The Veteran Improvement Commercial Driver License Act (S. 656), a bill designed to facilitate the transition of U.S veterans into a field requiring a commercial driver’s license (CDL) through GI benefits, was signed into law on October 1st. The bipartisan legislation, championed by Congressman Eli Crane (R-AZ), was sponsored by Senator Deb Fisher (R-NE) and passed the U.S. House of Representatives by a voice vote on Sep. 25th after passing the Senate by unanimous consent, making it a very rare, truly bipartisan bill.
The new law will exempt newly opened trucking school facilities from an existing regulatory delay of two years, during which the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and state regulators are required to deny the school the ability to process GI benefits, as long as the primary facility has already been approved. This allows existing schools to expand. In effect, this will streamline the opening of new facilities to train more veterans moving into the trucking industry.
Veteran Improvement Commercial Driver License Act signed into law, offering new rules for VA-approved driver education programs.
The Veteran Improvement Commercial Driver License Act of 2023 (S. 656) was signed into law by President Biden on October 1, 2024, becoming Public Law…
According to a press release from Rep. Crane, “This will allow veterans more accessibility to CDL schools, reducing commuting times, leading to high-paying careers in the trucking industry.”
Crane said in a statement, “I’m proud to play a role in expanding opportunities for veterans in rural Arizona. Expanding the scope of GI education benefits to CDL programs is a way to increase opportunities for those who have put their lives on the line for our country. Bureaucratic obstacles should never inhibit our nation’s veterans from having flexibility in building prosperous lives for themselves.”
Proud to be part of the bipartisan coalition that worked to get this bill signed into law.
A no brainer for veterans and the trucking workforce.
Rep. Edwards told reporters, “It’s high time we take meaningful steps toward better supporting a veteran’s transition into the civilian workforce,” according to Landline. “Too many arbitrary rules are impeding a veteran’s ability to achieve the very American dream that they are fighting for others to pursue, but the Veteran Improvement CDL Act helps to eliminate one of those barriers.”
Edwards shared in a 2023 post to X, that the then-proposed bill was endorsed by the American Legion.
Sen. Fischer said in a statement, “Our veterans deserve every opportunity to participate in the American dream they’ve fought to protect. But when their service is over, many veterans face unfair roadblocks when they look for jobs. My legislation makes it easier for veterans to get their CDL licenses and earn a good living.”
As reported by industry publication FleetOwner, the American Trucking Associations President and CEO Chris Spear applauded passage of the act through Congress with a statement hailing it as a way to “help veterans secure rewarding careers and alleviate the truck driver shortage.”
He told the outlet, “When the brave men and women in our armed forces return home, the last thing they should have to worry about is red tape preventing them from achieving the American dream that they fought to defend. Improving veterans’ access to CDL programs will open the door of opportunity to good-paying, in-demand jobs in the trucking industry. We are appreciative of the leadership by Senators Fischer and Padilla and Representatives Edwards and Pappas on this important bill, which will help veterans secure rewarding careers and alleviate the truck driver shortage.”
Congressman Juan Ciscomani (R-AZ) released a new advertising campaign Thursday taking aim at the enormous economic fallout of the Biden-Harris administration’s fiscal policies. Those policies are also supported by Ciscomani’s Democrat opponent, former Arizona State Senator Kirsten Engel.
Sharing the new ad in a post to X, Ciscomani wrote, “Arizonans are feeling the impact of rising prices, an open border, and out-of-touch politicians pushing failed policies. My opponent, Kirsten Engel, supports the reckless spending that got us here. ‘It’s exactly what we need,’ said Engel. I’m focused on real solutions: bringing costs down, securing our border, and standing up for Arizona families. Watch my latest ad to learn more. #AZ06”
According to a campaign press release, the advertisement is designed to capture, “everyday struggles Arizonans face: rising costs, an open border, and out-of-touch D.C. politicians who continue to push policies that worsen inflation.”
