Lawmakers: “Leaving this program unstaffed is unacceptable and endangers the lives of countless Americans.” WASHINGTON – Arizona Senators Ruben Gallego and Mark Kelly, alongside Representatives Greg Stanton (D-AZ-04) and Yassamin Ansari (D-AZ-03), are demanding answers from Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. about the abrupt termination of all employees responsible for the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) that helps Arizonans keep their air conditioning running. Ahead of the Arizona summer, the lawmakers raised the alarm about the health consequences of delays in LIHEAP support and requested an explanation for the firings and proof of how HHS plans to continue the program without staff.   LIHEAP is the

BRATISLAVA – Today, Senator Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) met with Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico, Defense Minister Robert Kalinak, and State Secretary Marek Estok on April 12th to discuss key issues facing Slovakia and the broader region. During the meeting, Senator Gallego reiterated the importance of Slovakia’s continued support for Ukraine in the face of Russian aggression. He acknowledged Slovakia’s efforts to provide humanitarian aid but stressed the need for a united front against Russia’s territorial ambitions. “The Slovakian people know the consequences of Russian aggression all too well, having lived behind the Iron Curtain for decades. It is critical that the Slovakian government continue

WASHINGTON — Senators Ruben Gallego (D-AZ), Alex Padilla (D-CA), Dave McCormick (R-PA), and Katie Britt (R-AL) introduced the bipartisan Housing Unhoused Disabled Veterans Act (HUDVA) to help homeless disabled veterans access crucial housing support. The bill would permanently exclude veterans’ disability payments from annual income for housing assistance eligibility purposes under the Department of Housing and Urban Development-Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing (HUD-VASH) Program. The HUD-VASH program plays a pivotal role in addressing veteran homelessness by combining rental assistance from HUD along with supportive services from the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). Unfortunately, some disabled veterans receiving disability payments were previously unable to access veterans housing programs like HUD-VASH because HUD