Arizona Republicans Advance Budget Plan Amid Standoff With Gov. Hobbs

Arizona's Republican-controlled Legislature and Democratic Governor Katie Hobbs were engaged in a budget standoff over the state's fiscal year beginning July 1. Republican legislative leaders, including Senate Majority Leader John Kavanagh and House Appropriations Chair David Livingston, said they had enough votes to pass a budget plan without Democratic support and planned to send it to Hobbs without the negotiations she had requested. The Arizona Legislature passed a budget that included provisions requiring eligibility verification for Medicaid enrollees and work requirements for food stamp recipients. Republican leaders indicated they intended to move forward with their plan despite Hobbs' calls for negotiation, reflecting a dispute over process as well as policy substance. As of the reporting, no final budget agreement had been reached, and it remained unresolved whether Hobbs would sign or veto the Republican plan. One report noted broader tensions between Hobbs and legislative Republicans, including references to her job approval rating and past vetoes of legislative proposals, though these characterizations were not corroborated across both sources. The ultimate resolution of the budget standoff and any subsequent gubernatorial action remained undetermined at the time of publication.