Fair Share America Brought the 14-State National Campaign to Colorado to Highlight the Harmful Impacts of the GOP’s Federal Budget + Tax Bill

“[Rep. Ciscomani] turns his back on Mexican Americans, on legal residents—the people who are feeding America,” said Lindsay Heimm. “Your actions speak louder than your words.”- Lindsay Heimm, a first-generation American and daughter of immigrants at our roundtable in Oro Valley

“We’re here today in Oro Valley because a promise was broken. Representative Ciscomani can say one thing to the press and sign letters saying he doesn’t support these egregious cuts to Medicaid. But at the end of the day, he said one thing and did another.” - Kristen Crowell, Executive Director of Fair Share America

Oro Valley, Ariz. (July 12, 2025) – Yesterday, Fair Share America, Unrig our Economy, and state partners brought the “Stop the Billionaire Giveaway” national bus tour to Oro Valley to highlight the devastating impact of the federal reconciliation bill on Arizona’s families, communities and economy.

The 45-foot tour bus, wrapped in a giant trillion-dollar bill, made its second stop in Arizona’s 6th Congressional District to send a clear message: working families should not have to pay the price for Republicans’ tax handouts to billionaires and big corporations that Rep. Ciscomani supported.

Kristen Crowell, Executive Director of Fair Share America, opened the roundtable by reminding the audience what is at stake and Rep Ciscomani could have made a difference in stopping the bill from passing, but chose not to:

“The House was up all night doing this business behind closed doors, in the dead of night—and again, this only passed the House by one vote. All it would have taken is one person to have the courage and the moral clarity to stand up to Donald Trump and the billionaire class and say, ‘Not this time. I’m going to stand with my people.’”

Lindsay Heimm, a first-generation American and daughter of immigrants, shared her family’s story and how cuts to Medicaid nearly cost her father his life. She criticized Rep. Ciscomani for ignoring his constituents while backing a bill that threatens families like hers.

“Ciscomani has been silent, not even a town hall. He won’t face his constituents. He won’t face me. I actually went to Capitol Hill before the vote, with the National Domestic Workers Alliance. We stood outside the Capitol at 1 a.m. in the rain, protesting with other organizations to have our voices heard. He wouldn’t even meet with us. You’re speaking through your actions. I don’t care what you say to the press, to the media, your actions speak louder than your words. And so I will be out here blasting him and calling on him to speak to us and justify it—explain himself—until my last breath.”

Lisa Levine, a veteran and retired Army captain who now works as an educator, spoke about the personal betrayal she feels from the new law.

“We should be taking care of each other and speaking up. When I was in uniform, we served our country and followed orders—regardless of politics. But now that I’m retired, I have the freedom to speak, and I will. This bill is insulting. Do they really think $10,000 is enough for veterans to sell out our neighbors and our communities? It’s not. These tax cuts aren’t permanent for us—they’re permanent for corporate America.”

During the roundtable, Kristen Crowell asked participants what keeps them hopeful in the face of deep political betrayal and budget cuts:

“It’s the same reason I joined the military,” said Lisa Levine. “I may not have agreed with every order I was given, but I believe in our country and what we stand for. I believe enough people will stand up and say enough is enough to the ultra-rich and the oligarchs. If we open our eyes as a society, I do believe in America. I’m a proud veteran—and a parent—and our kids deserve a future. We have to stay hopeful and fight to give them that future.”

“I’ve been an activist since high school, walking out in protest of SB 1070 in solidarity with Arizonans,” said Lindsay Heimm. “I still believe in our core American values—freedom and family above all else. What gives me hope is that there are people willing to put their lives on the line for dignity, democracy, and each other. They are our military force—the people’s force. I have so much respect for them, and they give me the strength to keep fighting.”

Toward the end of the event, Crowell invited attendees to share their personal stories about how the federal reconciliation bill—and access to public services—has shaped their lives.

Maddie, a former financial advisor, described how her son’s rare blood disorder required expensive treatment not fully covered by insurance, forcing her to drain her savings and remain in a high-pressure job just to maintain coverage. After the Affordable Care Act passed, she was able to leave that job, relocate, and build a new life for her family.

Another attendee echoed the emotional weight of the event, emphasizing the collective responsibility to act even for those who may not be personally impacted:

“I have none of these stories. I have none of these experiences. But it rips my heart out to hear what other people are going through,” she said. “If you have the means and you can live comfortably and haven't had these experiences, you need to stand up. Help your neighbors—people that you live with in this country.”

Another attendee voiced outrage over the ballooning immigration enforcement budget under the new law:

The ICE budget is what makes me angry—all this money that we're spending on ICE that could be spent so much better,” they said. “It could go to Medicaid. It could go to a warning system in Texas so people don't die from floods. It can go to so many other things—homeless services, child care, food programs. But instead, we have this bloated, obscene ICE budget to hire 100,000 people to run around like a Gestapo with masks on. I feel like I'm in Nazi Germany.”

One local resident reflected on a moment of unexpected optimism:

“You had asked, ‘what gives you hope?’ I have three neighbors that had Trump signs in their house, which made me very sad—it changed how I saw them,” the attendee shared. “But what gave me hope was the No Kings Parade here in Oro Valley. We had over 2,000 people. Being there and seeing that gave me a totally different feeling—that maybe we can overcome.”

A special thanks to our event partners including: Honest AZ, Indivisible Tucson Action Alliance, Living United for Change in Arizona (LUCHA), AFSCME, and the Oro Valley Public Library.

The full swing through Arizona includes three stops:

• Friday, July 11

  • 10 a.m.: Tucson - read the event recap here.

  • 2 p.m.: Oro Valley

• Saturday, July 12

  • 11 a.m.: Phoenix

Learn more about the “Stop the Billionaire Giveaway” bus online and on social media: @FairShare_USA on X and @FairShareAmerica (FB, IG, BS, Threads, TikTok).

###