Governor Lewis will attend the State of the Union address as Sinema’s guest
WASHINGTON – Arizona senior Senator Kyrsten Sinema met with Gila River Indian Community Governor Stephen Roe Lewis in advance of the State of the Union address to discuss their continued focus on securing Arizona’s water future.
“Arizona’s water crisis requires leaders who are willing and committed to working around the clock to deliver solutions that meet the moment. Both Governor Lewis and I share a strong commitment to be those leaders on behalf of the Arizonans we serve, and we’ll keep partnering on a step-by-step plan to deliver meaningful results and strengthen our water supply for generations of Arizonans to come,” said Sinema.
Sinema announced Monday that Governor Lewis – an inaugural member of Sinema’s Water Advisory Council who has partnered with the Senator on identifying long-term, innovative solutions to secure Arizona’s water future – would join her at this year’s State of the Union address. The two have worked together for years on water and drought-related issues with a focus on delivering meaningful outcomes.
Last year, Sinema launched her Water Advisory Council at the Hoover Dam – an assembly of Arizona water experts and key stakeholders from diverse backgrounds – to develop solutions in response to worsening drought conditions in the American West. Governor Lewis serves as an inaugural member of the Senator’s Water Advisory Council and provides key insights, advice, and guidance from a tribal perspective.
Between Sinema’s bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs law and the Inflation Reduction law she shaped, the Senator has secured more than $12 billion in drought relief and Western water funding. The Senator has regularly met with farmers, stakeholders, irrigation groups, tribal leaders, and her Water Advisory Council to ensure the funding is implemented efficiently and effectively.