ICYMI: Southern Arizona Residents, Providers Renew Criticism of Medicaid Cuts One Year after Law Was Signed

Ciscomani Backed Bill That Cuts Arizonans Health Care, Gives Billionaires Tax Breaks

TUCSON — As the Republican Tax Law, that Congressman Juan Ciscomani voted for, passed its first year of implementation, Arizonans on Friday called out Ciscomani for cutting health care and SNAP nutrition assistance that millions of Americans rely on.

According to Arizona Public Media:

“Garrett Newell says his ability to walk depends on Medicaid.

Newell, a Tucsonan who lives with cerebral palsy, reflected on traveling to Washington, D.C., a little more than a year ago to lobby against proposed Medicaid cuts.

‘Every step I take today is possible because of the healthcare I received,’ Newell said, standing outside the Abrams Health Center in Tucson’s southside on Friday, about a year after the enactment of a sweeping Republican tax law.

Newell was among several Southern Arizona residents and healthcare providers who gathered to discuss how the legislation, signed by President Donald Trump in July 2025 with the support of Rep. Juan Ciscomani, has affected access to healthcare and food assistance.

The tax-and-spending law reduced federal Medicaid spending and imposed stricter eligibility requirements for Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, known as SNAP.

Rep. Adelita Grijalva provided a statistical backdrop to the personal testimonies, saying 46,000 people in Arizona are projected to lose healthcare coverage because of the Medicaid changes. In Arizona, more than 300,000 people lost SNAP benefits during the first six months after the law took effect. According to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, about 70,000 Arizonans also dropped their Affordable Care Act health plans.

‘More than 8 million Americans have already lost their healthcare and tens of millions more have seen their premiums skyrocket,’ Grijalva said.

Chad Durns, a Tucson resident living with multiple sclerosis, described what he said is growing uncertainty for people with disabilities.

‘I'm a current resident in District 6 under Ciscomani,’ Durns said. ‘‘Under’ feels like the right word for it. It’s just like just living underneath his boot.’

Durns said the cuts represent a narrowing path for those already struggling.

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