by Corinne Murdock | Feb 7, 2024 | News
By Corinne Murdock |
Reps. Andy Biggs (R-05) and Eli Crane (R-02), along with other House Republicans, failed to convince their colleagues to impeach Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas over his handling of the border crisis.
Biggs asserted that Mayorkas was in violation of the separation of powers, citing the secretary’s inaction on the removal of over one million illegal immigrants eligible for deportation, and neglect of Title 8.
“That has resulted in great injury to our communities, and that is why he must be impeached, because he falls within the definition of one of the Founders, James Iredell said, and he’s right on the money,” said Biggs.
Despite the number of illegal immigrant crossings and drug trafficking reaching unprecedented record highs under President Joe Biden, Mayorkas has maintained that the border crisis originated from decades of congressional inaction rather than the policy of this current administration.
Mayorkas and other Democratic leaders support the $118 billion Senate bill described as a border bill, though a majority of the funding goes to Ukraine and other countries.
Lawmakers opposed to the bill pointed out its increased leniency for illegal immigration, such as a provision allowing those who either make it over 100 miles or remain longer than 14 days in the country to avoid deportation. The bill also would create a new, nonimmigrant visa subcategory enabling noncitizens to visit family members, as well as removing illegal immigrants from countries other than Mexico or Canada out of total encounters.
The bill also included another $60 billion for Ukraine, while providing just over $20 billion for the border, over $14 billion for Israel, $10 billion in humanitarian aid, over $6 billion for a variety of over projects, nearly $5 billion for the Indo-Pacific, and over $2 billion for the Red Sea conflict.
President Joe Biden claimed the bill wasn’t perfect: not because it didn’t close the border more for illegal immigration, but because it didn’t go far enough to grant citizenship for those illegal immigrants within the country.
Some lawmakers have argued that Mayorkas would ignore limited enforcement measures passed.
During Tuesday’s debate on Mayorkas’ impeachment, Crane accused the secretary of that very inaction on immigration enforcement.
“How many Americans have to die of fentanyl, MS-13 gang members, having their kids raped and murdered?” asked Crane. “It’s high time that [Mayorkas] be held accountable for his complete dereliction of duty at our southern border.”
Rep. Greg Stanton (D-04), in a joint statement with the New Democrat Coalition (NDC), called the impeachment a “sham,” and blamed Republicans for the state of the border.
Three Republicans — Reps. Ken Buck (CO), Mike Gallagher (WI), and Tom McClintock (CA) — joined Democrats in defeating the impeachment measure, 214-216.
However, House GOP leadership say that Tuesday’s vote wouldn’t be the last attempt at impeaching Mayorkas. A spokesman for House Speaker Mike Johnson (LA) said he plans to whip more votes.
Corinne Murdock is a reporter for AZ Free News. Follow her latest on Twitter, or email tips to corinne@azfreenews.com.
by Corinne Murdock | Jan 20, 2024 | News
By Corinne Murdock |
A Prescott mother blames Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas for her daughter’s death.
In testimony to Congress on Thursday, Josephine Dunn explained that her daughter, Ashley, overdosed from fentanyl trafficked through the border in May 2021. Dunn testified on the day that would have been her daughter’s 29th birthday. Mayorkas declined to appear for that hearing.
“In my humble opinion, Mr. Mayorkas’ border policy is partially responsible for my daughter’s death. His wide-open border policy allows massive quantities of poisonous fentanyl into our country. Arizona is the fentanyl superhighway into the United States,” said Dunn. “We need to close the fentanyl superhighway; we need to close the border.”
The border crisis initiated under President Joe Biden ushered in a tidal wave of fentanyl trafficking. The surge in overdoses and deaths from the potent drug has resulted in its classification as an epidemic.
The fatal overdose of Dunn’s daughter prompted several attempts to pass an eponymous law in the state legislature, the Ashley Dunn Act, to charge drug dealers with homicide if their product contributed to the death of a user. State Rep. Quang Nguyen (R-LD01) carried the law both times.
Lawmakers have shot down the bill during both the 2022 and 2023 sessions. Some have contended that the law would be unconstitutional since it allows homicide charges for individuals whose actions weren’t a direct cause for the victim’s death. Former users also have argued that such a bill would strip accountability from the users themselves. Proponents argued that it would result in fewer drug deaths and deter distributors from selling lethal drugs.
In response to Dunn’s testimony, Rep. Eli Crane (R-AZ-02) noted that the current Biden administration tasks Border Patrol with taking in and taking care of illegal immigrants more so than preventing illegal migration.
“The Biden Admin has tied the hands of our Border Patrol and sabotaged our national security,” said Crane. “The money the Biden Admin is requesting for ‘border security’ would be used to process more aliens into our communities NOT for protecting Americans.”
According to Maricopa County, fentanyl constitutes 60 percent of all drug-related deaths and has become the deadliest drug in the state.
