by Matthew Holloway | Jan 8, 2026 | News
By Matthew Holloway |
Arizona Congressman Abe Hamadeh (R-AZ-08) and Nevada Rep. Susie Lee (D-NV-03) have introduced the VA Medical Center Facility Transparency Act, bipartisan legislation that would provide lawmakers with clearer information on the performance of Veterans Affairs medical facilities nationwide.
The bill was announced publicly in a press release on December 22, 2025, as part of lawmakers’ efforts to support bipartisan solutions to issues facing veterans.
According to the press release, the act is designed to help Congress better evaluate VA medical center operations and enable more effective responses to veterans’ health care concerns. The legislation would require greater transparency in the management and operations of VA medical facilities, giving federal lawmakers the data and insight needed to identify performance issues.
The VA Medical Center Facility Transparency Act is not wholly novel; a similar bill under the same name was introduced in 2023 by Hamadeh’s predecessor, Debbie Lesko, in partnership with Rep. Susie Lee and with support from the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW).
A notable element of this version of the bill is a three-year sunset provision, meaning the policy would expire after three years unless Congress votes to renew it. This provision was added to allow lawmakers to evaluate the legislation’s effectiveness before considering reauthorization.
In announcing the bill, Hamadeh emphasized its importance for Arizona’s veteran population, including those living near Luke Air Force Base, stating that it would allow Congress to “better assess the strengths and weaknesses of VA medical facilities” and take appropriate action. Hamadeh added that the legislation should “elevate the quality-of-care veterans receive,” according to a statement shared on social media.
Lee framed the bill as part of her responsibility to ensure that veterans “receive the care and benefits that they have earned,” and said the transparency the bill seeks will give policymakers the information they need about how the VA operates.
This legislation is the latest in a series of veterans-focused measures introduced by Hamadeh. Earlier in 2025, the U.S. House of Representatives unanimously passed two other bipartisan bills he sponsored: the Edith Nourse Rogers STEM Scholarship Opportunity Act, aimed at expanding education opportunities for veterans, and the Health Professionals Scholarship Program (HPSP) Improvement Act of 2025, which addresses staffing challenges at VA medical facilities.
Arizona Veterans’ Affairs medical facilities have been subject to scrutiny in recent years over issues such as waiting times, access to care, and administrative transparency. Past federal laws aimed at improving veterans’ access to care, such as the Veterans’ Access to Care through Choice, Accountability, and Transparency Act of 2014, came in response to reports of systemic problems at certain VA facilities.
By giving lawmakers better data on VA facility performance, the new transparency act could shape future federal oversight and policy decisions affecting veteran health care delivery.
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 Ethan Faverino | Aug 20, 2025 | Education, News
By Ethan Faverino |
In a unanimous decision, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has dismissed its lawsuit against Grand Canyon University (GCU) and its CEO, Brian Mueller, bringing an end to years of coordinated lawfare by former Biden administration officials targeting the university.
The lawsuit, previously dismissed by the United States District Court of Arizona on jurisdictional grounds, was fully resolved through a joint Stipulation of Dismissal with Prejudice.
FTC Chairman Andrew Ferguson, joined by Commissioners Melissa Holyoak and Mark Meador, issued a statement citing recent developments that influenced the decision.
The statement reads:
“This case, which we inherited from the previous administration, was filed nearly two years ago and has suffered losses in two motions to dismiss. These losses are compounded by recent events: Grand Canyon secured a victory over the Department of Education in a related matter before the Ninth Circuit; the Department of Education rescinded a massive fine levied on related grounds; and the Internal Revenue Service confirmed that Grand Canyon University is properly claiming 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation designation. In its reduced form, this case presents consumers very little upside relative to the cost of pursuing it to completion, especially given the developments chronicled above. We view it as imprudent to continue expending Commission resources on a lost cause. Because we have a duty to maximize consumers’ return on their tax-dollars investment, we have decided against pursuing this matter any further.”
GCU President Brian Mueller expressed gratitude for the FTC’s objective review, noting that multiple agencies and courts have consistently ruled in GCU’s favor.
“They threw everything they had at us for four years, and yet, despite every unjust accusation leveled against us, we have not only survived but have continued to thrive as a university,” President Mueller said. “That is a testament, first and foremost, to the strength and dedication of our faculty, staff, students, and their families. Above all, it speaks to our unwavering belief that the truth would ultimately prevail.”
The FTC lawsuit was part of a broader, coordinated campaign by former Biden administration officials, including the Department of Education (ED) and the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), to target GCU with duplicative investigations and lawsuits.
