url,title,date,year,month,party,chamber,state,member_name,bioguide_id,domain,scraper,source,date_source,text,has_text,collected_at,updated_at https://biggs.house.gov/media/in-the-news/it-s-past-time-close-3-loopholes-american-laws-enable-illegal-immigration,OP-ED: Its Past Time To Close 3 Loopholes In American Laws That Enable Illegal Immigration,2018-12-20,2018,2018-12,Republican,House,AZ,Andy Biggs,B001302,biggs.house.gov,,,legacy,1626 Longworth House Office Building,1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://biggs.house.gov/media/press-releases/congressman-biggs-announces-support-cr-increased-border-security-funding,Congressman Biggs Announces Support for CR with Increased Border Security Funding,2018-12-20,2018,2018-12,Republican,House,AZ,Andy Biggs,B001302,biggs.house.gov,,,legacy,"WASHINGTON, D.C. After President Trump's renewed request that any year-end continuing resolution include $5 billion to fund our border wall, Congressman Biggs released the following statement: President Trump promised to secure the border and build the wall. The American people expect him and Members of Congress to keep our promise to secure the border. I am pleased by President Trump's commitment to fight for adequate wall funding in a year-end spending bill (CR). I expect a CR to be introduced on the floor, with the inclusion of at least $5 billion of wall and border security funding and no amnesty. I will vote for that bill. The legislation is far from perfect, but it represents the last chance for Republicans to keep our promise to the American people before Democrats take control of the House. I urge my colleagues to join me in my efforts. ### Congressman Andy Biggs is a first-term Representative from Arizona's Fifth Congressional District, representing parts of Chandler, Gilbert, Mesa, and Queen Creek. Congressman Biggs is a member of the House Judiciary and Science, Space, and Technology committees, and is the chairman of the Environment Subcommittee. He lives with his wife, Cindy, in Gilbert.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://biggs.house.gov/media/press-releases/house-representatives-passes-jack-act-391-0,"House of Representatives Passes the JACK Act, 391-0",2018-12-20,2018,2018-12,Republican,House,AZ,Andy Biggs,B001302,biggs.house.gov,,,legacy,"WASHINGTON, D.C. Today, the U.S. House of Representatives overwhelmingly passed the bipartisanJustice Against Corruption on K Street(JACK) Act with a 391-0 vote, sending it to President Trump's desk.TheJACK Actwould amend theLobbying Disclosure Actto require lobbyists to disclose if they have ever been convicted of bribery, extortion, embezzlement, illegal kickbacks, tax evasion, or money laundering. Congressman Biggs released the following statement: I'm thankful for this bill's passage, and I hope that President Trump will soon sign this legislation. This is a common-sense policy to continue our quest to drain the Washington, D.C. swamp. Lobbyists should never be able to hide convictions for serious crimes like bribery, extortion, and embezzlement when lobbying Congress. I was pleased to work with Congressman Hakeem Jeffries and Senator John Kennedy, who introduced the bill in the Senate, to pass this bill through Congress. ### Congressman Andy Biggs is a first-term Representative from Arizona's Fifth Congressional District, representing parts of Chandler, Gilbert, Mesa, and Queen Creek. Congressman Biggs is a member of the House Judiciary and Science, Space, and Technology committees, and is the chairman of the Environment Subcommittee. He lives with his wife, Cindy, in Gilbert.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://gosar.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=3611,Two Gosar Forest Management Policies Signed Into Law,2018-12-20,2018,2018-12,Republican,House,AZ,Paul A. Gosar,G000565,gosar.house.gov,gosar,https://gosar.house.gov/news/documentquery.aspx,scraper,"WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Congressman Paul A. Gosar, D.D.S. (AZ-04) issued the following statement after two of his important active forest management policies were signed into law by President Donald J. Trump: “Following one of the most devastating wildfire seasons in our nation’s history, it is critical that we do everything in our power to provide the Forest Service and public land management agencies with the tools they need to reduce the threat of catastrophic wildfires and protect our communities,"" said Congressman Gosar. ""One life lost is too many, let alone 88 like we saw in California’s Camp Fire. Years of mismanagement has left our forests vulnerable to insects and disease and ripe for catastrophic wildfires. This flawed approach causes us to spend billions of dollars on the backend to suppress fire, neglecting hazardous fuels reduction and putting our communities at increasing risk of catastrophic fire. While the Forest Service still needs more authorities from Congress, including things like Balance of Harms and Action/No Action policies, I am pleased that we were able to add two more tools to President Trump and his Administration's toolbox today.” Background: Today, President Donald J. Trump signed into law H.R. 2, legislation that contains two important active forest management provisions championed by U.S. Congressman Paul A. Gosar, D.D.S. (AZ-04). The first Gosar-led policy empowers local communities by allowing counties to be included in Good Neighbor Authority cooperative agreements and contracts in order to improve forest health, reduce flooding, mitigate the threat of catastrophic wildfire and improve water quality. Good Neighbor Authority Projects have been remarkably successful. From 2002-2013, 63 projects treated more than 4,100 acres in Colorado and Utah alone. Counties on both sides of the aisle requested this amendment and new authority, including Coconino County in Arizona. This Gosar amendment originally passed the House on 6/21/18. More HERE.",1,2026-03-30T01:40:41Z,2026-06-27T23:11:43Z https://www.flake.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases?ContentRecord_id=CEF95B18-0DDA-440E-96FA-CA8A518DC40C,"Flake, Coons Introduce Revenue-Neutral Carbon Tax Legislation",2018-12-20,2018,2018-12,Republican,House,AZ,Jeff Flake,F000444,www.flake.senate.gov,,,legacy,"WASHINGTON U.S. Sens. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) and Chris Coons (D-Del.) yesterday introduced S. 3791, the Energy Innovation and Carbon Dividend Act, legislation that places an increasing price on carbon and other greenhouse gas emissions. This bipartisan, revenue-neutral legislation is designed to drive down pollution, address climate change, and encourage market-driven innovation in clean energy technologies. A similar bill was introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives by Congressmen Ted Deutch (D-Fla.), Francis Rooney (R-Fla.), John Delaney (D-Md.), Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Penn.), and Charlie Christ (D-Fla.). With the administration's recent climate assessment and skeptical response from the president, Republicans need to be at the forefront of addressing climate change, said Flake. Sen. Coons and I have introduced bipartisan, revenue-neutral carbon tax legislation that provides an honest path to clean energy. This free-market solution will reduce carbon pollution and encourage American innovation. Climate change is a serious threat to our economy, our security, and our way of life, and we need leadership from all parts of our society and government to tackle it, said Coons. Putting an economy-wide price on carbon and other greenhouse gases is a comprehensive way to reduce emissions, spur innovation, and create jobs. I am proud to introduce this legislation with my good friend Jeff Flake, who has long been a champion of market-based climate legislation since his days in the House. I am hopeful that we will continue to have bipartisan conversations about addressing this issue. A one-pager on the bill is available here. The bill text is available here. ###",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://biggs.house.gov/media/press-releases/congressman-biggs-announces-opposition-year-end-spending-deal,Congressman