by Matthew Holloway | Jun 9, 2025 | News
By Matthew Holloway |
Arizona Congressman Eli Crane (R-AZ02) introduced the bipartisan Legacy Mine Cleanup Act of 2025 alongside Arizona Democrats Rep. Greg Stanton (D-AZ04), Senator Mark Kelly, and Republican Senator Cynthia Lummis of Wyoming. In the proposed legislation, the Office of Mountains, Deserts, and Plains (OMDP) within the EPA, launched in 2020 under by President Donald Trump, would be codified into law.
The OMDP, which enhances coordination between federal, state, and tribal agencies in hardrock mining cleanup, would establish congressional oversight of the office as well.
According to Crane, the codification of the OMDP under this bill would:
- “Encourage the EPA to prioritize responsible mine cleanup in Arizona over green initiatives,
- Ensure proper congressional oversight of its progress,
- Bolster the OMDP’s outreach to ensure that local and Tribal authorities have a seat at the table for cleanup projects that impact their health and environment,
- Provide guardrails to keep the office’s efforts focused on mine cleanup.”
“As we work to support domestic mining of critical minerals, it’s crucial that we remain committed to doing so responsibly. The consequences of poor stewardship are detrimental for the health and safety of those living in rural Arizona, particularly on the Navajo Nation,” Rep. Crane said in a statement. “I’m proud to introduce this bipartisan legislation that would help ensure reasonable and timely cleanup and increased congressional oversight of the process.”
In a post to X, Navajo Nation President Buu Nygren publicly announced his support for the measure and thanked Rep. Crane and his co-sponsors.
“I want to thank Congressmen Eli Crane and Greg Stanton, Senators Mark Kelly and Cynthia Lummis, and all those involved in the introduction of the Legacy Mine Cleanup Act. This legislation is a critical step forward in addressing the long-standing health and environmental impacts of abandoned hardrock mines, especially on the Navajo Nation,” said Navajo Nation President Buu Nygren.
“By codifying the Office of Mountains, Deserts, and Plains at the EPA, this bill ensures Tribal nations like ours have a meaningful voice in mine cleanup efforts that directly impact our communities. We have lived with the consequences of these abandoned sites for far too long—this act represents accountability, cooperation, and real progress. Ahéheeʼ to everyone who has helped move this issue forward.”
“Abandoned hardrock mines put Arizona communities—especially Tribal nations—at a high risk of exposure to substances that are hazardous to their long-term health,” Rep. Greg Stanton said. “Our bipartisan legislation works to swiftly and responsibly mitigate this environmental threat, and makes sure Tribal and local authorities have a stronger voice in the process.”
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 Staff Reporter | Jun 1, 2025 | News
By Staff Reporter |
The Arizona Democratic Party (ADP) will go broke by the end of this year, according to the party’s own leadership.
News of the party’s financial woes emerged after ADP’s executive committee rejected a budget from the party’s new chairman, Robert Branscomb, in a recent meeting per Arizona Republic reporter Mary Jo Pitzl.
ADP’s committee reportedly cited the current state of spending and low fundraising for the diminishing funds.
This new development emerged shortly after Branscomb suspended his vice chair, Kim Khoury, through email. Branscomb accused Khoury of working against him — accusations he’s leveled against others early on in his leadership.
“[You engaged] in political activity directed against party leadership while holding an executive officer role,” said Branscomb.
And in recent months, there were reports of infighting between party leadership and the state’s top elected Democrats.
In a tell-all email issued last month, Branscomb provided a 90-day “candidate update” in which he accused his predecessor, Yolanda Bejarano, of undermining him and both U.S. Senators Mark Kelly and Ruben Gallego of threatening him over his decision making. Kelly and Gallego were supportive of Bejarano’s reelection, as were Governor Katie Hobbs, Secretary of State Adrian Fontes, and Attorney General Kris Mayes.
In a joint response to the accusations, Fontes, Gallego, Hobbs, Kelly, and Mayes said they had only sought to support Branscomb from the beginning.
“We’ve spent the last several months meeting regularly with the chair and working to support the party through the transition,” read the statement. “Unfortunately, his statement today includes many false claims and is the kind of bad-faith response we’ve come to expect from the new leadership over the last several weeks.”
