ICYMI: Arizona Leaders Highlight Hispanic Heritage Month

TUCSON —  This week, Arizona leaders discussed how federal legislation impacts Arizona’s Hispanic and Latino communities.

A panel of local and federal leaders in the Hispanic and Latino community gathered in Tucson to talk about how recent federal action, from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to the Inflation Reduction Act, helped reduce disparities their communities face.


  • The Inflation Reduction Act locks in lower monthly premiums – 80 percent of uninsured Latinos had access to a plan for $50 or less each month and 69 percent could find a plan for $0 a month in 2021.

  • Latino communities are more likely to live in areas of greater pollution and thanks to the Inflation Reduction Act now have access to Environmental Justice Block Grants to tackle pollution in port communities like Nogales.

  • Thanks to the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, Arizona will receive approximately $2.5 billion for transportation to invest in roads, bridges, public transit, ports and airports and roughly $508 million for clean water, all of which will directly benefit Latino and Hispanic communities by creating Arizona jobs, help small businesses access local and out-of-state markets and ensuring access to water and resources to mitigate climate emergencies.


“The Inflation Reduction Act has lowered health care costs for Latinos in Arizona and helped our communities better prepare for our climate future,” said Charlene Fernandez, USDA Rural Development State Director for Arizona. “These investments will ensure that our communities are equipped to access markets, provide for the families, and live better lives.” 


Panelists said that those gains are threatened by current efforts by House Republicans to roll back Inflation Reduction Act investments and shut down the federal government.


“A federal shutdown would be costly to all Arizonans, particularly Latino Arizonans who could potentially see their Social Security checks slow down or be unable to access federal support for their small businesses,” said Honest Arizona Executive Director Andrea Moreno. “Congressman Ciscomani needs to stop playing party politics with these extreme demands in lieu of funding the government and work to ensure his constituents don’t lose out.”


The funding cuts that Republicans are pushing in Congress would:

  • Make it harder for approximately 1,543,000 Arizonans who rely on Social Security to access their benefits

  • Degrade Medicare services by cutting funds for the administration of the Medicare program, which would force roughly 1,446,000 seniors and people with disabilities in Arizona to endure longer wait times

  • Deny 11,500  Arizona workers access to job training and employment services by cutting $4 billion for job training programs at the Department of Labor



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Advancing AZ