By Alex Gonzalez
Groups representing rural America, including Arizona, gathered for a Rural Action Summit in Iowa this month, to demand state and federal lawmakers prioritize their communities.
They contended many will be at risk of losing funding or vital resources if the proposed federal budget bill is approved in Congress.
Michael Chameides, policy director for the Rural Democracy Initiative, said while rural Arizona overwhelmingly voted for President Donald Trump last year, rural communities are resilient and creative, and even so, they are concerned about their long-term well-being.
"We often just don't have the resources that we need," Chameides explained. "State and federal governments have a role in making sure things like rural hospitals are functioning, and making sure that we have economic opportunities or that giant corporations don't have unfair advantages over our small businesses."
The massive budget bill now faces some opposition in the U.S. Senate. One group of Republican senators has warned it would only add to the national deficit and could decimate programs many working-class Arizonans rely on, like Arizona's ACHHHS and the federal SNAP program.
An analysis from the Center for American Progress projects if enacted, the bill would translate to thousands of dollars in additional annual costs for families.
Even as the budget plan is expected to add trillions of dollars to the national deficit, some GOP lawmakers said it would lead to increased economic activity to help fill the void. Rep. Juan Ciscomani, R-Ariz., said the bill "does a much better job" of getting spending under control.
Chameides noted he is not so sure rural Arizonans are convinced.
"One of the themes that we often saw was how critical it was to support working families, small farmers and small business owners," Chameides pointed out. "Those are really the backbone of our communities and the backbone of our economies."
The bill also includes a repeal of clean energy tax credits, which could put new clean and renewable energy projects and jobs throughout the state in jeopardy.
