by Matthew Holloway | Jan 8, 2026 | Must Read, News
By Matthew Holloway |
Arizona Congressman Abe Hamadeh (R-AZ-08) and Nevada Rep. Susie Lee (D-NV-03) have introduced the VA Medical Center Facility Transparency Act, bipartisan legislation that would provide lawmakers with clearer information on the performance of Veterans Affairs medical facilities nationwide.
The bill was announced publicly in a press release on December 22, 2025, as part of lawmakers’ efforts to support bipartisan solutions to issues facing veterans.
According to the press release, the act is designed to help Congress better evaluate VA medical center operations and enable more effective responses to veterans’ health care concerns. The legislation would require greater transparency in the management and operations of VA medical facilities, giving federal lawmakers the data and insight needed to identify performance issues.
The VA Medical Center Facility Transparency Act is not wholly novel; a similar bill under the same name was introduced in 2023 by Hamadeh’s predecessor, Debbie Lesko, in partnership with Rep. Susie Lee and with support from the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW).
A notable element of this version of the bill is a three-year sunset provision, meaning the policy would expire after three years unless Congress votes to renew it. This provision was added to allow lawmakers to evaluate the legislation’s effectiveness before considering reauthorization.
In announcing the bill, Hamadeh emphasized its importance for Arizona’s veteran population, including those living near Luke Air Force Base, stating that it would allow Congress to “better assess the strengths and weaknesses of VA medical facilities” and take appropriate action. Hamadeh added that the legislation should “elevate the quality-of-care veterans receive,” according to a statement shared on social media.
Lee framed the bill as part of her responsibility to ensure that veterans “receive the care and benefits that they have earned,” and said the transparency the bill seeks will give policymakers the information they need about how the VA operates.
This legislation is the latest in a series of veterans-focused measures introduced by Hamadeh. Earlier in 2025, the U.S. House of Representatives unanimously passed two other bipartisan bills he sponsored: the Edith Nourse Rogers STEM Scholarship Opportunity Act, aimed at expanding education opportunities for veterans, and the Health Professionals Scholarship Program (HPSP) Improvement Act of 2025, which addresses staffing challenges at VA medical facilities.
Arizona Veterans’ Affairs medical facilities have been subject to scrutiny in recent years over issues such as waiting times, access to care, and administrative transparency. Past federal laws aimed at improving veterans’ access to care, such as the Veterans’ Access to Care through Choice, Accountability, and Transparency Act of 2014, came in response to reports of systemic problems at certain VA facilities.
By giving lawmakers better data on VA facility performance, the new transparency act could shape future federal oversight and policy decisions affecting veteran health care delivery.
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 Matthew Holloway | Jan 7, 2026 | News
By Matthew Holloway |
Two Democratic candidates have withdrawn from the 2026 race for Arizona’s 6th Congressional District, leaving a single Democrat, JoAnna Mendoza, seeking to challenge Republican incumbent U.S. Rep. Juan Ciscomani.
According to Gila Valley Central, Samantha Severson officially withdrew from the race on Dec. 30, reducing the Democratic primary field to one active candidate in the southeastern Arizona district.
Severson’s departure followed the earlier withdrawal of Johnathan Buma, who announced that he was ending his campaign for the Democratic nomination in Arizona’s 6th Congressional District on Dec. 19.
In a statement to Gila Valley Central, Buma said his decision was not made “in retreat,” but after concluding that his efforts would be better directed outside electoral politics. He said he plans to focus on humanitarian and grassroots initiatives through his work with Project Lost & Found – Voices of Gratitude.
Buma, a former FBI agent, was arrested and charged in March 2025, according to federal court records cited by ABC News. Prosecutors allege Buma printed approximately 130 files from the FBI’s internal network, some of which were marked with warnings indicating the information was protected.
According to the Arizona Republic, Buma publicly criticized the FBI for political bias before leaving the agency and subsequently filed paperwork to run for Congress in May 2025.
