Buckeye GOP lawmaker’s tax break bill for disabled vets confronts Dem sloganeering

Arizona House Majority Leader Michael Carbone, the Buckeye Republican, aims to give back to disabled veterans by providing them with a property tax exemption -- if the Democrats cosign on it.

Mirroring legislative efforts in other states like Texas and California, the GOP lawmaker has sponsored House Bill 2672, which can give a much-needed break to some struggling disabled vets.

“Our veterans didn’t hesitate when their country called, and 100% service-disabled veterans shouldn’t be asked to keep paying property taxes on a home they sacrificed so much to protect,” he said. “HB 2672 sends a message that Arizona stands firmly with those who have borne the heaviest cost of war.”

The House passed the bill with strong bipartisan support, according to the lawmaker. Carbone said it’s a just cause, and Democratic leaders will be in a tough spot approaching the midterm elections if they reject it.

“If Gov. [Katie] Hobbs vetoes it, she’ll have to explain to every veteran in this state why she chose tax revenue over those who gave their health and their future for our freedom,” he told InBuckeye.

Dems cozying up to vets

Democrats and media outlets have recently focused on U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs layoffs and rumors around potential cuts to benefits to rally vets against the GOP, according to Arizona Republican leaders.

Last month, Democrats criticized VA leadership and President Donald Trump for those layoffs and cuts to the budget, like the Veterans Crisis Line. VA benefit funding for disability, tuition and VA loans remain essentially unchanged, but funds supporting administration and contracts are being closely scrutinized.

The focus on veteran morale contrasts with the previous administration, where leaders and media outlets painted many veterans as being extremists, according to Carbone.

For instance, Bishop Garrison, a Biden administration official, told NPR in January that extremism plagues the military.

"The Marine Corps has the second-most cases of former or current members who are extremists, second only to the Army, which is the largest branch, this despite the Marines being the smallest fighting force," he said on NPR.

Garrison served in the Biden administration as the senior advisor to the Secretary of Defense for DEI.

Likewise, media outlets like The Atlantic published articles detailing military veterans as potential recruits for extremists as early as 2013 and as recently as last year. Tom Nichols, a staff writer for The Atlantic, mentioned extremism in the military as "growing—and dangerous" after referencing a Biden administration report of the military last year.

Carbone told InBuckeye that recent Democratic overtures toward veterans is all talk, citing that the party has no history of empathy for veterans struggling to re-acclimate.

“House Republicans are doing what we said we would do — cut taxes and protect those who’ve earned it,” he said. “Veterans deserve action, not excuses. If Democrats want to win the trust of the veteran community, they’ll need to show up with more than campaign slogans. This bill gives them that chance.”