Office (CBO), a non-partisan federal agency that provides analysis and estimates to Congress on the budget and economic decisions, wrote … that the bill will primarily benefit the wealthiest of households while taking resources away from lower-income households.
US Republican Juan Ciscomani of Tucson, who co-signed a letter to GOP leadership asking for no cuts to Medicaid, also supported the legislation, voting to pass it even as it is estimated to throw over 28,000 people in his district off Medicaid.
With a 215-214 final count, any single vote [including] Ciscomani’s … could potentially have changed the outcome.
A May 15 report by Democrats on the Joint Economic Committee estimated that about 301,000 Arizonans will lose health-insurance coverage if the bill becomes law.
The bill also undermines Ciscomani’s position on the national deficit and debt, which he expressed in a Jan. 31 op-ed headlined “Our National Debt Demands Immediate Action.” The Congressional Budget Office has estimated that the tax provisions of the bill will increase the federal deficit by $3.8 trillion over the next 10 years.
As someone who works daily with vulnerable populations in Southern Arizona, I am appalled that Rep. Juan Ciscomani voted for President Trump’s “One Big, Beautiful Bill.”
This legislation slashes Medicaid and social supports while giving permanent tax cuts to billionaires. Over 158,000 people in his district rely on Medicaid — including many rural families, seniors, and veterans — for access to basic healthcare. These cuts threaten clinics like Chiricahua and hospitals like Copper Queen, putting both care and jobs at risk.
What’s worse, nearly 24,100 Arizona veterans depend on Medicaid, and recent proposals also target VA funding, risking the loss of 83,000 VA jobs and up to 30 million appointments nationwide. Why would Rep. Ciscomani vote to strip critical care from the very people he pledged to serve?
He knew the risks. He expressed concern. And then he voted yes anyway. We need leaders who put people — not party — first.