Biggs Announces Opposition to Year-End Spending Deal,2018-12-19,2018,2018-12,Republican,House,AZ,Andy Biggs,B001302,biggs.house.gov,,,legacy,"WASHINGTON, D.C. Today, the U.S. Senate announced an agreement on a short-term continuing resolution (CR) through February 8th, effectively ending opportunities to fund and build the wall, defund Planned Parenthood, and return to fiscal sanity in the 115thCongress. Congressman Biggs issued the following statement: For two years, Congressional Republicans have been repeatedly told that they must pass a short-term spending package to avert a partial government shutdown. We were last told this before the midterms, and we were told that we would fight for wall funding, among other Republican promises, in the last spending package of the 115thCongress. Sadly, we did not even fulfill this promise. The American people gave Republicans control of the White House, the Senate, and the House. We promised the nation that we would accomplish our agenda under this unified government, starting with a repeal of Obamacare and construction of the border wall. Unfortunately, Congress wasn't serious about the commitments we made to our constituents. Long after we leave Congress, my colleagues and I will wish we addressed these challenges when we still had the chance. I will not give up fighting for the promises I made to Arizona's Fifth District and I urge my colleagues to oppose this latest CR. ### Congressman Andy Biggs is a first-term Representative from Arizona's Fifth Congressional District, representing parts of Chandler, Gilbert, Mesa, and Queen Creek. Congressman Biggs is a member of the House Judiciary and Science, Space, and Technology committees, and is the chairman of the Environment Subcommittee. He lives with his wife, Cindy, in Gilbert.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://www.flake.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases?ContentRecord_id=BB97636D-1403-4EC9-9E5F-6BDC9CAC58BB,"VIDEO: Flake, Coons, Booker Continue Bipartisan Effort to Protect Special Counsel",2018-12-19,2018,2018-12,Republican,House,AZ,Jeff Flake,F000444,www.flake.senate.gov,,,legacy,"WASHINGTON U.S. Sen. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) today spoke on the Senate floor with Sens. Chris Coons (D-Del.) and Cory Booker (D-N.J.) in their third attempt to secure immediate passage of S. 2644, the Special Counsel Independence and Integrity Act. The bill, which passed the Senate Judiciary Committee in April by a bipartisan vote of 14-7, would protect the integrity of special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into Russia's interference in the 2016 presidential election. The bill was blocked by an objection from Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.): I know that some of my Republican colleagues have sincere objections to S. 2644. Some of them believe that a president must be able to fire anyone within the executive branch, since he is the head of it. I understand the constitutional arguments and know that some of my colleagues hold them in all sincerity. I would respond that if this bill becomes law, the president still has a key role in overseeing the process, and there is accountability to him, as the U.S. Constitution requires there must be. Under this act, the attorney general would still oversee the investigation and be able to remove the special counsel for good cause. This is not a witch hunt. We are seeking truth. It is clear we need to put protections in place and send the right signal to the president: nobody is above the law. The truth must be told, whatever it is. Video of Flake's remarks can be viewed here. A complete transcript of Flake's prepared remarks can be viewed below. *** Mr. President, I rise today for a third time to defend the integrity of our political process by defending the ongoing investigation led by Special Counsel Robert Mueller. The continuity of this investigation is crucial to upholding public trust in our institutions of government, due both to the substance of the investigationthe extent to which a foreign government was able to interfere in our political processAND the principle that no person, however high the rank, is above the law. This investigation has produced results, including the indictment of more than 12 Russian nationals for interference in the 2016 election. We need to protect the independence of the special counsel and allow this critical investigation, and any like it in the future, to run their course. S. 2644, the Special Counsel Independence and Integrity Act, was approved on a bipartisan basis in April by the Senate Judiciary Committee, by a margin of two to one. It has awaited a vote on the floor ever since. In a moment I will once again attempt to secure immediate passage of this important legislation. I know that some of my Republican colleagues have sincere objections to S. 2644. Some of them believe that a president must be able to fire anyone within the Executive Branch, since he is the head of it. I understand the constitutional arguments and know that some of my colleagues hold them in all sincerity. I would respond that if this bill becomes law the president still has a key role in overseeing the process, and there is accountability to him, as the Constitution requires there must be. Under this act, the attorney general would still oversee the investigation and be able to remove the special counsel for good cause. So the special counsel would not be fully insulated from presidential control. The attorney general, who oversees the special counsel, would still answer to the president. This legislation simply adds one layer of protection for the special counsel and makes his removal reviewable to make sure it is for a sufficient cause. It maintains a significant degree of presidential control while protecting special counsel investigations from being terminated by a president who is starting to feel the heat because of a personal interest in the outcome. This bipartisan request today is timely and necessary. Just last month, right after the midterm elections were over, President Trump forced his attorney general to resign after many public complaints from the president that he should not have recused himself from the investigation, even though he was a key player in the 2016 campaign. It is clear we need to put protections in place and send the right signal to the president. Nobody is above the law. The truth must be told, whatever it is. ###",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://biggs.house.gov/media/press-releases/congressman-biggs-congratulates-martha-mcsally-her-senate-appointment,Congressman Biggs Congratulates Martha McSally on Her Senate Appointment,2018-12-18,2018,2018-12,Republican,House,AZ,Andy Biggs,B001302,biggs.house.gov,,,legacy,"WASHINGTON, D.C. Today, Governor Doug Ducey appointed Martha McSally to fill the U.S. Senate seat vacated by Senator John McCain and Senator Jon Kyl. Congressman Biggs released the following statement: Congratulations to Martha McSally on her appointment to the U.S. Senate. I look forward to working with her in the next Congress. I wish Representative McSally the best of luck in her tenure to fill the seat left by Senator John McCain.It was my honor to serve with Senator McCain for a year especially to pass the Ashlynne Mike AMBER Alert in Indian Country Act. I commend Senator Kyl for stepping up to serve Arizona, once again. It was a privilege to serve alongside him in the delegation this year. I wish him and his family the very best in their new chapter of life. I'm excited to work with the entire Arizona delegation on behalf of our constituents, including both of our two new Senators. ### Congressman Andy Biggs is a first-term Representative from Arizona's Fifth Congressional District, representing parts of Chandler, Gilbert, Mesa, and Queen Creek. Congressman Biggs is a member of the House Judiciary and Science, Space, and Technology committees, and is the chairman of the Environment Subcommittee. He lives with his wife, Cindy, in Gilbert.