The partisans love to talk without making any progress. As Arizona's most bipartisan member of Congress, I'm delivering results: ✅Better water infrastructure ✅Improved roads ✅Secure border And… 🇺🇸Endorsed by 40+ local leaders, police, border agents, & small businesses
As reported by the Common Sense Institute of Arizona, as of September 2024, the average Phoenix household is spending $1,004/month more than they would have at a 2% inflation rate.
The CSI of AZ reported, “Since the end of 2020, the typical Arizona household would have had to spend a cumulative $39,722 more on food, housing, transportation, and other goods and services to buy the same stuff as they were buying three years ago.”
“In Congress, I’ve been focused on delivering real solutions for Arizona – securing the border, cutting wasteful spending, and lowering taxes for middle-class families,” Ciscomani said in a statement. “My opponent, Kirsten Engel, supports the same reckless, inflation-driving policies that have made it harder for Arizonans to afford everyday essentials. We need leadership that understands our struggles and is willing to take decisive action, not another out-of-touch politician who rubber-stamps the failed policies that got us here.”
Citing Engel’s legislative history of voting against essential measures like the Border Strike Force, Ciscomani continued, “Kirsten Engel’s out-of-touch record speaks for itself. From voting against border security measures to advocating for reckless spending, Engel has proven time and again that she would fit right in with the D.C. politicians who have failed Arizona families.”
Shortly after releasing the ad, Ciscomani addressed the tightly choreographed “Border Visit” conducted by Vice President Kamala Harris in a statement to KVOA saying, “Vice President Harris’ visit to the border smells like nothing more than a photo opportunity to try and score political points. For three and a half years, the vice president has been in a position to address this crisis but instead she has ignored it. As a result border districts, like mine, have suffered under her lack of leadership. Our communities have become less safe and vulnerable people are being exploited by coyotes, human smugglers, drug cartels, and transnational criminal organizations. If she was truly serious about addressing the crisis at the border, she would have done something as the sitting vice president to help border communities that have been calling for help.”
Democrat leaders from across the country gathered Tuesday to lavish praise on former-Phoenix Mayor-turned-Congressman Greg Stanton at a celebration naming the new downtown Phoenix transit hub after him. The new hub, under construction at Central Avenue and Van Buren, is slated to open in 2025. The station is part of a slate of transit projects pushed through by Stanton during his mayoral tenure. It was rolled into a 2015 ballot measure that replaced a sunsetting 0.4 percent sales tax with a 0.7 percent sales tax to spend a projected $17.3 billion in taxpayer dollars on transportation and public works.
Democrats, including House minority leader Hakeem Jeffries, assistant minority leader Joe Neguse, Rep. Ruben Gallego, Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego, Chandler Mayor Kevin Hartke, and Tempe Mayor Corey Woods were all on hand for the ceremony according to Axios. They publicly lauded Stanton, who was present for the festivities and called the hub a “true game-changer” for the city.
Jeffries joked, “Most will never achieve this honor. Some just hope to have a broom closet named after them. But Greg Stanton has earned this incredible designation for all that he has done.”
Co-Host of the Breaking Battlegrounds radio show & podcast Sam Stone, chief of staff to former Phoenix Councilman Sal DiCiccio and 2022 candidate for City Council, had other ideas to memorialize Stanton’s term as mayor. He wrote in a post to X, “If govt naming conventions were honest we’d call it the Greg Stanton Federal Waste Transfer Station…”
If govt naming conventions were honest we’d call it the Greg Stanton Federal Waste Transfer Station… https://t.co/VDNQuvVfPI
Stone has publicly opposed the controversial move to name the station for Stanton since at least May when he denounced the effort to choose Stanton over the late Rep. Ed Pastor, as a “Blatant Election-year stunt.”
Four days later, Stone urged “civic action” and called upon Phoenicians to attend the City Council meeting to protest. He wrote, “Mayor Kate Gallego is trying to name the new downtown transportation hub after Greg Stanton. This is clearly an election year stunt. It was supposed to be named after Ed Pastor. We need people to go or call into the Phoenix Council meeting tonight to stop this nonsense.”
