WASHINGTON, May 9 -- Rep. Raul M. Grijalva, D-Arizona, chairman of the House Natural Resources Committee, issued the following news release: Chair Raul M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) introduced the Murder Hornet Eradication Act, which directs new funding to states to eradicate the Asian giant hornet and restore bee populations the invasive species has already damaged. Formally, the bill requires the Secretary of the Interior to establish a grant program to provide financial assistance to states to eradi  more

PHOENIX, Arizona, May 1 -- Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, D-Arizona, issued the following news release: Following calls from Arizona senior Senator Kyrsten Sinema, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) agreed to expand coverage of telehealth services for Arizona seniors and critical behavioral health care organizations. Previously, video-telehealth medical services were covered under Medicare, but many audio-telehealth services were not. Sinema called on CMS to close that gap so all Arizon  more

WASHINGTON, May 9 -- Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Arizona, issued the following news release: Congressman Andy Biggs introduced a resolution, which expressed the sense of the House of Representatives that in response to the COVID-19 outbreak, governors and local officials across the nation have abused their authority by infringing on the constitutional rights of Americans, ordering private businesses to close, requiring citizens to stay in their homes, and imposing draconian punishments for violations.   more

WASHINGTON, May 8 -- Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Arizona, issued the following statement on Justice Department announced its intention to dismiss the criminal information against General Michael Flynn: "General Flynn is an American patriot, who was shamefully set up by the Obama administration's interference in the 2016 election against then-candidate Donald J. Trump. What happened to General Flynn can happen to any American, regardless of party affiliation. I'm thankful for Attorney General Barr and th  more

GILBERT, Arizona, May 5 -- Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Arizona, issued the following statement on introducing the One Bill, One Subject Transparency Act, to limit Congress from legislating on more than one matter at a time: "It's time for Congress to implement policies that make it easier for the American people to understand and stay abreast of the legislative process. Too often, congressional leaders use 'must-pass bills,' such as those funding the government or reauthorizing an expiring program, as m  more

WASHINGTON, May 8 -- Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Arizona, issued the following news release: Congressman Andy Biggs and 10 of his colleagues sent a letter to President Trump, urging him to reject calls to provide additional funds to state and local governments amid the COVID-19 outbreak. Congressman Biggs issued the following statement: "As we move into our eighth week of economic shutdown imposed by state and local governments, Democrats are calling for Congress to provide $1 trillion in new money to   more

PRESCOTT, Arizona, May 5 -- Rep. Paul A. Gosar, R-Arizona, issued the following news release: U.S. Congressman Paul A. Gosar, D.D.S. (AZ-04) announced additional funding made available to Arizona's airports. The combined funding is almost $3,000,000 for the Fourth Congressional District, and comes on top off and in addition to the millions previously allotted last month under the CARES Act. The three airports include: Bullhead City, the Town of Payson and Colorado City. "I'm excited to announc  more

PRESCOTT, Arizona, May 6 -- Rep. Paul A. Gosar, R-Arizona, issued the following news release: U.S. Congressman Paul A. Gosar, D.D.S. (AZ-04) announced additional funding made available to Arizona's airports. The combined funding is almost $3,000,000 for the Fourth Congressional District, and comes on top off and in addition to the millions previously allotted last month under the CARES Act. The three airports include: Bullhead City, the Town of Payson and Colorado City. "I'm excited to announc  more

WASHINGTON, May 9 -- Rep. Raul Grijalva, D-Arizona, issued the following news release: Chair Raul M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) introduced the Murder Hornet Eradication Act, which directs new funding to states to eradicate the Asian giant hornet and restore bee populations the invasive species has already damaged. Formally, the bill requires the Secretary of the Interior to establish a grant program to provide financial assistance to states to eradicate the hornet. The bill, available online at https:  more

