Washington, D.C. — Tomorrow, President Donald Trump will travel to Phoenix to hold an event at the Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum, where he will likely address issues such as immigration and his border wall proposal.
President Trump’s visit comes shortly after the White House announced plans to divert $3.8 billion from the U.S. Department of Defense’s budget to fund Trump’s U.S.-Mexico border wall in California, Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas. This is the latest attempt by the Trump administration to bypass Congress and unilaterally reappropriate funds in order to fulfill one of his signature promises, which House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) said “would harm national security in the name of a political stunt.”
Last year, in a similar stunt, the Trump administration diverted $3.6 billion in congressionally directed funding for close to 130 military projects—including a $30 million project at Fort Huachuca in Arizona—to pay for his wall. This year’s raiding of the Defense Department included cuts to the F-35 fighter jets that are housed at Arizona’s Luke Air Force base.
In recent months, the Trump administration has proposed increasing the cost of citizenship applications by 83 percent for nearly 9 million people, which the National Immigration Law Center says would “favor the wealthy” and “diminish opportunities for asylum-seekers and DACA recipients.”
When the Trump administration rescinded the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, then-Attorney General Jeff Sessions falsely criticized Dreamers for taking away jobs from other Americans. Despite the Trump’s administration’s false claims, Dreamers—who President Trump has labeled as “tough, hardened criminals”—actually contribute a net $3.4 billion in annual tax revenue and an estimated $42 billion to the annual GDP.
In previous visits to Arizona, President Trump promised that he would take care of Dreamers, increase wages, and provide great health care. In reality, the administration has worked against Dreamers and failed to deliver on Trump’s basic economic promises.
Learn more about how the Trump administration’s policies and broken promises have hurt Arizona families here.
Dreamers
Promise: President Trump promised Dreamers: “We’re going to work something out that’s going to make people happy and proud. [Dreamers] got brought here at a very young age, they’ve worked here, they’ve gone to school here. Some were good students. Some have wonderful jobs.” — Donald Trump, November 28, 2016
Reality: Trump assured Dreamers that they could “rest easy” and said he was not interested in targeting them for deportation. But less than a year after taking office, his administration ended DACA.
- There are 63,000 eligible Dreamers living in Arizona and 209,000 people living in a household with at least one Dreamer.
- The average Dreamer in Arizona arrived to the United States when they were 7 years old.
- Arizona Dreamers are crucial to the state’s economy. They pay more than $285 million in federal taxes, pay more than $181 million in state and local taxes, and spend $1.5 billion on goods and services.
Health care
Promise: President Trump promised Arizona families: “Great health care for far less money. That’s going to happen.” — Donald Trump in Phoenix, March 19, 2016
Reality: The Trump administration launched an all-out attack on Americans’ health care by trying to repeal and sabotage the Affordable Care Act (ACA), including backing an ongoing lawsuit in the courts. If the ACA is repealed:
- 2.8 million Arizonans with preexisting conditions will lose protections.
- 297,000 Arizonans will lose their health coverage.
- The average Arizona family would see an average annual premium increase of $4,330.
Profits and wages
Promise: President Trump promised Arizona families: “Jobs will leave from other countries and come into the United States … and our poorest citizens will get new jobs and higher pay.” — Donald Trump in Prescott Valley, Arizona, October 4, 2016
Reality: The Trump administration has taken away safeguards that ensure workers are paid overtime, protect retirees from exploitative financial advisers, and ensure that people pay less at the gas pump. Due to the Trump administration’s policies, Arizonans will lose:
Taxes
Promise: President Trump promised Arizona families: “We are going to cut taxes for middle-class families by hundreds of billions of dollars.” — Donald Trump in Phoenix, October 29, 2016
Reality: Most of the Trump administration’s $2 trillion tax cut goes to corporations and the rich. Many Arizona families are getting stuck with the bill.
- 211,560 Arizona families paid more in taxes last year due to the Trump administration’s tax bill.
For more information on this topic or to speak with an expert, please contact Freedom Alexander Murphy at [email protected] or 202-796-9712.