ADP is facing financial struggles despite the millions in heavy outside spending given as assistance in key state legislative races across the state last fall — expenditures that surpassed the more successful Republicans, even.
In January, ADP faced accusations of financial wrongdoing from one of the ADP vice chairs at the time, Will Knight. The former treasurer, Rick McGuire, was accused of “self-dealing.” Bejarano denied Knight’s request for an audit of the party’s finances, and denounced the accusations as “defamatory” and “false and damaging.”
ADP’s troubles are consistent with the issues facing the national Democratic Party. Although Democrats outraised and outspent Republicans in last year’s election, they gained only one seat in the House and lost four seats in the Senate — resulting in a Republican control of the Senate that reflected the most gains for either party in a decade.
Major donors to the Democratic Party vented their frustrations to mainstream media this week.
“Why would I write a check when we’re losing everything? We’re losing the airwaves. We’re losing the tech battle. We’re losing the ground game. They have yet to prove that they have learned any real lessons yet,” said one donor anonymously. “So either people start to wake up or we lose again.”
A survey in March of Democratic voters by the Associated Press and NORC Center for Public Affairs Research found only one-third felt optimistic about the party’s future.
AZ Free News is your #1 source for Arizona news and politics. You can send us news tips using this link.
by Staff Reporter | Apr 22, 2025 | News
By Staff Reporter |
The Arizona Democratic Party (ADP) is strained by infighting, with party leadership and top elected Democrats at odds.
ADP Chairman Robert Branscomb issued a tell-all email over the weekend revealing the politics within the party. Branscomb’s email — styled as “a candidate update on the past 90 days” — focused primarily on accusing his predecessor of undermining him and both U.S. Senators of threatening him over his decision making.
Sens. Mark Kelly and Ruben Gallego supported Branscomb’s opponent for the chairmanship, Yolanda Bejarano — as did Governor Katie Hobbs, Secretary of State Adrian Fontes, and Attorney General Kris Mayes.
Branscomb accused the party’s former executive director, Morgan Dick, of resistance and “outright obstruction” during the transition. Branscomb alleged false accusations were made against him in staff chats; banking information was withheld; the state party workspace was emptied of computers, furniture, and transitional documents; and staff were encouraged to resign. For those reasons, Branscomb said, he let Dick go and replaced her with political director Michael Ruff. Dick denied Branscomb’s allegations.
Following Dick’s removal, Branscomb alleged Senator Kelly attempted to control his staffing decisions. Then, following Ruff’s appointment, Branscomb alleged both senators threatened to withdraw their support for the party.
“Let me be clear: no state party chair should be threatened or intimidated by any elected official for making a decision in the best interest of our party,” said Branscomb. “The idea that both Arizona Senators would withdraw support because I did not choose their preferred candidate is not only troubling — it’s a threat to the integrity and independence of our party. I will not be coerced, and I will not be silenced.”
Kelly, Gallego, Hobbs, Fontes, and Mayes issued a joint response disputing Branscomb’s claims. The state’s top Democratic elected officials vowed they had met with Branscomb regularly and supported him through the transition. However, they didn’t express surprise at the publication of Branscomb’s letter.
“We’ve spent the last several months meeting regularly with the chair and working to support the party through the transition,” read the statement. “Unfortunately, his statement today includes many false claims and is the kind of bad-faith response we’ve come to expect from the new leadership over the last several weeks.”
Following the Saturday letter from the ADP chair, LD22 Democrats experienced a more localized form of infighting at their Monday meeting. The Arizona Republic’s Mary Jo Pitzl reported precinct committee members had attempted unsuccessfully to remove their district’s entire board, specifically citing displeasure with newly elected district chair Leezah Sun.
Sun couldn’t attend the LD22 Democrats meeting in person due to an active restraining order against her. Sun earned the restraining order following workplace harassment complaints filed by city of Tolleson employees; a Maricopa County Superior Court judge found Sun to be a threat to the employees’ physical safety and barred her from contacting the employees or entering the Tolleson Civic Center.
Sun was formerly a lawmaker in the state legislature. Sun resigned from the House last February to avoid expulsion after the House Ethics Committee found she violated ethics rules with a pattern of disorderly behavior. Undeterred by effectively having been ousted from the legislature, Sun ran for and won a seat on the Tolleson Union High School District governing board. The board also elected her to be their president.