The initial vote to begin the process passed 7-2 with Councilmembers Betty Guardado and Laura Pastor, daughter of the late- Rep. Pastor, dissenting per KJZZ.
On June 26th, the City Council passed the final measure naming the station in Stanton’s honor. Mayor Kate Gallego told reporters, “I am thrilled that one of our newest additions to the Phoenix skyline—the soon-to-be-completed Central Station Transit Hub—will officially be named after one of Phoenix’s most effective champions for accessible public transportation: former Mayor and Congressman Greg Stanton.” She continued, “Without his leadership, Phoenix would not have achieved the incredible growth of our light rail and bus systems, which move and connect tens of thousands of residents and visitors each and every day. We are building a bright future for Phoenix on the foundations that he worked hard to lay, and he is deserving of this honor.”
On Thursday, America First Legal announced that the organization has launched a lawsuit against Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes and the Secretary of State’s Office on behalf of Strong Communities Foundation of Arizona, also known as EZAZ.org. The foundation and America First Legal contend that by refusing to release a list of more than 218,000 individuals who illegally registered to vote without providing proof of citizenship, Fontes is violating the law.
The flaw at the center of both cases was revealed to the Arizona voters when Maricopa County Recorder Stephen Richer realized the flaw’s implication, that tens of thousands of people were on the voter list without proof of citizenship, and brought an Emergency Petition to the Arizona Supreme Court.
As previously reported by AZ Free News, the Arizona Supreme Court ruled on Sep. 20th that almost 98,000 Maricopa County voters whose citizenship documents got caught up in a coding error will be allowed to vote the full ballot.
According to America First Legal, in a matter of hours, AFL filed a public records request on behalf of EZAZ.org calling on Fontes to produce the list of voters he had identified as being unlawfully registered. Fontes denied the request and unleashed a bizarre accusatory response through his attorney.
AFL wrote, “Rather than treating constituents with respect and decorum, their response was a bombastic tirade that invoked a bizarre conspiracy theory accusing EZAZ.org of secretly planning to harass the voters on the list. There is, of course, no evidence to support Secretary Fontes’s conspiracy theory, and EZAZ.org has no intention of harassing anyone. Secretary Fontes also feebly claimed that compiling the list would be too hard for his staff. None of these excuses hold water. Fontes’s staff has already compiled the list–that’s how they know the number of affected voters. And there is no risk that these voters will be harassed–EZAZ.org’s mission is all about protecting voters.”
James Rogers, America First Legal Senior Counsel, explained in a statement, “There have been major failures in the administration of just about every general election in Arizona from 2016 until now. It’s no wonder that Arizonans’ trust in their electoral system is at an all-time low. And every time anyone expresses concern, how does Secretary Fontes react? Victim blaming.”
“His patronizing response is always to attack voters for caring about the integrity of their system and expecting that public officials follow the law. But how can Arizonans trust their elections when the person in charge of administering them is so fervently opposed to basic transparency? That is not what Arizonans expect from their elected leaders. The law requires Secretary Fontes to produce these records, and AFL will work to hold him accountable until he does,” said James Rogers.
“America First Legal Sues Arizona Secretary of State’s Office for Illegally Withholding List of 218,000 Registered Voters Who Have Not Provided Proof of Citizenship.” https://t.co/EVPZcBkyGw
In the text of the lawsuit, AFL argues, “By refusing public access to these records, the Defendants frustrate the core purpose of the Public Records Law, to ‘monitor the performance of the government officials.’” The suit continues, “And because these records deal with a pressing issue of immediate public concern, time is of the essence. The Defendants should be ordered to immediately fulfill Plaintiff’s public records request.”
In a letter responding to the request, cited by the New York Post, the Secretary of State’s Office said, “We fear, especially based on SCF’s filings, that its true desire here is not to keep watch on government actions — which our public records laws are designed to facilitate — but instead harass and intimidate voters in the midst of an election and whose rights Secretary Fontes has already vindicated before Arizona’s highest court.”
