by Ethan Faverino | Oct 24, 2025 | News
By Ethan Faverino |
A group of 13 House Republicans, including Arizona’s Juan Ciscomani (AZ-06), have issued a letter to House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA), commending his leadership during the ongoing government shutdown and calling for immediate action to pass a short-term continuing resolution (CR) to reopen the government.
The lawmakers, led by Reps. Jeff Van Drew (R-NJ) and Jen Kiggans (R-VA) emphasized the urgent need to end the government shutdown, which is causing harm to American families, military personnel, federal law enforcement, border agents, and public servants who support veterans and seniors nationwide.
“Every day the shutdown continues to hurt the very people we were elected to serve,” the letter states. “Keeping the government closed helps no one and undermines the safety and stability of our country.”
The group opposes using the government funding debate to address healthcare issues, arguing that such tactics prolong the shutdown and distract from the immediate priority of restoring government operations.
The lawmakers stressed that Congress must focus on passing a CR to fund the government, as the House did on September 19, despite the Senate Democrats’ repeated rejection of the measure 11 times as of Monday, October 20th.
Once the government is reopened, the lawmakers urged Speaker Johnson to prioritize the expiration of the enhanced Affordable Care Act (ACA) premium tax credits.
“We stand firmly behind you as you lead our Conference toward ending the government shutdown,” the lawmakers wrote. “Once the government is reopened, we are ready to work with you to advance healthcare solutions that protect families and lower costs.”
The letter shows the alignment with President Trump’s commitment to preserving healthcare access while addressing the affordability crisis caused by “short-sighted Democratic policymaking.”
“Let us be clear,” the lawmakers wrote. “Significant reforms are needed to make these credits more fiscally responsible and ensure they are going to the Americans who need them most. Our Conference and President Trump have been clear that we will not take healthcare away from families who depend on it. This is our opportunity to demonstrate that commitment through action.”
Ethan Faverino is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
by Elizabeth Troutman | May 9, 2024 | News
By Elizabeth Troutman |
Starting in November, recipients of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program in Arizona and nationwide will be able to obtain health care under the Affordable Care Act.
The Biden Administration finalized the rule Friday surrounding President Joe Biden’s efforts to urge Congress to establish a pathway to citizenship for “dreamers,” young people who have grown up as Americans but do not have citizenship.
“Dreamers are our loved ones, our nurses, teachers, and small business owners,” President Biden said in a statement. “And they deserve the promise of health care just like all of us.”
Biden announced plans in April to open Obamacare and Medicaid rolls, both subsidized by American taxpayers, to nearly 600,000 DACA illegal aliens.
Mario Montoya, a DACA recipient who has lived in the country for over two decades, told KTAR News 92.3 FM he wants to inform almost 21,000 dreamers in Arizona about the expansion of Obamacare coverage.
He said the final rule from the White House was a step forward but fell short of his expectations by not including access to Medicaid or funding under the CHIP and Science Act, as was initially proposed last year.
While Montoya advocated for the expansion of federal programs accessible to dreamers, he acknowledged that the fate of these programs is uncertain at this time.
“The DACA program is still being litigated at the courts and the Supreme Court is ultimately going to have the final decision to see if the program is going to stay,” Montoya said.
U.S. Rep. Raúl Grijalva, a Democrat who represents District 7 in southern Arizona, said in a statement that he thinks the move will expand access to affordable health insurance for thousands.
“Illness does not discriminate on the basis of documentation or legal status,” Grijalva said. “Access to timely health care is advantageous for those families and our communities as a whole.”
Senators J.D. Vance, R-Ohio, and Josh Hawley, R-Mo., as well as several House Republicans, lobbied Biden to drop the plan last year, but the administration moved forward anyway.
“By providing health insurance to DACA recipients, this policy further burdens programs intended to serve U.S. citizens and simultaneously encourages more aliens to enter our country illegally in the hopes of receiving similar protection and services,” the Republicans wrote. “Unfortunately, this approach appears to align with the open-borders agenda advanced by your colleague, Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, with hundreds of thousands of aliens apprehended trying to enter our country illegally every month.”
Elizabeth Troutman is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send her news tips using this link.
by Elizabeth Troutman | Apr 8, 2024 | Education, News
By Elizabeth Troutman |
Arizona State University plans to use taxpayer dollars to host a talk by former Democratic congresswoman Nancy Pelosi on Monday.
Pelosi will have a conversation with Obama administration strategist David Axelrod as part of the ASU College of Liberal Arts and Sciences’ “Democracy at Work” series. The event is only open to ASU faculty, staff, and students.
Pelosi served as speaker of the house from 2007 to 2011 and from 2019 to 2023.
The talk comes as Pelosi has been actively campaigning for President Joe Biden’s reelection. In March, Biden, former President Barack Obama, and Pelosi held a virtual rally to celebrate the anniversary of the Affordable Care Act (ACA). They touted the ACA for lowering the cost of healthcare, and warned against former President Donald Trump’s efforts to repeal the ACA.
Pelosi has a history of championing left-wing causes. Despite claiming to be Catholic, Pelosi has said it is a “sin” to restrict access to abortion. As a congresswoman, she supported abortion on demand up to the moment of birth.
Other speakers in the “Democracy at Work” series include former Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey, a Republican, journalist Karl Rove, Obama adviser David Plouff, former Republican New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, ASU President Michael Crow, and Rep. Pete Aguilar, D-Calif.
Axelrod is professor of practice at Arizona State University and senior political commentator for CNN. He is the host of the “Axe Files” and is the founding director of the University of Chicago’s non-partisan Institute of Politics.
Patrick Kenney, the Dean of ASU’s College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, did not immediately respond to AZ Free News’ request for comment.
Elizabeth Troutman is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send her news tips using this link.
