WASHINGTON — Head Start programs in Arizona received word that their funding will be released. This comes after Senator Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) and other lawmakers pushed the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) last week to stop withholding federal funds that more than 17,000 children in Arizona rely on. The previously delayed funds left an Arizona Head Start program unable to make payroll and forced to take out a loan to pay staff. “Eliminating Head Start would be catastrophic for Arizona.  At a time when our state is already in a childcare crisis, cutting Head Start would devastate working families, displace thousands of educators, and rob 17,000 children of vital

WASHINGTON – Senator Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) joined his colleagues in Congress to demand that the Social Security Administration (SSA) keep its field offices open. This comes after reports that Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) might take steps to close offices across the country.   “[B]eneficiaries need the opportunity to seek assistance from SSA in person…Closing any of these field offices will make it harder for individuals to access their benefits,” wrote the lawmakers.  Wait-times for Arizonans to speak with SSA representatives have already increased due to DOGE’s cuts: Today in Arizona, volunteers will be dropping off the lawmakers’ letter at the Mesa SSA office.

“Especially in Western states that have patchworks of federal and private land, improving building opportunities on some federal land could be a creative solution to housing shortages in some communities.” PHOENIX – Senator Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) is voicing his interest in collaborating on the newly announced federal initiative to explore housing development on public lands. In a letter to Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Scott Turner and Department of the Interior (DOI) Secretary Doug Burgum, Senator Gallego applauds the creation of the Joint Task Force on Federal Land for Housing while urging transparency and community engagement.   “As the Task Force develops its initiatives