{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.gallego.senate.gov/news/press-releases/gallego-marks-one-year-in-the-senate-fighting-for-arizonans/", "Gallego Marks One Year in the Senate Fighting for Arizonans", "2025-12-19", "2025", "2025-12", "Democrat", "Senate", "AZ", "Ruben Gallego", "G000574", "www.gallego.senate.gov", "gallego", "https://www.gallego.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/", "scraper", "In first year, Gallego introduced the most bills of any freshman Democratic Senator\n\nGallego hosted eleven town halls across Arizona\n\nWASHINGTON \u2013 Finishing his first year in office, Senator Ruben Gallego (D-AZ)released the following statement:\n\n\u201cI know this year hasn\u2019t been easy for working families or for our country. The cost of groceries and energy rose dramatically, Republicans raised health care costs for millions of Americans, Trump took a wrecking ball to the federal services that millions of Americans rely on, and this administration\u2019s cruel immigration practices tore families apart and caused chaos in our communities. But from day one, I\u2019ve made it my mission to show up, listen to, and fight for Arizonans.\n\n\u201cLooking ahead to 2026, I\u2019m focused on building on this progress and continuing to show up for Arizona families every single day. The best part of this job has been, and will always be, working for Arizonans.\u201d\n\nBy the Numbers:\n\nDuring his first year in the Senate, Senator Gallego introduced 29 bills and cosponsored 223 more \u2013 the most bills of any freshman Democratic Senator.\n\nSenator Gallego had one of his sponsored bills sent to the President\u2019s desk, where it is expected to be signed before the end of the year, and three more bills he backed also became law.\n\nTwo of Senator Gallego\u2019s bills passed out of committee, and five Gallego-backed bills passed the Senate.\n\nIn Arizona, Gallego held eleven town halls across the state, including ones focused on veterans\u2019 issues and health care.\n\nHis office also closed nearly 450 constituent service cases and held more than 750 meetings with community leaders and advocates.\n\nHighlights:\n\nEconomic Opportunity: Played a key role in shaping the landmark ROAD to Housing Act, the first housing package to pass out of committee in over a decade. Introduced bills to expand access to affordable housing, crack downon unfair pricing practices, and support workers.\n\nVeterans: Successfully pushed the Administration to dramatically scale back their planned layoffs at the VA by less than half after placing a blanket hold on all nominees to the Senate VA Committee.\n\nHealth Care: Relentlessly held Republicans accountable for kicking millions of Americans off Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act, holding town halls across Arizona and doing media appearances.\n\nNutrition: Called out Republicans for gutting food assistance to pay for tax cuts for billionaires and using hunger as leverage. Visited Arizona food banks to highlight the impact these cuts are having on their demand this holiday season.\n\nImmigration: Introduced an ambitious border security and immigration reform plan that received support from national and Arizona leaders.\n\nEnergy & Environment: Tackled America\u2019s energy cost crisis head-on with hisplan for America\u2019s energy future. Fought to help Northern Arizona recover from the devastating Dragon Bravo fire in the Grand Canyon. Restored millions of dollars in Colorado River conservation funding that had been frozen by the administration.\n\nEducation: Succeeded in releasing funding for Arizona\u2019s Head Start programafter the Trump administration\u2019s chaotic funding freeze.\n\nForeign Policy: Pressed President Gustavo Petro on drug trafficking during a visit to Colombia and called out Russian aggression at the Helsinki Commission in Finland. Introduced a War Powers Resolution to prevent an illegal war in Venezuela.\n\nHere\u2019s what Arizona leaders are saying about Senator Gallego\u2019s first year on the job:\n\n\u201cThroughout his first year in the Senate, Senator Gallego has been a strong and reliable voice for health care in Arizona. He has pushed back against harmful Medicaid cuts and taken clear action to protect ACA tax credits that keep coverage within reach for hundreds of thousands of Arizonans. As rising costs put real pressure on families and providers alike, his leadership has helped safeguard access to care when it matters most. We\u2019re grateful for his partnership and his commitment to putting patients first,\u201d said Jessica Yanow, MPH, President and CEO, Arizona Alliance for Community Health Centers.\n\n\u201cIn his first year as a U.S. Senator, Ruben Gallego has shown that standing up for veterans isn\u2019t symbolic, it\u2019s personal. He listens, he acts, and he leads with the integrity of someone who understands service and sacrifice,\u201d said Paula Pedene, US Navy Veteran, and member of Senator Gallego\u2019s Veterans Advisory Council.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:09:11Z"]], "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-marks-one-year-in-the-senate-fighting-for-arizonans/"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.7804341148585081, "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"}