by Corinne Murdock | Mar 10, 2024 | News
By Corinne Murdock |
Arizona’s congressional leaders had varied reactions to President Joe Biden’s State of the Union address on Thursday, largely toeing party lines. Nearly all addressed the state of the border and the economy; however, while Republicans generally viewed each as being in a negative state, Democrats viewed them as being in a positive state.
Rep. Andy Biggs (R-AZ-05) issued the lengthiest play-by-play during Biden’s remarks in a series of X posts (formerly Twitter), touching on the major issues facing the country: involvement in foreign conflicts, as well as the economic, crime, and illegal immigration crises.
- The average military age in Ukraine is 42. They’ve lost 500,000 men. Why are we encouraging war instead of encouraging peace?
- Joe Biden has actually weaponized our government against his enemies. These included protestors on both the Left and Right, school board parents, and Catholics.
- Joe Biden’s economy has been a disaster for Americans. There has been 19.8 percent inflation since January 2021, costing Arizona families $12,891 this year, according to the Joint Economic Committee.
- Under Joe Biden’s leadership, layoffs have surged to the highest level in 15 years.
- If Joe Biden really wants to take down Big Pharma, he should support, pass, and sign our bill that would eliminate immunity for dangerous vaccines.
- We’re $34 trillion in debt, Joe. The Affordable Care Act: still unaffordable.
- Education is actually a state issue.
- The last thing we need in our education is Dr. Jill [Biden] and Joe reading to three-year-olds.
- Joe, has your son paid back his taxes yet?
- Joe Biden actually wants to ensure the Child Tax Credit goes to illegal aliens.
- Joe Biden is actually making insulin prices higher for Americans.
- When does Big Government get out of the way? It doesn’t.
- Joe Biden can shut the border down NOW. Get it done!
- Joe Biden is separating families. His Administration has lost some 140,000 illegal aliens from the border.
- The biggest dark money distributors are DEMOCRATS.
- Democrats have called for defunding the police. Crime is everywhere as a result.
- Joe Biden is citing figures from the Gaza Health Ministry. They were found to have completely fabricated their casualty figures.
- These so-called UN humanitarian workers actually helped facilitate the heinous October 7th attacks in Israel.
- Joe Biden’s plan to create a ‘Gaza Port’ actually fast-tracks aid to Hamas. GOP Oversight and I have been conducting oversight on our aid to Gaza. It’s ending up in the wrong hands.
Rep. Juan Ciscomani (R-AZ-06) criticized Biden’s address as “divisive,” “disconnected,” avoidant of all responsibility for issues like the border crisis, and void of “real solutions.” Ahead of the SOTU, Ciscomani issued his endorsement of President Donald Trump. Ciscomani said that, despite Biden’s failings, he had hope for a national revival.
“President Biden’s State of the Union was divisive, devoid of real solutions, and disconnected from our real needs,” said Ciscomani. “While those [issues] still persist, so does the will and determination of our people and the American spirit that built this country. As long as we have that, I remain optimistic for our future and focused on fighting for our families.”
Ciscomani’s guest was Jane Strain, an Army veteran from Sierra Vista.
Rep. Eli Crane (R-AZ-02) also issued a brief play-by-play during the SOTU. Crane criticized Biden’s focus on foreign nations over America, and dismissed the feasibility of the border provisions within the failed $118 billion foreign aid bill.
- Biden mentioning Ukraine before America is pretty on brand.
- He seems to be pretty nervous about his predecessor, given how often he’s referring to him.
- The ‘toughest border security bill’ Biden is referring to would only force action by DHS after 5,000 criminal aliens infiltrated PER DAY FOR A WEEK.
- “All Americans deserve the freedom to be safe and America is safer today than when I took office.” – Biden. 8+ million criminal aliens have infiltrated our communities during Biden’s time in office.
- Tough talk about China from someone who let a Chinese spy balloon traverse the entire contiguous United States.
Rep. Ruben Gallego (D-AZ-03) also issued a brief play-by-play during the SOTU. Gallego praised the CHIPS and PACT Acts, critiqued the unfairness of fees on service items, and urged agreement on a border security bill.
- Arizona is a hub that’s seeing major benefits from the CHIPS Act. That’s more jobs, higher wages, and a boon to our state’s economy. I’m proud to have helped get it passed.