In 2023, the Arizona Department of Health Services (AZDHS) documented over 1,600 confirmed opioid deaths in the state and over 4,000 non-fatal opioid overdoses. So far, the data indicates that there were less deaths than there were in 2022 and 2021, which had over 1,900 and over 2,000 opioid deaths respectively, but more overdoses: there were just over 3,400 opioid overdoses in 2022 and just over 3,700 overdoses in 2021.
Naloxone, the overdose reversal drug, was administered nearly 6,000 times this past year compared to over 8,000 times in 2022 and over 7,100 times in 2021.
However, AZDHS noted that the data may not be complete for the months of September through December of last year.
Corinne Murdock is a reporter for AZ Free News. Follow her latest on Twitter, or email tips to corinne@azfreenews.com.
by Corinne Murdock | Dec 5, 2023 | Economy, News
By Corinne Murdock |
Rep. Eli Crane (R-AZ-02) says that President Joe Biden’s energy policies are to blame for the burgeoning energy and national security crises.
Crane linked the crises to “idiotic” actions by the Biden administration, citing the cancellation of the Keystone XL pipeline, ban on drilling on federal lands, and the resulting depletion of the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR).
“The Biden Admin has sabotaged American energy & compromised our national security,” said Crane. “Not to mention, these idiotic moves impose crippling costs on Americans.”
Gas prices in Arizona average about $3.40, a decline from last year’s average of $3.90. The national average was lower as of the latest federal data, at about $3.20. Arizona’s average gas price reached a record high last March, surpassing the previous high set in June 2008.
Biden canceled the Keystone XL pipeline on his first day in office by revoking the permit necessary for the pipeline’s completion through executive order. About a week later, Biden issued another executive order paving the way for a ban on new oil and gas leases on public lands and waters. That ban has not come to fruition, though the administration has added other burdens to the oil industry.
In July, the Biden administration announced new rules that would increase the cost that oil companies must pay to drill on public lands by over 16 percent — ending a century-long rate of about 12 percent — and end the renewal of unused permits.
When the Russo-Ukrainian conflict escalated last year with Russia’s invasion into Ukraine, the Biden administration began tapping into the SPR to mitigate the resulting rise in oil prices.
The strategy resulted in a 40-year record depletion of the reserve, at 180 million barrels. Last week, the Department of Energy (DOE) reported that it bought back nearly nine million barrels.
According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) monthly data, domestic crude oil production increased at a greater rate under Trump than the past two years under Biden.
Under Trump (thousand barrels):
- 2017 produced 3.4 million; by September produced 2.5 million
- 2018 produced 3.9 million; by September produced 2.9 million
- 2019 produced 4.4 million; by September produced 3.3 million
- 2020 produced 4.1 million; by September produced 3.1 million
From 2017 to 2018, there were over 581,000 more barrels produced. From 2018 to 2019, there were over 496,000 more barrels produced. 2020 marked a decline, with about 351,000 less barrels produced. The first three months of 2020, prior to the pandemic’s likely impact, reflected record productions of crude oil that were higher than the first three months of this year’s production levels.
Under Biden (thousand barrels):
- 2021 produced 4.1 million; by September produced 3 million
- 2022 produced 4.3 million; by September produced 3.2 million
- Amount in 2023 produced so far (as of September): nearly 3.5 million
From 2021 to 2022, there were 234,000 more barrels produced. So far this year, there have been about 281,000 more barrels produced.
The Biden administration has made clear its commitment to swapping oil for total electrification. Their goal aligns with a globalist commitment to achieve net zero emissions by 2050.
Over the weekend, the Biden administration announced a new rule to reduce methane emissions from oil producers.
Corinne Murdock is a reporter for AZ Free News. Follow her latest on Twitter, or email tips to corinne@azfreenews.com.
by Corinne Murdock | Oct 5, 2023 | News
By Corinne Murdock |
Rep. Kevin McCarthy became the first in American history to be voted out of the speakership this week, and Republican lawmakers are divided over that development.
Led by Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL-01), House Democrats joined six other Republicans to vote out House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA-20): in addition to Reps. Andy Biggs (R-AZ-05) and Eli Crane (R-AZ-02), there were Ken Buck (CO), Tim Burchett (TN), Bob Good (VA), Nancy Mace (SC), and Matt Rosendale (MT).
As of Wednesday, Reps. Jim Jordan (R-OH-04) and Steve Scalise (R-LA-01) announced their candidacy for the speakership. Rep. Patrick McHenry (R-NC-10) is serving as the speaker pro tempore.
State Rep. Austin Smith (R-LD29) said that the “establishment” line of thinking was supporting Democrats to pass the continuing resolution, but not to vote out McCarthy.
Similarly, State Rep. Justin Heap (R-LD10) challenged claims that those against McCarthy were traitorous. Heap said that those Republicans against McCarthy were for more important GOP priorities: an end to foreign war funding, border security, and the rejection of lengthy omnibus bills.
