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A competitive congressional race in Arizona is one of just 18 across the country that could determine which party controls the House. The central question in that race is, did Republicans' One Big Beautiful Bill Act help or hurt voters? KJZZ's Wayne Schutsky reports.
WAYNE SCHUTSKY, BYLINE: Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and House Speaker Mike Johnson joined incumbent GOP Congressman Juan Ciscomani in August to tour a Frito-Lay factory in Casa Grande, a rapidly expanding city about an hour south of Phoenix that's part of the state's sixth congressional district. After the tour, Bessent gave his impression of the city.
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SCOTT BESSENT: Life is good here in Casa Grande.
SCHUTSKY: The three Republicans used the tour to praise GOP policies, and specifically how the One Big Beautiful Bill is benefiting Congressional District 6. Here's Speaker Johnson.
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MIKE JOHNSON: We're putting manufacturers, small businesses, working families in the best possible position to succeed. And we're going to continue to do that.
SCHUTSKY: The visit came as polling shows Ciscomani locked in a close race with Democratic challenger JoAnna Mendoza, a Marine Corps veteran who grew up nearby in a family of farm workers. To Mendoza, President Trump's signature domestic policy achievement, also called HR1, hasn't been all that beautiful for CD6, where residents are dealing with a rising cost of living. And she says HR1's changes to SNAP food assistance are making things worse. Mendoza says programs like these helped her rise out of rural poverty to eventually become a Marine Corps drill sergeant.
JOANNA MENDOZA: I share that with people because these programs are not - they're not a handout. They're a hand up. And certainly, families like mine used them when they needed them.
SCHUTSKY: Since Arizona began implementing the changes to SNAP, just over half of the people enrolled in the state lost benefits, around half a million Arizonans. That's outpacing other states across the country. Nationwide, 25 states with available data reported that over 1 million children lost their SNAP benefits. Republicans have defended the changes. Here's Ciscomani at a debate earlier this month.
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JUAN CISCOMANI: We want to make sure that we protect that safety net for the people that was meant to do. There's a lot of fraud out there.
SCHUTSKY: But critics, including many SNAP recipients, have complained that new bureaucratic hurdles are causing otherwise qualified Arizonans to lose coverage. Data from the state agency responsible for administering food assistance, released in response to a records request by KJZZ, shows it has dropped millions of calls with Arizonans since October 2024, which has made it harder for people seeking benefits to comply with HR1's new work requirements that went into effect last year. The agency now says it's making changes to improve its ability to answer those calls. But during the factory visit, Ciscomani lists the ways he thinks HR1 is benefiting his constituents.
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CISCOMANI: Represents the largest tax cut in American history made permanent. Largest share of tax relief directly to low- and middle-income Americans. Protects and creates up to 7.2 million jobs.
SCHUTSKY: Ultimately, it will be up to CD6 voters to decide whether the Big Beautiful Bill has been a boon or a bust for their community. Counties in the district have an unemployment rate between 5.5% to nearly 7%. That's more than a percentage point higher than when Trump took office for his second term. George Scott, who works with the local chamber of commerce in rural Benson, Arizona, acknowledged that life can be tough in districts like his and thinks the GOP-backed tax cuts will help.
GEORGE SCOTT: I believe in the tax cuts. You know, it's just hard to make ends meet in rural Arizona.
SCHUTSKY: Back in Casa Grande, resident Terri Arvizu appeared alongside Mendoza at a recent panel to tell a different story.
TERRI ARVIZU: I talk to my neighbors, I talk to coworkers, and everybody's struggling. We need more in our community. We need the resources. We need the help. Like, we don't feel like anyone's hearing our voices.
SCHUTSKY: So is life good in CD6? It depends on who you ask. For NPR News, I'm Wayne Schutsky in Phoenix. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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