Stephen Miller, former Senior Advisor to President Donald Trump and America First Legal President said in a statement, “America First Legal continues to lead the fight for election integrity. We are suing the state of Arizona for refusing to provide the list of 218,000 voters who failed or refused to establish citizenship. It is absolutely imperative that we stop the dire threat of illegal alien voting, which is the gravest form of foreign election interference.”
When former Senator Jeff Flake (R-AZ) endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris over President Donald Trump in an announcement posted to X on Sunday, many Arizona Republicans were not surprised. Dismayed? Perhaps. But not surprised. Flake, who was appointed Ambassador to Türkiye by the Biden-Harris Administration, has been a vocal critic of Trump since at least 2021 when he wrote a scathing op-ed against the President in The New York Times.
Given Flake’s well-known antipathy for Trump, AZ Free News reached out to Flake’s team to ask two key questions, which as of this report have gone unanswered:
First: Did Flake receive a policy concession for this endorsement, such as protecting the filibuster, religious liberty, or SCOTUS? If not, why not?
And as a follow-up: People think Flake was promised another ambassadorship or a cabinet post. To remove any doubt and make it clear that this is really country over party, would he commit to refuse any posting in the Harris administration?
The silence from the ex-Senator speaks volumes.
In both video and written statements posted to X, Ambassador Flake said, “I’ll be supporting Kamala Harris for President and Tim Walz for Vice President. I’ve served with Kamala in the U.S Senate. I’ve also served with Tim in the House of Representatives. I know them. I know first of hand of their fine character and love of country. I would encourage all Republicans who feel this way to do the same.”
I’ll be supporting Kamala Harris for President and Tim Walz for Vice President.
I’ve served with Kamala in the U.S Senate. I’ve also served with Tim in the House of Representatives.
I know them. I know first of hand of their fine character and love of country.
In a written statement Flake appeared to attempt a moderate stance:
“I believe that we don’t have to agree on every issue or policy, but that we should use the political process created by our Founders to debate and persuade, not disparage and demonize.”
“I want to support a presidential candidate who seeks to unite our country, rather than one who divides us,” Flake said. “One who represents the ideals of new generation of leadership, not based on grievances of the past but hope for the future.”
“Having spent the past three years overseas as a United States ambassador, I’ve seen up close that we have very real enemies abroad,” he continued. “We also have vital and indispensable allies. I want to support a presidential candidate who understands and appreciates the difference.”
Claiming to be a “conservative Republican,” Flake added, “I would encourage all Republicans who feel this way to do the same. After all, in times like these there is nothing more conservative than putting country over party.”
Prominent Phoenix Republican Merissa Hamilton, co-founder of EZAZ.org, reacted to the announcement in a post to X, “Breaking: @JeffFlake supports Fascist Communism and no AZ voter is surprised at all.”
Breaking: @JeffFlake supports Fascist Communism and no AZ voter is surprised at all
As reported by Politico, Flake appeared on ABC’s “This Week” Sunday morning with host Martha Raddatz and repeated the Democrat talking point, accusing Trump of attempting to overturn the 2020 election, citing this as the reason he cannot support him. He claimed to want a candidate who “respects the will of the voters,” despite the well-documented policy of widespread political censorship imposed by the Biden-Harris administration.
“I think Republicans believe in the rule of law in particular, and it’s difficult to support a candidate who, having lost an election, tries to use the powers of the presidency to overturn that election,” He told Raddatz. “That is anything but respect for the rule of law. So I know that a lot of conservative Republicans feel the way I do, that you just can’t support a candidate like that.”
Flake also pointed to Trump’s position on the war in Ukraine, advocating peace rather than “hearing the former president not be able to even cheer for Ukraine.” He added, “That’s a big issue for me, and certainly for all of Europe who have spent a lot of time and blood and sweat and tears trying to help Ukraine deal with this Russian threat. We have to support and work with our allies, and [Harris] understands that.”
Following his terms as Senator, Flake was credentialed as U.S. Ambassador to Türkiye in January 2022. Many have viewed Flake’s ambassadorial appointment as a reward from Biden for siding against Trump, and this has left many Arizona Republicans wondering: What’s in it for Jeff this time?