TUCSON, Arizona, May 9 -- Rep. Raul Grijalva, D-Arizona, issued the following statement after Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey began phase 1 of lifting social distancing orders and allowing certain businesses to open: "All of us are eager to return to some semblance of normality, but this decision cannot be made in haste. Prematurely reopening the state not only risks losing more of our loved ones, but also further crippling our local communities by deepening the spread of a virus that has already taken  more

TUCSON, Arizona, May 6 -- Rep. Ann Kirkpatrick, D-Arizona, issued the following statement sharing her efforts and concerns over COVID-19 testing in nursing homes in Southern Arizona and throughout the county: Rep. Kirkpatrick and over 80 House Democrats joined Rep. Schakowsky in sending a letter to Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Alex Azar and Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Administrator Seema Verma asking them to allocate a portion of the $25 billion in   more

TUCSON, Arizona, May 9 -- Rep. Ann Kirkpatrick, D-Arizona, issued the following news release on May 8: Rep. Kirkpatrick released the following letter sharing her concerns over the alarming spread of COVID-19 in nursing homes throughout Arizona. The Arizona Daily Star has reported that the majority of COVID-19 related deaths in Pima County are from nursing home. In addition to PPE, testing and staffing shortages, there have been several concerning reports about the lack of transparency of corona  more

WASHINGTON, May 9 -- Rep. Debbie Lesko, R-Arizona, issued the following news release on May 8: U.S. Congresswoman Debbie Lesko (AZ-08) joined President Donald J. Trump for a roundtable with Republican lawmakers discussing the United States' continued efforts to respond to the Coronavirus and reopen our society. "It was an honor to join President Trump and my Republican colleagues at the White House today to discuss our country's continued response to the Coronavirus," said Congresswoman Lesko   more

WASHINGTON, May 6 -- Rep. Debbie Lesko, R-Arizona, issued the following news release: U.S. Congresswoman Debbie Lekso (AZ-08) announced she would accompany President Donald J. Trump on his tour of a Honeywell facility producing masks in Phoenix, Arizona. Lesko will also join the president on Air Force One for his trip to Arizona. "It is a great honor to accompany the president as he visits Arizona," said Congresswoman Lesko following the announcement. "It has been a privilege to welcome him   more

WASHINGTON, May 7 -- Rep. Tom O'Halleran, D-Arizona, issued the following news release: Congressman Tom O'Halleran (AZ-01) announced over $950,000 in grant funding for the Navajo Nation's Department of Health under the Federal Communications Commission's (FCC) COVID-19 Telehealth Program. This funding is part of allocated monies under the CARES Act that O'Halleran fought to secure for tribes. "Even before this global pandemic, many families in tribal communities across our state were forced to  more

WASHINGTON, May 8 -- Rep. Tom O'Halleran, D-Arizona, issued the following news release: Congressman Tom O'Halleran (AZ-01) announced $3,221,585 in Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) funding for COVID-19 testing at community health centers in Arizona's First Congressional District. "Testing is a key piece in ensuring we have the data we need to decide when we can safely reopen our nation, especially in rural areas where reported data is already scarcer," said O'Halleran. "Community h  more

WASHINGTON, May 6 -- Rep. Tom O'Halleran, D-Arizona, issued the following statement: Following calls from Congressman Tom O'Halleran (AZ-01), as well as the voices of many concerned Arizonans, the U.S. Treasury announced that the first round of aid allocated for tribes under the CARES Act over a month ago would finally begin to be distributed to tribes. Following the Treasury's announcement that the first round of funding distributed would be only $4.84 billion of the allocated $8 billion, O'Ha  more

WASHINGTON, May 7 -- Rep. Tom O'Halleran, D-Arizona, issued the following news release on May 6: As some states, including Arizona, begin the first phases of reopening procedures, Congressman Tom O'Halleran (AZ-01) sent a letter to Vice President Mike Pence, head of the White House Coronavirus Task Force, urging the federal government to clearly articulate how the government will adequately scale and deploy COVID-19 testing, antibody testing, and contact tracing resources to deal with potential  more

