The Joint Economic Committee (JEC) released an update Thursday showing inflation remained above the Federal Reserve’s target in April while consumer spending increased and personal savings declined.
According to the JEC’s Monthly Expenditures Update, the headline personal consumption expenditures (PCE) price index increased 0.40% from March to April, while core PCE inflation, which excludes food and energy prices, rose 0.24%. The annual inflation rate from April 2025 to April 2026 measured 3.77% for headline PCE and 3.29% for core PCE, both exceeding the Federal Reserve’s stated 2% inflation target.
The PCE index is the Federal Reserve’s preferred inflation measure and tracks changes in prices paid by consumers for goods and services.
The JEC reported that spending increased during the same period while savings declined. Real personal consumption expenditures increased by 0.11%, representing approximately $18.08 billion in additional spending. Real spending on services increased 0.19%, or $21.47 billion, while real spending on goods rose 0.08%, or $4.7 billion. At the same time, the nominal personal savings rate declined by 0.6 percentage points to 2.6%.
Y/Y, headline PCE price index inflation was 3.77%, which is higher than the Federal Reserve’s target of 2% & core PCE price index inflation was 3.29%. M/M, headline personal income remained unchanged, or $19 million, while real disposable personal income per capita decreased by…
— Joint Economic Committee Republicans (@JECRepublicans) May 28, 2026
According to the committee’s update, headline personal income remained effectively unchanged month-over-month, increasing by approximately $19 million, while real disposable personal income per capita decreased by 0.50%. The report stated that after-tax income increased more slowly than consumer prices during the month.
The figures align with data released Thursday by the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA), which reported increases in both consumer spending and inflation during April. According to the BEA, personal income increased by $210.1 billion, or 0.8%, while disposable personal income increased by $189.4 billion, or 0.8%. Personal consumption expenditures increased $47.8 billion, or 0.2%.
The BEA reported that prices for personal consumption expenditures increased 0.4% month-over-month and 3.8% annually, while core PCE prices increased 0.2% during April and 3.3% over the previous twelve months.
The JEC also released its Gross Domestic Product Update for the second estimate of first-quarter 2026 economic activity.
According to the committee, real gross domestic product increased 1.62% from the fourth quarter of 2025 to the first quarter of 2026. Current-dollar GDP increased 5.15%, or approximately $396.9 billion, bringing the total size of the U.S. economy to $31.819 trillion.
JEC Chairman Rep. David Schweikert (R-AZ01), who is also running for governor of Arizona, discussed affordability and inflation during a segment with KTAR host Mike Broomhead, describing what he characterized as the continuing effects of “Biden inflation” on Arizona households.
“For people in Arizona, for a whole segment of our working middle class — you know, hardworking population — they’re poorer today than they were five years ago,” Schweikert said. “We were one of the epicenters of Biden inflation. Then you actually do policies from particularly the governor’s office of not recruiting new businesses here to compete for your willingness to work. So affordability — because our wages haven’t gone up — we’re now 45th in affordability. That’s miserable. I mean how many people can afford a house right now?”
Arizona’s working middle class is poorer today than five years ago. Wages are flat, housing is out of reach, and families are trying to make the mortgage and car payment.
If we want affordability, we need jobs that force businesses to compete for Arizona workers again. pic.twitter.com/lU9c983UUT
— David Schweikert (@DavidSchweikert) May 27, 2026
In a post to X on Thursday, he wrote, “If we’re serious about affordability, the first thing we do is raise wages by bringing employers here that have to compete for Arizona workers.”
The committee’s GDP update reflected the Bureau of Economic Analysis’ second estimate for first-quarter economic growth. The full Joint Economic Committee Monthly Expenditures Update and GDP Update are available through the committee’s website.
Arizona Republican Party Chairman Sergio Arellano joined 550 KFYI’s Conservative Circus host James T. Harris during a visit to downtown Phoenix’s homeless encampment area known as “The Zone,” where he highlighted faith-based outreach efforts and criticized local leadership over homelessness and public safety conditions.
In a video posted by the Arizona Republican Party, Arellano appeared alongside Harris in the downtown Phoenix area known as “The Zone,” which for years drew public attention over homelessness, drug activity, and crime concerns. The Arizona Republican Party said Harris and members of a faith-based group that “receives NO taxpayer dollars” were serving homeless residents in the area.
The party’s post also characterized The Zone as “where the Democrats in charge keep their homeless community drugged and dangerous.”
