U.S. Sen. Ruben Gallego Visits Graham County, Outlines Priorities for Rural Arizona

By Jon Johnson

jonjohnsonnews@gmail.com

SAFFORD — U.S. Senator Ruben Gallego completed a wide-ranging, multi-stop tour of Graham County on Tuesday, Aug. 11, marking his first official visit to the region as a member of the United States Senate.

Gallego’s daylong itinerary began early Tuesday morning in Thatcher and took him through several core institutions in the Gila Valley, including the Eastern Arizona College (EAC) campus, Mt. Graham Regional Medical Center (MGRMC), and the Safford Fire Department, before planning a shift to Greenlee County on Wednesday.

Supporting Agriculture and Navigating Federal Land Conflicts

The senator began his morning meeting with the Graham County Board of Supervisors, local growers, cattlemen, and agricultural producers at a Rancher Farmer Roundtable hosted by the Graham County Farm Bureau at EAC’s executive offices.

During the discussions, local producers raised concerns about bureaucratic hurdles, federal land restrictions, predator management, and ongoing Western water cutbacks. Speaking to reporters afterward, Gallego addressed the friction between federal agencies and rural stakeholders, emphasizing that Washington must take a more proactive, cooperative role in supporting Western states.

“I’ve always been very aware of the interaction between federal government and private property, especially the ranching community. It can be very contentious. It could be competitive,” Gallego said. “What we need to do as elected officials is make sure that we’re advocating for local communities. And sometimes we have to advocate against the federal government because they’re being too bureaucratic. They’re not being responsive in general.”

Gallego noted that over 65 percent of Arizona is made up of federal or tribal land, creating unique growth constraints that East Coast lawmakers often fail to grasp. 

“Even if you want to have some type of federal match from the federal government… a lot of that you have to put some money in as a locality,” he noted, adding that his office focuses on loosening regulations so smaller towns can thrive.

Regarding regional water issues and cuts mandated by the Bureau of Reclamation in the Lower Colorado River Basin, Gallego voiced firm disagreement with broad cuts that threaten local farming. 

“If you’re trying to eat any type of fresh fruit or vegetable during the winter, 80 percent chance it comes down from the lower basin states,” Gallego said. “When you start doing these water reductions, that means that we’re going to have to have some farms that are just not going to produce as much. That’s going to bring inflation up higher.”

He called for a comprehensive federal infrastructure investment to secure Western water. 

”The federal government should help us by having a massive waterworks program that will help the Southwest survive,” he said.  

Gallego also highlighted the importance of finalizing the San Carlos Apache water settlement, stating he aims to serve as a mediator to bring all parties together.

Keynote Address at Eastern Arizona College

Following the roundtable, Sen. Gallego addressed EAC faculty and staff as the keynote speaker for the college’s annual opening staff symposium.

Introduced by EAC President Todd Haynie, who noted Gallego’s five terms in the U.S. House of Representatives and previous service in the Arizona State House, Gallego opened his remarks with a lighthearted callback to a promise made years ago.

“I made a promise that I would actually come and visit Eastern Arizona College, and about 12 years later, I have complied,” Gallego joked. “So I told him, there is no statute of limitations on promises when it comes to that.”

Addressing the crowd, Gallego shared a personal account of growing up in a first-generation immigrant household raised by a single mother, explaining how public education and community colleges served as the foundational ladder for his family’s success.

“My mom did not have a college degree. My father had a fourth-grade Mexican elementary school degree, and he left when I was very, very young,” Gallego recalled. “My mom raised four kids on her own… and because of really great opportunities — a combination of high schools, community colleges, public universities, and private universities — we are living the American dream.”

He noted that from a small apartment, his siblings went on to earn advanced degrees, including an MD/PhD in blood oncology research and a master’s in education. His mother later returned to a local community college to earn her own degree after sending her children through school.

“There is a true story of America right there that we need to continue to invest in,” Gallego said. “A lot of what’s happening right now is that the investment isn’t happening in our future. A lot of it is just investment about trying to fix the problems right now. When it comes to rural America, that’s even a bigger problem.”

Protecting Rural Healthcare and Maternal Care Access

Gallego’s afternoon schedule brought him to Mt. Graham Regional Medical Center in Safford for a tour of facilities and direct talks with hospital executives and healthcare leaders.

Addressing the nationwide trend of rural labor and delivery units shutting down, Gallego warned against cuts to safety-net health programs like Medicaid, noting that severe cuts hit rural medical providers hardest.

“First, you have to stop the bleeding. And part of that is these Medicaid cuts are going to disproportionately hit rural Arizona,” Gallego stated. “If you don’t have rural hospitals nearby, you’re not going to have OB services… because there is no OB that’s going to take on the liability of trying to be delivering kids and not have emergency services here.”

He stressed that forcing expectant mothers in rural communities to drive hours for routine prenatal appointments leads to missed care and greater complications. Gallego advocated for reversing Medicaid cuts, expanding federal loan forgiveness for doctors serving in rural shortage areas, utilizing physician visa programs, expanding telemedicine, and continuing to build out local nursing and nurse practitioner pipelines at institutions like EAC.

Foreign Policy, Economy, and First Responders

When asked about serving a conservative-leaning constituency in Graham County that faces national economic pressures — such as high gas prices, inflation, and foreign conflicts — Gallego rejected hyper-partisan labels.

“First, I don’t really think of them as conservatives. I think of them as Arizonans first, and I am here to serve them because that’s my job as a senator, whether they’re Democrat, Republican, independent, or not a voter,” Gallego said.

Touching on energy costs and ongoing military engagements involving Iran, the Iraq War combat veteran delivered a personal reflection on foreign policy.

“For me, I can’t support more funding toward war until I understand how we’re getting out of this war,” Gallego said. “It is personal for me. I am an Iraq War veteran. I was there in 2005 and know we were supposed to get out the next year… We never got out the next year. I lost my best friend in the war and a lot of other friends. I don’t want us to find ourselves in that same situation.”

Gallego finished his Graham County tour Tuesday evening at the Safford Fire Station, meeting directly with local volunteer firefighters and first responders to review public safety equipment needs and emergency management resources.

Heading to Greenlee County

On Wednesday, Aug. 12, Sen. Gallego will extend his regional tour into neighboring Greenlee County. His scheduled events include an operational tour of Freeport-McMoRan’s Morenci copper mine, an official flag presentation ceremony at Morenci High School, a driving tour of historic Clifton alongside the town mayor and town manager, and a site visit with the Greenlee County Board of Supervisors at the Greenlee County Forest Health Site.