Rep. Debbie Lesko (R-LD-08) said the ouster was a “bad move” for the Republican Party and the country.
“Now we are at a standstill again until we figure out who the new speaker is going to be,” said Lesko. “Republicans need to unite to defeat the Democrats’ radical agenda.”
Rep. Juan Ciscomani (R-AZ-06) said the removal was “pointless, unproductive, and harmful” to the GOP agenda.
“[A] handful of Republicans partnered with Democrats to stop our efforts to get it done, obstructing the work we have at hand,” said Ciscomani. “Washington is broken.”
In response to a criticism of the ouster by Ciscomani, State Rep. Nancy Gutierrez (D-LD18) blamed the “radical right” faction of eight that ousted McCarthy for upending order in the House.
“This is bad for our economy and democracy,” said Gutierrez.
The day after issuing those criticisms of his party peers, Ciscomani had no problem taking a selfie with Rep. Greg Stanton (D-AZ-04), who also voted to oust McCarthy.
Biggs said that McCarthy had repeatedly failed to uphold his policy promises. He further rejected the claim from Ciscomani and others that he was a chaos agent siding with Democrats.
Crane concurred, expressing hope for a leadership that upholds promises and displays situational awareness.
“I really want to see leadership that honors their word, understands the situation the country is in, and is willing to make a change,” said Crane.
It was for those reasons that other Republican lawmakers supported the ouster.
State Rep. Cory McGarr (R-LD17) said that McCarthy’s leadership was poor, hence why he was ousted.
Likewise, State Sen. Justine Wadsack (R-LD17) praised the House Freedom Caucus for standing up for Americans.
Corinne Murdock is a reporter for AZ Free News. Follow her latest on Twitter, or email tips to corinne@azfreenews.com.
by Corinne Murdock | Oct 3, 2023 | News
By Corinne Murdock |
One of President Joe Biden’s United Service Organizations (USO) appointees attacked members of the military that voted for Reps. Andy Biggs (R-AZ-05) and Eli Crane (R-AZ-02).
USO Board of Governors member Rebekah Sanderlin accused Republican-voting servicemembers of having no commitment to their country and putting their fellow Americans at risk, claiming they would be at fault for domestic violence arising from economic stresses. Ultimately, Sanderlin said the government shutdown was Republican military voters’ fault. Sanderlin works for a Florida-based consulting firm, Ground Truth Consulting, that the Veterans Affairs Department (VA) works with to provide mental health services outreach.
“If you’re in the military & you voted for them, look to your left & right: YOU did this to your brothers & sisters. I’ve been responding to panicked milspouses all day. I’m pissed at YOU. You did when you supported politicians who want Fox News time more than they want to lead,” said Sanderlin. “So think about that. When that E5’s family can’t eat this month. When that PFC can’t fly home for grandma’s funeral. When student loans & car payments don’t get paid & the stress of it all results in domestic violence, know that YOUR lack of commitment to our country put us here. When you send egoistic clowns to Congress because they’re entertaining, YOU put us all at risk.”
Sanderlin also called out servicemembers who voted for representatives in other states: Matt Gaetz, Tim Burchett, Anna Paulina Luna, Andy Ogles, Matt Rosendale, Dan Bishop, Wesley Hunt, and Cory Mills.
Sanderlin has never served in the military; she is a marketing strategist and former journalist, and the wife of a retired Army Special Forces command sergeant major who served in Afghanistan.
Sanderlin worked with the Obama administration’s Joining Forces initiative. Currently, Sanderlin works with Ground Truth Consulting. Her firm has worked with the Veteran Affairs Department on their Veterans Crisis Line and Make the Connection mental health initiatives for several years.
The consulting firm has also provided services to the defense sector, according to its various consultants’ LinkedIn pages. Neither of two government contract databases — USA Spending or the Federal Procurement Data System — reflected any government contracts with Ground Truth Consulting. The last entity contracted for Make the Connection was J.R. Reingold & Associates from 2013 to 2016 for $25.8 million. The System for Award Management (SAM) database also reflects no awarded contracts at any time, though the consulting firm is registered with SAM.
The firm’s founder, former CEO, and current owner Christopher Murray, a retired Navy rear admiral and commander, also serves on NASA’s Aerospace Safety Advisory Panel (ASAP).
Other principals at the firm are husband and wife, Joe and Claire Woodward. Joe, a retired Marine, worked for IBM as a consultant and account executive, and the Defense Department Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA) as a deputy director.
As part of his government work, Joe Woodward was part of a DTRA team that developed the Constellation system prototype to track threats of weapons of mass destruction.
Claire Woodward worked as the executive director of several military spouse nonprofits, Blue Star Families and MPower prior to founding the consulting firm.
Corinne Murdock is a reporter for AZ Free News. Follow her latest on Twitter, or email tips to corinne@azfreenews.com.
