PHOENIX (AP) — Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs on Thursday vowed to veto all bills not already on her desk amid a standoff with the Republican-controlled Legislature over funding for a state agency that provides services for some of Arizona's most vulnerable residents.
Hobbs is demanding that lawmakers find a bipartisan compromise that would guarantee funding through the end of the fiscal year for the state's Division of Developmental Disabilities, which supports close to 60,000 people with autism, cerebral palsy, epilepsy, Down syndrome and other cognitive and intellectual disabilities.
Before signing off on a funding package, Republicans want to establish guardrails for the program, such as reducing the number of paid hours that parents who care for their children with disabilities can receive per week. Democrats want to approve funding first and discuss reforms later.
The strategy of holding back on signing bills isn't new. Hobbs' Republican predecessors also withheld their signatures over budget disputes.
Republicans became frustrated after learning that Hobbs was requesting about $13 million more in supplemental funding for the Division of Developmental Disabilities, despite having already released her executive budget proposal.
Republicans contend that Hobbs has mismanaged the funds — going so far as to convene an ad hoc committee earlier this month to discuss “executive budget mismanagement.” Rep. David Livingston, chair of the House Appropriations Committee, said during a hearing earlier this week that it was unacceptable for programs within the division to be shut down in early May because of a lack of funding.
House Speaker Steve Montenegro in a statement called the governor's veto threat “political blackmail.”
Hobbs, who is up for reelection in 2026, claims that Republicans are leveraging the crisis for “political warfare.” The governor is willing to even veto legislation she supports so long as a bipartisan compromise is not reached, said her spokesperson Christian Slater.
“We have been waiting for far too long," Slater said in an interview. “Families are at the brink.”
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Govindarao covers Arizona government and politics for The Associated Press, with a focus on women in state government. She is based in Phoenix.
FILE - Arizona Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs, center, applauds for those affected by the Los Angeles area wildfires as she gives the State of the State address in the House of Representatives at the Capitol with Speaker of the House Rep. Steve Montenegro, R-Litchfield Park, left, and Senate President Warren Petersen, R-Gilbert, flanking the governor on Jan. 13, 2025, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin, File)
KATHMANDU, Nepal (AP) — An environment conference opened in Nepal on Friday to discuss global climate change, including the impact on the highest Himalayan peaks where snow and ice are melting.
The three-day conference in Kathmandu titled, “Climate Change, Mountains and the Future of Humanity,” is expected to include discussions of critical climate issues.
“From the lap of Sagarmatha (Everest), the world’s highest peak, we send this message loud and clear that to protect the mountains is to protect the planet. To protect the mountains is to protect our seas. To protect the mountains is to protect humanity itself,” Nepal Prime Minister Khadga Prasad Oli told participants at the opening meeting.
Nepal is home to eight of the tallest mountains in the world including Mount Everest. A high level of glaciers melting in the Himalayan mountains because of global warming has raised signficant concerns. Melting snow and ice have exposed the mountains and increased the risk of rock slides, landslides and avalanches.
Scientists have warned the Himalayan mountains could lose up to 80% of their glaciers if the Earth warms in coming decades or centuries. They say flash floods and avalanches also could become more likely in coming years, in part because of climate change.
“The tragedy is that the Himalayas are facing an unprecedented stress test in real time today, exposing not only the fragile nature of our mountain ecosystems but also a glaring evidence of the lack of meaningful global climate action,” Nepal Foreign Minister Arzu Rana Deuba said. “As a mountainous country with high disaster risk vulnerability, Nepal faces a stark predicament.”
Nepal has experienced a series of severe weather events in the recent past with devastating impacts on people and their livelihoods, Deuba said.
"Floods and glacial lake outbursts have caused large-scale destruction and damage, and droughts, water scarcity and forest fires have brought untold suffering to the people across the country," she said
Ministers from neighboring India, Bhutan and Maldives are attending the conference.
Organizers have said they intend to publish a Kathmandu declaration after the discussions end Sunday.
A Chinese delegate arrives to participate in an environment conference named Sagarmatha Sambaad (Mount Everest Dialogue) in Kathmandu, Nepal, Friday, May 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha)
Nepalese Prime Minister Khadga Prasad Oli, center, arrives to participate in an environment conference named Sagarmatha Sambaad (Mount Everest Dialogue) in Kathmandu, Nepal, Friday, May 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha)
An Indian delegate arrives to participate in an environment conference named Sagarmatha Sambaad (Mount Everest Dialogue) in Kathmandu, Nepal, Friday, May 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha)
Nepalese policemen stand guard during the inauguration of an environment conference named Sagarmatha Sambaad (Mount Everest Dialogue) at the Soaltee Hotel in Kathmandu, Nepal, Friday, May 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha)estha)
A volunteer awaits to welcome delegates during the inauguration of an environment conference named Sagarmatha Sambaad (Mount Everest Dialogue) at the Soaltee Hotel in Kathmandu, Nepal, Friday, May 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha)estha)
