The following is the opinion and analysis of the writer:
Amy Emerick Clerkin
For more than 19 years, I’ve had the privilege of working for the late Representative Raúl M. Grijalva, 16 of them as chief of staff. I am, of course, a longtime reader of the Daily Star, including Tim Steller’s columns. And though I’ve certainly disagreed with Mr. Steller over the years, I’ve never been moved to respond until now.
Two days after Rep. Grijalva’s passing, Mr. Steller published a legacy piece, describing the political power machine that Grijalva built in Tucson with both a deserved sense of esteem, but also a hint of derision. In remembering Grijalva’s congressional career, for instance, he commended his wins for the district, but questioned his policy acumen, asserting “he didn’t have a towering record of legislative achievement.”
Working in Congress, you build thick skin for criticism. But Mr. Steller’s claim isn’t a matter of differing opinion; it’s patently false.
When it comes to enacting laws and policies to improve life for every Arizonan and American, the truth stands: Rep. Grijalva was a legislative giant.
At risk of being accused of bias myself, let’s look at the facts.
Grijalva didn’t just excel at setting aside public lands, as Steller notes — he rewrote the entire playbook on how we envision and protect our natural and cultural heritage. As top Democrat on the House Natural Resources Committee, he stood with tribes to win permanent protections for the Grand Canyon, codified the National Landscape Conservation System, passed the Saguaro National Park Boundary Expansion Act, and secured permanent funding for the widely popular and bipartisan Land and Water Conservation Fund — a feat he was told could never happen.
As one of the earliest climate champions in Congress, he secured tens of billions of dollars through the Inflation Reduction Act and Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to help communities already suffering from drought, catastrophic wildfires, coastal flooding, and other climate impacts. Our district alone has 39 projects funded by those dollars. And he made sure that tribes and other communities who have borne the brunt of industrial pollution have a say in putting that funding to use.
His impact on healthcare and education is just as significant. As co-Chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, Grijalva helped shape the Affordable Care Act, ensuring it provided strong premium assistance, expanded Medicaid, and included minimum benefits. He passed the Native American Suicide Prevention Act, the Migrant and Seasonal Head Start program, and the Preservation Research at Institutions Serving Minorities (PRISM) Act. Knowing education is the great equalizer, he passed the Museum and Library Services Act into law, and was a foremost legislator on English Language Learners, Native and migrant education issues.
The policies he passed touch so many aspects of our lives, including border security, western water, veterans, civil rights and more. He championed billions in bipartisan infrastructure law funding to modernize America’s ports of entry, making them safer and more efficient. His work to pass the Colorado River Drought Contingency Plan Authorization Act was celebrated across the West. He passed the Alexander Lofgren Veterans in Parks Act, named after his late fellow, to support veterans’ access to nature in their healing. His LGBTQI+ Data Inclusion Act passed the House, ensuring voluntary data collection better meets the needs of this constituency. His earlier work includes the Yuma Crossing National Heritage Area Act and the Nogales Wastewater Improvement Act, which he fought many long years to pass.
If this list isn’t convincing enough, listen to UVA’s Center for Effective Lawmaking, which ranked Grijalva as the 14th most effective legislator out of all 435 House members in the 117th Congress.
Congress is a complex institution, and simply searching for bills passed with a legislator’s name is not enough. The reality is that much of the most impactful work in Congress doesn’t get your name stamped on it.
The real work happens in committee hearings, in negotiations, in the relentless push to get good bills over the finish line through larger packages, regardless of whose name is attached. It also happens through executive actions, like the Biden administration’s Environmental Justice for All Executive Order.
Grijalva was a master of the process, accomplishing all of this even though Republicans controlled the House most of his 22 years. He worked from every angle to champion wins for his community and so many like his, even if it went unnoticed. Perhaps humble to a fault, but there’s no doubt – Rep. Grijalva was a towering legislator.
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