- Arizona families are tired of price gouging junk fees that raise the cost of everything from hotels to phone plans. I’ve introduced the Junk Fees Prevention Act to put an end to it.
- Arizona needs the bipartisan border deal. Far-right extremists killed it. I’ll keep fighting for real solutions to secure our border and fix our broken system.
- I slept next to burn pits in Iraq, and I’ve seen too many of my Marines brothers suffer because of it. That’s why I fought to pass the PACT Act and ensure all toxic-exposed veterans get the healthcare they need.
Gallego’s guests to the SOTU were two Marines that served with him in Iraq, John and Cheston Bailon.
Rep. Raul Grijalva (D-AZ-07) said that Biden’s address was a “robust defense” of current policy. Grijalva focused on the passage of Biden’s massive budget bills, which have financed a wide array of projects and initiatives including infrastructure, and contrasted Biden with former President Donald Trump.
“The American people continue to benefit from the Biden administration’s landmark legislative accomplishments, including the Inflation Reduction Act, the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, CHIPS and Science Act. These laws are revitalizing Arizona with projects like the I-10 expansion, the City of Tucson’s 22nd Street bridge, millions of dollars to update clean drinking water infrastructure, the San Luis and Douglas Ports-of-Entry, and more. The Biden presidency stands in direct contrast to the extremism presented by Trump and Congressional Republicans. Trump and Republicans tried to overturn a democratic election, repealed Roe v. Wade, refused to secure resources for our border and pass immigration reform, and supported tax breaks for corporations and billionaires instead of helping working families. Through chaos and threats, Republicans have shown over the past two years that they are incapable of governing. All the while, Trump and Republicans remain fixated on the southern border and chose to block bipartisan immigration reform for the sake of campaign politics. I do, however, caution President Biden from pushing for Trump-era immigration policies that have not yielded any positive results and only worsened conditions at the border for families and individuals seeking refuge in our country. Real immigration reform is needed, and it begins with providing the necessary resources to localities like those in Southern Arizona that are at the forefront of the situation. It’s clear the American people have benefitted from the leadership of President Biden and his commitment to defending the freedoms and values essential to American democracy. I look forward to working together with President Biden to ensure we can build on the historic progress we have made thus far and champion bold policies to protect reproductive freedom, establish a living wage, guarantee paid leave, ensure climate justice, hold corporations accountable, require the wealthy to pay their fair share in taxes, safeguard Social Security and Medicare, and defend and advance racial equity and civil rights for every American for future generations.”
Rep. Debbie Lesko (R-AZ-08) also issued a play-by-play, focusing on how Biden policies have resulted in an increased cost of living, and a sweeping crisis of illegal immigration and crime.
- President Biden touts his economic policies, meanwhile the average American family is spending $1K+ more per/month than they were 3 years ago for the same things. Are those families supposed to believe Bidenomics is working?
- List of things the American people can no longer afford: Gas, Groceries, Housing, Vehicles, Utilities AND MORE! His claims of the success of #Bidenomics are a slap in the face to every American family struggling through this cost-of-living crisis!
- Since Biden took office, the income needed to purchase a home comfortably has gone up 80%. That’s the reality of #Bidenomics
- Is it really a surprise Biden is blaming the Republicans on the border crisis? Of course he doesn’t want to take accountability for halting construction of the border wall, ending ‘Remain in Mexico’, starting catch-and-release, and more. He’s failed, and he knows it.
- These “pro-immigrant” policies President Biden is touting are the same ones that get women and children trafficked and raped, kidnap families, and allow terrorists to move into your neighborhood.
- Why is President Biden blaming House Republicans when he could… Reinstate ‘Remain in Mexico’, End catch-and-release, Stop the taxpayer funded migrant money grabs, Build the wall. President Biden caused the border crisis.
- There’s an invasion at our Southern Border whether Biden believes it or not. That’s why I introduced my resolution recognizing the border crisis as an invasion. We’ve already had more than 1 MILLION illegal crossings this fiscal year! Sounds like an invasion to me.
- FACT CHECK: DC had the highest number of homicides in 2023 since 1997. Our country has gotten no safer under the Biden Administration and Biden’s soft-on-crime policies will only make it worse.
