ICYMI: Senator Gallego Visits Tucson and Phoenix, Talks Lowering Costs, the American Dream, and Government Shutdown

ARIZONA - Last week, Senator Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) visited communities across Southern Arizona and the Valley. In Tucson, the Senator heard from students, community leaders, and local officials and discussed federal solutions to lower the cost of living, fix the housing crisis, and expand broadband internet access. In Phoenix, Gallego celebrated Hispanic Heritage Month with multiple events, including visits to an elementary and high school, and a Latino-owned small business.

Senator Gallego meets with a Hispanic small business owner in the Valley (left) and Marine Corps JROTC cadets at a Tolleson high school

Also in Phoenix, Senator Gallego convened the first meeting of his Conservation Advisory Board, comprised of experts on natural resources, public lands, and conservation issues that will guide his work.

Senator Gallego hosts the first meeting of his Conservation Advisory Board

He wrapped up the week with a meeting with Western Alliance Bank employees, where he discussed federal efforts to support small businesses and strengthen Arizona's economy and later toured Legends Home Manufacturing in Tolleson to hear firsthand how Trump's tariffs are impacting operations.

Senator Gallego discusses the impacts of Trump's tariffs on the manufacturing sector in Arizona

Watch more coverage of Senator Gallego's trip to Arizona:

KOLD (Tucson, AZ):

Reporter: "Today, we also got to hear from some of our current politicians. Representative Juan Ciscomani and Senator Ruben Gallego both spent the day in Southern Arizona. They heard from voters about multiple issues, but a major theme for both was the economy. Senator Gallego pointed to high prices across the board as a reason to cut some things out of President Donald Trump's 'Big, Beautiful Bill.'"

Senator Gallego: "Maybe we don't have to agree on everything, but let's figure out where are the areas that we could agree on so we could help bring down the cost [for] everyday Arizonans, because that would probably be the quickest thing we could do to really make people's life a lot better."

Univision Arizona (Phoenix, AZ):

Reporter (Translated from Spanish): "Today, Senator Rubén Gallego visited the Legends Furniture Manufacturing plant located in the city of Tolleson, a place where American-made furniture has been produced since 1990. He spoke with the workers today, the majority of whom are Hispanic. He continues to support American manufacturing and also spoke exclusively with us about the concerns of our communities."

Senator Gallego (Translated from Spanish): "The workers of this country [are] Latinos who want to bring a future to their families. The owners of this company are very afraid because they want to make sure that the people who work here… are allowed to stay here. […] If Latinos are not working in this country, this country doesn't have the development we need. The right to work without threats- fines, go through a background check, and stay here with your families, working to improve our country."

KTAR (Phoenix, AZ):

Reporter: "Let's jump, then, into a topic of this possibility of a government shutdown. […] What needs to happen here from both sides?"

Senator Gallego: "My main concern is that there are tens of thousands of Arizonans, potentially hundreds of thousands of Arizonans, [for who] premiums are going to go up starting in January [by] 200 to $300. We have a short time period between now and essentially mid-December before we change that. And this is a time period I want this President, the White House, Democrats, Republicans, to work together to do that. Let's work together on that, pass that budget, put those premium subsidies in there. […] I think that's a good compromise. We keep government open, we get people to not end up having a huge increase in the premiums, and we keep moving on."

KJZZ (Phoenix, AZ):

Senator Gallego: "Look, I think deal will come together eventually. You know, what we want is pretty simple. We want government to stay open, and we want to answer what people are really telling us that they're worried about, which is the cost of health care going up. We have premiums [that] are going up everywhere across the country. They're going to start hitting in January. We can work in a bipartisan manner to fix this and finish this and move on."

Arizona's Family (Phoenix, AZ):

Senator Gallego: "We know there's going to be Arizonans going to have to be paying hundreds of dollars more per month starting in January. So, we need to do the best that we can in the meantime."

Read more coverage of Senator Gallego's trip to Arizona:

The Daily Wildcat: Sen. Ruben Gallego talks housing, immigration and student concerns at UA

[Mohinur Mannonova, 9/24/25]

U.S. Sen. Ruben Gallego, a Democrat from Arizona, visited the University of Arizona campus on Tuesday, Sept. 23, to speak with young Democrats at the Student Union Memorial Center.

The visit gave students a chance to ask questions and hear his perspective on issues affecting young Arizonans, including the cost of education, housing affordability and immigration policy. […]

According to Gallego, economic pressures are affecting young people. "Middle-class families face challenges affording housing, transportation and higher education," Gallego said. "And student loans remain a major concern."

"It was really important to hear directly from someone who represents us," Adelina Grijalva-Gomez, a UA College Democrats member, said. "He was listening to our concerns and answering our questions. It makes politics feel real, and it shows that young people can have a voice."

• 13 News: Rep. Ciscomani, Sen. Gallego visit Pima County to meet with voters[Katherine Patterson, 9/23/25]
• KTAR News: Arizona Sen. Ruben Gallego wants fellow Democrats to focus on 1 issue in shutdown talks [Kevin Stone, 9/25/25]
• Arizona Republic: Sen. Ruben Gallego says public needs truth about Trump border czar's bribe probe [Ronald J. Hansen, 9/26/25]
• Daily Independent: Gallego to JROTC: military ethos as a blueprint for success [Mary Goldmeer, 9/27/25]

Spanish-language coverage of Senator Gallego's trip to Arizona:

• Conecta Arizona: Rubén Gallego escucha a líderes de Tucson: educación y costos de vida [Paula Diaz, 9/24/25]
• La Onda 99.5FM: El senador Rubén Gallego compartió su historia con alumnos de una escuela en el centro de Phoenix [9/24/25]
• Conecta Arizona: Rubén Gallego celebra el Mes de la Herencia Hispana en Phoenix [Daniel Robles, 9/25/25]
• La Onda 99.5FM: Rubén Gallego, en ocasión del mes de la herencia hispana convocó a una rueda de prensa[9/25/25]
• Univision AZ: El Senador Rubén Gallego Celebra Mes de la Herencia Hispana[9/26/2025]
• Radio La Campesina: Rubén Gallego sobre Inmigración y Herencia Hispana - Entrevista en El Malcriado[9/26/2025]

9/29/25