AZ Free News is your #1 source for Arizona news and politics. You can send us news tips using this link.
by Staff Reporter | Mar 22, 2025 | Education, News
By Staff Reporter |
After 45 years of existence, the Department of Education (ED) is coming to an end.
President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Thursday dismantling ED: “Improving Education Outcomes by Empowering Parents, States, and Communities.” The historic order stops short of total abolition of the agency, since law dictates that Congress must be the one to close it.
The order cited historic lows of reading and math scores among children as proof of ED’s decades-long failures, and contrasted the poor educational outcomes with ED’s high budget and massive staffing.
“While the Department of Education does not educate anyone, it maintains a public relations office that includes over 80 staffers at a cost of more than $10 million per year,” said the order. “Closing the Department of Education would provide children and their families the opportunity to escape a system that is failing them.”
The order further accused ED of operating like an inefficient bank with its management of over $1.6 trillion in student loan debt.
Trump directed Secretary of Education Linda McMahon to undertake measures to close ED and return authority to the states, as well as terminate funding to programs and activities engaged in progressive ideologies including diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) and gender theory.
Reactions among Arizona leadership fell largely along party lines.
Arizona Superintendent of Public Instruction (SPI), Tom Horne, praised the executive order, calling the agency an “unnecessary” entity dedicated to heaping more bureaucracy on the states.
“The Federal Department of Education was unnecessary and added bureaucracy for states,” said Horne. “Thank you President Trump for bringing education back to the states where it belongs.”
Congressional efforts to codify the executive order are also underway. South Dakota Senator Mike Rounds revealed to Fox News that he’s been in discussions with Trump to do just that.
“I am working on legislation that would return education decisions to states and local school districts while maintaining important programs like special education and Title I,” said Rounds. “We are discussing this legislation with Secretary McMahon, and we believe there is a very good path forward.”
Earlier this month, the Trump administration slashed ED’s workforce by nearly half (over 1,300 staffers). Thursday’s executive order will further reduce the remaining 2,200 employees.
Although Trump’s order does not close ED totally, Mayes claimed the executive order was “illegal.”
“The Department of Education cannot be dismantled via executive order,” said Mayes. “This chaos is not about efficiency — it’s destruction.”
Governor Katie Hobbs said Arizona stands to lose $1 billion in federal funds for certain programs, like special education, with the dismantling of ED.
Senator Mark Kelly rejected Republican predictions of ED’s abolition leading to better schools and student outcomes.
“It will further undermine public schools, making it harder for kids from working families like mine or who need a little extra help to get a good education,” said Kelly.
Senator Ruben Gallego claimed Trump was abolishing ED to enrich “his billionaire friends” and reduce school funding.
“He wants fewer resources for teachers and fewer opportunities for our kids — just so his billionaire friends can get richer,” said Gallego.
Rep. Eli Crane called the continuance of ED an “insanity,” referencing the decades-long decline of student outcomes.
“Thank you to President Trump for having the courage to do this,” said Crane.
Rep. Andy Biggs also touched on the disparity of high funding and low outcomes. Biggs said Trump was right to be “returning power” to Arizona and its parents.
“Taxpayer funding for public schools is at an all-time high, but test scores are at an all-time low,” said Biggs. “The radical Biden-Harris regime weaponized the Department of Education against their opponents.”
Rep. Yassamin Ansari predicted that children would be forced out of schools, teachers would be fired, and special education services would cease.
“This reckless and irrational move will devastate our future — all to give tax breaks to billionaires at the expense of our kids,” said Ansari. “We’re going to fight this illegal EO with every tool we have.”
Rep. Greg Stanton called the order “a direct attack on Arizona kids,” and asserted it was illegal.
Senate President Warren Petersen reposted remarks made by Secretary McMahon to Fox News. McMahon echoed Trump’s questioning why federal education spending only continues to increase while outcomes have decreased.
“We have to let teachers teach. I have such respect for teachers. I think it is the most noble profession in the world, and I have seen what can happen when teachers are allowed to teach and be innovative and creative in our classrooms,” said McMahon. “For every dollar that goes into the school system, it’s been reported to me that almost 47 cents of that dollar is spent on regulatory compliance. Teachers they don’t want to stay, they’re leaving the profession, because they’re bogged down by regulation. Let’s lift that burden and let them do what they do best, which is teach.”