Ethan Faverino is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
by Matthew Holloway | Jun 10, 2025 | News
By Matthew Holloway |
In a statement released via X on Sunday, the group ‘Veterans for Arizona’ asked United States Secretary of Veterans Affairs Doug Collins why allegations against Democrat Senator Ruben Gallego have not been investigated. The allegations stem from prominent 2023 reports that Gallego claimed both his residences in Arizona and Washington, D.C., as his primary residence in order to benefit from special VA mortgage rates granted as a benefit to U.S. Veterans.
During Gallego’s 2024 U.S. Senate Campaign, Politico stated that Gallego purchased his Washington, D.C., home near the Capitol claiming that it was his primary residence on documentation for a VA home loan, while the then-Congressman and his wife also claimed their Phoenix home as their primary residence.
Citing loan documents the outlet obtained, Politico reported that Gallego’s campaign officially maintained that his primary residence is located in Arizona, as required by election law, despite the documentation of his Washington, D.C., home.
In June 2023, after the reports initially appeared in Politico, the National Republican Senate Committee raised the concern that “Gallego signed loan documents making Washington, D.C., his primary residence to obtain favorable mortgage rates, while at the same time taking advantage of homeowner tax breaks and voting in Arizona. This raises questions about whether Gallego committed fraud on his loan application.”
The NRSC also noted that the revelation of Gallego’s alleged mortgage fraud came to light just weeks after his links to a bank targeting immigrants were exposed by AZCentral. The bank was later shut down according to the outlet.
NRSC spokesman Tate Mitchell told the Arizona Republic, “If Ruben Gallego signed fraudulent documents, that will be a serious issue for him in the election — and potentially with the authorities,” Mitchell said. “National Democrats are in a serious pickle as they choose between their incumbent, Kyrsten Sinema, and accused fraudster Ruben Gallego.”
“Legally, Gallego doesn’t have to live in his district to serve in Congress, this isn’t like legislative offices or most county offices,” one election law expert told the Arizona Daily Independent. However, they added, “His campaign does have to consider the optics and potential legality of what he’s doing. Claiming two primary residences in two different states to obtain favorable terms and to meet the requirements of the loans, even though both claims can’t be simultaneously true, isn’t something the average person does or even thinks to do. So it’s another Washington D.C., elite that laws don’t apply to, running for office claiming to be for the average Joes.”
Despite the allegations against him, Gallego was successful in his Senate bid and went on to become a harsh critic of VA Secretary Collins, with the Senator announcing plans to block all VA nominations in April until Collins drops plans to make staffing cuts to the VA in accordance with the Trump administration’s demands for government efficiency. Gallego reiterated the demand in May in a letter co-signed by fellow Arizona Democrats Senator Mark Kelly, and Representatives Greg Stanton (AZ-04) and Yassamin Ansari (AZ-03).
Collins refuted Gallego’s claims however under questioning by Congressman Abe Hamadeh (R-AZ08) during a House Committee on Veterans Affairs hearing on May 15th, telling Hamadeh, “We’re not looking at doctors, we’re not looking at nurses. We’re looking at issues where we have payroll that’s being done at 60 locations, that was supposed to be centralized a long time ago, with hundreds of employees that we’re now looking to consolidate to see how we can run it efficiently and more cost effectively.”
He added, “We don’t need them all over the place, we don’t need the issues we have with human resources being run in every location, again, with hundreds of employees.”
“Frontline workers should be the happiest at the VA right now because we’re going to be freeing them up to do their job and not get bogged down with paperwork,” Collins noted per the Arizona Daily Independent.
As of this report, no investigation has been announced against Senator Gallego pertaining to the allegations raised by the NRSC following the Politico report.
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 Corinne Murdock | Mar 13, 2024 | Education, News
By Corinne Murdock |
Arizona’s auditing agency for the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) found no wrongdoing in its recent audit of Grand Canyon University (GCU).
The Arizona State Approving Agency (SAA) undertook the audit in response to the ongoing Federal Trade Commission (FTC) lawsuit against GCU for allegedly deceptive advertising and illegal telemarketing. The FTC sued GCU in December, several months after the Department of Education (ED) fined the university over $37 million for allegedly deceiving doctoral students into paying more for their degrees than advertised.
In the SAA letter to GCU reviewed by AZ Free News, SAA said that its audit yielded no evidence supporting the Biden administration’s claims.
“The Arizona SAA did not have any substantiated findings based on our review of Grand Canyon University,” stated SAA’s letter to GCU. “There are no findings impacting the continued approval of Grand Canyon University at this time. There are no follow-up actions required by Grand Canyon University at this time.”