The withdrawals by Severson and Buma follow several earlier Democratic exits from the race. Gila Valley Central previously reported that Aiden Swallow dropped out of the congressional contest to pursue a run for the Arizona Legislature. The outlet has also reported that Mo Goldman and Chris Donat withdrew earlier in the cycle.
With the departures of Severson and Buma, JoAnna Mendoza, who ran unsuccessfully for the Arizona Senate in 2020, now remains the only Democrat actively seeking the party’s nomination in Arizona’s 6th Congressional District.
Campaign finance filings indicate that Ciscomani has maintained a fundraising advantage as the race has developed. According to reporting by Arizona Public Media (AZPM), Ciscomani reported a larger cash-on-hand balance than Mendoza in recent Federal Election Commission filings, reflecting the advantages of incumbency.
AZPM noted that Mendoza outraised Ciscomani in the third quarter of 2025, with Mendoza’s campaign reporting roughly $669,000 raised from July through September compared with Ciscomani’s reported period haul of about $458,000, citing Federal Election Commission filings. However, Ciscomani maintained a larger overall campaign reserve due to prior fundraising and transfers from allied political committees.
Arizona’s 6th Congressional District includes Cochise, Graham, and Greenlee Counties, along with portions of eastern Pima County, and has drawn national attention due to its narrow margins. The Cook Political Report currently rates the district as a toss-up for the 2026 election.
In the 2024 general election, Ciscomani defeated Democrat Kirsten Engel by approximately 2.5 percentage points, winning by nearly 11,000 votes, roughly doubling his 2022 margin over Engel.
As of publication, no outlets have reported additional Democratic candidates entering the race following the withdrawals of Severson and Buma.
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 Matthew Holloway | Jan 6, 2026 | News
By Matthew Holloway |
Arizona’s elected officials are sharply divided following the U.S. military operation in Venezuela that resulted in the capture of President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, and their transfer to the United States to face federal criminal charges.
The dramatic action, announced by President Donald Trump, involved a precision military operation in Caracas and the extraction of Maduro to New York, where he is expected to appear in federal court on drug and narco-terrorism charges.
Sen. Mark Kelly (D-AZ) condemned the raid in a statement posted to X, saying that while Maduro is a “brutal, illegitimate dictator” who deserves justice, the decision to overthrow a foreign ruler without broader planning undermines U.S. security and lacks a clear strategy for what comes next. Kelly said the operation doesn’t “make Americans any safer today than they were yesterday” and warned against repeating past foreign policy mistakes.
Rep. Adelita Grijalva (D-AZ-07) also criticized the operation in a statement posted to X, as “reckless, unconstitutional, and deeply destabilizing,” arguing that bypassing Congress for military action erodes democratic accountability and sets a dangerous precedent.
Rep. Greg Stanton (D-AZ-04) argued that while Maduro’s regime “shattered Venezuela,” the U.S. Constitution requires congressional authorization for acts of war — a threshold he argued was not met.
Support for the raid among Arizona Republicans centered on holding Maduro accountable for years of alleged narcotic trafficking and violence.
Rep. Juan Ciscomani (R-AZ-06) framed the action as a decisive strike against a “narco-terror regime” responsible for drug flows into the United States. He praised U.S. military personnel for executing the mission “with courage and precision” and said the operation sends a clear signal that the U.S. will confront threats in its hemisphere.
In a similar supporting statement, Rep. Abe Hamadeh (R-AZ-08) wrote, “I support President Donald Trump’s decisive actions to hold Nicolás Maduro accountable, a brutal oppressor who has led a drug cartel masquerading as a government and terrorized his own people. Maduro is an illegitimate ruler who lost at the ballot box and now clings to power through violence, corruption, and the narcotics trade that has poisoned American communities. This is peace through strength in action, defending our own backyard and stopping threats before they reach our borders. Reports that Chinese officials met with Maduro just yesterday and were still on the ground during the operation only underscore how urgent and necessary strong American leadership is. Peace through strength!”
