How DOGE and federal cuts are impacting Arizona
Since taking office for his second term, President Donald Trump and his administration have made sweeping cuts to the federal government in departments from education to health care to weather forecasting.
The so-called Department of Government Efficiency, led by billionaire adviser Elon Musk, has been leading the charge on slashing funding and staff across agencies. Many of the cuts have been challenged in federal court.
The administration has fired thousands of federal workers, closed Social Security Administration field offices, effectively shuttered entire agencies, deported immigrants, scaled back protections for transgender people and cut funding for health programs.
KJZZ's reporters are covering how these cuts and resulting lawsuits are affecting Arizona, including school funding, potential cuts to Medicaid and Social Security, and more. Read full coverage below.
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Under the proposed changes, there’d be a cap on how much money Head Start centers could spend on administrative overhead; there would also be a reduction in the number of regulations governing the program, among other changes. -
Right now, nearly Arizona 300 schools qualify for a federal program that allows schools that serve low income households to give free lunches to every student — without making them apply for it. -
It's also unclear how many have lost coverage because some state agencies that run the programs are overwhelmed trying to keep up with changes. That was the case in Arizona, which saw the nation's largest enrollment drop. -
Nearly 1,800 formerly homeless Arizonans could be at risk of losing shelter as the Trump administration seeks a major overhaul of federal funding for homelessness programs. -
FEMA has awarded about $700,000 to Arizona and the Havasupai Tribe to fund hazard mitigation projects. The money came from a program the federal agency had nixed but was reinstated by the courts earlier this year. -
Phoenix households cut from SNAP can apply for a $600 credit toward their APS or SRP electric bill and $100 for gas or public transportation. -
Planned Parenthood Arizona clinics are once again providing care for patients insured through Medicaid. Services for Medicaid patients had been on pause since September. -
The U.S. Agriculture Department says Arizona’s error rate for food stamp applications was 10.8%; that’s higher than the national rate of 10.6%. If that number doesn’t come down, it’ll cost the state in penalties, thanks to provisions in the "Big Beautiful Bill Act." -
In addition to refugees and asylum seekers, H.R. 1 ended SNAP eligibility for other immigrants who lack permanent resident status, including survivors of domestic violence and human trafficking. -
The discussion centered on the 450,000 Arizona families who lost their food assistance since the federal legislation was enacted.