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://schweikert.house.gov/2018/12/18/congressman-schweikerts-statement-appointment-rep-martha-mcsally-us/,Congressman Schweikert’s Statement on the Appointment of Rep. Martha McSally to the U.S. Senate,2018-12-18,2018,2018-12,Republican,House,AZ,David Schweikert,S001183,schweikert.house.gov,schweikert,https://schweikert.house.gov/category/congress_press_release/,scraper,"WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Congressman David Schweikert released the following statement. “I congratulate my colleague Martha, for her appointment as Arizona’s new U.S. Senator. I have had the pleasure of working with her in the House and seen her be a good leader, serving her constituents well. I’m confident she will do a terrific job representing the interests of our state.” – Congressman David Schweikert Back to News",1,2026-03-30T01:40:41Z,2026-06-27T23:11:43Z https://schweikert.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/congressman-schweikerts-statement-appointment-rep-martha-mcsally-us,Congressman Schweikert's Statement on the Appointment of Rep. Martha McSally to the U.S. Senate,2018-12-18,2018,2018-12,Republican,House,AZ,David Schweikert,S001183,schweikert.house.gov,,,legacy,"WASHINGTON, DC Today, Congressman David Schweikert released the following statement. ""I congratulate my colleague Martha, for her appointment as Arizona's new U.S. Senator. I have had the pleasure of working with her in the House and seen her be a good leader, serving her constituents well. I'm confident she will do a terrific job representing the interests of our state. Congressman David Schweikert",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://www.flake.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases?ContentRecord_id=2EA1D31B-A489-4474-BE49-7B9D5D6D586A,Flake Applauds Passage of Criminal Justice Reform Bill,2018-12-18,2018,2018-12,Republican,House,AZ,Jeff Flake,F000444,www.flake.senate.gov,,,legacy,"WASHINGTON U.S. Sen. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today applauded the passage of S. 756, the First Step Act, which passed the Senate by a vote of 87- 12. This bipartisan criminal justice reform is endorsed by President Trump and cosponsored by more than a third of the Senate. The First Step Act aims to reduce federal recidivism and crime, prepares inmates for successful transition to society, enhances prison security and officer safety, and reforms federal criminal sentencing. Flake was an original supporter of the Sentencing Reform and Corrections Act of 2015 and has worked alongside his colleagues in this effort to push comprehensive criminal justice reform: Tonight's passage of the First Step Act marks a bipartisan victory for all of us who have worked for criminal justice reform. This bill aims to reduce recidivism, enhances prison and officer security, and makes much needed reforms to our federal criminal sentencing process. I urge the House to take swift action and send this legislation to the president's desk. To see a complete list of original cosponsors and supporters, clickhere. A PDF copy of the legislation is available here. ###",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://biggs.house.gov/media/whats-biggs-idea-podcast/setting-example-public-servants-sen-jon-kyl,Setting the Example for Public Servants - with Sen. Jon Kyl,2018-12-14,2018,2018-12,Republican,House,AZ,Andy Biggs,B001302,biggs.house.gov,,,legacy,"""What's the BIGGS Idea"" Podcast",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://biggs.house.gov/media/in-the-news/congress-should-pass-25-billion-border-wall-and-security-next-week,OP-ED: Congress should pass $25 billion for a border wall and security next week,2018-12-13,2018,2018-12,Republican,House,AZ,Andy Biggs,B001302,biggs.house.gov,,,legacy,1626 Longworth House Office Building,1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://www.flake.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases?ContentRecord_id=C283FF56-930B-428E-9885-059F11F44C7C,VIDEO: Flake Delivers Farewell Remarks,2018-12-13,2018,2018-12,Republican,House,AZ,Jeff Flake,F000444,www.flake.senate.gov,,,legacy,"WASHINGTON U.S. Sen. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) today delivered his farewell address on the Senate floor: I rise today to say that it has been the honor of my life to represent my home Arizona - in the United States Senate, and before that, in the House of Representatives. That is, it's been the honor of my life after being Dean and Nerita's son, Cheryl's husband, and Ryan, Alexis, Austin, Tanner, and Dallin's father. Today, I am filled with gratitude. Grateful for the privilege of loving and being loved by those people I just mentioned, and of serving the state and the country that I love as well. Grateful beyond measure, and luckier than I deserve to be. As we in America during this moment of political dysfunction and upheaval - contemplate the hard-won conventions and norms of democracy, we must continually remind ourselves that none of this is permanent, and that it must be fought for constantly. I echo today that serious challenges lie ahead, but any honest reckoning of our history and our prospects will note that we have confronted and survived more daunting challenges than we now face. Ours is a durable, resilient system of government, designed to withstand the foibles of those who from time to time occupy this place, including yours truly. And so I leave here grateful and optimistic. I will always treasure the friendships that began here, and the kindnesses shown to me and my family by all of you, my colleagues. And I will forever cherish the work of our country that we were able to do here together. From the bottom of my heart, I thank you all. After his remarks, Flake was honored by a number of his Senate colleagues, including Sens. Jon Kyl (R-Ariz.), Chris Coons (D-Del.), Susan Collins (R-Maine), and Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.). Video of Flake's remarks can be viewedhere. A complete transcript of Flake's prepared remarks can be viewed below. *** Mr. President, I would like to begin today by noting that had the people of Arizona and America been truly lucky, my mother or father would have served in the United States House and Senate. Everything I know about what matters most in life I first learned at their dinner table. But for many reasons they were otherwise occupied raising and feeding eleven kids, working the land running cattle to keep the F-Bar business going, and serving their church and community daily, and in ways too many to count my parents were too meaningfully engaged in life to detour into something that can sometimes be so frivolous as politics. So you got their son instead. And I rise today to say that it has been the honor of my life to represent my home Arizona - in the United States Senate, and before that, in the House of Representatives. That is, it's been the honor of my life after being Dean and Nerita's son, Cheryl's husband, and Ryan's, Alexis's, Austin's, Tanner's, and Dallin's father. Through eighteen years in Washington, our kids grew up thinking it was normal to have their faces plastered on campaign signs along the roadside when election time rolled around. They were dragged to countless fundraisers and campaign events. They were used to having their dad join them, sort of, with a choreographed wave on C-Span at dinnertime. They spent summers in Washington catching fireflies and voting with their dad on the House floor. They served as interns and Congressional Pages. Much of it they enjoyed, some of it they endured, and through all of it they were not just good sports, but were extraordinarily understanding and supportive. And Cheryl - well, Cheryl is the rock on which our family is built. Her strength, equanimity, endless patience and love her good humor even when congressional life wasn't always funny, and her belief, when disbelief would have been perfectly reasonable these are but a few of a long list of things that have me simply awestruck at my wife. I think all of us who presume to hold these positions owe someone who loves us a debt that we can never, ever repay. And if they are not to be repaid then they can at least be