ARIZONA – Senator Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) made his first visit to Cochise County since being elected to the U.S. Senate where he heard directly from Arizonans on border security, cuts to Medicaid, and veterans programs.
Senator Gallego started the day at the Raul Hector Castro Port of Entry in Douglas, where he met with local leaders to discuss the need for modernized border infrastructure and the economic impact of cross-border trade.
“I hope people will continue to push for investments at the border. We all benefit as a state, as a country, with a strong Douglas and a strong Southern Arizona economy,”said Senator Gallego.
Gallego also emphasized the impact the Trump Administration chaos is having on the trade relationship between Arizona and Mexico, emphasizing its importance for balancing border security with economic growth.
“I want to make sure these East Coast politicians or northern politicians understand: You can have strong border policies, with strong trade between two countries that have worked together for generations, and you don’t have to end up putting us in a bad situation economically,” Senator Gallego said.
Senator Gallego visits the Raul Hector Castro Port of Entry in Douglas, Arizona
Currently, the Castro Port is outdated and overcrowded. Pedestrians, passenger cars, and commercial trucks all compete for space, which slows traffic and creates safety hazards. Thanks to the Gallego-backed Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, $500 million is going to Arizona to modernize its ports, improving cross-border trade and strengthening border security.
While in Douglas, Senator Gallego held his second town hall on Medicaid in Arizona this week to hear directly from Arizonans about the real-life consequences ofRepublican-led efforts to cut Medicaid and strip health care from millions of Arizonans.
“This administration wants to find enough room in terms of savings by cutting Medicaid in order for them to give more tax cuts,” said Senator Gallego.
Senator Gallego hosts a town hall in Douglas, Arizona on Republican-led efforts to cut Medicaid
This builds on Senator Gallego’s ongoing efforts to protect access to health care, including by hosting a roundtable discussion with leaders of healthcare organizations and listening to Arizonans who will be impacted by these cuts.
In the afternoon, the Senator headed to Sierra Vista, where he hosted a town hall with veterans to discuss the ongoing battle to protect VA services. Senator Gallego has continuously pushed back against the Trump Administration’s mass layoffs of veterans in the federal workforce and VA employees that threaten veterans’ programs.
“We have to fund the programs. We have to fund the register to make sure that people get it, get on their street and take care of themselves later. So when you can start hearing about cuts to the VA and they’re trying to say it’s government efficiency, it’s not government efficiency,” said Senator Gallego. “Veterans and veterans’ issues are bipartisan issues. They’re Democrats, Republicans, and Independents, but most importantly, they’re patriots.”
Senator Gallego hears from veterans at a town hall in Sierra Vista, Arizona
Senator Gallego’s visit to Cochise County is just one of the many trips he has planned in Arizona this week to hear directly from Arizonans and take their voices back to Washington.
“Rural America needs to see that. … Republicans have left us behind forever, so it’s the Democrats’ turn to say, ‘Hey we are here for you, too. We are not just here for our cities, we’re here for all of us,” said an attendee at the Sierra Vista town hall on the importance of reaching rural communities.
3/19/25