WASHINGTON, May 9 -- Rep. David Schweikert, R-Arizona, has issued the following news release: Congressman David Schweikert received a 97% score from the American Conservative Union Foundation (ACUF) 2019 Ratings of Congress for his strong conservative voting record during the First Session of the 116th Congress. "During my time in Congress a top priority of mine has been defending conservative principles and fiscal responsibility. I am pleased to receive this score from the ACUF and applaud th  more

WASHINGTON, May 6 -- Rep. David Schweikert, R-Arizona, has issued the following news release: Congressman David Schweikert (AZ-06) will join President Trump at Honeywell International for a tour of their facility producing N95 masks during the COVID-19 crisis. "Honeywell and their employees have done Arizona and America a great service with their tireless efforts to make personal protective equipment for medical professionals during the COVID-19 crisis. I am pleased that President Trump is com  more

PHOENIX, Arizona, May 5 -- Rep. Greg Stanton, D-Arizona, issued the following statement in advance of President Trump's visit to Phoenix: "It is a moral failing that the President will visit Arizona during a time he has ignored the urgent pleas from Navajo leadership. He has the power to make a difference, and he has done nothing. "The Navajo Nation is in crisis, and the Navajo people are getting sick and dying at staggering rates. "And though they've heard time and time again that help is on  more

TUCSON, Arizona, May 2 -- Rep. Raul Grijalva, D-Arizona, issued the following news release: Reps. Raul M. Grijalva (D-AZ), Lou Correa (D-CA), Pramila Jayapal (D-WA), and 84 of their colleagues sent a letter to Department of Education Secretary Betsy DeVos opposing the Administration's decision to block Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), Temporary Protected Status (TPS), Deferred Enforced Departure (DED), and undocumented students from eligibility for the $6.3 billion in emergency as  more

WASHINGTON, May 5 -- Sen. Martha McSally, R-Arizona, issued the following news release: U.S. Senator Martha McSally (R-AZ) joined a group of senators to ask the U.S. Department of Treasury and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) to modify certain rules of the road for businesses and investors in Opportunity Zones to ensure the strongest possible path forward in the COVID-19 economic recovery. The Senators made 10 specific requests, detailed below, regarding the significant impacts that the COVI  more

WASHINGTON, May 5 -- Sen. Martha McSally, R-Arizona, issued the following news release: U.S. Senator Martha McSally (R-AZ) is requesting that the U.S. Department of the Treasury issue updated guidance to allow state and local governments greater discretion with relief dollars allocated in the CARES Act, specifically to fund public safety services including law enforcement and other first responders. In a letter to Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, McSally wrote that the narrow scope of Treasu  more

WASHINGTON, May 7 -- Sen. Martha McSally, R-Arizona, issued the following transcript of an interview with Maria Bartiromo on Fox Business regarding her trip with President Trump to the Honeywell facility in Phoenix: MARIA BARTIROMO: The president making first trip outsid of D.C. in more than a month yesterday, touring a Honeywell factory in Phoenix, Arizona and thanking workers for making masks. My next guest was with the president, travelling with him yesterday. Joining me right now is Arizona  more

WASHINGTON, May 9 -- Sen. Martha McSally, R-Arizona, issued the following news release: U.S. Senator Martha McSally (R-AZ) introduced bipartisan legislation with Senators Tina Smith (D-MN), James Lankford (R-OK), and Tom Udall (D-NM) to boost health resources for urban Indian health organizations as the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic forces many to grapple with financial hardship and even close operations. The Coverage for Urban Indian Health Providers Act would amend the Indian Health Care I  more

WASHINGTON, May 6 -- Sen. Martha McSally, R-Arizona, issued the following statement after the Treasury and Interior Department announced they would begin disbursing $4.8 billion in coronavirus relief funds to tribal nations across the U.S: "I went to the mat for Arizona's native communities during the Senate's coronavirus relief negotiations to ensure our tribes receive critical relief dollars amid the ongoing pandemic. "The federal government has a responsibility to meet the health care and   more