properly recognized Cheryl, that girl I met on that faraway beach so long ago, our wonderful children, my brothers and sisters and our extended families. John McCain often joked that the only way I ever got elected to anything was because of my hundreds of siblings and thousands of cousins. Well, the truth hurts, I reckon - Senator McCain might have been on to something there. Today, I am filled with gratitude. Grateful for the privilege of loving and being loved by those people I just mentioned, and of serving the state and the country that I love as well. Grateful beyond measure, and luckier than I deserve to be. As so I leave here grateful and optimistic. I will always treasure the friendships that began here, and the kindnesses shown to me and my family by all of you, my colleagues. And I will forever cherish the work of our country that we were able to do here together. From the bottom of my heart, I thank you all. As I stand here today, I am optimistic about the future, but my optimism is due more to the country that my parents gave to me than it is due to the present condition of our civic life. We of course are testing the institutions of American liberty in ways that none of us likely ever imagined we would and in ways that we never should again. My colleagues, to say that our politics is not healthy is something of an understatement. I believe that we all know well that this is not a normal time, that the threats to our democracy from within and without are real, and none of us can say with confidence how the situation that we now find ourselves in will turn out. Over the past two years, I have spoken a great deal on that subject from this chamber, and there will be time enough later to return to it in other settings. But in the time I have here today, and with your indulgence, I would instead like to speak somewhat more personally. As the authoritarian impulse reasserts itself globally, and global commitment to democracy seems to now be on somewhat shaky ground, I have been thinking a lot recently about the American commitment to democracy where it comes from, and how, if the circumstances were right, it might slip away. And this got me thinking back to when I was a much younger man, and had the privilege of witnessing the birth of a new democracy in Africa. When I was about half the age that I am now, for my church mission, I went to South Africa and Zimbabwe and fell in love with the people of those countries. When Cheryl and I were drawn back to southern Africa a few years later for a job, we were in Windhoek, Namibia, in February of 1990, at the very moment that much of the world enslaved by totalitarianism was throwing off its shackles, and the free world that the United States had led since World War II was growing exponentially. The Soviet Union was in a glorious free fall, shedding republics seemingly by the day, and Eastern Europe was squinting out into the light of liberation for the first time in forty years. Free markets and free minds were sweeping the world. Freedom was breaking out in the Southern Hemisphere as well. The country where I was sitting that morning was itself only days old. In November 1989, the same week the Berlin Wall fell, Namibia had held its first election as an independent nation, freed from the apartheid administration of South Africa. This came to pass in no small part because of leadership from the United States, through the United Nations. Just days earlier, an awe-inspiring document had been drafted only blocks away from where I sat in Windhoeka new democracy's founding constitution, the inspiration for which had been the marvel of free people everywhere and those who aspire to be free, the United States Constitution. At the time, I was in Africa working for the Foundation for Democracy, trying to ensure that Namibia emerged from the process of gaining its independence as a democratic country. In my role at the foundation, I evangelized for democracy and democratic values, the benefits of which had been a given for me for my entire life. I can safely say, though, that I learned more about democracy from the lives of those around me who aspired to it, rather than those who experienced it as a birth-right. As I sat there in the brand-new African democracy, I read the speech that the playwright and new president of a newly democratic Czechoslovakia, Vaclav Havel, had just delivered before a joint session of the United States Congress, right across the way in the House chamber. Havel, who had spent much of the previous decade in a communist dungeon and whose last arrest as a dissident had been a mere four months before, was quite astonished to find himself president of anything, much less the country of his oppressors. I sat there in Africa and read Havel's speechan encomium to democracy, a love letter to America, literary and inspiringand I was overcome by his words. There is nothing quite like the sensation of having someone who has been stripped of everything but his dignity reflecting the ideals of your own country back at you, in such a way that you see them more clearly than ever before, and maybe for the first time. In some ways, that man knows your country better than you do. I can now only imagine how surreal it must have felt for Havel as he stood before the entire Congress, the president's cabinet, the diplomatic corps, and the Joint Chiefs of Staff assembled before him in the House chamber in our Capitol Building, with the vice president and the Speaker of the House behind him, all standing in a sustained ovation, a deep show of respect from the oldest democracy on earth to the newest, whose leader had been a political prisoner just a season earlier. Havel soberly poured out his gratitude to the United States for the sacrifices that our country had made in liberating Europe once again and for the moral example of its leadership around the world in opposing the Soviet Union, the country, he said, that rightly gave people nightmares. Havel's awed appreciation for the values that too many of us might take for granted bought home to me, an American in my mid-twenties sitting there in Africa, the power of the American example to the whole world. And the humbling responsibilities that come with that power. It is no exaggeration to say that Havel's disquisition on democracy before Congress that day in 1990 was a turning point in my civic education. Havel similarly called out to the whole world from Washington that day in early 1990, with grace and without rancor, but for one mistaken prophecy, that to me now reads as tragic, especially in the context of the here and now. At the time, as the wall fell and the Soviet bloc that had been encased in Stalinism thawed, it was a vogue among some historians, scholars, and others to declare the end of historythat the big questions had been settled, that liberal democracy was triumphal and inexorable, and that the decline of the impulse to enslave whole countries was also inexorable. Freedom had won, it was said, and forever. The historian Francis Fukuyama, who had coined the end of history in an essay the year before, was much in demand, and it is likely that Havel would have been inspired by the fervor, which would explain this passage from his speech: I often hear the question: How can the United States of America help us today? My reply is as paradoxical as the whole of my life has been. You can help us most of all if you help the Soviet Union on its irreversible but immensely complicated road to democracy. Of course, history was not over, and the road to democracy is not irreversiblenot in Moscow, not in America, not anywhere. After erecting a Potemkin village of democracy for an agonizing decade or so, the Russians thrust forward a strongman amid the chaos, a strongman who was determined to reassemble the pieces of a broken empire, in the process strangling Russian democracy in its cradle. Vladimir Putin would go on to be president and he is president still, and just as he hijacked democracy in his own country, he is determined to do so everywhere. Denial of this reality will not make it any less real. This is something that is staring us in the