Rep. David Schweikert (R-AZ-01) focused on the poor fiscal health of the nation in his response: a $3 trillion increase in the national debt over the past year.
“The national debt will have increased by over $333 million by the time President Biden finishes speaking. Our nation’s fiscal health is rapidly deteriorating,” said Schweikert. I won’t stop sounding the alarm about our intensifying fiscal nightmare.
Rep. Greg Stanton (D-AZ-04) also offered a brief play-by-play during the SOTU. Stanton focused on abortion rights, semiconductor manufacturing, pharmaceutical costs, and the border.
- When the Supreme Court overturned Roe, they turned back the clock on women’s rights in America. Congress must make the protections Roe provided the law of the land once again.
- The CHIPS Act is bringing in billions of dollars in investment to Arizona, and creating thousands of good paying jobs that don’t require a college degree. Advanced manufacturing is returning to the United States.
- We’ve capped the cost of insulin at $35 a month for seniors on Medicare, lowered the cost of health care coverage, and finally forced Big Pharma to negotiate lower drug prices. Now we’re working to expand these savings to ALL Americans.
- I was in Nogales just last week to meet with federal law enforcement and leaders on the front lines of the border crisis. Every day that extreme House Republicans block a vote on a border funding bill, it’s Arizona communities that suffer the consequences.
- “We can fight about the border or we can fix it. I’m ready to fix it.” – @POTUS Let’s get it done.
In her play-by-play, Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (I-AZ) said that the Republican and Democratic parties were resisting mutual solutions to the border crisis. Sinema also discussed laws passed under her on gun regulation and benefits for injured veterans.
- Both parties are guilty of pointing fingers and pushing off the blame when it comes to our border crisis. If partisans care about securing the border as much as they pretend to on cable news appearances, let’s drop the talking points and deliver real results.
- After the horrific Uvalde shooting, I brought Senators in both parties together to craft the Bipartisan Safer Communities law – breaking the 30 year logjam on gun violence prevention legislation. Since then, gun violence has dropped by 12% in urban centers and 10% elsewhere.
- Earlier this week, millions of veterans exposed to toxins while serving gained access to health care thanks to our work on the PACT Act law. That’s how we work to deliver lasting solutions for those we serve.
Sen. Mark Kelly (D-AZ) issued a brief defense of the Biden administration as having implemented positive progress for the country.
“Tonight, President Biden illustrated the clear choice our country faces between continuing the progress we’ve made over the past few years or going backwards,” said Kelly.
Corinne Murdock is a reporter for AZ Free News. Follow her latest on Twitter, or email tips to corinne@azfreenews.com.
by Corinne Murdock | Mar 9, 2024 | News
By Corinne Murdock |
The “Freedom to Move” bill, a ballot referral that would create a constitutional ban on taxes or fees for Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT) and limitations on travel miles, SCR1002/HCR2018, failed to pass in the Senate on Wednesday.
The resolution failed as Republican State Sen. Ken Bennett (R-LD01) joined Democrats in voting against it.
VMTs levy fees based on miles driven, generally for passenger vehicles only. Oregon implemented a VMT in 2015, and Utah implemented a VMT in 2020. The federal government has encouraged VMT pilots and enhancements through its Surface Transportation System Funding Alternatives (STSFA) grant program. Arizona is a member state of the STSFA Road Usage Charge (RUC) America Pilot, as are 12 other states.
Bennett expressed frustration that he was unable to have “reasonable changes” made to this or any other resolution like it.
The senator said that while he agreed with the desire to prevent limitations to free movement, he had concerns that the bill didn’t provide sufficient exceptions for governmental entities to monitor their vehicles for maintenance and employee reimbursement purposes.
Bennett further noted that businesses brought concerns to him that they would be prevented from complying with or taking advantage of the state implementation plan through Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT), Arizona Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ), and federal statutes.
“We do not want Arizona ever to be going down the road of what’s happening in other jurisdictions where they’re using VMT taxes or fees to limit people’s ability to move freely wherever they want to go,” said Bennett.
Bennett also claimed the bill wouldn’t appropriately apply to alternative fuel vehicles, such as electric vehicles. He suggested the legislature first come up with an energy equivalency calculation to bring alternative fuel vehicles into the process of paying for the roads.