Sergio Arellano @surgeshow chairman of @azgop Republican Party spent time with @JamesTHarris and members of a faith-based group that receives NO taxpayer dollars to feed and minister to the homeless in "The Zone." The Zone in downtown Phoenix – is where the Democrats in charge… pic.twitter.com/EFWgPOm9Gk
— Republican Party of Arizona (@AZGOP) May 27, 2026
“Good morning, I’m Sergio Arellano, and I am here today with the conservative radio talk show host James T. Harris,” Arellano began in the video. “We’re in this place called The Zone in a blue area of what is Phoenix.”
Arellano linked conditions in the area to Democratic governance and urged voter participation ahead of the upcoming 2026 elections.
“We cannot allow what is happening here to happen to the rest of the state in Democrat-controlled communities,” Arellano said. “This is what you get. You get lack of response, lack of resources.”
Arellano also praised the faith-based nonprofit operating in the area and alleged that Phoenix officials under Mayor Kate Gallego had moved to restrict its activities. “People that are making a difference here — this non-profit — are getting kicked out by the liberal city and mayor,” Arellano said.
“That’s why it is very important that you get involved in November. You talk with your neighbors, you register people to vote, and have them turn out this election.”
The chairman warned that Arizona could face worsening homelessness conditions without political change.
“Because if not, you’re going to get amplified times 10,” Arellano said. “Skid Row, exactly like Los Angeles, is coming here to Arizona. We need to stop that. Register to vote. Get up. Make a difference.”
Harris has regularly participated in Sunday outreach efforts in downtown Phoenix with The Bridge for Community Services, a non-profit where he serves as Corporate Vice President and Executive Director, and has previously described the work as a Christian ministry serving homeless residents in the area.
The Zone, located near downtown Phoenix, became nationally known in recent years as one of the city’s largest homeless encampments. The area was the subject of litigation and enforcement disputes involving the City of Phoenix, nearby businesses, and residents, as previously reported by AZ Free News. In 2023, a court ordered Phoenix to clear portions of the encampment following allegations involving crime, sanitation problems, and unsafe conditions.
According to an April 30 report by 12News, after three years, hundreds of homeless people are living in the area again, with outreach teams counting more than 300 living there at the time.
The Arizona Republican Party’s post did not identify the nonprofit involved in the outreach effort, though Harris has previously documented recurring faith-based outreach activities in the area through social media posts.
Pima Community College (PCC) approved a restricted $5.9 million workforce-development gift agreement with Beale Infrastructure Group while later confirming that its Sustainability Director position will be eliminated as part of an organizational realignment.
According to PCC Governing Board records, trustees approved a Restricted Gift Agreement with Beale Infrastructure Group, LLC during the board’s May 13 meeting by a 4–0 vote, with board member Kristen Randall abstaining. The Board’s approved-items agenda lists the agreement but does not include its value or terms.
Beale Infrastructure is the project developer for the proposed “Project Blue” data center complex under construction on 290 acres outside of Tucson near the Pima County Fairgrounds.
The company is also pursuing construction of the “Luckett Road Data Center,” a 600-acre data center development in Marana, where it became embroiled in a legal battle with the town over two rejected referendums related to the project, according to AZPM News.
Anti-data center protests getting physical here in Tucson @Jason@chamath.
“According to a Beale Infrastructure representative, a masked group marched through the offices loudly banging drums, shouting threats and pulling items from desks.”https://t.co/3BGthcSxQP
Board Chair Theresa Riel Taylor introduced the item as a five-year restricted gift agreement beginning June 1, 2026, with the possibility of extension and additional funding.
Amanda Evans, PCC Assistant Vice Chancellor for Workforce Development and Strategic Partnerships, described the agreement as “a significant philanthropic investment in Pima Community College.”
During the presentation, Evans confirmed the Beale donation totals $5,912,992 and is structured as a restricted workforce-development gift.
“The funds are specifically designed for areas of need for Pima to support student access and success,” Evans told the board.
According to Evans, the funding will support expansion in information technology and cybersecurity, including three full-time faculty positions, along with scholarships for several workforce programs.
“Those areas include supporting expansion in IT and cybersecurity by funding three full-time faculty members,” Evans said, adding that scholarships will support “Pima Fast Track Electrical, our building and construction technology programs, IT and cyber programs, and our computer aided drafting… and welding as well.”
Evans said the gift also provides support for transportation, housing, and childcare assistance, along with funding for veterans services, high-school transition programs, and career-placement efforts.
“The gift also provides additional funds to help remove barriers for students — things like transportation, housing and childcare,” Evans said.
Evans told trustees the agreement carries a five-year term beginning June 1 and includes the possibility of additional future funding. “The initial term does begin on June 1st. It does go for five years, with a subsequent gift of approximately $6.8 million,” Evans said. “That could be something that Beale Infrastructure chooses to enter into an agreement with us.”
