{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.gallego.senate.gov/news/press-releases/gallego-makes-first-official-visit-to-graham-greenlee-counties/", "Gallego Makes First Official Visit to Graham, Greenlee Counties", "2026-08-13", "2026", "2026-08", "Democrat", "Senate", "AZ", "Ruben Gallego", "G000574", "www.gallego.senate.gov", "gallego", "https://www.gallego.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/", "scraper", "GRAHAM COUNTY, Ariz. \u2014 This week, Senator Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) made his first official visit to Graham and Greenlee counties, meeting with the people who keep these rural communities moving and hearing firsthand what they need to continue building a strong future.\n\n\u201cRural Arizona is not an afterthought,\u201d said Senator Gallego. \u201cThese communities are the backbone of our state. The people here are working hard, raising families and building the future of Arizona. Our job is to make sure they have the infrastructure, education, health care and economic opportunities they need to succeed right here at home.\u201d\n\nSupporting Arizona\u2019s ranchers and farmers\n\nGallego began his visit with the Graham County Farm Bureau, where he met with local ranchers and agricultural leaders about the challenges facing the region\u2019s farming and ranching communities.\n\nThey discussed rising costs driven by tariffs and fuel prices, water shortages and the growing population of the Mexican gray wolf\u2014all issues that can have a direct impact on families whose livelihoods depend on the land.\n\n\u201cWestern states are surrounded largely by federal land,\u201d said Senator Gallego.\u201cWhat we need to do as elected officials is make sure we\u2019re advocating for our local communities and making sure our federal lands aren\u2019t a hindrance to them. We need to find ways to responsibly reduce unnecessary regulatory burdens so ranchers, farmers and businesses that rely on agriculture in Southern Arizona can thrive.\u201d\n\nCreating opportunities close to home\n\nAt Eastern Arizona College, Gallego met with students and faculty as the new semester began and highlighted the college\u2019s career and technical education programs.\n\nGallego emphasized the importance of giving young people a reason to stay, return and raise their families in rural Arizona.\n\n\u201cWe\u2019re focused on making sure that people can live, grow and really live their American dream where they want to,\u201d said Senator Gallego. \u201cThey shouldn\u2019t have to travel to Maricopa County, Pima County or New Mexico to find opportunity. They should be able to build a good life right here at home. That\u2019s why investing in education and community colleges is so important.\u201d\n\nProtecting rural health care\n\nGallego also visited Mt. Graham Regional Medical Center, where he met with hospital leadership and toured the facility.\n\nGallego highlighted the Protecting Health Care and Lowering Costs Act, legislation he sponsored to reverse health care cuts included in the Trump administration\u2019s \u201cBig Beautiful Bill\u201d that he said could put additional pressure on rural hospitals and the patients who depend on them.\n\n\u201cMedicaid and other insurance programs are very important to keeping rural hospitals open,\u201d Gallego said. \u201cIf you don\u2019t have a rural hospital nearby, people can be forced to drive two or three hours each way just to see a doctor. That\u2019s time away from work and family, and it\u2019s money out of people\u2019s pockets. Some people will skip appointments altogether, and that can turn a manageable health problem into a serious one. Protecting rural health care has to be a priority.\u201d\n\nProtecting the communities that protect us\n\nGallego also toured the Safford Fire Department and met with Greenlee County officials for a forest tour, discussing the growing strain on volunteer firefighters and the need for better forest management.\n\nAs extreme heat, dry conditions and increasingly unpredictable monsoon seasons increase the risk of wildfire, Gallego emphasized the need to invest in forest management and give rural communities the resources they need to protect themselves.\n\nInvesting in the industries that power Arizona\n\nIn Greenlee County, Gallego toured the Freeport-McMoRan mine in Morenci, one of the region\u2019s largest economic engines and a major source of jobs and economic activity.\n\nHonoring those who gave everything\n\nGallego\u2019s visit ended with a visit to Morenci High School to paytribute to the Morenci Nine, nine young men who grew up together in Morenci, enlisted in the Marines and served during the Vietnam War, of which only six came home.\n\n\u201cThese memorials do matter,\u201d said Senator Gallego. \u201cThey\u2019re not just for the dead. They matter for the living\u2014for us to remember the sacrifice they made and what it means to families, because they carry it forever.\u201d\n\n\u201cMy mom will carry her fear forever. Certainly, the widows of the brothers and fathers killed will carry it forever. It\u2019s a good reminder of what happens when we go to war. We love them, and we honor them for their faithful service.\u201d", 1, "2026-08-18T05:27:41Z", "2026-08-18T05:29:06Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.gallego.senate.gov/news/press-releases/gallego-makes-first-official-visit-to-graham-greenlee-counties/"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.253603957593441, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}