by Ethan Faverino | Mar 12, 2026 | News
By Ethan Faverino |
In a move to protect Arizona’s land, critical infrastructure, and national security, Senate Republicans have passed legislation tightening restrictions on foreign adversaries seeking to acquire interests in state real property or install surveillance-related equipment. SB 1683, sponsored by Majority Whip Frank Carroll (R-LD28), advanced through the Senate on a narrow 18-12 vote last week.
The bill heads to the House for further consideration.
The bill amends ARS § 33-443 to close loopholes that could allow foreign adversary nations or their agents to indirectly control Arizona land or infrastructure through complex ownership structures.
“National security doesn’t stop at our borders; it includes our networks, infrastructure, land, and the systems Arizonans rely on every day,” stated Carroll. “Hostile threats are growing more advanced, more aggressive, and more dangerous – ignoring that reality would be irresponsible.”
Key provisions of SB 1683 include:
- Lowering the threshold for a “substantial interest” in real property from 30% to 15%, calculated as if any contingent interests held by foreign adversaries are exercised, to prevent hidden ownership stakes.
- Prohibiting foreign adversary nations or agents from directly or indirectly purchasing, owning, leasing, acquiring concessions, or obtaining substantial interests in Arizona real property. This covers transactions granting physical access, exclusion rights, development capabilities, or the ability to attach fixed structures.
- Banning the installation, maintenance, data access, or operation of equipment such as uncrewed/autonomous systems, antennas, communications systems, surveillance devices, or high-sensitivity sensors on Arizona property—whether permanent, temporary, physical, or embedded.
- Prohibiting evasion tactics, including the use of shell companies, intermediaries, partnerships, trusts, or restricting to obscure beneficial ownership or maintain functional control.
- Requiring public utilities, telecommunications providers, critical infrastructure owners, and government agencies to report suspected leases, licenses, or colocation agreements that may allow prohibited equipment installation to the Attorney General and Corporation Commission.
- Classifying violations involving prohibited equipment as a Class 5 felony for foreign adversary agents.
- Aligning with federal processes, including violations of Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States mitigation agreements or presidential divestment orders, and allowing the Attorney General to seek injunctions, forfeiture, removal of devices at the violator’s expense, or automatic stays during federal reviews.
- Applying to new transactions and renewals/extensions/modifications of existing interests on or after the effective date, with emergency provisions to preserve public peace, health, and safety.
“This legislation strategically ensures Arizona is prepared, not reactive, in protecting critical infrastructure. Protecting public safety is a core function of government, and that means addressing security gaps,” added Carroll. “Arizona farmland, properties near military bases, airports, utilities, and critical infrastructure must not be used for foreign espionage or as leverage by hostile regimes. It’s a priority for me to put the safety of Arizona and its citizens above all else.”
Ethan Faverino is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
by Matthew Holloway | Dec 29, 2025 | News
By Matthew Holloway |
Arizona Congressman Abe Hamadeh (R-AZ08) has joined Florida Rep. Cory Mills (R-FL07) in introducing federal legislation aimed at prioritizing American firms for defense-related professional services contracts. The legislation, titled the Securing American Firms & Expertise in Services (SAFE Services) Act, introduced as H.R. 6882, would require the Department of Defense to give preference to U.S.-based companies when awarding contracts for professional services connected to national security.
Mills stated, “American tax dollars should strengthen American companies and protect American security,” adding that the SAFE Services Act is designed to close what he described as a procurement gap that allows foreign firms to obtain sensitive defense-adjacent contracts. The legislation would not apply to manufacturing contracts but would focus exclusively on professional and advisory services.
Hamadeh, who sits on the House Armed Services Committee, said in a statement, “The people in my district elected me to put America first. That means supporting American workers and revitalizing American industry. It’s why I prioritized Arizona military communities and our local manufacturers in my amendments to the defense bill.”
“This legislation by Rep. Mills helps codify that spirit. It requires the Department of War to prioritize American companies during the procurement of professional services,” Hamadeh added. “The economic and national security implications alone should demand a preference for American companies, but this bill will ensure it is more than a suggestion.”