Gubernatorial candidate Rep. Andy Biggs (R-AZ-05) characterized the raid as consistent with “America First” leadership and defended the legal grounding of the operation, noting that the indictments against Maduro formed the basis for a law-enforcement action with military support.
Sen. Warren Petersen (R-LD14) also praised the operation, highlighting Maduro’s status as an indicted narco-terrorist and emphasizing that Trump’s actions were necessary where previous administrations had failed.
He wrote, “Maduro murdered thousands, indicted twice on narco-terrorism charges, and has a $50M bounty on his head. Yet our classless Democrat Senators are sympathizing with him and crying over his arrest. Unreal. Prioritizing a brutal thug over justice and the Venezuelan people. The DOJ arrested him with assistance of the US Military. 100 percent constitutional under Article 2 powers. Biden said he would take care of Maduro but did not. Biden talked, Trump acted.”
Karrin Taylor Robson, also a Republican gubernatorial contender, thanked U.S. troops for the successful mission and described Trump’s action as protecting American communities from drug-related harm.
The split in Arizona reflects a broader national debate over executive authority, constitutional war powers, and U.S. foreign intervention, and, more broadly, familiar partisan divisions over President Donald Trump. Democrats argue the military action lacked legal authorization and risks long-term entanglement abroad, while Republicans applaud the decisive removal of a hostile regime accused of narcotics trafficking and oppression.
As Maduro’s legal proceedings unfold in U.S. federal court, the divergent Arizona reactions illustrate how foreign policy flashpoints continue to break sharply along partisan lines.
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 Matthew Holloway | Dec 31, 2025 | Economy, News
By Matthew Holloway |
U.S. Rep. Andy Biggs (R-AZ-05) recently told Newsmax that Americans should begin feeling the economic impact of President Donald Trump’s signature tax and budget law within the next 90 days as key provisions are implemented.
Biggs made the remarks during an interview on Monday, December 22, referencing what supporters officially call the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (H.R.1), a broad tax and spending statute signed into law earlier this year.
Biggs said Americans will start seeing the tax changes “pretty quickly,” adding that the core provisions would “start spinning up in the next 90 days.”
He told the outlet that the rollout of the new tax policy would stimulate economic activity. “So you’re going to see some new things with regard to Social Security, overtime, tax on tips, and that’s going to actually cause some economic stimulus,” Biggs said.
The One Big Beautiful Bill Act was enacted on July 4, 2025, following passage in both the U.S. House and Senate. It includes a wide range of tax code changes, spending provisions, and policy adjustments central to the Trump administration’s domestic agenda.
The law permanently extends several individual and business income tax cuts originally enacted in the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 and includes a number of deductions and tax incentives. It also makes significant changes to Medicaid eligibility requirements and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), raises the debt ceiling, and allocates funding across defense, border enforcement, and other federal priorities.
Biggs was among Arizona’s congressional Republicans who supported the bill during its floor votes. All six Republican members of Arizona’s U.S. House delegation voted in favor of the legislation when it returned to the chamber for final approval in July.
The bill passed the House on a 218-214 vote after earlier Senate approval. It then went to President Trump, who signed it into law later the same day.
Biggs’s comments come as Republican lawmakers and supporters highlight the expected timelines for implementing tax cuts and credits included in the legislation. Trump allies have repeatedly emphasized that many provisions are designed to reduce tax burdens for individuals and businesses once they take effect in 2026.
The law’s changes to federal tax rates and deductions, including those affecting child tax credits and specific income brackets, could impact Arizona households in 2026 as those provisions begin phasing in. It also includes changes to federal funding streams that intersect with state budgets, such as SNAP and Medicaid, both of which have significant participation among Arizona residents.