The board agenda identified the item only as a “Restricted Gift Agreement” and did not publicly list the donation amount or program details in its approved-items summary.
Calling for a vote to approve the agreement, Taylor addressed the public controversy surrounding Project Blue:
“I just want to acknowledge that I understand the environment of controversy in which this happens in terms of the data center development and… and what Beale is involved with. But, you know, tonight we’re facing a choice between a philosophical statement about data centers and a tangible investment in our students. And so I want to be clear that whether this board accepts this gift or rejects it, the development of that data center project continues. It has absolutely nothing to do with the development of that project.
“All that voting ‘no’ tonight does will… Voting no tonight wouldn’t stop a single brick from being laid, or a single drop of water from being used in that data center project. It only stops those resources from reaching our classrooms. And I don’t think I can, in good conscience, tell our students, who have now faced nearly two decades of disinvestment from the state and now millions in federal disinvestment over the last year, that we turned away millions of dollars for their success to make a symbolic gesture that will have zero impact on the project in question. So it’s definitely something I’ll be voting in favor of tonight. And I think it’s something that fits within the core of our mission and our purpose to help students achieve their educational outcomes.”
Board member Kristen Randall praised PCC’s sustainability efforts during her trustee report. Randall highlighted the college’s Climate Community Day and cited sustainability programming as an area of growth.
“Climate and sustainability aren’t just subjects,” Randall said while discussing the event. “They are lenses for seeing the world.”
Later in the meeting, Randall abstained from the vote on the Beale gift while the remaining trustees voted in favor of the agreement.
PCC Provides Confirmation: Sustainability Director Position Eliminated
AZ Free News contacted PCC administration, the Office of Sustainability, and Governing Board members to seek clarification on the future of the sustainability office, whether staffing or budget changes have been approved, and whether any connection exists between those decisions and the Beale gift agreement.
Justin Kree, Director of Media Relations for Pima Community College, responded on the college’s behalf. Kree confirmed PCC approved the agreement May 13 and said the $5.9 million gift will support workforce-development programs in IT, cybersecurity, electrical training, and skilled trades, with the Pima Foundation serving as fiscal agent.
Kree also addressed questions regarding the future of PCC’s sustainability programs, the Sustainability Director position, and the Climate Action and Sustainability Plan.
AZFN: Has PCC eliminated or otherwise dissolved the Office of Sustainability/Director position? Has PCC eliminated or reduced the sustainability program budget for FY2027? If so, please provide details regarding funding levels and changes.
PCC: The College remains fully committed to sustainability, climate action, and environmental responsibility. As part of an organizational realignment, the College decided to eliminate the Sustainability Director position, effective June 30, 2026. Sustainability remains an institutional priority reflected in the College’s strategic principles, and Climate Action and Sustainability courses, faculty-led initiatives, and operational efforts, including energy efficiency and renewable energy initiatives, remain ongoing. The College’s sustainability initiatives and academic offerings continue to receive institutional support.
Students continue to have access to Climate Action & Sustainability (CAS) courses focused on environmental challenges, sustainable futures, and practical solutions. CAS course offerings and student enrollment are, in fact, growing. Summer and Fall 2026 offerings include CAS 110: Food, People and the Planet and CAS 120: Systems, Logic & Sustainability. Enrollment in this area has doubled over the past year, with the program serving more than 340 enrolled students during the most recent academic year.
AZFN: Has PCC formally concluded or discontinued implementation of its Climate Action and Sustainability Plan, or is the June 2026 conclusion part of a previously scheduled planning cycle?
PCC: The College’s Climate Action and Sustainability Plan (CASP) will reach the end of its planned cycle in June 2026. The conclusion of this plan is part of its established timeline and does not represent a discontinuation of the College’s sustainability efforts. PCC is currently developing the next CASP to guide sustainability initiatives in the upcoming academic year. Sustainability remains an institutional priority and is reflected in the strategic principles approved by the Governing Board in May 2026.
PCC remains committed to the goals established in the CASP, including reducing greenhouse gas emissions, expanding climate and sustainability education, pursuing sustainability certification, and advancing long-term climate action planning. In 2026, the College will reaffirm its commitment to the Second Nature Presidents’ Climate Commitment, further demonstrating PCC’s continued focus on sustainability and environmental stewardship.
AZFN: Does PCC’s proposed FY2027 budget or pending bond proposal contain sustainability-related capital, infrastructure, or operational funding? If so, please identify those allocations.
