Arizona taxpayers could face nearly $200 million in additional costs if the state fails to reduce its Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) payment error rate in the coming years.
Data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture shows Arizona’s SNAP payment error rate reached 10.8% in Fiscal Year 2025, ranking 33rd nationally and rising from 8.84% in Fiscal Year 2024.
Under changes enacted through the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (H.R. 1), states with SNAP payment error rates below 6% by Fiscal Year 2028 will avoid cost-sharing requirements with the federal government.
States with error rates between 6-8% must provide a 5% match, those between 8-10% a 10% match, and states exceeding 10% a 15% match.
If Arizona’s error rate remains at 10.8% in Fiscal Year 2028, the state would be subject to the highest matching requirement.
Based on Fiscal Year 2025 figures, eight states recorded error rates below 6% (Idaho, Nebraska, Nevada, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, Wisconsin, and Wyoming), while six fell between 6-8%. Another 16 states posted rates between 8-10%, and 20 states exceeded 10%.
Zach Milne, senior economist at Common Sense Institute Arizona said the state has a strong incentive to improve its performance.
Mile told The Center Square, “Improving program accuracy strengthens program integrity and helps the state avoid potentially significant federal cost-sharing penalties.”
He described Arizona’s elevated error rate as a relatively recent development, noting that the state’s rate stood at 5.2% in Fiscal Year 2019 — below the new federal threshold.
The Arizona Legislature passed several measures during the 2026 session aimed at lowering the state’s SNAP payment error rate, but they were vetoed by Governor Hobbs.
Senate Bill 1002 would have expanded eligibility verification tools for the Arizona Department of Economic Security, while Senate Bill 1331 proposed work requirements for SNAP recipients age 60 and younger.
Senate Bill 1334 would have barred the department from seeking work-requirement waivers for able-bodied adults without dependents. House Bill 2206 sought to require the state to reduce its SNAP payment error rate to below 3% by 2030.
In her veto messages, Hobbs argued that the legislation duplicated ongoing efforts by the Department of Economic Security to improve accuracy, including enhanced eligibility verification, additional staffing and training, and investments in technology.
“SNAP is the most robust and effective anti-hunger tool we have in Arizona-I know this firsthand,” Hobbs said in her veto letter of the three Senate Bills. “It’s also the most secure, thanks to strong anti-fraud measures and oversight. Instead of creating more needless frustration for Arizona families, I invite you to join me in actually lowering costs for them.”
She also criticized H.R. 1 for imposing unfunded mandates that she said have strained agency resources, noting that she allocated $7.5 million to increase the department’s capacity. Hobbs maintained that the vetoed bills would have added further unfunded requirements without providing resources for implementation or modernization.
Ethan Faverino is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
President Donald Trump has issued a select number of endorsements in Arizona races for the 2026 election.
The latest endorsements went to Rep. Juan Ciscomani to retain his seat in the 6th Congressional District, Rep. Paul Gosar to retain his seat in the 9th Congressional District, and Mark Lamb, former sheriff of Pinal County, for the seat opened by departing Rep. Andy Biggs in the 5th Congressional District.
Neither Ciscomani nor Gosar have opponents in their primaries. Lamb faces off against Daniel Keenan, a construction company owner, in the primary.
Trump’s endorsement bundle on Friday referred to Gosar and Lamb as “MAGA warrior[s],” and Ciscomani as “a tremendous champion.”
All three men, Trump promised, were capable of improving border security, stopping migrant crime, strengthening the military, bolstering economic growth, cutting taxes and regulations, boosting domestic manufacturing and energy, supporting law enforcement, and protecting Second Amendment rights.
Ciscomani will likely face off against Democratic candidate Joanna Mendoza.
I’ve stood with President Trump from Day 1 and I’ve never wavered, not once.
