by Matthew Holloway | Nov 1, 2025 | Home Page Top Story, News
By Matthew Holloway |
Arizona Senator Ruben Gallego sharply criticized Republican leaders over the Democrat-led federal government shutdown during an appearance on CBS’s The Late Show with Stephen Colbert this week. Gallego claimed that the impasse threatens health care affordability nationwide
The segment spotlighted the Democrat-instigated federal government shutdown and the looming expiration of enhanced Affordable Care Act (ACA) subsidies, which could drive up premiums as open enrollment begins November 1st. The interview played out like an in-kind political ad for Gallego.
The subsidies, extended under the 2021 American Rescue Plan as a form of COVID relief, eliminated income caps for marketplace eligibility, allowing households above 400% of the federal poverty level to receive aid.
Host Stephen Colbert teed up the Democratic position for the softball interview: “Well, this shutdown has gone on for 29 days. If I can characterize the position the Democrats want the Republicans to address [as] the lapsing of the tax credits and ACA, the Obamacare, so people are going to see the rates jump up starting in November, right?”
Gallego detailed the stakes for his state. He noted that premiums could surge nearly 50% for a family of four earning up to $128,600 annually—or a family of five up to $150,600—potentially adding about $7,000 to yearly costs. He said, “And things are hard right now. I mean, everything is fricking expensive, and now the government, these Republicans, are going to willingly raise people’s premiums. That’s what’s happening right now.”
The senator, who has continued to cash his congressional paychecks during the shutdown, directed fire at GOP figures absent from negotiations. He accused House Speaker Mike Johnson of being “off hiding somewhere with the Epstein list” and quipped about former President Donald Trump, saying, “I don’t know where the hell Trump is. But I think he’s probably in Korea putting on a crown or something like that.”
Gallego stressed the fallout for ordinary Americans: “Either way, our people, everyday working-class people in this country are hurting right now.”
Just two weeks ago, Gallego claimed he needed to “restrain” himself in the presence of Speaker Johnson when he and Sen. Mark Kelly confronted the Speaker in a Capitol hallway.
Gallego’s account seems to ignore a point that Senate Majority Leader John Thune exposed explosively from the Senate floor Monday night when he said, “The senator from New Mexico is absolutely right; SNAP recipients shouldn’t go without food. People should be getting paid in this country, and we’ve tried to do that 13 times—and you voted no 13 times! This isn’t a political game; these are real people’s lives we are talking about, and you have all just figured out 29 days in that, oh, there may be some consequences?!?”
Instead, Gallego took the time to leverage his well-worn rags-to-Senate story—from a single-mother home to advocating for economic opportunity —continuing what appears to be a soft start to 2028 White House ambitions.
Arizona State Representative Nick Kupper (R-LD25) took to X to respond to Gallego’s post, sharing the interview. Gallego wrote, “The fact that someone like me ended up where I am is proof that this country can still be great. But that promise doesn’t survive on its own. We have to fight for it.”
Kupper, seemingly unimpressed, reposted him, quipping: “The fact that he’s on this late-night show slinging his crap is more proof that this is all just performance art.”
The full interview is available on YouTube and Paramount+.
Matthew Holloway is a senior reporter for AZ Free News. Follow him on X for his latest stories, or email tips to Matthew@azfreenews.com.
by Jonathan Eberle | Nov 1, 2025 | Must Read, News
By Jonathan Eberle |
Senator Carine Werner (R-LD4), Chair of the Arizona Senate Health and Human Services Committee, announced that the committee will convene its third special oversight hearing on the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System (AHCCCS) on Tuesday, November 12 at 1 p.m.in Senate Hearing Room 1.
The hearing continues the committee’s months-long probe into what lawmakers describe as systemic failures in the state’s Medicaid program. The focus will be on AHCCCS’s ongoing response to widespread Medicaid fraud and the long-term fallout affecting behavioral health providers and Arizona families.
Senator Werner has invited newly appointed AHCCCS Director Ginny Roundtree and members of the agency’s executive leadership to testify. The committee has also requested the attendance of Arizona Department of Health Services (ADHS) leaders to address allegations that providers who have publicly criticized the agencies faced retaliation.
“Arizonans deserve answers — not excuses,” Werner said. “Governor Hobbs and AHCCCS continue to hide behind lawsuits and misleading data, instead of owning up to the damage caused by its failed oversight. We will not allow bureaucratic stonewalling to stand in the way of accountability.”
The committee’s investigation began earlier this year following revelations of billions in fraudulent billing, tens of thousands of member disenrollments, and severe service disruptions impacting vulnerable populations, including Native American communities. Lawmakers argue that AHCCCS’s sluggish response has deepened the crisis, with incomplete data, opaque enforcement actions, and a lack of transparency on recovery efforts.
Werner’s committee has repeatedly pressed AHCCCS for detailed documentation on how it is addressing fraud, reinstating providers, and safeguarding patient access. So far, legislators say the agency’s evasiveness underscores a larger pattern of bureaucratic failure. The November 12 hearing will publicly review AHCCCS’s compliance with data and document requests, as well as evaluate whether corrective actions are being implemented.
Jonathan Eberle is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
by Alison Furno | Oct 31, 2025 | Opinion
By Alison Furno |
As an Arizonan, a small business owner, and a concerned citizen, I’m deeply troubled by how the Left’s government shutdown is hurting our communities. Every day Washington fails to act, hardworking Arizonans pay the price.
Military families at bases like Luke and Davis-Monthan, air traffic controllers keeping our skies safe, National Guard members protecting our borders, and countless small business owners are being forced to shoulder the consequences of political inaction—many continuing to serve without pay or any certainty about the future. Furloughed federal workers in Tucson and Phoenix are dipping into savings just to cover groceries, while delayed permits and contracts grind local projects to a halt.