PCC: Yes. Both the proposed FY2027 budget and the pending bond proposal include funding that supports PCC’s broader sustainability efforts through personnel, facilities, infrastructure, and operational investments.
While sustainability-related funding is not always identified as separate, standalone line items, sustainability practices and goals are integrated throughout the College’s planning and operations. This includes support for personnel, facility improvements, infrastructure modernization, energy efficiency considerations, curriculum integration, and capital projects designed to improve long-term environmental performance and resource stewardship across the College.
In addition, bond-funded facilities projects are being planned and evaluated with sustainability principles in mind, including opportunities for efficient building systems, modernization, and responsible campus development.
Later in the meeting, faculty and students urged PCC leadership to reconsider reported changes involving the college’s sustainability programs, including reports that the Office of Sustainability could be dissolved or substantially restructured.
Katie Brown, a faculty member who said she has taught at PCC for more than 25 years and now teaches climate action and sustainability courses, told the board she learned the Office of Sustainability faced elimination.
“I was astounded and dismayed… to hear that the Office of Sustainability is planned to be eliminated, along with much of that program,” Brown said. “That is horrifying to me.”
Brown praised PCC’s Climate Action and Sustainability Plan and said the college had developed a national reputation for climate and sustainability programming. “The Climate Action Sustainability plan that you have is amazing,” Brown said. “It is an example to many other places.”
Brown also read a statement from Dr. Crystal McKenna, whom she identified as a faculty member and the Department Chair in Climate Action and Sustainability at PCC.
“I’m here today to respectfully request a pause and reconsideration of the decision to dissolve the Office of Sustainability,” Brown read from McKenna’s statement.
McKenna’s statement argued that the office played a central role in implementing the college’s sustainability initiatives and coordinating environmental planning. “The Office of Sustainability has been the structure that made that work possible,” the statement said.
McKenna further argued that dissolving the office would raise concerns about institutional consistency and credibility. “This request is not simply about a single office,” Brown read. “It is about institutional alignment, accountability, and our credibility as a college.”
Student speaker Mary Jane Blanton, who said she is enrolled in climate and sustainability coursework, also urged the board to preserve the program. “The sustainability department has changed that for me,” Blanton told trustees, describing herself as previously disengaged and “nihilistic” before taking climate coursework at PCC.
PCC’s public sustainability webpage currently states that the Office of Sustainability oversees implementation of the college’s Climate Action and Sustainability Plan. The college’s published Climate Action and Sustainability Plan states the current planning cycle was already scheduled to conclude in June 2026, following a previously approved extension.
At the time of publication, AZ Free News received no direct responses from the Governing Board Members.
Last week, the U.S. House of Representatives passed legislation to expand parental rights in education and prohibit federal education funds from being used to advance what the bill characterizes as radical gender ideology. Rep. Abe Hamadeh (R-AZ08) voted in support of the measure.
H.R. 2616, the Stopping Indoctrination and Protecting Kids Act, passed the House by a recorded vote of 217-198 under Roll Call 184 following adoption of an amendment in the nature of a substitute. The legislation has since been received in the Senate and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
According to a statement from Hamadeh’s congressional office, the Arizona congressman supported the legislation as part of an effort to “defend parental rights, protect America’s children, and ensure that families are empowered to make decisions about their children’s upbringing and education.”
🇺🇸NEW🇺🇸
Congressman Hamadeh Applauds Passage of Bill to Protect Children from Radical Indoctrination
— Office of Congressman Abe Hamadeh (@RepAbeHamadeh) May 26, 2026
The legislation was introduced by Rep. Burgess Owens (R-UT) and advanced with support from Rep. Tim Walberg (R-MI). According to Hamadeh’s office and congressional materials, H.R. 2616 incorporates provisions from previously introduced legislation, including the PROTECT Kids Act and the Say No to Indoctrination Act.
Among its provisions, the bill would require schools receiving federal funds to maintain communication with parents regarding significant decisions involving their children and would prohibit federal funding from being used to promote concepts or instruction characterized in the legislation as “radical gender ideology.” The bill would also codify executive actions issued during President Donald Trump’s administration recognizing two sexes.
Hamadeh said the legislation addresses what he views as increasing ideological influence within public education.
“Indoctrination of any kind does not belong in the classroom; education does and little of it is occurring due to the fact that too many administrators and predatory teachers have turned our classrooms into incubators for radical thought,” Hamadeh said.
Hamadeh said he supported the legislation because of what he described as growing ideological influence in public education. “Our students are supposed to be exposed to the wonders of science and the elegance of math; instead, they are being turned into foot soldiers for the extreme left.”
