by Matthew Holloway | May 9, 2025 | Economy, News
By Matthew Holloway |
Kelly Loeffler, Administrator of the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), stopped in Arizona as part of her nationwide tour for National Small Business Week.
During an interview with Arizona’s James T. Harris on KFYI, Loeffler described the disastrous state of the SBA as she took office following her confirmation, and her efforts alongside President Donald Trump to get both the SBA and the small businesses it supports back to work.
Asked by Harris what happened when the SBA building went from a “ghost town,” to “workers actually show up and do the job,” she said, “It’s incredible. And it’s great to be part of President Trump’s restoration of main street across every corner of this great nation. He believes in the American worker. He believes in American industry. And he believes in getting the government back to work. And that’s what I did on my first day when 90% of the office was empty. We got people back to work real quick, and that’s thanks to President Trump’s leadership. And also, thanks to the fact that we have a lot of work to do getting back to working for the American people on main street not the globalists. Working for our job creators and not bureaucrats.”
Posting to X, Loeffler wrote, “Our job creators have endured endless challenges over the last four years. It’s great to see the optimism returning to Main Streets across America – including here in Arizona.”
Asked how American small businesses are driving the revival of the U.S. economy, Loeffler was fulsome in her praise:
“Well, it’s been incredible. I’ve been out across the country visiting our manufacturers of which there are thousands in this country, and they all tell me we have been fighting for two decades to make sure that people understand we can make it in America. And they’ve been hiring, they’ve been building. And now that President Trump is back in, they’re investing because reassuring and onshoring our supply chains is absolutely critical. It creates tremendous economic opportunity. If you think about the towns, the small towns, the urban areas that were just left behind. And I’ve seen it from Gary, Indiana, to you know out west everywhere. We had 70,000 factories closed in the last 30 years that cost us 5 million jobs that were exported out of Detroit to Beijing. And we have to make sure that we’re restoring American strength and job creators.”
“You know small businesses, let’s just level set here what are small businesses? Well, they represent 99% of all businesses in this great nation, and also of the manufacturers most of them, 99% of them, also are small businesses,” continued Loeffler. “And so, what they’re seeing is a president who wants to cut regulation. He wants to cut taxes, and he’s doing it. And he wants to make sure that we stand up to our allies and adversaries alike and say, ‘We’re not gonna be taken advantage of any longer. We’re gonna have fair trade.'”
Loeffler detailed the “Made in America” Manufacturing Initiative as well, telling Harris that the administration is working to make lending capital more available for American small businesses.
“What we are doing is focusing on, first of all, delivering access to capital is what I’m hearing from manufacturers across this country. That if they can just get a little bit larger loan size, then they can invest in that new CMC machine. They can hire more people. They can build out parts for their factory. What’s happening in these factories is incredible. It’s next generation smart manufacturing, and the investment in the equipment is, you know, you need computers you need people to run them. So we’re going to make sure the capital access is there, so our loans are doubling up from 5 million to 10 million.”
Loeffler also laid the blame firmly on the Biden administration for dropping stifling regulations on American businesses.
She said, “We’re working on deregulating because unfortunately under Joe Biden, he imposed about $1.7 trillion of excessive regulation. Most of that fell on the backs of our small businesses and our manufacturers. So, we’re working hard to deregulate. And then we’re also just advocating for developing a skilled workforce that doesn’t necessarily need a four-year degree. This is just helping have those on ramps into the modern economyfor these great blue collar or new-collar jobs and made in America.
Loeffler concluded, “That’s a tremendous opportunity. Only 9% of our country is involved in manufacturing of today. I used to be 35% in the 1950s. So somewhere in the middle is probably where we need to get back to. Because we don’t even make our fasteners anymore, nuts and bolts and screws. We’re dependent on China for that. We’ve… that can’t persist. We can’t become dependent on China for anything ever again. We saw that during COVID, so we’re helping turn that around, and President Trump understands that. It’s his job to fight for the American people. He’s the only one with the backbone to do it.”
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 | May 8, 2025 | News
By Matthew Holloway |
Arizona Senate President Warren Petersen announced on Wednesday that Arizona and fifteen other states are celebrating a legal win over the State of California. The victory came over costly regulation under the ‘Advanced Clean Fleets’ mandate, which required trucking firms to purchase electric trucks to replace all diesel models. The states reached a settlement with California Attorney General Rob Bonta on Monday.
