Rep. Grijalva Statement Following Senate Vote on Permitting Reform Bill

Washington, D.C. — Congresswoman Adelita S. Grijalva released the following statement after the U.S. Senate voted to advance the Bipartisan American Affordability and Jobs Act (BAAJA) of 2026. Earlier in the day, she spoke at a rally outside of the U.S. Capitol in opposition to the bill. You can view her remarks here .
“Just one week after voters resoundingly rejected the Trump agenda, Congress should not be rushing to pass a bill that gives him even more unilateral authority to bypass our laws. This legislation was developed without hearings, meaningful tribal consultation and stakeholder engagement, or the rigorous review that a bill of this magnitude would normally go through. I remain deeply concerned about provisions that would gut protections for clean air and water, undermine tribal sovereignty, and potentially fast-track data center development.
“For Southern Arizona, this bill is not some abstract debate about federal permitting – it is about the water we drink, the air we breathe, the mountains and public lands we cherish, and the future we leave our children. I am especially concerned about a provision that would allow toxic mine tailings to be dumped on public lands in the Coronado National Forest.
“Alarmingly, this legislation could also make it easier for DHS to establish new immigrant detention centers by weakening environmental review requirements under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) — the very law Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes has invoked in challenging the proposed detention facility in Surprise, Arizona. We should not be stripping away critical safeguards to make it easier for this administration to expand its mass detention infrastructure.”
“For these reasons, I am a hard NO on BAAJA.”