SAA announced its audit in January, the second one to take place in under a year; the last SAA audit occurred last May.
GCU President Brian Mueller told AZ Free News that the SAA’s findings were in agreement with two favorable court rulings in recent years, all of which found GCU to not be guilty of the issues that the Biden administration claims exist. Mueller said that these discrepancies were “troubling,” and further indication of an unjust and purposeful targeting.
“The SAA, our accrediting body and two federal judges all looked at the same set of facts as the bureaucrats in Washington, D.C. and came to the complete opposite conclusion,” said Mueller. “To have zero findings, praise and a court ruling that our disclosures are clear on one end and then have the U.S. Department of Education impose its largest fine ever on the other… that is very troubling. To be targeted in this manner by the federal government is an egregious example of overreach and the weaponization of these federal agencies.”
The Higher Learning Commission, GCU’s accrediting body, assessed the university’s doctoral disclosures to be “robust and thorough,” providing a “clear” academic and financial pathway for prospective students.
The Biden administration appears to be alone in its unfavorable assessment of GCU; further records to provide context as to why have not been made available for public review, either.
The lack of transparency prompted the Goldwater Institute to sue the Biden administration last month. ED denied their public records request seeking the documents that informed ED’s decision to fine GCU. The records request was spurred by the fact that ED didn’t include student complaints or visitations to GCU as part of their investigation into the university.
In our report issued several days before ED announced its record fine into the university, the Biden administration apparently coordinated efforts between ED, FTC, and VA to investigate GCU after the university sued ED for denying its nonprofit status. The IRS granted nonprofit status to GCU in 2018, but it took until late 2019 for ED to deny the status.
SAA recognized GCU as a private nonprofit in its most recent audit report.
Several months after GCU sued ED in early 2021, the agency launched a multi-year, off-site review of GCU. Several months after ED’s announcement, the FTC announced that it found GCU in violation of federal law; each violation incurs civil penalties of up to $50,000. The last time the FTC exercised the authority it leveled against GCU was in 1978.
The FTC, ED, and VA began their investigations into GCU in 2022.
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 12, 2024 | News
By Daniel Stefanski |
A veterans-related bill is making its way through the Arizona Legislature, but failing to pick up the bipartisan support that may be needed for Governor Katie Hobbs’ signature.
Earlier this month, the Arizona State Senate approved SB 1308, which “prescribes requirements and procedures that individuals assisting with veterans’ benefits matters before the Arizona Department of Veterans’ Services (ADVS) or the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (U.S. VA) must fulfill prior to receiving compensation for such services” – according to the purpose from the chamber.
All Republicans voted in favor of the bill, while 12 Democrats joined in opposition to its passage from the chamber. Two Democrats did not vote.
After the vote, the Arizona State Senate Republicans “X” account wrote, “Senate Democrats voted ‘NO’ on a bill protecting veterans from being financially taken advantage of when seeking advice on their benefits.”
SB 1308 was sponsored by Senator Wendy Rogers and co-sponsored by Senators Anthony Kern and Justine Wadsack.
Rogers cheered on the green light for her legislation, stating, “My SB 1308 passed the Arizona Senate offering us military veterans more options for help seeking disability claims with the Department of Veterans Affairs.”
One of the provisions of the legislation would “prohibit a person from receiving compensation for advising, consulting or assisting an individual regarding a veterans’ benefits matter before ADVS or the U.S. VA; or referring an individual to another person to advise, consult or assist the individual with a veterans’ benefits matter.”
The bill does allow for “a person to receive compensation for advising, consulting or assisting an individual with a veterans’ benefits matter if the person, prior to providing any services, prepares an agreement to be signed by all parties that contains the following: a) the terms of the agreement, including the payment amount for the services being provided; and b) a disclosure written in 12-point font, in a readily noticeable and easily identifiable place, stating that the business is not sponsored, endorsed by or affiliated with ADVS or the U.S. VA or other federally chartered veterans’ service organization, and that specified organizations may be able to provide the veteran with the same services free of charge.”
On the Arizona Legislature’s Request to Speak system, a representative from Arizona Veterans signed in as neutral on the bill.
Derek Debus, a Military, Veterans, and Firearms Attorney, posted his displeasure with Senate Republicans over the passage of this bill on his “X” account, writing that SB 1308 “incentivizes and legitimizes unaccredited claims sharks and fraud mills from getting rich defrauding our veterans and taxpayers, [and] does not fix a single problem with Veterans’ access to legal representation by creates a whole host of problems and barriers.”
The bill now heads to the Arizona House of Representatives for consideration.
Daniel Stefanski is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