WASHINGTON, May 5 -- Sen. Martha McSally, R-Arizona, issued the following news release: Following extensive advocacy by U.S. Senator Martha McSally (R-AZ), the Small Business Administration (SBA) announced on Monday the opening of a portal to allow farmers and ranchers to access the Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) and EIDL Advance programs. SBA's EIDL portal is reopening as part of the Paycheck Protection Program and Healthcare Enhancement Act signed into law last week, which made agricul  more

WASHINGTON, May 9 -- Sen. Martha McSally, R-Arizona, issued the following news release: U.S. Senator Martha McSally (R-AZ) and a group of senators sent a bipartisan letter to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) and Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) to advocate that they do not overlook nonprofits, charities, and houses of worship in the fourth-phase relief proposal for the coronavirus pandemic. The letter asks the Leaders to consider expanding access to relief and support, increas  more

PHOENIX, Arizona, May 6 -- Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, D-Arizona, issued the following news release: Arizona senior Senator Kyrsten Sinema announced over $7.2 million in CARES Act funding for the Northern Arizona Intergovernmental Public Transportation Authority to help sustain operating expenses for public transit in the Flagstaff area during the coronavirus pandemic. "Today's funding supports public transit and economic development in the Flagstaff area, saving jobs and ensuring northern Arizona's   more

PHOENIX, Arizona, April 30 -- Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, D-Arizona, issued the following news release: Arizona senior Senator Kyrsten Sinema joined a bicameral group of colleagues urging the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to work directly with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to ensure that Arizonans who are now eligible for the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP) or Medicaid due to the coronavirus are informed th  more

WASHINGTON, May 6 -- Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, D-Arizona, issued the following news release: Arizona senior Senator Kyrsten Sinema called on the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to ensure community behavioral health organizations have sufficient funding to care for Arizonans in need during the coronavirus pandemic. "The coronavirus pandemic exacerbates our nation's ongoing mental health crisis. Providing behavioral health organiz  more

WASHINGTON, May 6 -- Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, D-Arizona, issued the following news release: Arizona senior Senator Kyrsten Sinema called on the Small Business Administration (SBA) to immediately reopen the Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) application portal now that Congress has appropriated additional funds for the program. "I hear directly from Arizona small businesses about the need for immediate economic assistance during the coronavirus pandemic. The Small Business Administration must do   more

PHOENIX, Arizona, May 1 -- Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, D-Arizona, issued the following news release: Arizona senior Senator Kyrsten Sinema called on the Treasury Department to immediately ensure Tribal communities across Arizona receive the CARES Act funding they are due. Over a month ago, Congress passed the CARES Act and designated $8 billion from the Coronavirus Relief Fund to ensure Tribal governments have the resources needed during the coronavirus pandemic. "Tribal communities in Arizona need a  more

WASHINGTON, May 5 -- Sen. Martha McSally, R-Arizona, issued the following news release: U.S. Senators Martha McSally (R-AZ), Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), and Steve Daines (R-MT) introduced the Stop China-Originated Viral Infectious Diseases (COVID) Act to ensure the Chinese Communist Party faces consequences for its role in spreading the coronavirus. The Stop COVID Act will empower Americans to sue China in U.S. court and seek compensation for the devastating harm the deadly virus has caused to the  more

WASHINGTON, May 7 -- Sen. Martha McSally, R-Arizona, issued the following news release: U.S. Senators Martha McSally (R-AZ) and Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) sent a letter Monday to the Defense Health Agency (DHA) calling for it to cover the full scope of telehealth services under TRICARE amid the coronavirus crisis, particularly mental health care. Medicare and Medicaid have lifted restrictions due to the public health emergency and the Senators are calling on DHA to do the same for TRICARE. The Sena  more