I’m honored to have President Trump’s “COMPLETE & TOTAL” endorsement for Governor of our great state of Arizona! 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/gGootCd6kV
Here are the other endorsements for Arizona candidates made by Trump so far:
Thomas “Jay” Feely, former NFL kicker, for the seat opened by departing Rep. David Schweikert in the 1st Congressional District. Feely faces off against former State Rep. Joseph Chaplik and technology consultant John Trobough in the Republican primary.
I’ve stood with President Trump from Day 1 and I’ve never wavered, not once.
I’m honored to have President Trump’s “COMPLETE & TOTAL” endorsement for Governor of our great state of Arizona! 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/gGootCd6kV
Rep. Abe Hamadeh received Trump’s endorsement to retain his seat in the 8th Congressional District. Hamadeh has no opponents in the primary.
Happy birthday, Mr. President!
My first endorsement from President Trump came on his birthday, June 14, 2022. Even on his birthday he was giving to others. I will never forget that phone call. Thank you for trusting me to be in this battle alongside you to save our country! pic.twitter.com/K1YetQTTGp
Andy Biggs received Trump’s endorsement for the governor’s seat held by incumbent Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs. Biggs has three other opponents: Schweikert and two businessmen, Scott Neely and Ken Miceli.
I’ve stood with President Trump from Day 1 and I’ve never wavered, not once.
I’m honored to have President Trump’s “COMPLETE & TOTAL” endorsement for Governor of our great state of Arizona! 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/gGootCd6kV
Other races have indicated some weigh-in from Trump, but no outright endorsements.
In the attorney general’s race, Trump reposted a county supervisor’s endorsement of Republican primary candidate Rodney Glassman sans commentary last month. Glassman is up against State Senate President Warren Petersen to determine who will face off against the Democratic incumbent, Attorney General Kris Mayes.
But in April, Trump gave Petersen a shout-out at the Turning Point Action (TPA) “Build the Red Wall” event. Trump said Petersen would “help achieve [the] victory” of expanding the “red wall” — the Republican majority.
Trump made a similar post in recent weeks in the secretary of state’s race. The president also reposted a picture sans commentary of another organization’s endorsement of Republican primary candidate Gina Swoboda, former chair of the Arizona Republican Party.
Swoboda took the repost as an outright endorsement, though the other Republican primary candidate in the race, State Rep. Alexander Kolodin, disputed that characterization. Kolodin was also given a shoutout at the TPA event in April.
AZ Free News is your #1 source for Arizona news and politics. You can send us news tips using this link.
A new analysis of federal traffic fatality data ranks Arizona among the nation’s most dangerous states for deadly hit-and-run crashes, underscoring the persistent toll of drivers who flee the scene of collisions.
Researchers at Andrew Pickett Law examined data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s Fatality Analysis Reporting System covering 2019 through 2024.
Arizona ranked eighth nationwide for per-capita risk, averaging 1.55 hit-and-run fatalities per 100,000 licensed drivers. During the six-year period, the state recorded 535 hit-and-run deaths among 7,081 total traffic fatalities.
Arizona also placed 11th nationally for the share of traffic deaths involving a fleeing driver, with hit-and-run crashes accounting for 7.56% of all vehicle crash fatalities.
New Mexico led the nation in per-capita risk, followed by Louisiana (1.84) and Tennessee (1.83). California recorded the highest percentage of overall traffic fatalities involving hit-and-run drivers at 11.01% followed by Hawaii (10.03%), and Nevada (9.81%).
“Leaving the scene of an accident is a critical public safety crisis that costs thousands of lives every year,” stated personal injury lawyer Andrew Pickett. “Drivers need to understand that panic is no excuse. Staying at the scene, rendering immediate aid, and contacting emergency services is a universal responsibility that can mean the difference between life and death for an injured victim.”
The findings align with a recent report from the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, which found that hit-and-run crashes nationwide accounted for more than 919,000 police-reported collisions, nearly 243,000 injuries, and 2,872 deaths in 2023.
Arizona’s most recent statewide figures paint a similar picture. In 2024, the state recorded 16,136 hit-and-run crashes, resulting in 4,202 injuries and 86 deaths. That total represented an increase of 488 incidents compared with 2023.
