WASHINGTON, June 26 -- Rep. Raul M. Grijalva, D-Arizona, chairman of the House Natural Resources Committee, issued the following statement in response to the Bureau of Land Management's release of a final environmental impact statement for the Trump administration's management plan for the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska, which would open up roughly 6.8 million additional acres of public lands for oil and gas leasing: "Whatever else is happening in our country, the Trump administration makes   more

WASHINGTON, June 24 -- Rep. Paul A. Gosar, R-Arizona, issued the following news release: U.S. Congressman Paul A. Gosar, D.D.S. (AZ-04) applauded the announcment by House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-MD) that the Great American Outdoors Act (GAOA) will be brought to the House floor for consideration under an open process, instead of being jammed through without members voices being allowed to be heard. Last week, Congressman Gosar and 19 of his colleagues sent a letter to House leadership as  more

WASHINGTON, June 27 -- The House Ways and Means subcommittee on Health issued the following testimony by Dana Marie Kennedy, state director for the AARP Arizona, in a remote hearing entitled "Examining the COVID-19 Nursing Home Crisis" on June 25: My name is Dana Marie Kennedy and I am the state director for AARP Arizona. On behalf of our 38 million members, including over 890,000 in Arizona, and all older Americans nationwide, AARP appreciates the opportunity to provide testimony at today's he  more

WASHINGTON, June 24 -- The House Ways and Means Subcommittee on Health issued the following information for a remote hearing: "Examining the COVID-19 Nursing Home Crisis" at 2 p.m. on June 25: Witnesses: * Delia Satterwhite, Family Member * Melinda Haschak, Licensed Practical Nurse, Regalcare at Southport * Nicole Howell, Executive Director, Ombudsman Services of Contra Costa Inc. * Toby S. Edelman, JD, Senior Policy Attorney, Center for Medicare Advocacy * David Grabowski, PhD, Professor,  more

WASHINGTON, June 26 -- Rep. Raul M. Grijalva, D-Arizona, chairman of the House Natural Resources Committee, issued the following news release on June 25: Chair Raul M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) and Rep. Jared Huffman (D-Calif.), chair of the Subcommittee on Water, Oceans, and Wildlife, sent a letter to President Trump today questioning his administration's unexplained failure to distribute $300 million in financial aid to Tribal, subsistence, commercial, and charter fishery participants three months a  more

WASHINGTON, June 26 -- Sen. Martha McSally, R-Arizona, issued the following news release: U.S. Senator Martha McSally (R-AZ) released the following statement after she was recognized by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce with the Spirit of Enterprise Award for her bipartisan work to promote job creation and small business growth across the country. "As hardworking small business owners and American families work to recover from this pandemic, it's more important than ever that we let them know we ha  more

WASHINGTON, June 26 -- Rep. Raul M. Grijalva, D-Arizona, chairman of the House Natural Resources Committee, issued the following news release on June 25: A new Government Accountability Office (GAO) report (https://bit.ly/2A3U5WT) finds that other than for coal, there is no reliable data on the amount or value of minerals that mining companies take from federal public lands, underscoring long-held concerns that hardrock mining on federal lands is a multi-billion-dollar industry with only minor   more

WASHINGTON, June 26 -- Rep. Raul Grijalva, D-Arizona, issued the following news release on June 25: A new Government Accountability Office (GAO) report finds that other than for coal, there is no reliable data on the amount or value of minerals that mining companies take from federal public lands, underscoring long-held concerns that hardrock mining on federal lands is a multi-billion-dollar industry with only minor taxpayer benefits and almost no public accountability. The report, available a  more

WASHINGTON, June 27 -- Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Arizona, issued the following news release: Congressman Biggs introduced the Space Research Innovation Act to allow the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to partner with universities to conduct deep-space research and mission development. The Department of Defense has been successfully using these kinds of partnerships for decades at sites known as "university affiliated research centers" (UARC). NASA has experience managing a UARC a  more

