Opinion: Republicans own the shutdown and cuts to health care

The government is shut down, and let’s be clear about why: Republicans own this. Instead of governing, they walked away from the table, mocking Democratic leaders with racist deepfake videos and sending their caucus home while families braced for impact. Under Donald Trump’s direction, Republicans rammed through the disastrous “Big Beautiful Bill,” ripping $1 trillion from Medicaid, slashing food assistance, and draining public schools.

The Real Crisis: Affordability

The Republican shutdown is bigger than petty Washington politics: it is about the real costs to Arizona families. Trump and Republicans campaigned on lowering prices for working families, but the opposite has happened. Inflation is up, and food prices have climbed 3.2% compared to last year. That’s less money in our pockets. 

Gas, groceries, rent, and energy bills are stretching household budgets to the breaking point. Republicans promised relief, but instead they passed the so-called “Big Beautiful Bill” (HR1), ripping away the very supports families depend on.

Allow ACA subsidies to expire means more than 100,000 Arizonans will lose affordable coverage, forcing families to choose between medical bills and rent. Slashing Medicaid will devastate rural hospitals that depend on it to stay open, putting entire regions at risk of losing emergency care and basic services. In our schools, the cuts eliminate Medicaid reimbursements used for nurses and services for kids with disabilities, reduce school meal reimbursements by shrinking SNAP eligibility, and funnel money into private vouchers that drain public classrooms.

Meanwhile, Republicans are spending $175 billion on mass deportations, while showering billionaires with tax breaks. Arizona, with its rural towns, border communities, and working-class families, will undoubtedly be hit hard. 

Arizona Isn’t Broke, It’s Being Robbed

Arizona’s state budget is already in crisis, with lawmakers forced into “Hunger Games”-style discussions over whether to fund schools, healthcare, or housing. Because so much of our budget depends on federal dollars, cuts in Washington cascade down here at home. Medicaid cuts blow holes in the safety net, rural hospitals scramble to stay open, and schools already stretched thin are left with even less.

But the crisis isn’t only coming from Washington. Arizona Republicans have spent years making things worse for families: passing billions in permanent tax cuts for the wealthy, draining public schools with an unaccountable voucher program, refusing to raise new revenue, and even pushing to bail out billionaire stadium owners while everyday Arizonans shoulder higher costs.

The truth is simple: Arizona is not broke; it’s being robbed. Trump’s giveaways and Republican priorities, at both the federal and state levels, siphon money upward while families, classrooms, and hospitals are left behind.

The Fight Ahead

While Republicans drive chaos with this shutdown, we are fighting alongside Democrats for working families and for a government that actually works for the people. Together, we are saying no to billionaire tax breaks and yes to affordable healthcare, strong schools, and food security. This fight is about whether Arizona families can afford a doctor’s visit, whether rural hospitals survive, whether kids have food on the table, and whether public schools have the resources they need.

We are fighting for a future where healthcare is affordable, rural hospitals are strong, and schools are fully funded. 

This is the moment we have been waiting for since January. Now is the time to reject Trump’s cruelty, to hold Republicans accountable, and to demand a future where working families, not billionaires, come first.

Living United for Change in Arizona (LUCHA) is a Phoenix-based, membership‑led organization fighting for social, racial and economic justice.