face, right now, as we are gathered here today. As we in America during this moment of political dysfunction and upheaval - contemplate the hard-won conventions and norms of democracy, we must continually remind ourselves that none of this is permanent, and that it must be fought for constantly. Civilization and the victories of freedomhistory itselfare not a matter of once achieved, always safe. Vaclav Havel lived this. The lovers of democracy I met in Namibia lived this. Our children, whose rights and prerogatives have never before been in doubt, are for the most part unaware of it. But we are being powerfully reminded just how delicate all of this isright now. The stability of tested alliances, the steadiness of comportment, and the consistency of words and deeds sum up the best of water's-edge postwar American consensus on foreign policy. It might seem that all of this has lately been tossed around like pieces on a board, but it is important to remember that we have seen tumult and trial before, and it is the genius of the architects of our liberty that we can withstand it all and emerge stronger for it. What struck me in Namibia that day with such force that it has stayed with me ever since, is how vital a beacon the United States is and has always been to the peoples of the world both to those who are already free and to those who suffer tyranny. Mr. President, that is a solemn obligation that we have as Americans. Let us recognize from this place here today that the shadow of tyranny is once again enveloping parts of the globe. And let us recognize as authoritarianism reasserts itself in country after country that we are by no means immune. I stand here today recognizing that have had the good fortune during my time in the Senate to have been surrounded by supremely smart and dedicated staff, some of whom have worked with me for the entire 18 years in Washington. My chiefs of staff Steve Voeller, Margaret Klessig, Matt Specht, Chandler Morse and Roland Foster have ably supervised a legislative team that included people over the years as Colleen Donnelly, Helen Heiden, Chuck Podalak, Kris Kiefer, Sarah Towles, Emily Nelson, Brian Canfield, Blake Tonn, Flaka Ismaili, Chance Hammock, Matt Sifert, Colin Timmerman, Melanie Lehnhardt, Hannah Grady, Brian Kennedy, Katie Jackson, James Layne, Andrea Jones, Kunal Parikh, Gary Barnett, Michael Fragoso and so many others, who have drafted substantive legislation and crafted consequential amendments that have been signed into law. My schedulers, office managers and press shop have been asked to explain a lot over the years, including my penchant for marooning myself on deserted islands, sometimes with people like Senator Martin Heinrich, or forced to explain why I had been chased by elephants in Mozambique with Senator Chris Coons. People like Celeste Gold, Meagan Shepherd, Caroline Celley, Megan Runyan, Christine Chucri, Michael Christifulli, Jacob McMeekin, Jason Samuels, Bronwyn Lance, Liz Jones, Dan Mintz, Krista Winward, Jonathan Felts, Elizabeth Berry, and many more. They have kept me largely out of controversy, if not out of elevators, during my time in office. Dedicated caseworkers in my state offices have helped countless Arizonans with matters from immigration to Veterans issues to social security. I am frequently stopped in airports and grocery stores and thanked for the good work done by my staff. Thank you to Buchanan Davis, Mary Baumbach, Julie Katsel, Melissa Martin, Mike Nelson, Jeremy Thompson, Michael Vargas, Chris Stoller, Bob Brubaker, Blake Farnsworth, Chelsea Lett, Elizabeth Bustamante-Lopez and so many others for such dedicated constituent work over the years. To all who have served in my office: I will miss your wise counsel, but most of all your friendship. Thank you. Mr. President, as I give this last speech from this chamber I cannot help but look back on my maiden speech given in the senate six years ago. In it I talked about how the twelve newly elected Senate freshmen in 2012 were invited to the National Archives and taken to the legislative vault where we viewed the original, signed copy of the first bill enacted by Congress, as well as other landmark pieces of legislation and memorabilia. Oaths of allegiance signed by Revolutionary War soldiers, witnessed by General Washington, documents and artifacts related to the civil war, segregation, women's suffrage and the civil rights movement were also on hand. I noted then that it was an affirmation to me of the tumultuous seas through which our ship of state has sailed for more than 200 years, with many brilliant and inspired individuals at the helm, along with personalities ranging from mediocre to malevolent. But our system of government had survived them all. I noted then and echo today that serious challenges lie ahead, but any honest reckoning of our history and our prospects will note that we have confronted and survived more daunting challenges than we now face. Ours is a durable, resilient system of government, designed to withstand the foibles of those who from time to time occupy this place, including yours truly. So, as I start a new chapter in the coming weeks, I am grateful for having had the privilege of serving here. It is my sincere hope that those in this body will always remember the words of Lincoln: We shall nobly save, or meanly lose, the last best hope of earth. The way forward, he said, is plain, peaceful, generous, just a way which, if followed, the world will forever applaud and God will forever bless. I yield the floor. ###",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://www.flake.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases?ContentRecord_id=F8225CBB-EAE2-4D07-8671-3BA17E0C7465,"VIDEO: Flake Encourages Support, Accountability for Zimbabwe",2018-12-13,2018,2018-12,Republican,House,AZ,Jeff Flake,F000444,www.flake.senate.gov,,,legacy,"WASHINGTON U.S. Sen. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.), chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on Africa and Global Health Policy, last night took to the Senate floor to encourage constructive bilateral relations with the Zimbabwean government: During these past several months, I have thought often of friends in Zimbabwe who deserve far better from their government than they have received over the past four decades. They deserve a government that represents them; a government that provides an environment that allows them to follow their dreams and realize the dreams of their children. Zimbabwe deserves a government worthy of its people, and I encourage my colleagues to look for ways to engage constructively with Zimbabwe's new government moving ahead. The new ZDERA provides a worthy framework. Video of Flake's remarks can be viewedhere. A complete transcript of Flake's prepared remarks can be viewed below. *** Mr. President, last week I chaired a hearing of the Foreign Relations Subcommittee on Africa and Global Health that focused on Zimbabwe. As a young man, I fell in love with the continent of Africa and the country of Zimbabwe when I served my Mormon mission there. The year was 1983 and the country had recently gained its independence. A man by the name of Robert Mugabe was serving as Prime Minister at the time. I do not think anyone could have predicted back then that Mugabe would serve as leader of Zimbabwe until November 2017, nor could have anyone imagined the damage Robert Mugabe would do to that beautiful country. Jubilation erupted in the streets of Harare in November of 2017 when Zimbabweans heard the news that Mugabe had been ousted by his own party and forced to retire. The people of Zimbabwe burst into spontaneous celebration hoping that, with Mugabe finally removed from power, the country might begin to move on after nearly forty years in power. I had the opportunity to visit Zimbabwe in February of 2016, when I led a delegation to southern Africa. Mugabe's misrule and the economic devastation wrought had clearly taken its toll on the capital city of Harare. Yet somehow, the people of Zimbabwe, so capable and resilient, had persevered and looked to a brighter future. I was able to reconnect with friends