Under the proposal, affected contracts would include services such as engineering and architecture, design and environmental consulting, financial consulting, program management, and legal support, as well as “other expert services as defined under the Federal Acquisition (Regulation),” all areas that lawmakers say are increasingly being outsourced to foreign-owned firms.
According to information cited by the bill’s sponsors, more than $1 billion in Department of Defense professional services contracts were awarded to 616 foreign-owned companies during fiscal year 2024, “despite the availability of thousands of qualified American firms capable of performing the same work.”
Referencing the Buy American Act and the Berry Amendment, which legally require the Department of Defense to prioritize domestically produced goods, the release stated, “No comparable preference currently exists for defense professional services,” adding that the SAFE Services Act: “addresses this oversight by requiring the Department of War to prioritize American companies when procuring professional services essential to military readiness and infrastructure.”
The bill has been referred to the House Committee on Armed Services.
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 Matthew Holloway | Dec 20, 2025 | News
By Matthew Holloway |
Congressman Eli Crane (R-AZ-02) introduced legislation Thursday requiring the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to deliver annual terrorism threat assessments on the hostile use of unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), citing the rapid spread of drone technology among foreign adversaries and terrorist organizations.
The bill, titled the Detecting and Evaluating Foreign Exploitation of Novel Drones (DEFEND) Act, would amend the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to strengthen congressional oversight of emerging UAS threats, according to a release from Crane’s office.
Crane’s bill would require DHS to evaluate drone-related risks to the United States, submit a classified annual report to Congress with an unclassified public annex, and provide a briefing within seven days of each report’s submission. The legislation is co-sponsored by members of the House Homeland Security Committee, including several subcommittee chairs.
In a post to X announcing the legislation, Crane wrote, “America must maintain a decisive tactical advantage over our adversaries.”
According to a release from Crane’s office, the measure is intended to help close an intelligence gap around drone threats and give Congress clearer insight into vulnerabilities in U.S. airspace.
Arizona has growing strategic exposure to unmanned aircraft system threats, given ongoing cartel drone activity along the state’s southern border; the presence of key military installations involved in UAS development and counter-UAS training, including Fort Huachuca, Yuma Proving Ground, Davis–Monthan Air Force Base, and Luke Air Force Base; and the state’s expanding commercial drone testing sector. Federal assessments in recent years have also warned that drones pose increasing risks to critical infrastructure sites, including energy, water, and transportation systems across the United States.
In the release announcing the legislation, Crane said Congress must act to close intelligence blind spots and “maintain tactical advantage over malign actors” seeking to exploit UAS capabilities, citing drone use in recent conflicts overseas.
“The DEFEND Act ensures Congress has the knowledge necessary to effectively allocate resources to defend our homeland. I encourage my colleagues to back this approach to close this intelligence blind spot,” he added.
Per congressional procedure, the bill will be referred to the House Committee on Homeland Security, where co-sponsors sit in leadership positions across the Committee’s oversight and cybersecurity panels.
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 | Oct 29, 2025 | Education, News
By Staff Reporter |
Northern Arizona University (NAU) is the latest in the state to drop its program with a Chinese university over national security concerns.
House committees on the Chinese Community Party and Education and the Workforce released a report last month flagging security concerns within NAU’s partnership with a Chinese municipal public university, Chongqing University of Post and Telecommunications (CQUPT).
The report outlined the main pathways by which China manipulates the American university system to benefit its military interests.
“What once came through Confucius Institutes now flows through new channels — less visible but no less strategic,” stated the report. “The Select Committee is now actively investigating these additional CCP activities — including the China Scholarship Counsel and student visa pathways — which, combined with joint institutes, illustrate a coordinated strategy by the CCP: leverage American institutions to train PRC talent, absorb U.S. research, and convert that knowledge into military and economic advantage. Joint institutes are just one vector — the problem is systemic.”
Rep. Eli Crane commended NAU for shutting down the program following the report’s publication.
