The Department of Economic Security office located on Fort Lowell Road in Tucson, Ariz. Dec. 18, 2025.
Around midday on Thursday, nearly every seat at the Department of Economic Security office on Fort Lowell Road in Tucson was filled. Some people had been waiting all morning. One woman approached the building, walked inside to see the lack of empty chairs and immediately returned to her car.
Tucsonans like Gabriela Franco were waiting to apply for state-issued services like Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and Medicaid, also known as the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System or AHCCCS. Many had already experienced delays with the former when the federal government shut down this fall and President Donald Trump refused to release full timely benefits…