As a registered nurse with over 25 years of experience serving vulnerable communities across Arizona — in school clinics, long-term care facilities, and public health programs — I’ve dedicated my career to helping people live healthier, safer lives. I’ve worked with families struggling to find affordable care, seniors battling chronic health conditions, and children suffering from asthma worsened by air pollution.
That’s why I was deeply disappointed to see Arizona’s Republican delegation in the U.S. House of Representatives vote in favor of what President Donald Trump is calling a “big, beautiful bill.”
There’s nothing beautiful about it.
This bill would add $3.8 trillion to the national debt in order to give massive tax breaks to billionaires — at the direct expense of hardworking Arizonans. Reps. Andy Biggs, Juan Ciscomani, Eli Crane, Paul Gosar and Abe Hamadeh shamefully supported this reckless plan, which guts essential programs that keep people healthy and safe. (Rep. David Schweikert slept through the vote, but said he would have backed it.) That includes slashing Medicaid and food assistance that countless Arizona families rely on.
It also repeals clean energy investments made possible by the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). These programs are creating jobs, improving air quality, helping combat Arizona’s extreme heat and lowering energy costs for our communities.
In just two years, the IRA has created nearly 19,000 clean energy jobs and generated $12.75 billion in investment for Arizona. These are real, tangible opportunities, especially in rural and underserved areas, where job growth and energy affordability are most needed. Rolling back these investments would halt progress, increase electricity bills, and eliminate job opportunities in Arizona’s growing clean energy sector.
This is particularly dangerous in a state like ours, where the climate impacts are not some distant threat, but our day-to-day reality. Arizona just experienced one of the hottest years on record, and extreme heat is now a leading cause of weather-related deaths. Seniors are especially vulnerable, and many already struggle to pay rising utility bills. Repealing clean energy incentives would worsen those burdens, put lives at risk, and raise energy costs by nearly $400 per household.
Our summers are growing longer and hotter, and Arizona is home to some of the fastest-warming cities in the country. Heat-related illnesses have been increasing in tandem with these extreme events. This kind of heat can cause a range of serious health issues, from dehydration and exhaustion to life-threatening conditions like heatstroke. It also worsens chronic illnesses like heart and lung disease, which are common among older adults.
Rising temperatures have also been linked to increased mental health challenges, including anxiety, depression, and even suicide. As extreme heat events become more frequent, health leaders and policymakers must take action now to protect both physical and mental well-being through informed, climate-resilient strategies.
These clean energy investments are also key in reducing utility bills by making homes more energy-efficient and expanding access to affordable, clean energy. Through rebates, tax credits, and incentives for home upgrades such as insulation, heat pumps and solar panels, the IRA empowers families — especially those in low-income and historically underserved communities — to reduce their energy consumption and save money each month. As climate-driven extreme heat becomes more frequent and severe, adopting stronger building codes and fully implementing IRA programs are essential to building resilience, protecting vulnerable communities, and easing financial burdens for those most at risk
After a lifetime of work, our elders deserve dignity, not heatstroke and financial insecurity. As older adults, we also have a responsibility to protect future generations. Our choices today will determine whether our grandchildren inherit livable communities or face even more deadly heatwaves and health crises.
Arizona’s decision-makers should be fighting for policies that protect public health, economic security and our environment, not handing out tax breaks to billionaires while our communities suffer. The “big, beautiful bill” does exactly the opposite. It’s an attack on the people I’ve spent my life caring for — families, seniors, and those most vulnerable to both economic and environmental injustice.
We deserve better. Arizona deserves leaders who will put people over profits and prioritize a healthier, more just future for all.