The “radical” rule, as Petersen described it, would have particularly impacted Arizona trucking companies who operate large fleets in California. It would have imposed costs of over $100,000 per vehicle, “dramatically raising costs for local trucking companies and their customers,” according to a Senate release.
A report from the International Council on Clean Transportation noted that in response to the regulatory change, the Port of Oakland purchased 10 Peterbilt 579EVs at a cost of $5.1 million, or approximately $510,000 per semi-truck, not including maintenance.
“For years, California has operated with near impunity as its leaders passed unconstitutional regulations that brought great harms to Arizona consumers,” Petersen said in a statement.
Petersen offered a direct criticism of Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes for her “absence” on the matter.
“In the absence of our Attorney General holding California accountable to the rule of law, the Arizona Legislature gladly stepped up to protect our citizens from this egregious abuse of power and emerged victorious. We are grateful for the coalition of attorneys general who helped force California to capitulate from its misguided position on this illegal mandate, and we vow continued vigilance on behalf of the citizens we serve.”
According to the AZ Senate GOP Caucus, California’s regulators have pledged to launch rulemaking proceedings to officially strip the new rule from the state’s regulations. They conceded that California’s 2036 ban on the sale of internal-combustion trucks is unenforceable unless and until the ban receives a Clean Air Act preemption waiver from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
Citing an “absence” of action from AG Mayes and the Hobbs administration, Petersen stated that he has led and/or joined over 60 legal efforts in state and federal courts “to defend the rule of law on behalf of the Arizona Legislature.”
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 | May 7, 2025 | Economy, News
By Matthew Holloway |
The latest job report from the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) shows that 34% of small business owners (seasonally adjusted) reported that despite having open positions in April, they could not find employees to fill them. Chad Heinrich, state director for NFIB in Arizona, offered some suggestions for Arizona lawmakers to address the situation and urged the passage of AZ Senate Bills 1069 and 1215.
“Arizona’s small businesses are the foundation of our economy, and our state has a chance to lead the way in empowering them,” Heinrich said in a statement. “Lawmakers have already done good work keeping taxes and regulations in check. Now, I urge them to pass Senate Bills 1069 and 1215. These two measures will lift a significant recordkeeping burden from Arizona’s smallest businesses and safeguard legal proceedings from foreign entity involvement.”
Senate Bill 1069 sponsored by AZ Senator JD Mesnard (R-LD13) would, if enacted, increase the Business Personal Property Tax exemption to $500,000 per taxpayer, relieving the tax burden on small business owners and “reduce record-keeping and compliance costs enormously,” according to the NFIB.
The bill was passed by the Senate 17-9 with four Senators not voting and passed the House Ways and Means Committee on March 5th.
The second measure, Senate Bill 1215, proposed by AZ Senate President Pro Tempore Vince Leach would require the disclosure of third-parties sponsoring predatory lawsuits against Arizona small business owners and was passed by the House Judiciary Committee on March 26th and is pending consideration by the House Rules Committee. The bill is also supported by the Arizona Chamber of Commerce & Industry, the Arizona Manufacturers Council, the Arizona Lodging & Tourism Association, and the Arizona Trucking Association.
Courtney Coolidge, executive vice president of the Arizona Chamber of Commerce & Industry said in a February statement, “Third party litigation funding has grown to an estimated $15 billion industry in the U.S. Essentially what happened is funders pour money into lawsuits in exchange for the settlement. This is a simple transparency bill to ensure transparency in our courts, protect litigants and safeguard against foreign influence. This is not just an Arizona issue; several states have passed this with bipartisan support.”
Chief Economist Bill Dunkelberg explained the NFIB report’s findings saying, “Small business owners remained open to hire and grow their workforce in April. While the percent of open positions decreased a bit, Main Street firms are still struggling to find qualified applicants for their plentiful open positions.” Per the NFIB report, the percentage of unfilled job openings spiked in 2021-22 and have returned to the lowest level observed since January 2021.
Per the NFIB report, the percentage of unfilled job openings spiked in 2021-22 and have returned to the lowest level observed since January 2021 with the largest concentration of openings in construction, transportation, and manufacturing.
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 | May 7, 2025 | News
By Matthew Holloway |
New legislation designed to address the shortage of doctors in the state of Arizona was signed into law last week after gaining nearly unanimous bipartisan support in the House and Senate. SB 1727, sponsored by Senate Health & Human Services Committee Chair Carine Werner creates a requirement for public university medical schools to offer interviews to all Arizona residents who meet admission requirements.
