Exposed: Amish Shah lied about voting record in border ad

Exposed: Amish Shah lied about voting record in border ad

In a stunning display of political dishonesty, Amish Shah got caught red-handed lying to Arizonans about his record on border security.

Shah's recent TV ad brazenly claimed he "worked with both parties to increase border security" by supporting a "Bipartisan Border Security Fund." The truth? Shah voted against creating the fund and opposed funding it entirely.

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NOTE: "As a former state legislator, Amish Shah knows better, but willingly chose to lie to Arizonans anyway in hopes they wouldn't check his voting record. It does not get more cynical than Shah rewriting history to take credit for the Border Security Fund he voted against creating and voted against funding," Petersen wrote.

Fact check: Did Democrat Amish Shah vote to 'increase border security'?
Arizona Republic
Laura Gersony

An ad released by Democratic candidate Amish Shah is coming under attack from Republicans in a closely watch Arizona congressional race.

In the 30-second ad, Shah, an emergency room doctor from Phoenix and former state representative, promotes a vote he took while serving in the Arizona Legislature in 2022.

"I worked with both parties to increase border security," Shah narrates atop footage of himself knocking on voters' doors, citing a vote with the caption, "Bipartisan Border Security Fund."

Since he won the Democrats' crowded July 30 primary, Shah has put a greater emphasis on immigration and has billed himself as someone willing to break from his party on the issue.

The National Republican Congressional Committee, which is boosting Shah's Republican opponent, veteran incumbent Rep. David Schweikert, calls that claim a "lie." They point out that Shah voted against the sweeping package of budget legislation that first established the Border Security Fund.

Shah argues that's an unfair attack. He counters that he voted against the budget for different reasons, and that the 2022 vote he is promoting did indeed strengthen border security.

Here's what to know about his voting record.

Shah voted against budget that first established the Border Security Fund

The Border Security Fund was created as part of Arizona's 2022 budget.

It was included in a subsection of the budget that focused on criminal justice. The measure passed with a strict party line vote: All 31 Republicans voted for it, and all 29 Democrats, including Shah, voted against it.

Ben Petersen, a spokesperson for the National Republican Congressional Committee, argued that the vote makes Shah's current ad hypocritical.

Shah shrugged off that line of criticism in an interview.

When deciding how to vote on the budget, he said, "you're, overall, looking at the entire package, and trying to decide whether the entire package is a good thing or not a good thing."

[…]

The Border Security Fund has been used primarily to support law enforcement and build out manpower and resources at the border. It is overseen by the Arizona Department of Emergency and Military Affairs.

Subsequent vote boosted border security, Shah argues

In the ad, Shah promotes a vote he took in 2022 on House Bill 2591. That bill authorized DEMA to spend $250,000 from the Border Security Fund to hire additional staff.

It passed with support from all 31 Republicans and a minority of Democrats, including Shah.

The bill didn't appropriate new funding, and it was a small slice of the $55 million that the Legislature initially had dedicated to the Border Security Fund. Rather it deployed state money that had already been set aside for border issues.

"It's hard to say that didn't increase border security," Shah said.

The contest unfolding between Shah and Schweikert is considered one of the most competitive U.S. House races in the country. About 27% of active voters in the district are Democrats, 33% are not affiliated with a political party, and 39% are Republicans, according to the Arizona Secretary of State.

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