by Ethan Faverino | Oct 24, 2025 | News
By Ethan Faverino |
A group of 13 House Republicans, including Arizona’s Juan Ciscomani (AZ-06), have issued a letter to House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA), commending his leadership during the ongoing government shutdown and calling for immediate action to pass a short-term continuing resolution (CR) to reopen the government.
The lawmakers, led by Reps. Jeff Van Drew (R-NJ) and Jen Kiggans (R-VA) emphasized the urgent need to end the government shutdown, which is causing harm to American families, military personnel, federal law enforcement, border agents, and public servants who support veterans and seniors nationwide.
“Every day the shutdown continues to hurt the very people we were elected to serve,” the letter states. “Keeping the government closed helps no one and undermines the safety and stability of our country.”
The group opposes using the government funding debate to address healthcare issues, arguing that such tactics prolong the shutdown and distract from the immediate priority of restoring government operations.
The lawmakers stressed that Congress must focus on passing a CR to fund the government, as the House did on September 19, despite the Senate Democrats’ repeated rejection of the measure 11 times as of Monday, October 20th.
Once the government is reopened, the lawmakers urged Speaker Johnson to prioritize the expiration of the enhanced Affordable Care Act (ACA) premium tax credits.
“We stand firmly behind you as you lead our Conference toward ending the government shutdown,” the lawmakers wrote. “Once the government is reopened, we are ready to work with you to advance healthcare solutions that protect families and lower costs.”
The letter shows the alignment with President Trump’s commitment to preserving healthcare access while addressing the affordability crisis caused by “short-sighted Democratic policymaking.”
“Let us be clear,” the lawmakers wrote. “Significant reforms are needed to make these credits more fiscally responsible and ensure they are going to the Americans who need them most. Our Conference and President Trump have been clear that we will not take healthcare away from families who depend on it. This is our opportunity to demonstrate that commitment through action.”
Ethan Faverino is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
by Ethan Faverino | Oct 22, 2025 | Economy, News
By Ethan Faverino |
The U.S. Treasury and the Joint Economic Committee released the Monthly Fiscal Update last week, highlighting a 2.8% reduction in the federal deficit for Fiscal Year 2025 (FY2025), totaling $1.776 trillion compared to $1.828 trillion in FY2024.
The decrease was driven by record-setting tariff collections, increased tax receipts, and modifications to the student loan program approved in the 2025 reconciliation act.
September 2025 concluded with a notable surplus of $197.950 billion, reflecting strong fiscal performance with net outlays of $345.713 billion and net receipts of $543.663 billion for the month.
In FY2025, total federal net outlays reached $7.010 trillion, a 3.91% increase from $6.746 trillion in FY2024. Net receipts rose to $5.235 trillion, up 6.42% from $4.919 trillion in the prior fiscal year.
Despite the robust revenue growth, 25.33% of FY2025 outlays were not covered by revenues, resulting in the federal government spending $1.34 for every dollar received. The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) projects continued growth in outlays and receipts, forecasting net outlays of $7.294 trillion in FY2026, $7.622 trillion in FY2027, and $8.019 trillion in FY2028, with deficits projected at $1.713 trillion, $1.687 trillion, $1.911 trillion, respectively, over the same period.
Outlays by Category
Social Security remained the largest federal expenditure in FY2025, totaling $1.581 trillion (22.5%), followed by Income Security and Veterans Benefits at $1.079 trillion (15.4%), Medicare at $996.72 billion (14.2%), and Net Interest at $970.66 billion (13.8%).
Defense spending accounted for $868.41 billion (12.4%), while Medicaid outlays were $668.14 billion (9.5%). Foreign Aid and other outlays represented smaller shares, at $32.21 billion (0.5%) and $814.75 billion (11.6%), respectively.
Receipts by Category
Individual Income Taxes were the largest revenue source in FY2025, contributing $2.656 trillion (50.7%), followed by Social Insurance and Retirement Taxes at $1.748 trillion (33.4%).
Corporation Income Taxes added $452.09 billion (8.6%), while Customs Duties, boosted by record setting tariff collections, reached $194.87 billion (3.7%). Other receipts totaled $183.31 billion (3.5%).
Despite the deficit reduction, net interest payments on the national debt hit a record high of nearly $971 billion in FY2025, a $100 billion increase from FY2024. The Committee for a Responsible Budget projects that by 2051, interest payments will become the largest federal expense, surpassing Social Security.
Ethan Faverino is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
by Ethan Faverino | Oct 21, 2025 | News
By Ethan Faverino |
Congressman Juan Ciscomani (R-AZ06) announced last week that his re-election campaign has entered the final quarter of 2025 with a daunting $2.3 million cash on hand, signaling strong momentum as he seeks a third term.