WASHINGTON, June 27 -- Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Arizona, issued the following statement: House Democrats voted to pass H.R. 7120, their attempt to nationalize state and local police departments across the nation. Congressman Biggs voted against this legislation and issued the following statement. "The radical left has expedited their mission to dismantle local police departments by fomenting violence across our nation. Tonight, Speaker Pelosi and her cohort of House Democrats assisted with these des  more

WASHINGTON, June 26 -- Rep. Paul A. Gosar, R-Arizona, issued the following statement after voting against the House Democrat's policing bill: "Today I voted against Nancy Pelosi's one sided, ill-conceived policing bill. As brave police officers around the country are being attacked by radical insurrectionist rioters, the House majority remains silent and instead attacks hard working public servants who keep our streets safe. This bill was passed without a full committee process, police input   more

WASHINGTON, June 27 -- Rep. Raul Grijalva, D-Arizona, issued the following statement: The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the Trump Administration violated the law when it stole money from the Department of Defense to build the border wall. * * * "This court ruling reaffirms what we already knew: The Trump Administration broke the law when it stole congressionally-appropriated funds from the Defense Department to build his ridiculous vanity wall. "I'm pleased the court finally list  more

WASHINGTON, June 26 -- Rep. Raul Grijalva, D-Arizona, issued the following statement: Chair Raul M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) released the following statement in response to the Bureau of Land Management's release of a Final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the Trump administration's new management plan for the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska, which would open up roughly 6.8 million additional acres of public lands for oil and gas leasing. * * * "Whatever else is happening in our country,   more

TUCSON, Arizona, June 23 -- Rep. Raul Grijalva, D-Arizona, issued the following news release: The Strategic National Stockpile has over 63 million doses of hydroxychloroquine while those with serious conditions like Lupus are unable to receive adequate dosages. The stockpile resulted from President Trump's insistence that the drug could be used to treat COVID-19, an assertion numerous scientific studies debunked. In response to the Food and Drug Administration revoking permission to use the dru  more

WASHINGTON, June 25 -- Rep. Raul Grijalva, D-Arizona, issued the following statement: Recent remarks by President Trump at rallies and on Twitter have called for a reduction in testing for COVID-19. At his rally in Oklahoma, Trump claimed that he told officials in his administration to slow down testing, and this week on Twitter Trump claimed that "With smaller testing we would show fewer cases." * * * "Trump's admission of his effort to slow testing in this country is a shocking low--even fo  more

WASHINGTON, June 24 -- Rep. Raul Grijalva, D-Arizona, issued the following statement: President Trump is visiting Yuma, Arizona to observe border wall construction and later stopping in Phoenix to speak with students. This comes as the COVID-19 emergency reaches crisis levels in Arizona, with large outbreaks in border cities and even confirmed cases among border wall construction crews. * * * "Arizonans have a front-row seat to the failures of the Trump Administration. From his failure to get  more

WASHINGTON, June 26 -- Rep. Raul Grijalva, D-Arizona, issued the following news release on June 25: The House of Representatives passed the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act, a bill that addresses police brutality and systemic racism by bringing much needed reform, accountability, and transparency to police departments. "Just a month after his tragic death at the hands of police brutality, George Floyd's legacy remains alive in the legislation we passed today," said Rep. Raul M. Grijalva. "  more

WASHINGTON, June 27 -- Rep. Raul Grijalva, D-Arizona, issued the following news release: The House of Representatives failed to override President Trump's veto of H.J.Res.76, a bipartisan joint resolution that would have blocked a Trump Administration rule that would make it more difficult for students defrauded by for-profit institutions to receive much-needed debt relief. "Instead of protecting vulnerable student borrowers from predatory for-profit institutions, President Trump and Secretary  more

WASHINGTON, June 26 -- Rep. Raul Grijalva, D-Arizona, issued the following news release: Reps. Grijalva, Gallego, Kirkpatrick, and O'Halleran inquired whether Governor Doug Ducey intends to deploy the Arizona National Guard to provide logistical and staffing support for conducting COVID-19 testing, specifically in underserved areas, areas with spikes in cases, and areas with high COVID-19 positive test rates. "The demand for coronavirus testing outpaces both the supply of tests and the speed a  more