“The growing number of electric vehicles is outside the HURF [Highway User Revenue Fund] revenue in this state, and we have to address that,” said Bennett.
Sen. Jake Hoffman (R-LD15) dismissed Bennett’s concerns as “patently false” and alleged that his counterpart knew that to be the case.
Hoffman countered that the bill does allow for governmental entities to enact VMT monitoring or limitations, just not mandates for businesses, and that the bill wouldn’t preclude businesses from voluntarily engaging with VMT rules or policies. The latter was a provision added under an amendment at the request of Intel Corporation, according to Hoffman.
Hoffman said that the federal government and entities bent on advancing environmental interests and policies were behind a feverish push for VMT.
“It’s called choice architecture, it’s a theory of the left. In choice architecture, you artificially alter the inputs with which people make decisions, so that the architecture surrounding those decisions changes,” said Hoffman. “You raise the price of gas to an unreasonable level, well, what’s the resulting behavior? They don’t drive as much.”
Correction: A previous version of this story incorrectly stated that Republican State Sen. Frank Carroll (R-LD28) voted against SCR1002/HCR2018. Sen. Carroll voted in favor of the resolution.
Corinne Murdock is a reporter for AZ Free News. Follow her latest on Twitter, or email tips to corinne@azfreenews.com.
by Elizabeth Troutman | Mar 9, 2024 | News
By Elizabeth Troutman |
Dr. Eugene Livar will serve as Arizona’s first Chief Heat Officer, the state Department of Health announced Wednesday. The position is part of Gov. Katie Hobbs’ Extreme Heat Preparedness Plan.
“I’m excited to take on this role and this important work to make sure Arizona is prepared as possible for this upcoming heat season and beyond,” Livar said.
Hobbs, a Democrat, has named addressing extreme heat in Arizona as one of her most important initiatives. The preparedness plan will involve several state agencies along with the Governor’s Office of Resiliency.
Arizona Republicans have criticized Hobbs for wasting government funding on paying unnecessary employees.
“If Hobbs really cared about making AZ “resilient,” she would start by helping Arizonans keep more $$ in their wallets,” the American Free Enterprise Club said on Twitter. “Instead, she’s flexing her power as governor to create a multi-million-dollar program so her political friends can do phony baloney jobs.”
Livar will oversee the implementation of the plan and work to coordinate partnerships between the state, county health departments, local municipalities, communities, the private sector, and community-based organizations, according to a news release.
“ADHS is proud to play a role in meeting this moment and working to fix a complex problem facing Arizonans and we will handle this responsibility with the care it deserves and in partnership with the Governor’s Office of Resiliency Director Maren Mahoney,” said Jennie Cunico, ADHS Cabinet Executive Officer.
The health department under Hobbs also hired a heat relief coordinator to serve as the statewide point-of-contact for county coordinators and develop training for community navigators focused on improving access to human service providers.
Livar has been part of the ADHS team since 2012. He previously served as the assistant director for public health preparedness and steered the development of the ADHS heat preparedness recommendations, which contributed to the state’s heat plan.
Former legislator and current candidate for Maricopa County Board of Supervisors Michelle Ugenti-Rita said the chief heat officer position sounds like a joke.
“This is an all time level of absurdity – a “chief heat officer,” she said. “It has to be a joke…we live in the DESERT.”
Merissa Hamilton, Republican politician and executive director of Save Arizona, said Hobbs’ agenda must be rejected.
“Democrats manufacture crises for their degrowth death cult,” she tweeted. “We must firmly reject this agenda!”
Elizabeth Troutman is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send her news tips using this link.
by Daniel Stefanski | Mar 9, 2024 | News
By Daniel Stefanski |
Arizona legislators continue to work on solutions to help their constituents afford and own their own homes.
On Wednesday, the Arizona State Senate passed HB 2570, the Arizona Starter Homes Act, with a bipartisan vote. The bill, which was sponsored by Senate Majority Leader Sonny Borrelli and House Majority Leader Leo Biasiucci, “creates municipal prohibitions relating to home designs and single-family home lot sizes” – according to the overview provided by the chamber.