“I’m incredibly grateful for the outpouring of support from Arizonans who believe in our mission to deliver results, not rhetoric,” said Congressman Ciscomani. “With more than $2.3 million cash on hand, it sends a clear message: Southern Arizona is fired up to keep this seat red and focused on commonsense solutions. While others are busy playing politics, we’re building momentum, delivering wins, and earning the trust of the people we serve.”
The campaign’s financial strength follows a strong third quarter, with Ciscomani raising over $600,000 in Q3 alone.
To date, the campaign has raised nearly $3 million for the 2026 cycle, significantly surpassing its 2024 cycle performance when Ciscomani had $1.8 million cash on hand and $2.25 million raised at a similar point.
The growing campaign funds show deep and expanding support for Ciscomani across Arizona’s 6th Congressional District, which spans portions of five different counties.
Ciscomani has won back-to-back victories in the highly competitive district. In 2022, he flipped the seat by a narrow 1.4% margin (5,232 votes), and in 2024, he expanded his lead, securing re-election by 2.5% (over 10,800 votes).
Ciscomani serves on the House Appropriations and Veterans’ Affairs Committees and was named the most effective member of Arizona’s congressional delegation in the 118th Congress earlier this year by the nonpartisan Center for Effective Lawmaking.
His commitment to addressing key issues—such as economic opportunity, veterans’ services, and border security— has solidified his reputation as a pragmatic leader delivering for Southern Arizona.
Ethan Faverino is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
by Ethan Faverino | Oct 21, 2025 | Education, News
By Ethan Faverino |
A new study has revealed that Arizona has one of the lowest college graduation rates in the nation at 49.58%.
Ranking eighth worst in the U.S., Arizona’s graduation rate falls 11.34% below the national average of 60.92%, according to the latest data from the U.S. Department of Education’s National Center for Education Statistics.
The study, conducted by Hennessey Digital, analyzed graduation rates across all colleges in each state, highlighting a troubling trend for Arizona, where only 49.58% of the students in the cohort completed their degrees within 150% of the normal program completion time (4 years).
This places Arizona alongside other struggling states, making it one of the eight states below 50% graduation.
“Regardless of what you’re studying, college can be a challenging time, said CEO of Hennessey Digital, Jason Hennessey. “For many, it’s the first experience of independence, a change from the environment you’ve grown up in and ultimately, incredibly intense. It’s not surprising to see that many drop out of their courses before graduation, but ultimately, every student needs to consider what’s going to make them happy and successful and an academic path is not always going to achieve that.”
The research identifies Alaska as the state with the lowest college graduation rate at 32.93%, a staggering 27.99% below the national average. Only 735 of 2,232 students in Alaska’s cohort completed their degrees.
Following closely are Nevada, with 45.20% completion, with 4,932 out of 10,912 students graduating, and New Mexico, with 47.80% completion and 3,523 out of 7,370 students graduating. Both are struggling with significant gaps in degree completion compared to the national average.
In contrast, Massachusetts leads the nation with a 75.41% graduation rate, 14.49% above the national average, with 40,011 out of 53,060 students completing their degrees.
Rhode Island follows at 73% with 8,835 of 12,103 students graduating and then Connecticut at 70.77% with 14,898 of 21,052 students graduating.
Ethan Faverino is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
by Ethan Faverino | Oct 20, 2025 | News
By Ethan Faverino |
The Arizona Corporation Commission (ACC) has announced a landmark $132.91 million settlement with Vanguard Marketing Corporation and The Vanguard Group, Inc. to address failures in supervising registered persons and disclosing potential tax consequences to investors.
The settlement follows a change in investment minimums for certain Vanguard target-date retirement funds, which resulted in significant, unanticipated capital gains taxes for investors.
The agreement is the result of a three-year, multi-state investigation led by a task force coordinated through the North American Securities Administrators Association (NASAA), in conjunction with a parallel investigation by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).
In Arizona alone, 3,675 Vanguard account holders were financially impacted, with additional Arizona investors affected through non-Vanguard custodians.
The settlement ensures full restitution for all affected investors nationwide who faced unexpected tax liabilities due to Vanguard’s oversight.
The SEC has established a Fair Fund to manage the distribution of the $132.91 million settlement, which Vanguard has already paid. The Fair Fund administrator will identify eligible investors, including those in Arizona holding Vanguard funds through non-Vanguard custodians.
Officials at Vanguard have yet to admit or deny the findings of the investigations by the ACC or SEC.
The SEC will oversee the distribution process for all states, including Arizona, to ensure fair and efficient restitution.
Ethan Faverino is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