WASHINGTON, June 27 -- Rep. Ann Kirkpatrick, D-Arizona, issued the following statement: Rep. Kirkpatrick released the following statement after receiving an inadequate response from ICE regarding the urgent and alarming reports describing conditions at a Southern Arizona migrant detention facility. The Office of Rep. Kirkpatrick is asking for immediate attention to review the horrific reports and inadequate oversight from ICE. * * * Last month, Rep. Kirkpatrick, Rep. Bennie G. Thompson (MS),   more

WASHINGTON, June 27 -- Rep. Ann Kirkpatrick, D-Arizona, issued the following news release: As the Trump Administration filed its brief with the Supreme Court asking the justices to strike down the entirety of the Affordable Care Act, Rep. Kirkpatrick released a new report finding that the number of Americans who would lose health coverage if the Republican lawsuit succeeds has grown to more than 23 million amid the historic health and economic emergency of the coronavirus. The report finds that  more

WASHINGTON, June 26 -- Rep. Ann Kirkpatrick, D-Arizona, issued the following news release on June 25: Rep. Kirkpatrick released the following statement to address the death of Carlos Ingram Lopez in Tucson Police Department custody and emphasizes the importance of passing The George Floyd Justice in Policing Act, transformative police reform legislation, on the House Floor. "My heart breaks for the family and friends of Carlos Ingram Lopez. Losing a loved one brings an immeasurable amount of p  more

TUCSON, Arizona, June 24 -- Rep. Ann Kirkpatrick, D-Arizona, issued the following news release on June 23: Rep. Kirkpatrick released the following statement in advance of President Trump's visit to Arizona. His visit includes a tour of border wall construction sites in Yuma, and then a student event in Phoenix. As reported by The Arizona Republic, "Despite initial claims that Mexico would pay for the wall, the Trump administration has announced plans to divert more than $11 billion from the U.  more

WASHINGTON, June 25 -- Rep. Tom O'Halleran, D-Arizona, issued the following news release: This week, leadership in the House of Representatives formally released the text of H.R. 2--the Moving Forward Act--sweeping legislation to address America's crumbling national infrastructure by making critical improvements and investments in our roads, bridges, schools, broadband capabilities, and more. Within the package is H.R. 7056, legislation Congressman Tom O'Halleran (AZ-01) introduced to allocate   more

WASHINGTON, June 27 -- Rep. Tom O'Halleran, D-Arizona, issued the following statement on June 26 regarding reports that the Trump administration asked the Supreme Court to overturn the Affordable Care Act in the midst of a global public health crisis: "Hundreds of thousands of Arizonans rely on the Affordable Care Act for their health care, and today the Arizona Department of Health Services reported 3,428 new confirmed cases of COVID-19, trending dangerously in the wrong direction. "At a time  more

WASHINGTON, June 26 -- Rep. Tom O'Halleran, D-Arizona, issued the following news release on June 25: Congressman Tom O'Halleran (AZ-01) voted to pass the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act--legislation to address police reform by improving transparency, setting standards for accountability, and helping rebuild trust between law enforcement and the communities they serve. "As a former law enforcement officer, I know how important it is that those who have sworn to protect and serve are held t  more

WASHINGTON, June 24 -- Rep. Tom O'Halleran, D-Arizona, issued the following statement: Congressman Tom O'Halleran (AZ-01) participated in a House Energy and Commerce Hearing on oversight of the administration's response to the COVID-19 pandemic. In the hearing, O'Halleran inquired about the continued lack of a national testing strategy, the delay of much-needed attention paid to COVID-19 hotspots on tribal lands, and strategies to address rising coronavirus cases in states like Arizona by expan  more

WASHINGTON, June 23 -- Rep. David Schweikert, R-Arizona, has issued the following news release: Congressman David Schweikert (AZ-06) released the following statement after receiving the Spirit of Enterprise Award from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce for supporting pro-business issues during the 116th Congress, First Session. "I am very pleased to receive the Spirit of Enterprise Award from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce for my pro-growth voting record. In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, we must wor  more