“I applaud Northern Arizona University’s leadership in reviewing its international partnerships and ensuring that its programs align with national security initiatives,” said Crane in a press release on Monday. “NAU’s actions reflect a responsible approach to protecting students, faculty, and the integrity of U.S. research and education. We greatly appreciate their commitment to these shared values, as well as all they do for Northern Arizona.”
The CQUPT program was a 3+1 dual-degree program in Electrical Engineering.
Full withdrawal will occur within 90 days, per Crane’s press release.
NAU’s program was one of over 50 university partnerships the congressional committees deemed “high-risk” for their involvement with universities guided by Chinese Communist Party (CCP) military and defense interests. The congressional committees disclose that the list is not all-inclusive and that more may exist.
The University of Arizona (U of A) had two programs included in the congressional report that were deemed high risk: one with the Harbin Institute of Technology (HIT) and the other with the Arizona College of Technology (ACT) at Hebei University of Technology (HUT).
The HIT program is one of three joint programs that American universities launched with one of China’s Seven Sons of National Defense (SSND) universities.
Only universities selected by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) to advance China’s military and defense research qualify as SSND.
Although the report declared the HIT partnership to be active, U of A has stated it terminated its partnership in December 2023.
The committees also determined the University of Arizona’s Arizona College of Technology at Hebei University of Technology.
Last month, U of A faculty were advised that Chinese microcampuses would be closed following congressional advice on national security concerns with the partnerships.
U of A issued a notice on its Research and Partnerships page last December that SSND posed “atypical security risks and concerns about misuse of research for military purposes” due to their being controlled by CCP’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology.
AZ Free News is your #1 source for Arizona news and politics. You can send us news tips using this link.
by Ethan Faverino | Aug 16, 2025 | Economy, News
By Ethan Faverino |
Congressman Andy Biggs (AZ-05) has introduced a resolution in the U.S. House of Representatives formally recognizing America’s escalating national debt as a direct threat to national security.
As the national debt surpassed $36.2 trillion in January 2025, with the fiscal year 2024 interest expense exceeding $1.13 trillion, Congressman Biggs is urging Congress to confront the growing fiscal crisis head-on.
The resolution highlights the severity of the debt crisis, noting that the total public debt reached 120.87% of GDP in January 2025, equating to $104,780 per citizen and $323,045 per taxpayer.
It points to the federal government failing to produce a balanced budget since 1997, with the fiscal year 2024 resulting in a $1.86 trillion deficit due to federal outlays of $6.94 trillion.
The resolution warns that continued reliance on raising the debt ceiling and bypassing regular order in the appropriations process undermines fiscal responsibility and congressional oversight.
The resolution also references warnings from former national security leaders, including Secretary of Defense James Mattis, Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats, and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Michael Mullen, who have all emphasized the national debt’s threat to military and economic security.
Congressman Biggs, who has introduced this resolution in previous Congresses, remains steadfast in advocating for fiscal discipline. He has also proposed a balanced budget amendment to the U.S. Constitution to enforce long-term fiscal responsibility.
“The federal government’s wasteful spending spree is unsustainable and is inching us ever closer to a fiscal cliff,” said Biggs. “Our reckless spending habits will enable our adversaries to surpass us on the global stage and constrain our ability to defend our nation in the face of attack. It is past time for Congress to be serious about balancing the nation’s budget and making significant cuts to federal spending, lest we pin a $70 trillion debt on our children and grandchildren’s shoulders. Relying on continuing resolutions year after year is lazy legislating. Raising the debt ceiling every year is a cop out. American voters elected us to enact President Trump’s America First priorities through responsible budgeting, not to maintain the status quo. My resolution acknowledges that Washington has a spending problem and calls to restore regular order to the appropriations process.”
Congressman Biggs’ resolution and amendment are backed by cosponsors across the country, including Rep. Byron Donalds (R-FL), Rep. Paul Gosar (R-AZ), Rep Daniel Webster (R-FL), Rep. Dan Newhouse (R-WA), and Rep. Keith Self (R-TX).
Ethan Faverino is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
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