Arizona law imposes severe penalties for leaving the scene of a crash involving death or serious physical injury. A conviction for a Class 2 felony hit-and-run offense can carry a prison sentence of up to 12.5 years for a first-time offender, in addition to lengthy license suspension, including a 10-year revocation in fatal cases.
Ethan Faverino is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
Republican Rep. Abe Hamadeh (AZ-08) has initiated the process to impeach a dual citizen judge appointed by former President Joe Biden for abuse of judicial authority.
Hamadeh filed a resolution that would remove D.C. District Court Judge Sparkle Sooknanan, a dual citizen of the United States and Trinidad and Tobago.
The congressman filed the articles of impeachment in response to Sooknanan’s recent ruling in League of Women Voters v. U.S. Department of Homeland Security to halt a federal program creating a centralized database of citizen information collecting existent agency data on citizenship status and Social Security numbers in order to prevent noncitizen voter fraud in federal elections.
In a press release, Hamadeh contended Sooknanan had gone beyond the limited powers of the judiciary by imposing desired policy outcomes.
“This is a blatant and unlawful subversion of the President’s executive authority and a direct assault on election integrity,” said Hamadeh. “Judges who weaponize their bench to interfere with the President’s constitutional duties must be held accountable.”
🇺🇸NEW🇺🇸
Congressman Hamadeh Introduces Articles of Impeachment Against Judge Sparkle L. Sooknanan
— Office of Congressman Abe Hamadeh (@RepAbeHamadeh) July 9, 2026
The database was an intended expansion of the preexisting Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements (SAVE) program, an online service administered by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services enabling federal, state, local, territorial, and tribal agencies to check immigration and citizenship status.
Under the expanded SAVE program, the system would include records of natural-born citizens, provide access to Social Security Administration (SSA) records, and permit bulk searches of system records.
The program expansion was designed as the vehicle to satisfy President Donald Trump’s March 2025 executive order to improve citizenship verification for federal elections.
The SAVE program has existed in some form since the passage of the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986. In fiscal year 2025, the program processed nearly 200 million cases.
Sooknanan ruled that the intended expansion of the SAVE program into a centralized federal database violated three federal laws: the Social Security Act for SSA record-sharing, the Privacy Act for non-consensual disclosure of certain personal information, and the Administrative Procedure Act for “arbitrary and capricious” agency actions.
The impeachment resolution accused Sooknanan of judicial overreach: “substituting the judgment of a single unelected judge for that of the duly elected Executive Branch.”
Sooknanan rose up to her appointment as a district judge following a stand she allegedly took against the first Trump administration, publicized by The New York Times. Sooknanan reportedly took her stand in November 2020 after the law firm she worked for at the time, Jones Day, took on Trump as a client for one of the 2020 election lawsuits, just months after she made partner. Sooknanan left the firm shortly after Biden was sworn in as president. In August 2022, The New York Times ran its article.
The New York Times appears to have given Sooknanan a special feature within its reporting. However, Sooknanan wasn’t identified as a source.
Yet, Sooknanan was the only partner identified by name and quoted from what was likely intended to be a private, internal videoconference call for Jones Day partners addressing the firm’s involvement with Trump. Sooknanan was also given a brief blurb summarizing her background and career accomplishments.
“Sparkle Sooknanan, one of the firm’s young stars, also spoke up. Born in Trinidad and Tobago, she had set out to New York at age 16, paid her way through college and law school and landed clerkships for federal judges, including Justice Sonia Sotomayor,” stated The New York Times article. “Sooknanan had become a Jones Day partner earlier in the year at age 36. Now, on the call, her voice trembled as she denounced the firm’s work in Pennsylvania. ‘This lawsuit was brought for no other reason than to deprive poor people of the right to vote,’ she said.”
Shortly after Biden took office in January 2021, Sooknanan left Jones Day to become deputy associate attorney general in Biden’s Department of Justice.