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 Matthew Holloway | Dec 31, 2025 | News
By Matthew Holloway |
Arizona manufacturing and business groups can claim a policy win in Washington, D.C., after the U.S. House of Representatives passed a major federal permitting reform bill they had urged Congress to advance.
On December 18, the House approved the Standardizing Permitting and Expediting Economic Development (SPEED) Act, H.R. 4776, in a 221–196 vote. The legislation is designed to streamline environmental reviews and speed federal permitting for large energy infrastructure projects, data centers, factories, and other major developments.
The bill, sponsored by House Natural Resources Committee Chairman Bruce Westerman (R–AR) and Rep. Jared Golden (D–ME), amends the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) to shorten review timelines, clarify when NEPA applies, and limit how long lawsuits can delay projects. A committee summary says the measure is intended to “modernize NEPA,” reduce permitting backlogs, and curb what supporters describe as “abusive litigation” that has slowed infrastructure and energy projects nationwide.
In a press release on the day of the vote, Westerman called the SPEED Act’s passage “a win for America” and urged the Senate to move quickly. The committee noted that more than 375 organizations nationwide backed the bill.
The House vote followed a coordinated push by national and Arizona manufacturing advocates in early December, when congressional leaders signaled they would take up permitting reform over a two-week stretch.
In a December 10 article, Chamber Business News reported that the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) and Arizona business groups were urging Congress to act on what NAM branded the “12 Days of Permitting Reform.” NAM called on lawmakers to move several bills — including the PERMIT Act and the SPEED Act — to simplify federal reviews and shorten timelines for major infrastructure, energy, and industrial projects.
NAM President and CEO Jay Timmons said at the time that Congress had an opportunity “over the next 12 days to demonstrate strong, bipartisan momentum on comprehensive permitting reform,” and encouraged policymakers to make it easier and more cost-efficient for manufacturers to advance job-creating projects.
For Arizona, business leaders framed the debate as directly tied to the state’s ability to keep pace with growth in sectors such as power generation, semiconductor fabrication, aerospace and defense manufacturing, and AI-driven data centers, all of which depend on predictable federal approvals.
Arizona Chamber of Commerce & Industry President and CEO Danny Seiden said modernizing federal permitting is critical for Arizona’s economic future, arguing that “manufacturers can’t meet demand, onshore supply chains, or power new AI and data-center growth without a permitting system that works.”
“Arizona’s economy depends on major projects moving on predictable timelines. Congress should advance the PERMIT Act and the SPEED Act so companies can build the infrastructure and capacity our economy requires,” Seiden added.
Grace Appelbe, executive director of the Arizona Manufacturers Council, told Chamber Business News that long, unpredictable federal reviews create significant challenges for small and mid-sized manufacturers trying to expand, upgrade equipment, or bring new technologies online, and said reforms could lower costs and improve Arizona’s competitiveness for new investment.
The House Natural Resources Committee describes the SPEED Act as a structural update to NEPA’s review process. Key provisions include:
- Shorter, defined timelines for environmental reviews on major federal actions.
- Clearer triggers for NEPA, by defining “major federal action” more narrowly.
- Streamlined documentation, intended to reduce the length and complexity of NEPA analysis.
- Limits on litigation, including a 150-day window for filing NEPA challenges, to reduce long-running court delays.
External reporting has noted that industry groups, such as energy and infrastructure advocates, welcomed the bill as the first significant federal permitting reform effort since NEPA was enacted in 1969, while environmental organizations have urged the Senate to reject or significantly revise the measure, warning that looser standards could weaken environmental protections and public participation.
With House passage secured, the SPEED Act now moves to the U.S. Senate, where lawmakers in both parties are working on broader permitting legislation and have signaled potential changes to the House bill, Axios reports.
Arizona manufacturers and business groups, which spent early December calling for action on the SPEED Act and related measures, are expected to continue pressing for a final package that delivers the permitting certainty they say is needed for long-term investment and for meeting the state’s projected load and infrastructure demands.
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.
