The Arizona Legislature crossed the 100-day mark of its 2025 session this week, and while the Senate Republican Caucus has pushed forward a slate of commonsense, community-focused legislation, Governor Katie Hobbs has unleashed a troubling wave of vetoes that call into question her commitment to the safety, security, and fiscal responsibility of our state.
Across a range of critical issues — from border security to fraud prevention to national defense — Hobbs has chosen to side with radical political interests over the well-being of everyday Arizonans. It’s not just disappointing. It’s dangerous.
Playing Politics with Border Security
The Governor’s veto of the AZ ICE Act (SB 1164) is perhaps the clearest example of her political gamesmanship putting Arizona families at risk.
Crafted in collaboration between Republican lawmakers and law enforcement experts, the AZ ICE Act was a straightforward, necessary step to ensure that violent criminal illegal aliens — not just immigrants seeking work, but individuals guilty of heinous crimes like child trafficking, murder, and drug smuggling — could be properly detained and removed from our communities.
The bill would have required Arizona law enforcement to comply with immigration detainer requests and prohibited government entities from obstructing federal immigration enforcement efforts. This is standard, common-sense public safety policy.
But instead of prioritizing the safety of Arizonans, Hobbs turned the matter into yet another political stunt, vetoing the bill and parroting hollow promises about “safe communities.” On the opening day of this year’s legislative session, she declared that border security was a “top priority” — yet her actions tell the opposite story.
If there’s any doubt about where Arizona voters stand, they made it crystal clear in 2024 by overwhelmingly approving Prop 314, the Secure the Border Act. Hobbs’ decision to ignore the will of the people and endanger their safety speaks volumes.
Senate Republicans are already discussing the possibility of putting the AZ ICE Act directly before voters in November 2026. Based on recent history, it’s safe to say Arizonans will side with safety over political grandstanding.
Ignoring the Threat of Communist China
As if jeopardizing border security weren’t enough, Hobbs also vetoed SB 1027, legislation designed to protect Arizona’s critical infrastructure from foreign threats — specifically, threats from Communist China.
Following a chilling 2022 FBI report, which revealed that Chinese-made Huawei radio equipment was being sold across the U.S. at prices below production cost (and used to spy on and sabotage American communications infrastructure), states across the country began taking action.
In Nebraska, a Democrat-sponsored bill addressing the same threat passed with unanimous bipartisan support and was signed into law. Protecting American infrastructure from espionage isn’t a partisan issue — it’s a basic duty of any serious leader.
Yet Hobbs vetoed Arizona’s attempt to do the same. Why? Because it came from a Republican-led Senate? Because she fears offending the radical base that increasingly seeks to downplay or even excuse the threat from Beijing?
Whatever the reason, the outcome is simple: Arizona’s energy supply, communication networks, and critical infrastructure remain vulnerable to foreign interference — all because of a governor more interested in appeasing political allies than defending the people she was elected to serve.
Choosing Fraud Over Fiscal Responsibility
Governor Hobbs’ reckless veto of SB 1071 — a simple, commonsense measure to fight fraud in Arizona’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) — is another example of her misplaced priorities.
The bill, introduced by Senator John Kavanagh, would have required monthly eligibility verifications for SNAP recipients, ensuring that taxpayer-funded benefits are used by those who truly need them, not abused by bad actors gaming the system.
Employment records, income levels, and job search activity would have been periodically checked — no massive bureaucracy, no draconian crackdowns, just basic oversight.
Instead of supporting this measure to protect public resources, Hobbs again chose to veto it, sending a loud, clear message to Arizona taxpayers: she cares more about preserving a broken, fraud-prone system than safeguarding the dollars you work hard to earn.
When politicians protect systems ripe for abuse, everyone suffers — especially the vulnerable populations SNAP is supposed to serve.
A Dangerous Pattern
Taken together, these vetoes reveal a chilling pattern:
- Hobbs is willing to ignore border security in favor of political expediency.
- Hobbs is willing to leave Arizona’s infrastructure vulnerable to the Chinese Communist Party.
- Hobbs is willing to allow fraud and waste to flourish unchecked in public assistance programs.
Each decision, taken on its own, would be cause for serious concern. Together, they paint a portrait of a leader fundamentally out of touch with the priorities, needs, and security of Arizona citizens.
And the stakes are only getting higher.
With the fiscal year ending June 30, budget negotiations are ongoing. Arizona’s budget must not be allowed to reflect the same reckless disregard for safety and fiscal prudence we’ve seen in these vetoes. Republican lawmakers will need to stand firm, fight for common sense, and — if necessary — bring key measures directly to the people via ballot initiatives.
After all, when the politicians won’t protect Arizona, it falls to the people to do so.
Unpopular Decision From Gov. Katie Hobbs
Governor Hobbs’ veto spree is not just an embarrassment — it’s a liability. Arizonans deserve a government that works for them, not one that plays political games with their safety, security, and hard-earned tax dollars.
Whether it’s keeping violent criminals off our streets, defending against foreign espionage, or protecting public funds from fraud, the message from Senate Republicans is clear: Arizona must come first. Not partisan politics. Not empty promises.
The people of Arizona will have their chance to be heard. And judging by the overwhelming support for Prop 314, it’s likely they will send another unmistakable message: Protect Arizona. Period.