The theory behind the legislation is that most doctors live in and practice in the state where they earned their degrees and completed their residency, as reported by the American Medical Association (AMA) in a 2019 study.
“If you’ve recently tried to make an appointment with a physician as a new patient, only to be turned away because the office has hit capacity, or if you’ve been forced to wait months just to get an appointment, you know just how serious Arizona’s doctor shortage has become,” explained Werner. “Not being able to access the medical care you need, when you need it, is more than just a frustration — it can easily mean the difference between life and death. SB 1727 being signed into law is a first step in retaining future doctors, instead of exporting them to other states.”
Werner revealed that she, “worked with Arizona State University, the University of Arizona, and the Arizona Board of Regents to ensure this proposal can be implemented and will be effective.”
Arizona’s six medical schools, reportedly offer a very limited number of interviews to students who meet all qualifications for entry and per the Senate Republicans, “Those students who do not receive an interview and live in Arizona must look to other states to attend medical school.”
Citing the AMA’s findings that 54.6% of students who complete medical school and residencies out of state don’t return to their home state, but rather make lives where they trained, Werner and her fellow lawmakers reasoned that ensuring these interviews will be available to prospective Arizona medical students “will help expand the pool of qualified, homegrown applicants in our state.”
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 | May 6, 2025 | News
By Matthew Holloway |
Tucson Border Patrol Specialty Units and Homeland Security Investigations agents have arrested an illegal immigrant wanted by the Mexican government for smuggling weapons across the border.
“Gun runner runs out of luck. The arm of the law caught up to a Mexican arms smuggler when Tucson Border Patrol Specialty Units from Casa Grande teamed up with Homeland Security Investigations to arrest a man wanted by the Government of Mexico,” said Chief Patrol Agent (CPA) of the Tucson Sector Sean McGoffin on X.
The Chief Patrol Agent added that the man arrested was living in Phoenix illegally and was handed over to Mexican ‘Federales’ or La Agencia de Investigación Criminal who were shown in a posted image in uniform with their backs turned and faces obscured along with HSI Agents and the suspect. McGoffin added, “Now he will face the music in Mexico, as he was promptly removed from the U.S. into the custody of Mexican Officials.”
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) hosted a press conference Friday morning with law enforcement partners in Tucson highlighting DHS and interagency efforts to interdict firearms being smuggled into Mexico.
CBP’s Director of Field Operations for Tucson Guadalupe Ramirez, who led the presser, told reporters that the Department of Homeland Security alongside local and federal partners have in recent days successfully “stopped child abduction, interdicted criminals fleeing prosecution, interdicted illegal contraband such as controlled substances, precursors, arms, and recovered myriad of other violations involving currency and stolen vehicles.”
He added, “Our successful interdiction and seizures play a critical role in protecting America’s borders, the national security by preventing illegal weapons, reaching dangerous criminal networks in Mexico. CBP has the authority for departure control of any person, baggage vehicle or material departing the United States and all are subject to inspection and search by CBP officers to ensure compliance with applicable outbound laws.”
Ramirez concluded, “Together with our partners, we’ll continue to target and examine high risk outbound conveyance destined to Mexico, we’ll increase outbound interdiction focused on weapons and currency trafficking of weapons and ammunition intended for terrorism. It is not just a border violation, it is a direct act of supporting terrorism that threatens national security and international security. Engaging in weapons trafficking, particularly to support designated foreign terrorist organizations comes with severe legal consequences including terrorism related charges and long sentences and financial penalties.”
Brendan Iber, Special Agent with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco Firearms and Explosives (ATF) noted during the conference that the ATF has “determined that cartels prefer large caliber and or belt-fed rifles such as the Ohio Ordinance M2 50 caliber rifle, the Ohio Ordinance M240 7.62 millimeter, the FN M249 5.56 millimeter, and the Barrett M82 50 caliber Semi-Automatic rifle.”
He continued, “These cartels and terrorist organizations are often responsible for the most heinous violent crimes affecting the communities and neighborhoods of the United States. Under President Trump and Attorney General Bondi’s leadership, and since January 20th of this year, ATF has prevented nearly 9,700 firearms from falling into the hands of dangerous criminals or terrorists.” Iber added, “Since the announcement from Attorney General Bondi earlier in the week of the 9,700 firearms, I will tell you here in Arizona alone, that number is now up to 11,000.”
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.
