As Arizona's state Legislature convenes for the 2024 session, Governor Katie Hobbs is set to face a stiff budget shortfall, with a once-rich surplus now turned deficit. According to FOX 10 Phoenix, tax cuts and soaring school voucher costs have punched a $400 million hole in the current fiscal year's budget, with projections showing a further $450 million gap for the following year.
Tax cuts enacted under the previous administration are said to have caused a significant reduction in state income, plunging by nearly 30% from July through November last year. Meanwhile, the expanded school voucher program is reportedly going to cost the state north of $900 million, far outstripping the originally estimated $64 million, the report detailed. Water scarcity issues are also pressing as Arizona grapples with drought conditions affecting the Colorado River, which supplies 40% of the state's water.
Simultaneously, Governor Hobbs has been vocal about the border challenges facing Arizona. In a one-on-one interview with ABC15's Nick Ciletti, she expressed her concerns over the federal government's role in border management. "This issue has been politicized for decades. I came into this office with the promise I wouldn't politicize it," Governor Hobbs told ABC15. Despite communication with federal authorities, decisions affecting border resources, such as the closure of the Lukeville Port of Entry, have left local officials scrambling and dissatisfied with the federal response.
Given the gravity of the situation, with a lack of federal action, Hobbs issued an executive order on December 15 to mobilize the National Guard, although their role at the border is limited. "The National Guard is there now, working with state, county, and local law enforcement," she said in her ABC15 interview. Their current role is focused on assisting with drug interdiction, and community security needs, but federal troops could have potentially expedited the reopening of the Lukeville port. Efforts to engage President Biden in deploying the National Guard to assist directly at the ports of entry have been met with silence; the White House has not yet responded to ABC15's request for comment.
Addressing both fiscal challenges and border security issues will be crucial themes in Governor Hobbs' upcoming State of the State address, amidst this maelstrom of financial and social concerns for Arizona. With the legislature's goal of adjourning within 100 days facing these complex and contentious issues, the state Capitol is bracing for a session that could stretch well into the summer months.