“Hardworking Arizonans are finding it increasingly difficult to purchase their first home and begin their pursuit of the American dream. This legislation is a step in the right direction in bringing prices down by eliminating some of the restrictive government red tape and expensive regulatory constraints being passed onto homebuyers,” said Senator Borrelli. “Government should do everything in its power to make the lives of our citizens better, but local municipalities are overstepping their authority by trying to control private property rights, instead of focusing their attention on valid rules and regulations protecting against nuisance and safety issues. The Arizona Starter Homes Act is a no-brainer, and I’m encouraged it received bipartisan support. I look forward to the Governor taking appropriate action on behalf of our citizens’ lives and livelihoods by signing this bill into law.”
The bill passed the Senate with a 16-13 vote. One member did not vote.
Last month, the Arizona House of Representatives approved the proposal with a 33-26 vote (with one vacant seat).
Senator Anna Hernandez, a Democrat, applauded the passage of the legislation from her chamber, writing that the result “is amazing for all Arizonans!”
Earlier this week, Democrat State Representative Analise Ortiz stated that this bill “provides the best opportunity for the American dream of homeownership.” She added that “we don’t have to be ‘forever renters,’” and that “our generation deserves to own a home & build generational wealth.”
While the support in the legislature for this piece of legislation is bipartisan, towns and cities around the state have indicted strong opposition to its proposed policies. On the Arizona Legislature’s Request to Speak system, representatives from the cities of Prescott, Scottsdale, Avondale, Goodyear, Sedona, Flagstaff, Eloy, Mesa, Buckeye, Chandler, Litchfield Park, Glendale, Tucson, and Yuma; as well as from the League of Arizona Cities & Towns, Chandler Chamber of Commerce, and Queen Creek Chamber of Commerce, signed in to oppose the bill. Representatives from the Arizona Neighborhood Project, Republican Liberty Caucus of Arizona, Home Builders Association of Central Arizona, and the Arizona Homeowners Coalition indicated their support for the legislation.
HB 2570 now heads to Governor Katie Hobbs’ desk for a decision on its fate.
Corinne Murdock is a reporter for AZ Free News. Follow her latest on Twitter, or email tips to corinne@azfreenews.com.
by Daniel Stefanski | Mar 8, 2024 | News
By Daniel Stefanksi |
Arizona Republican Legislators were on the winning side of a unanimous decision at the U.S. Supreme Court.
On Monday, the Supreme Court of the United States reversed the opinion from the Colorado State Supreme Court that “ordered the Colorado secretary of state to exclude the former President from the Republican primary ballot in the State and to disregard any write-in votes that Colorado voters might cast for him.” The Court unanimously ruled that “the judgement of the Colorado Supreme Court cannot stand” – though two concurring opinions (one by Justice Barrett and one by Justices Sotomayor, Kagan, and Jackson) gave additional thoughts and context to the deliberations from the panel.
The decision from the nation’s high court follows an amicus brief that was submitted from more than two dozen state attorneys general and the Arizona Legislature under the leadership of Senate President Warren Petersen and House Speaker Ben Toma. That brief urged the U.S. Supreme Court to consider that “dangerous ruling out of Colorado.”
After the news of the 9-0 decision was announced, the Arizona Senate Republicans Caucus “X” account posted, “Colorado got it wrong. President Warren Petersen and the Arizona Legislature are proud to have supported President Donald Trump by filing a brief with more than two dozen other states. Today the U.S. Supreme Court agreed with us and unanimously overturned Colorado’s attempt to disenfranchise voters by keeping President Trump off the ballot.”
When the Legislature joined the amicus brief in the lead-up to the arguments before the U.S. Supreme Court, Petersen had said, “This is clearly a case of judicial activism and a violation of the separation of powers. Leftist bias and prejudice are on full display from the Colorado Supreme Court.” His press release asserted that the U.S. Constitution “reserve[d] the power to determine the political question of what constitutes an ‘insurrection’ to Congress – not rogue courts.”
The Petersen and Toma-led legislature has been active in joining legal fights around the nation and in-state – especially in the absence of an attorney general who is not generally favorable to Republicans’ perspectives of different cases.
Daniel Stefanski is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
by Corinne Murdock | Mar 8, 2024 | News
By Corinne Murdock |
Pima County officials are warning that the community will suffer from a homeless crisis of illegal immigrants come Easter Sunday after federal funding for illegal immigrant support runs out.
