DOUGLAS, Ariz. (KGUN) — Sen. Ruben Gallego was in Cochise County on Tuesday, visiting both Sierra Vista and Douglas.
His first stop was at the Raul Hector Castro Port of Entry in Douglas. He toured the port, with Customs and Border Protection agents. He says it's important for cities, like Douglas, to thrive because of the amount of money that comes though the ports from trade.
A second port of entry is scheduled to be built in Douglas, with most of the project being funded by the federal government. Recently the City of Douglas didn't receive a federal grant to pay for a connector road for the port of entry, causing some concern.
“These types of commercial ports pay for themselves," Gallego said. "It'd be the dumbest thing that the United States federal government can do is to cut this type of investment.”
When asked what he can do to help keep the project on track, he said both he and Sen. Mark Kelly support this project, because of the economic impact it'll have to Douglas, the state, and the country.
"Why are we going to go and hurt our businesses by going and shutting something down, that really will end up paying for itself," Gallego said. "And so we're going to continue to make that argument to everyone in Washington D.C. — whether that's to the Trump Administration and other people, too."
After the tour, he met with leadership from local hospitals and residents concerned about the potential cuts to Medicaid. Nicole Velasquez, one of the many in attendance, voiced her concern for her clients, coworkers and herself.
“I did ask him if there was a backup plan and his answer was basically, no there’s not," she said. "I find that super unacceptable.”
Velasquez works with people with severe mental illness, who rely on Medicaid to get housing and other services they need. Since the announcement of potential cuts, she says she is worried and stressed because she could lose her job and her patients will lose the help they need.
“It's really just coming in from everywhere," Velasquez said. "It's flooding my mind all the time.”
Gallego says most people don’t think of rural communities when making cuts to federal programs, like Medicaid, which is why he wanted to host the town hall.
Healthcare officials, at the event, said 33% of people in Cochise County rely on Medicaid for healthcare.
“To rural Arizona, if Medicaid gets cut, the very delicate system that connects everybody can go down,” Gallego said.
He says removing tax cuts to high-income earners and making small cuts to other departments can help reduce the country’s debt without hurting a vulnerable population.
“I dismiss this idea that we can't have a prosperous country without taking care of the neediest among us," Gallego said. "We can't do both. We're a great country.”
After the town hall in Douglas, he went to Sierra Vista, where he held another town hall, this time for veterans. Gallego says people should voice their concerns to their representatives, in an effort to make a change.
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Alexis Ramanjulu is a reporter in Cochise County for KGUN 9. She began her journalism career reporting for the Herald/Review in Sierra Vista, which she also calls home. Share your story ideas with Alexis by emailing alexis.ramanjulu@kgun9.com or by connecting on Facebook.