By August 2022, someone had provided the broad details of that fateful 2020 Jones Day videoconference call to the biggest paper in the nation, with just one direct quote reportedly made by, as it would turn out, an aspiring district judge allegedly willing to denounce her former employer for working with Trump.
Between her prior clerkship with liberal Justice Sonia Sotomayor and her major media feature portraying her as a young, diverse, foreign-born lawyer willing to push back against Trump and cut ties with those allied with him, it appears Sooknanan may have been intentionally positioned as Biden’s ideal pick to take over a district court vacancy. Biden announced his intent to nominate Sooknanan to the D.C. District Court in February 2024.
During her confirmation hearing before the Senate, Sooknanan denied making those featured remarks in The New York Times.
“Those were not my words. I do not know who provided that quote to the reporter,” said Sooknanan.
AZ Free News is your #1 source for Arizona news and politics. You can send us news tips using this link.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture has issued two drought disaster designations covering several Arizona counties, making eligible farm operators in affected areas able to seek emergency loan assistance through the Farm Service Agency.
The designations name multiple Arizona counties as primary or contiguous natural disaster areas because of drought conditions, according to an announcement from Rep. Eli Crane’s office. The first designation, issued June 29, named Coconino and Maricopa counties as primary natural disaster areas. Gila, La Paz, Mohave, Navajo, Pima, Pinal, Yavapai, and Yuma counties were listed as contiguous counties.
In a post to X on Wednesday, Crane wrote, “The @USDA’s drought designations give our farmers and ranchers access to meaningful financial support during a difficult period. I appreciate @SecRollins and her team for recognizing the seriousness of these conditions and taking action.”
The @USDA’s drought designations give our farmers and ranchers access to meaningful financial support during a difficult period.
A second designation elevated Gila, Pinal, and Yuma counties to primary status. Coconino, Graham, La Paz, Maricopa, Navajo, Pima, and Yavapai counties were listed as contiguous counties under the second designation.
The determinations were made under 7 CFR 759.5(a), which provides for Secretarial disaster area designations when any portion of a county experiences D3, or extreme drought, or higher during the growing season, or D2, or severe drought, for at least eight consecutive weeks during the growing season of affected crops.
The Arizona Department of Water Resources says the U.S. Drought Monitor is the official record for federal drought relief claims. The department’s drought status page said Arizona’s Drought Monitoring Technical Committee advises U.S. Drought Monitor authors on current drought conditions in the state using precipitation, streamflow, drought indices, and impact data.
ADWR’s May drought status summary reported that severe short-term drought had advanced in Mohave, Coconino, Navajo, Gila, Maricopa, and Yavapai counties, covering 60% of the state, while extreme short-term drought expanded in Apache County. The department’s long-term drought update for January through March said Arizona experienced the hottest and 28th driest January-to-March period on record, as well as the hottest and 27th driest four-year period from April 2022 through March 2026.
Crane said the designations will give agricultural producers in affected counties access to federal assistance after years of drought pressure in rural Arizona.
“For years, rural Arizonans have faced worsening drought conditions without adequate federal assistance,” Crane said. “These designations finally give our farmers and ranchers access to meaningful financial support and help our producers during a difficult period.”
Crane thanked Agriculture Secretary Rollins and the USDA for recognizing the drought conditions and urged eligible applicants to work with their local Farm Service Agency office to determine whether low-interest loans could help offset recent losses.
Under Section 321(a) of the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act, USDA may extend disaster designations beyond counties that meet the drought criteria directly by naming neighboring counties as contiguous disaster areas. Crane’s office said both primary and contiguous classifications make farm operators eligible to be considered for FSA emergency loan assistance.
The FSA stated that emergency loans may be used to replace essential items such as equipment or livestock, reorganize a farming operation, or refinance certain debts. The agency reviews loan applications based on the extent of losses, available security, and repayment ability.
Farmers and ranchers in the affected counties have eight months from the date of their county’s listing to apply. Crane’s office said applicants should contact their local FSA office for help with the application process and required documentation.
