By Stacey Barchenger | Arizona Republic
Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs on Thursday vetoed a Republican-backed budget that would have kept year-over-year spending steady and curbed her power to fund Democratic policy priorities in her first year in office.
It was Hobbs’ first veto as governor in a legislative session where partisan divides, with a helping of intraparty fighting among Republicans, have taken the spotlight.
GOP lawmakers rushed Hobbs the budget for the fiscal year that begins July 1 on Monday after one of their own defectors changed her vote. They acknowledged it was veto bait as Hobbs made clear the spending plan would not receive her signature to become law.
On Thursday, the Democratic governor made it official.