there whom I had not seen in thirty years, including one of my missionary companions, Peter Chaya, who despite a severe disability brought on by polio as a child, managed to raise four children and contribute a great deal to his church, his community, and his country. Zimbabwe's greatest potential lies in its people, and it is time for the government to take the steps to ensure that this potential can be fully realized. I want to work with Zimbabwe to help make this happen, and that is why I introduced the Zimbabwe Democracy and Economic Recovery Amendment Act, along with Senator Coons, last March. Seventeen years after the original ZDERA statute was signed into law, our amendments provide a roadmap for the new government that, if followed, will lead to a better, more constructive bilateral relationship with the United States. The ZDERA Amendment Act, signed into law in August, reiterates that in order for sanctions on Zimbabwe to be lifted, the government must restore the rule of law, it must hold free and fair elections, and it must demonstrate a sincere commitment to land reform. But, and this is different from the prior statute, our changes send a signal to the government of Zimbabwe, to the opposition, and to the Zimbabwean people that the United States is interested in improving the state of our bilateral relationship, including in the areas of trade and investment. The bill asks that the government of Zimbabwe take concrete, tangible steps toward good governance and the enactment of economic reforms. It asks that all statutes inconsistent with Zimbabwe's 2013 constitution are either repealed or amended to bring them in line with the constitution. And finally, it underlines the need for a robust civil society that is allowed to function freely without government interference. The conditions outlined in the ZDERA Amendment Act are reasonable and would not take long to achieve. I urge President Mnangagwa to move ahead to repeal troublesome statutes and engage in meaningful economic reform along the lines of what finance minister Ncube has recommended. I remain concerned that a lack of momentum for reform in Zimbabwe will squander the opportunity presented by former President Mugabe's ouster. We cannot expect Zimbabwe to flip a switch and reverse nearly four decades of misrule in a few months' time. But we should expect more urgency to reform the economy and expand political space for the opposition. There is no more outward sign that Zimbabwe has yet to turn the page than the government leveling charges against opposition figures like Tendai Biti and others. There is no purpose served by going after one's political opponents, especially in the wake of a contested election. The new government in Zimbabwe bears much of the responsibility for forging a positive path forward but the opposition party needs to play a constructive role, as well. The leader of the Movement for Democratic Change, Nelson Chimisa, is young and capable. He has a long career ahead of him. It would be to his benefit, and the benefit of all Zimbabweans, to recognize the legitimacy of the new government and to help create an inclusive process moving ahead. As in any democracy, Zimbabwe needs a loyal opposition in the form of an opposition party, or parties, that hold the government accountable within the framework of the rule of law. There will be new elections to contest, more chances to make a case to voters. During these past several months, I have thought often of friends like Peter Chaya, and others in Zimbabwe who I know deserve far better from their government than they have received over the past four decades. They deserve a government that represents them, a government provides an environment that allows them to follow their dreams and realize the dreams of their children. Zimbabwe deserves a government worthy of its people, and I encourage my colleagues to look for ways to engage constructively with Zimbabwe's new government moving ahead. The new ZDERA provides a worthy framework. By next month, my role will change, but I will remain involved and committed to a strong partnership between the United States and Zimbabwe. ###",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://www.flake.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases?ContentRecord_id=748BFD18-59B3-4182-9ADC-7F4FF141AF7A,"Flake, Heinrich Applaud Bipartisan Conservation Measures Included in Farm Bill",2018-12-12,2018,2018-12,Republican,House,AZ,Jeff Flake,F000444,www.flake.senate.gov,,,legacy,"WASHINGTON U.S. Sens. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) and Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), both members of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, today applauded the passage of several conservation provisions included in the 2018 Farm Bill conference report. These measures were originally included in the bipartisan Restoring America's Watersheds Act, Flake and Heinrich's bill to protect, restore, and improve the health of watersheds in national forests. Sen. Heinrich and I have toured the forests of Eastern Arizona and have seen the success of forest restoration efforts in reducing fire risks, protecting communities, and safeguarding our water quality,"" said Flake. ""These important measures will allow similar collaborative projects in watersheds throughout the country."" I'm proud to pass these common-sense measures to improve the management of watersheds in our national forests and reduce the risks of costly catastrophic wildfires, said Heinrich. We are living in an era of severe drought, extreme wildfires, and climate disruption. We must utilize the best available science and deliver resources to help our communities promote long-term sustainable use of our land and water. Flake and Heinrich's conservation measures included in the Farm Bill would: Prioritize fire-impacted watersheds and encourage partnerships with non-federal stakeholders to invest in forests that provide important water resources Encourage collaboration in restoring our forests' health and establish the Water Source Protection Program within the U.S. Forest Service Provide much-needed jobs in the forest products industry in rural communities by clarifying and enhancing the U.S. Forest Service's ability to partner with communities To view a PDF of the conservation measures, click here. ###",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://www.flake.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases?ContentRecord_id=CBDF7A3B-EC49-4909-A182-0FE88AB6F4BD,Flake Reintroduces Bill to Protect Minor Sexual Assault Victims,2018-12-11,2018,2018-12,Republican,House,AZ,Jeff Flake,F000444,www.flake.senate.gov,,,legacy,"WASHINGTON U.S. Sen. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, last night reintroduced legislation preventing the cross-examination of minor victims of sexual assault by a defendant acting as his own attorney. The bill was prompted by the trial of Arizona resident Chris Simcox, who wanted to cross-examine two young girls he was accused of molesting. Flake's bill, S. 3736, would require any cross-examination of a child victim to be conducted by a court-supervised attorney on behalf of the defendant: This bill protects child victims of sexual assault from having to endure any further trauma from their assailants. I urge the Senate to take swift action and protect these victims. Background: On December 8, 2016, Sens. Flake and Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) introduced S. 3524, which was referred to the Senate Judiciary Committee. On June 9, 2016, a Phoenix jury found Chris Simcox guilty on two counts of child molestation and one count of furnishing pornography to a minor. He was sentenced to 19 years in prison for his crimes. To view a PDF of the bill, click here. ###",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://biggs.house.gov/media/press-releases/congressman-biggs-supports-mark-meadows-white-house-chief-staff,Congressman Biggs Supports Mark Meadows for White House Chief of Staff,2018-12-10,2018,2018-12,Republican,House,AZ,Andy Biggs,B001302,biggs.house.gov,,,legacy,"WASHINGTON, D.C. Congressman Andy Biggs released the following statement in support of Mark Meadows for White House Chief of Staff: Mark Meadows is a proven conservative leader in Congress. Under his watch, the House Freedom Caucus has become one of the most-influential caucuses in the House. He would make an exceptional Chief of Staff for President Donald Trump. President Trump has accomplished a lot in his first two years in office. However, House Democrats are looking to overturn his endeavors and sideline his administration. President Trump needs a fighter like Mark to wholeheartedly defend his policies of smaller government and economic prosperity. I appreciate serving with Representative Meadows in the House and hope I will have a chance to work with him in the administration in the near future. ### Congressman Andy Biggs is a first-term Representative from Arizona's Fifth Congressional District, representing parts of Chandler, Gilbert, Mesa, and Queen Creek. Congressman Biggs is a member of the House Judiciary and Science, Space, and Technology committees, and is the chairman of the Environment Subcommittee. He lives with his wife, Cindy, in Gilbert.