WASHINGTON, June 27 -- Rep. Ann Kirkpatrick, D-Arizona, issued the following news release: Reps. Gallego, Grijalva, Kirkpatrick, and O'Halleran inquired whether Governor Doug Ducey intends to deploy the Arizona National Guard to provide logistical and staffing support for conducting COVID-19 testing, specifically in undeserved areas, areas with spikes in cases, and areas with high COVID-19 positive test rates. "[T]he demand for coronavirus testing outpaces both the supply of tests and the spee  more

WASHINGTON, June 25 -- Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Arkansas, issued the following news release: Senator Tom Cotton (R-Arkansas) and Congressman Mike Gallagher (R-Wisconsin) released the following statement after the Department of Defense shared a list of companies operating in the United States that are owned or controlled by the Chinese military. The publication of the list follows a September 2019 letter where Cotton and Gallagher, along with Senator Chuck Schumer (D-New York) and Congressman Ruben   more

WASHINGTON, June 25 -- Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-California, issued the following statement on June 24 on the data related to coronavirus in California: "Record-high figures for new cases of coronavirus in California and other states are evidence that we can't let down our guard. We can't return to pre-virus habits or we're going to continue to see a large spike in deaths. "Yesterday saw the single highest increase in new cases in California, Texas, Arizona, Nevada, Georgia and Missouri since t  more

WASHINGTON, June 24 -- Sen. Martha McSally, R-Arizona, issued the following news release: U.S. Senator Martha McSally (R-AZ) introduced legislation on Monday encouraging Americans to support the tourism industry following the COVID-19 pandemic. The bill, called the American TRIP Act, would provide tax credits to Americans who spend money on lodging, entertainment, and other expenses related to travel in the United States and its territories. Additionally, the bill provides funding for Destinati  more

WASHINGTON, June 25 -- Sen. Martha McSally, R-Arizona, issued the following news release: U.S. Senators Martha McSally (R-AZ), Chris Murphy (D-CT), John Cornyn (R-TX), and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) urged Senate appropriators to include at least an additional $25 million for the Department of Justice to hire additional National Instant Criminal Background Checks (NICS) staff. In a letter to U.S. Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Chairman Jerr  more

WASHINGTON, June 27 -- Sen. Martha McSally, R-Arizona, issued the following news release: U.S. Senator Martha McSally (R-AZ) has received praise across Arizona for her new legislation encouraging Americans to support the tourism industry following the COVID-19 pandemic. The bill, called the American TRIP Act, would provide tax credits to Americans who spend money on lodging, entertainment, and other expenses related to travel in the United States and its territories. Additionally, the bill prov  more

YUMA, Arizona, June 24 -- Sen. Martha McSally, R-Arizona, issued the following news release: U.S. Senator Martha McSally (R-AZ) welcomed President Donald Trump to Yuma where the two marked the completion of 200 miles of border wall. "It was great to join President Trump to mark the completion of 200 miles of border wall," McSally said. "This border wall system is critical to our national security, public health, and stopping deadly drug and human trafficking by cartels. I'll continue working w  more

WASHINGTON, June 25 -- Sen. Todd Young, R-Indiana, issued the following news release: Following President Trump's visit to Yuma, Arizona, U.S. Senator Todd Young (R-Ind.) spoke on the Senate floor urging his colleagues to work together with the President to address border security. As a U.S. Marine, Senator Young was stationed just outside the U.S.-Mexico border near Yuma in a dangerous area with heavy narcotics and human trafficking. Senator Young spoke about what he saw during that time, and  more

WASHINGTON, June 27 -- Sen. Martha McSally, R-Arizona, issued the following news release: U.S. Senators Martha McSally (R-AZ) and Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ) are asking the United States Postal Service (USPS) to consider Arizona's population growth before consolidating any postal facilities in the state. The Senators specifically mentioned the need to better assess the value of Cherrybell Processing & Distribution Center in Tucson, which provides key services to seniors and small businesses but has   more