I run two small businesses here in Arizona—a volleyball coaching company and a social media management brand—so I see firsthand how government shutdowns ripple through real lives. They slow things down, shake confidence, and make it harder for families and business owners to plan ahead. When federal payments stall, suppliers wait longer to get paid, employees across industries worry about their next paycheck, and everyday customers start cutting back. It’s working families, small businesses, and community builders who feel it most—while politicians argue over deadlines and programs they created themselves.
Let’s rewind to March 2021. President Joe Biden signed the American Rescue Plan—a massive spending package sold as emergency relief. Hidden inside was an expansion of premium tax credits under the Affordable Care Act, increasing federal payouts to insurers and expanding who qualifies. These subsidies were supposed to be temporary bridges to help Americans get through the pandemic. Yet years later, some in Washington are treating them as untouchable—willing to shut down the government rather than let them expire.
These subsidies were never meant to be permanent, and they can’t be sustained responsibly. The Congressional Budget Office projected that making them permanent would add over $34 billion to the federal deficit in the next decade.
Even worse, these handouts have distorted the healthcare market. When the government guarantees bigger subsidies no matter the cost, insurers and providers raise prices—knowing taxpayers will cover the difference. Executives pocket bonuses, red tape piles up, and real healthcare workers get squeezed. What was supposed to make care “affordable” has instead insulated the system from competition and transparency, driving costs higher for everyone not lucky enough to qualify for the subsidies.
The hard truth is that the Affordable Care Act never lived up to its name. It drove up prices and created layers of bureaucracy. Now, temporary subsidies—originally sold as short-term relief—are being treated as permanent entitlements. Holding the government and everyday Americans hostage over these failed policies is simply wrong.
Senators Kelly and Gallego, you represent a state known for independence and common sense. The House has already passed a clean Continuing Resolution to fund the government and end this unnecessary pain. Support it. Reopen federal agencies. Let our military families breathe easier, our air traffic controllers get their paychecks, and our small businesses plan for the future without Washington’s chaos.
Arizona’s working people have carried enough. It’s time for our leaders to choose stability over subsidies, solutions over gridlock, and the Grand Canyon State over partisan games. End the shutdown now.
Alison Furno is an Arizona Resident, Small Business Owner, and Independent Women’s Network Phoenix Co-Leader.
by AZ Free Enterprise Club | Oct 31, 2025 | Opinion
By the Arizona Free Enterprise Club |
The Green New Scam got its start in Arizona two decades ago when a 5-0 Republican Commission (including then Republican Kris Mayes) adopted the Renewable Energy Standard and Tarriff Rules, or the REST Rules. Among other things, most significantly it ushered in the first “renewable” mandates in our state, forcing utilities to obtain at least 15% of their power from “renewables.” Ratepayers have been paying the costs (over $2 billion) ever since.
The REST Rules had a target date: 2025. Well, it’s now 2025, and the utilities have not only met that mandate, but they have also voluntarily exceeded it. Now our current 5-0 Republican Commission has started the process of repealing them.
Repealing the REST Rules is important, but the targets have already been met, and the price has already been paid. Substantively, the repeal won’t really affect ratepayers all that much. Why? Because mandate or no mandate, our utilities are completely committed to going “Net Zero” by 2050, and so far, they’ve been allowed to do it…
>>> CONTINUE READING >>>
by Ethan Faverino | Oct 31, 2025 | Education, Must Read, News
By Ethan Faverino |
Arizona Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horne issued a statement opposing the State Board of Education’s decision to postpone the rulemaking to strip Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) language from Arizona’s teaching standards.
The issue will now be taken up at the Board’s December meeting—a delay Horne warns risks $866 million in federal education funding and violates clear federal civil rights directives.
“I respectfully but strongly disagree with the vote to postpone opening the rule-making process,” declared Horne. “The President issued an Executive Order requiring DEI language to be removed from programs funded by federal dollars. It made it abundantly clear that federal education funding is at risk if DEI language remains in education programs. Failure to comply with federal guidance may result in the loss of an estimated $866 million to Arizona schools. That is a major funding cut to our schools, and we need to begin dealing with this as soon as possible.”
Horne pointed to a letter from the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR), signed by Acting Assistant Secretary Craig Trainor, which reaffirms that discrimination based on race, color, or national origin is illegal under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Equal Protection Clause, and controlling Supreme Court precedent.
The guidance explicitly condemns race-based preferences in admissions, financial aid, hiring, training, discipline, housing, and graduation ceremonies, and warns that DEI programs often “preference certain racial groups and teach students that certain racial groups bear unique moral burdens that others do not.”
The OCR letter also cites the Supreme Court’s 2023 ruling in Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard (SFFA), which states that the use of racial preferences in school testing and admissions is unlawful. Their message is simple: “If an educational institution treats a person of one race differently than it treats another person because of that person’s race, the educational institution violates the law.”
“Not only is the $866 million at risk, but there is a philosophical issue at stake, too,” continued Horne. “All people should be judged based on their character and ability, not their race or ethnicity. DEI language and programs promote the exact opposite, and they have no place in the classroom. The teaching standards, unfortunately, include DEI references, and they need to be removed.”
The teaching standards at issue direct educators to teach “equitably,” with “responsiveness to the cultural backgrounds and differing perspectives learners bring to the learning environment,” and to address the “social, emotional, and cultural needs of students.”
“These terms do not belong in teaching standards,” Horne concluded. “The standards are meant to direct educators on the most effective ways to teach students’ core academics. Every instructional minute is precious, and DEI efforts distract from that essential mission.”
Ethan Faverino is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