Applicants with questions may also email FPAC.BC.Congressional@usda.gov and reference disaster designation number 2026N00000369 for the June 29 announcement or 2026N00000419 for the Monday announcement.
The National Republican Congressional Committee and Rep. Juan Ciscomani (R-AZ06) announced the opening of a new campaign field office in Sierra Vista as Republicans expand their ground operation in Arizona’s competitive Sixth Congressional District.
The NRCC described the office as a “Battlestation” that will serve as a hub for the grassroots effort to reelect Ciscomani. The committee said the office is part of a multimillion-dollar national investment intended to reach voters directly in competitive districts.
The NRCC said in a May campaign memorandum that more than 20 Battlestation offices were already operating across the country, with additional locations planned. The committee said the offices help candidates sharpen their campaigns and drive turnout through sustained voter contact.
After our amazing 250th celebration over the weekend, #TeamCiscomani was back on the road in Sierra Vista for the NRCC AZ06 BattleStation Office Grand Opening!
The energy is ELECTRIC in Cochise County! So grateful for the dozens of supporters who came out and thankful for their… pic.twitter.com/ruqFBP1S5K
“Twenty years ago, I became a United States citizen, and like everyday Arizonans, we’ve worked hard for what we have,” Ciscomani said. “That’s why I’m committed to working for the people we represent, and making their lives better.”
“From lower taxes for working people to bringing our tax dollars back to our community for law enforcement and roads, I am committed to putting Arizona first,” he added. “I’m grateful to the Cochise County community for their continued support as we work to make sure every Arizonan has the opportunity to achieve the American Dream.”
NRCC spokesman Ben Petersen said the office reflects the committee’s commitment to keeping Ciscomani in Congress.
“This Battlestation builds on our commitment to re-elect Representative Juan Ciscomani so he can continue taking on corruption and delivering wins like the largest working-class tax cut in generations,” Petersen said. “In stark contrast, Democrat lobbyist Joanna Mendoza showed she is completely out of touch, calling for tax hikes and higher costs while pushing far-left transgender policies.”
Mendoza has faced renewed criticism for a now-deleted video interview with the executive director of Equality Arizona in which she called for the decriminalization of prostitution, particularly for transgender women of color.
⚠️Arizona Democrat Joanna @Mendoza4AZ said “YES” to legalizing prostitution to benefit “trans women of color.”
Mendoza in 2020 interview with far-left group: “Yes…we need to stop criminalizing people for their situations.”
Mendoza, a retired Marine Corps drill instructor and former staff member for Democratic Rep. Tom O’Halleran, is the only Democratic candidate who qualified for the district’s July 21 primary election. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee selected her for its Red to Blue program in February, giving her access to additional organizational, strategic and fundraising support.
Ciscomani was first elected to Congress in 2022 and won a second term in 2024 after defeating former Democratic state Sen. Kirsten Engel for the second time. The district covers much of southeastern Arizona, including portions of Tucson and Pinal County, and extends east to the New Mexico state line while including part of the Arizona-Mexico border.
The 2026 contest has attracted national attention because of its potential role in determining control of the closely divided House. Mike Noble, CEO of Noble Predictive Insights, told 13 News in April that the race would draw significant outside interest.
“Sit back, you’re going to watch one of the most competitive races in the country, and Arizona voters in the southern district will decide not only who wins that district, but probably who controls Congress,” Noble said.
The candidates have also accumulated multimillion-dollar campaign accounts. According to the Federal Election Commission, Ciscomani’s campaign reported approximately $6.17 million in total receipts and $4.14 million in cash on hand through July 1.
🚨Q2 Fundraising💪
JoAnna Mendoza is burning through CASH—spending more than she raised = 112% burn rate.
Meanwhile, thanks to our incredible supporters, we have a $1 MILLION cash-on-hand advantage.
Mendoza’s latest available FEC financial summary, covering activity through March 31, showed approximately $5.34 million in total receipts and $3.51 million in cash on hand. The two summaries cover different reporting periods.