County officials estimate that there will be as many as 400 to 1,000 illegal immigrants released by border agents into Tucson daily.
The county has spent about $1 million a week to shelter around 1,000 illegal immigrants — bussed in by state-contracted coach transportation — using funds sourced from the federal Shelter and Services Program. If the county were to take on all the sheltering and service costs, taxpayers would be putting up between $50 and $60 million a year.
About a billion in federal funding for SSP was tied into the failed foreign aid bill engineered by Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (I-AZ). SSP was specifically allocated by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to mitigate illegal immigrant shelter and service costs borne by non-federal entities.
The Federal Emergency Management Administration (FEMA) allocated $363.8 million to SSP for the 2023 fiscal year. Pima County received over $12 million from SSP. These funds went to Catholic Community Services’ (CCS) Casa Alitas shelters, which served as a middle man of sorts amid the Border Patrol’s catch and release of illegal immigrants. Without federal funds, illegal immigrants will likely end up living on the streets.
The World Hunger Ecumenical Task Force (WHETF) in Maricopa County received nearly $8.5 million. WHETF of Cochise County received $150,000, and Yuma County WHETF received over $11 million.
Last month, Pima County Administrator Jan Lesher warned the Board of Supervisors (BOS) in a memo that the county no longer had sufficient funding to continue shelter and other services for illegal immigrants.
Lesher advised the board that she had instructed a full stop to county coordination, contracts management, and funding reimbursement of the shelter services on Easter Sunday. Currently, the county’s Grants Management and Innovation Office, Office of Emergency Management, and Procurement are winding down those processes.
The county administrator explained that illegal immigrants would flock to Tucson from across Pima, Cochise, and Santa Cruz counties because the city offers more transportation opportunities and homelessness support than the rural counties.
“There is already a difficult homeless problem in Pima County that we are working tirelessly to solve or mitigate,” said Lesher. “What we are about to experience with street releases is homelessness on steroids.”
The county is considering two plans for handling the anticipated influx of roving illegal immigrants. However, Lesher advised against any of the plans as “imprudent,” arguing that the border crisis was a federal problem that should be covered by federal funding.
“This is a crisis of the federal government’s making due to the failure to pass sensible border and immigration reform and to provide the necessary funding to local jurisdictions forced to deal with the deleterious effects of federal border policy,” said Lesher.
The first plan would involve a county-owned building, the Mission Facility west of the Pima County Adult Detention Complex. One version of the plan would cost over $126,000 a month and another $40,000 for necessary materials. The illegal immigrants would be bussed and released to the location, and upon arrival given only the “bare necessities:” utilities, maintenance, janitorial services, 24-hour security, and communication aids such as an A-frame sign and language-specific cards and fliers. Under this plan, the county would not provide food or transportation. A second version of the plan would increase costs to over $396,900 a month to provide support staffing and food, but not transportation.
The second plan would make use of the county-owned Pima Fairgrounds “Raceway” and install the rental of a large tent and portable showers. That would cost $305,100 to erect and about $283,200 to maintain monthly, minimum. Additional costs have yet to be discerned.
Of the five viable non-county buildings and properties, the owners either expressed no interest in housing illegal immigrants or the properties were unsuitable for mass sheltering operations.
Among the services discontinued, per a memo issued to the BOS earlier this month, will be both the short and long-distance transportation services for asylum seekers (ending August 15 and April 11, respectively), staffing support services for humanitarian assistance program (ending May 11), and food service county congregate and non-congregate shelters (ending May 31). Another program, hotel shelter services for COVID-positive asylum seekers, will conclude next week.
Although those dates extend beyond Lesher’s directive to stop county efforts as of Easter Sunday, the county administrator noted in her February memo to BOS that she was planning for the possibility of reimbursement requests coming in after the programs conclude.
Per the county administrator’s last weekly situational report, issued in mid-February, there was a daily average of 910 arrivals and weekly average of over 6,300 arrivals. Since Jan. 1, 2019, the county has recorded over 405,000 releases in the area.
Corinne Murdock is a reporter for AZ Free News. Follow her latest on Twitter, or email tips to corinne@azfreenews.com.