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://schweikert.house.gov/2018/12/10/congressman-schweikert-announces-congressional-app-challenge-winner/,Congressman Schweikert Announces Congressional App Challenge Winner,2018-12-10,2018,2018-12,Republican,House,AZ,David Schweikert,S001183,schweikert.house.gov,schweikert,https://schweikert.house.gov/category/congress_press_release/,scraper,"WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Congressman David Schweikert announced the 2018 Congressional App Challenge winner for Arizona’s 6th Congressional District. This year, the Congressional App Challenge winner from Arizona’s 6th District is Esha Sidhu, from BASIS Scottsdale. Esha created an app focused on time management for high school students juggling school work and extracurricular activities. Esha’s submission showed the difficulty endured in creating the app, and clearly explained the benefit of use for high school students. The Congressional App Challenge (CAC) is an annual competition created to challenge students across the nation to create their own app for a chance to win the CAC in their home congressional district. The CAC looks to inspire, include, and innovate students across the country in a challenge to further explore the STEM and computer science fields. Thank you to all of the students who submitted an app for the CAC. Our office looks forward to your submission in next year’s competition. ### Back to News",1,2026-03-30T01:40:41Z,2026-06-27T23:11:43Z https://schweikert.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/congressman-schweikert-announces-congressional-app-challenge-winner,Congressman Schweikert Announces Congressional App Challenge Winner,2018-12-10,2018,2018-12,Republican,House,AZ,David Schweikert,S001183,schweikert.house.gov,,,legacy,"WASHINGTON, DC Today, Congressman David Schweikert announced the 2018 Congressional App Challenge winner for Arizona's 6th Congressional District. This year, the Congressional App Challenge winner from Arizona's 6th District is Esha Sidhu, from BASIS Scottsdale. Esha created an app focused on time management for high school students juggling school work and extracurricular activities. Esha's submission showed the difficulty endured in creating the app, and clearly explained the benefit of use for high school students. The Congressional App Challenge (CAC) is an annual competition created to challenge students across the nation to create their own app for a chance to win the CAC in their home congressional district. The CAC looks to inspire, include, and innovate students across the country in a challenge to further explore the STEM and computer science fields. Thank you to all of the students who submitted an app for the CAC. Our office looks forward to your submission in next year's competition. ###",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://schweikert.house.gov/media-center/in-the-news/mike-broomhead-show-rep-david-schweikert,The Mike Broomhead Show: Rep David Schweikert,2018-12-09,2018,2018-12,Republican,House,AZ,David Schweikert,S001183,schweikert.house.gov,,,legacy,Rep Schweikert joins the show to talk about how the House will look under Speaker Pelosi,1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://biggs.house.gov/media/in-the-news/i-heard-comey-friday-here-are-three-most-important-takeaways,OP-ED: I heard from Comey on Friday -- Here are the three most important takeaways,2018-12-08,2018,2018-12,Republican,House,AZ,Andy Biggs,B001302,biggs.house.gov,,,legacy,1626 Longworth House Office Building,1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://biggs.house.gov/media/in-the-news/comey-heart-anti-trump-mueller-investigation,"OP-ED: Comey is the heart of the anti-Trump, Mueller investigation",2018-12-07,2018,2018-12,Republican,House,AZ,Andy Biggs,B001302,biggs.house.gov,,,legacy,1626 Longworth House Office Building,1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://biggs.house.gov/media/press-releases/house-members-commemorate-one-year-anniversary-president-donald-trumps-official,House Members Commemorate One-Year Anniversary of President Donald Trump's Official Recognition of Jerusalem as the Capital of Israel,2018-12-06,2018,2018-12,Republican,House,AZ,Andy Biggs,B001302,biggs.house.gov,,,legacy,"WASHINGTON, D.C. Today, Congressman Andy Biggs and 42 cosponsors introduced a resolution to commemorate the one-year anniversary of President Donald Trump's official recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of the State of Israel and the announcement of his intention to relocate the American embassy to Jerusalem. Congressman Biggs, along with many of the cosponsors, released the following statements: Israel is one of the United States' most enduring allies, and President Trump kept a significant promise by recognizing Jerusalem as Israel's capital and announcing his intention to move our embassy to Jerusalem. That embassy was opened in Jerusalem earlier this year. These milestones signify our commitment to our ally. I thank my many colleagues who joined me in this resolution. Congressman Andy Biggs (AZ-05) I am pleased to be an original cosponsor on this important legislation. This year has marked a restoration of the U.S.-Israel relationship. President Trump's moving of the U.S. Embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem was monumental not because he is the first president to promise this move, but because he is the only president who made good on that promise. I have supported moving the embassy since my start in Congress and am proud to have seen it come to fruition. I want to thank my colleague Rep. Biggs for initiating this great commemoration and for working with me collaboratively on the final bill. Congressman Doug Lamborn (CO-05) Today, we celebrate the one-year anniversary of President Trump's momentous decision to move the U.S. Embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to the recognized capital of Jerusalem. During his campaign, President Trump committed to finally make this move, and I applaud him displaying strong leadership and courageous action in support of one of America's closest allies in the world. House Majority Whip Steve Scalise (LA-01) My support remains unwavering for President Trump's courageous and just decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. This decision is a profound reflection of the President's commitment to fulfilling his promises and advancing peace in the Middle East. Congressman Gregg Harper (MS-03) One year ago, President Trump announced his decision torecognize Jerusalem as the unquestionable capital of Israel. The United States was the first to recognize Israel's independence in 1948.ThisMay, we celebrated 70 years of Israeli independence, and in a sign of our support, ceremoniously moved the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem, again becoming the first country to do so. I applaud President Trump's leadership as we continue to reinforce our commitment to our closest friend and ally, Israel, and support her right