Arizona has long faced the reality of a hotter, drier future, and in response, the city of Tucson, local schools and neighborhoods have stepped up to lead on clean energy and climate resilience. From solar-powered elementary schools to heat-mitigation projects in disinvested communities, we have become an example of what real, local climate solutions can look like.

But now, as Congress works to advance President Trump’s so-called “Big, Beautiful Bill,” this momentum is under attack — fueled by partisan politics, disinformation and a deliberate effort to derail federal investments designed to protect our current and future health, environment and economy.

As the vice mayor and representative of Tucson’s Ward 1, I see firsthand how clean energy investments are not abstract policy — they’re already improving lives in our communities.

At Manzo Elementary, a school rooted in Barrio Hollywood, solar panels not only lower utility bills but also power classrooms and help teach the next generation what environmental stewardship looks like. Recognized as a national leader in place-based sustainability education, Manzo integrates aquaponics, school gardens, composting, rainwater harvesting and outdoor learning spaces to make climate education hands-on and culturally relevant. These efforts build climate literacy and leadership from the ground up. Manzo is a model for what community-rooted climate solutions can be: locally led, accessible and built for the future. Investments from the Inflation Reduction Act help schools like Manzo thrive, not just survive rising energy costs.

But here in the desert, we’re up against more than utility hikes — we’re facing deadly heat. Every summer, Tucson sets new records for heat-related emergency room visits. In neighborhoods like mine, where many families live in older homes without modern cooling systems, heat can be a public health emergency. The clean energy investments under threat aren’t just about grid resilience — they’re about saving lives.

What’s at stake couldn’t be clearer. Just this spring, Tucson lost over $7 million in federal funding after Republicans began targeting what they’ve called “green new scam” programs — money that would have gone to community-led climate resilience projects right here in Ward 1. That includes shade infrastructure at 20 high-use bus stops, battery storage upgrades at public-serving facilities, and transforming asphalt heat islands into green stormwater harvesting sites like the South 12th Avenue Greenway. These weren’t abstract ideas — they were shovel-ready plans that would have made our streets safer, cooler and more livable for families already on the frontlines of extreme heat. Now, they’re stalled. We can’t afford to let partisan attacks derail solutions our communities have been building for years.

To make matters worse, the current GOP budget bill being considered in Congress uses the tax dollars “saved” by gutting these critical investments to instead help pay for nearly $4 trillion in tax cuts for corporations and the rich. They want to take from communities like ours and reward Wall Street and the very wealthiest Americans.

Cities like Tucson have used IRA funding to advance clean transportation, invest in urban greening, and build neighborhood cooling solutions in areas most affected by extreme heat. Rather than gutting these programs, we should be expanding them. Imagine what we could do with continued support: more shaded bus stops across our cities, solar panels on every school, green jobs for youth, heat preparedness and home weatherization programs to protect our most vulnerable.

I urge all of Arizona’s elected leaders in Washington to put Arizona first and vote no on stripping these critical investments from communities like ours that rely on them.

Lane Santa Cruz is the vice mayor of Tucson and represents Ward 1 on the Tucson City Council.