Kim Miller, founder and president of Arizona Women of Action and America’s Women, showed support for the bill, citing both religious and constitutional arguments for parental authority in education and referencing the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Pierce v. Society of Sisters.
“Parents have the fundamental liberty to direct the upbringing and education of their children,” Miller said. “As Proverbs 22:6 reminds us, ‘Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old, he will not depart from it.’ The U.S. Supreme Court affirmed this principle in Pierce v. Society of Sisters, declaring that ‘the child is not the mere creature of the State.’ Bills like the Stopping Indoctrination and Protecting Kids Act rightly restore parental authority and ensure classrooms teach truth rather than radical ideology.”
H.R. 2616 now heads to the Senate for further consideration.
Rep. Juan Ciscomani (R-AZ06) is leading a bipartisan effort to accelerate modernization of the Dennis DeConcini Land Port of Entry in Nogales, urging federal officials to advance improvements at one of the busiest crossings along the U.S.-Mexico border.
Ciscomani joined Reps. Greg Stanton (D-AZ04) and Abe Hamadeh (R-AZ08) in sending a letter to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and General Services Administration (GSA) calling for swift action to modernize the port, which lawmakers described as critical to both trade and border security.
The lawmakers wrote that the DeConcini Land Port of Entry plays a major role in commerce between Arizona and Mexico and requires modernization to address operational challenges and infrastructure concerns.
“The DeConcini Port of Entry is at the heart of U.S.-Mexico trade, moving everything from medical supplies to agricultural products that directly impact Arizona businesses and daily life,” Ciscomani said. “Modernizing this port is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to upgrade infrastructure, enhance lawful trade, and create a more efficient environment for the business community and border personnel alike.”
In their letter, the lawmakers urged federal agencies to expedite the next phase of the project, citing concerns over aging infrastructure, border operations, and public safety. The DeConcini facility was originally constructed in 1931, and last underwent major modernization in 1994. Lawmakers said portions of the port are increasingly vulnerable to flooding and related infrastructure failures that can disrupt travel and commerce.
The letter described the port as one of the nation’s busiest land crossings and emphasized its role in supporting economic activity beyond a local level as well as national security. The lawmakers wrote, “This is not a Nogales project; this is a national asset in desperate need of investment.”
According to Ciscomani’s office, modernization of the port would improve inspection capabilities, increase efficiency for lawful crossings, and enhance safety for Customs and Border Protection personnel working at the facility.
Emphasizing the facility’s necessity for border security, Ciscomani wrote, “Ensuring CBP has access to modern infrastructure and advanced screening technologies at DeConcini is essential to counter evolving smuggling tactics and protect our communities. The battle against the flow of narcotics has shifted from those measured by the bundle and the ton to those that measured in the thousands of pills that are strapped around a smugglers’ waist. The DeConcini LPOE is at the forefront of this fight, and we must ensure that enforcement personnel have the best facilities, tools, and training to do their job to the best of their ability.”
A woman was arrested in April after CBP officers at the DeConcini crossing referred her vehicle to secondary inspection as she attempted to enter Mexico, accompanied by three minors. According to a CBP press release, officers seized “a rocket-propelled grenade launcher tube, four rifles, an Avtomat Kalashnikova–or AK–pistol, 16 AK rifles, 24 rifle magazines, 16 rifle stocks, 20 pistol grips, and miscellaneous other weapons parts.”
KEEPING OUR HOMELAND SAFE.
On Sunday, @CBP officers at the Area Port of Nogales seized dozens of weapons from a car attempting to cross the border — including a ROCKET-PROPELLED GRENADE.
The other weapons included four rifles, an AK-style pistol, 16 AK rifles, 24 rifle…
Local business leaders also expressed support for the effort. Jaime Chamberlain, a Nogales businessman and member of the Border Trade Alliance, said that modern infrastructure is necessary to maintain trade flow and public safety at the crossing.
Chamberlain said, “Nearly 10 million people cross through Nogales each year, and without significant investment, we risk falling behind at a time when global competitiveness demands the opposite. Our region—and our nation—cannot afford inefficiencies at one of its most important gateways. Just as importantly, modernization will provide our frontline officers with the facilities and technology they need to protect our communities while keeping legitimate travel and commerce moving.”
The lawmakers’ call for modernization comes as federal agencies continue environmental and planning reviews associated with a potential large-scale redevelopment of the crossing. The DeConcini Port of Entry operates continuously and serves millions of travelers annually, though officials and local stakeholders have argued the current footprint and infrastructure are no longer sufficient to meet long-term demands.