AZ Free News is your #1 source for Arizona news and politics. You can send us news tips using this link.
by Staff Reporter | Mar 19, 2025 | News
By Staff Reporter |
Senator Mark Kelly defended the foreign terrorist sympathizer deported recently by the Trump administration: Dr. Rasha Alawieh, a Lebanese kidney transplant specialist and Brown University professor.
Kelly described Alawieh to constituents as a “talented transplant doctor” and a “lawful H1B visa holder” during a town hall on Monday. Kelly failed to mention Alawieh was deported for attending the funeral of terrorist Hassan Nasrallah — Hezbollah’s late longtime leader — and defending the terrorist to immigration agents. Instead, Kelly alleged her deportation had no justification.
“She was tossed out of the country because she visited some relatives in, I think, Lebanon, or somewhere. So, thrown out without cause, without due process. So we’re up against an administration that does not follow the rules, I think it’s very fair to say, and in some cases breaking laws,” said Kelly.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) explained Alawieh was deported for openly admitting her support of Nassrallah to Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers. Alawieh was in the country as a kidney transplant specialist.
“A visa is a privilege not a right—glorifying and supporting terrorists who kill Americans is grounds for visa issuance to be denied. This is commonsense security,” stated DHS.
Court documents revealed Alawieh had photos supportive of Nasrallah along with Iran’s leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, on her phone. Alawieh’s legal counsel withdrew recently from her case, citing “further diligence” as their cause for dropping her as a client.
“Dr. Alawieh stated that Nasrallah is the leader of Hezbollah and as a Shia Muslim, he is highly regarded in the Shia community as a religious figure,” stated the prosecutors. “According to Dr. Alawieh, she follows him for his religious and spiritual teachings and not his politics.”
Kelly made the remarks during a town hall with fellow Senator Ruben Gallego on Monday.
The pair came home this week to disseminate their Democratic leadership’s talking points criticizing the House Republican-led budget as a threat to Medicaid.
House Republicans’ proposed budget (HCR 14) looks to reduce spending by $880 billion. The House approved the plan last month. In response, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries claimed the budget plan would issue “the largest cut to Medicaid in American history,” since the committee charged by the proposed budget to find cuts, the House Energy and Commerce Committee, mainly oversees Medicaid funding (93 percent of its oversight, per the Congressional Budget Office).
House Republicans contested the Democrats’ claim, arguing the budget plan doesn’t mention Medicaid.
While Kelly admitted the mass cancellations of Medicaid hadn’t occurred yet, he said it was a “high probability.” Kelly said Trump’s “giant tax cut” benefited “millionaires and billionaires” mainly.
“All of this stuff you’re hearing every single day is so they give a big giant tax cut to people who don’t need a tax cut. We can raise the taxes of billionaires, and they will still be billionaires, and that’s what we should be doing, we shouldn’t be cutting these services” said Kelly.
Kelly predicted the Trump administration’s changes to Medicaid and Medicare would include additional red tape that would prevent people from getting on or staying on Medicaid, and possibly cutting the match funding number for states.
With reduced or eliminated Medicaid and Medicare, Kelly predicted people would “get sicker” and come to rely on emergency room visits as their primary form of health care, consequently driving up health care costs. Gallego echoed this assessment.
“You will see these emergency rooms become the primary care doctors,” said Gallego.
“This hasn’t happened yet, and it’s possible we can prevent it from happening,” said Kelly.
Kelly proposed expanding access to Medicaid and Medicare as well as increasing taxes on the wealthy as the remedies for reducing health care costs.
According to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), Arizona has about 780,000 individuals enrolled in Medicare and over 483,000 enrolled in a prescription drug plan only out of over 1.5 million individuals recorded as Medicare eligible in the state.
“There’s no way they can get to those tax cuts without Medicaid. The math doesn’t math,” said Gallego.
Gallego said he thought Republicans were “dumb enough” to go after Medicaid, but perhaps not Medicare.
“In order for them to cut $850 billion from a very narrow slice, that means they’re going to have to go deep,” said Gallego.
Kelly disagreed, saying Republicans were “dumb enough” to go after Medicare.
Gallego predicted certain working families above the federal poverty line but still within Arizona eligibility levels would be cut from Medicaid.
Gallego and Kelly encouraged a mass grassroots response to oppose the Trump administration.
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