to defend herself. Congressman David Kustoff (TN-08) Jerusalem is the rightful capital of Israel. The recognition of this reality continues to build on our two nation's special bond which is why I support Representative Biggs' resolution to commemorate the anniversary of the President's declaration. Our ally has continuously stood by our side, and we should continue to stand by them. Congressman Tom Emmer (MN-06) Moving our embassy to Jerusalem, Israel's self-declared, historic, and eternal capital, sent a strong message to the world, that Israel is an ally of the United States and a bulwark of democracy and freedom in the Middle East. Congressman Ken Buck (CO-04) On the one-year anniversary of President Trump's recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, a momentous event, I am proud to co-sponsor this resolution affirming our support for the United States' strongest Middle East ally, a Jewish homeland, and the Israeli people. Although Congress authorized moving the U.S. embassy more than two decades ago, only our current President, fulfilling a promise other presidents have made but broken, had the courage to act. Anti-Semitism and terrorist threats must never deter us from standing up for our principles, including a free and independent Israel with Jerusalem as its capital. In fact, standing up for our principles and supporting our allies is essential to creating peace and stability in the region. Congressman Scott DesJarlais (TN-04) As this resolution memorializes, the relocation of United States Embassy in Jerusalem is further proof that President Trump is keeping his promises to the American people. Seventy years after the official formation of Israel and more than 20 years after the United States Congress voted to recognize Jerusalem as its capital, this fulfilled promise signals strong support for our friend and ally. Congressman Michael C. Burgess, M.D. (TX-26) I am honored to join my colleagues in recognizing the one-year anniversary of the United States moving our embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalemthe eternal capital. This strong and historic move will forever stand as a message to the rest of the world that the U.S. stands with our Jewish brothers and sisters in the world's only Jewish state. Congressman Tedd Budd (NC-13) On the one year anniversary, I applaud President Donald Trump for fulfilling his campaign pledge to recognize Jerusalem as the rightful capital of Israel. Under the leadership of President Trump, our relationship with Israel has never been stronger. We must never forget the important role Israel plays in the world and I will continue to be a vocal supporter of our eternal friendship. Rep. Alex X. Mooney (WV-02) President Trump's decision, one year ago, to recognize Jerusalem for what it actually has been and is the actual capital of Israel, demonstrated great commitment to truth. President Truman had the courage to recognize Israel as an independent nation only minutes after it formed. Since then, we have had eleven Presidents who discussed Jerusalem as the true capital of Israel, but did not recognize it formally. A year ago, our president kept another of his promises made to the American people. This historic decision displayed to the world that the United States will fervently stand with its ally, Israel. I am proud we have a President who courageously did the right thing for the United States, for our ally Israel, and for the world, including those parts that do not know it. Congressman Louie Gohmert (TX-01) Let today be a world-wide reminder that America stands with Israel, our greatest ally. We recognize that Jerusalem is Israel's rightful and eternal capitaland shall no longer be questioned. Congressman Ralph Norman (SC-05) The city of Jerusalem holds a special place in the history of civilization and in the hearts of the people of Israel. By recognizing it as the capital of Israel, President Trump reaffirmed our commitment to a steadfast ally and carried out a law passed overwhelmingly by Congress in 1995. On the first anniversary of this important event, I am proud to join my colleagues in celebrating the ties that continue to join the United States and the State of Israel in friendship. Congressman Morgan Griffith (VA-09) Israel, our strong ally, has the right to determine its capital city. Our president chose to honor their choice by moving the US embassy to Jerusalem, the historic home of the Jewish people. One year after the president's announcement that we would relocate our embassy, I join my colleagues applauding this historic move and urge other nations to follow the United States' example. Congressman Dave Brat (VA-07) One year ago, President Donald Trump made a historic announcement to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital and to relocate our embassy there. I applaud President Trump for standing up for one of our closest allies. This recognition is based on ancient history and current political realities, and we must continue to voice that Jerusalem belongs to the people of Israel. Congresswoman Debbie Lesko (AZ-08) America and Israel's unbreakable bond has been cemented through decades of trust, respect, and mutual cooperation. President Trump's public recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's eternal capital, and his decision to relocate the US Embassy to Jerusalem, were historic moments for US-Israel relations, now and in the future. I am proud to stand with Israel, and to be a cosponsor of Congressman Biggs' important resolution. Congressman Matt Gaetz (FL-01) A year after recognizing Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, we are seeing good progress in the Middle East. It is encouraging to see a number of other countries follow our example in relocating their embassies to the one, true capital of Israel Jerusalem. Though there are still challenges to overcome, we will continue standing by our greatest ally. I'm delighted to celebrate this milestone with my colleagues and with the great people of Israel. Congressman Randy Weber (TX-14) I am excited to be a part of the one year anniversary of Jerusalem's recognition in Israel. The Administration's step to recognize Jerusalem as the capitol of the State of Israel and spiritual home for the Jewish people helped further our friendship with Israel, the only democracy in the Middle East. Congress has voted favorably many times in the past on this issue, and past Presidents have campaigned on this only to backtrack in office for fear of angering Palestinian and Arab communities. This year marks the continuance of my strong support on this issue. Congressman David Schweikert (AZ-06) Israel is our strongest friend and ally in the Middle East. This time last year, President Trump properly recognized Jerusalem as its capital and showed the world that the United States will always stand with her people, said Rep. Williams. For this reason I am proud to cosponsor Rep. Andy Biggs' resolution, Commemorating the Anniversary of President Trump's Recognition of Jerusalem as the Capital of Israel. I commend the President for his unwavering support of Israel and for remaining dedicated to backing our allies. Congressman Roger Williams (TX-25) All in one year, President Trump made the historic announcement to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's rightful capital, and the State Department moved the U.S. Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. These actions were long overdue and exemplify the strong devotion and commitment the Trump Administration and the nation have to Israel. I am thankful to be working hand in hand with President Trump as we both stand wholeheartedly with Israel, our great ally and friend. Congressman Jeff Duncan (SC-03) One year after President Trump publicly recognized Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, and soon after moved the U.S. embassy there, the United States remains committed to supporting the State of Israel. I applaud this administration in their decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, and the eternal friendship between our countries remains strong. Congressman Andy Harris (MD-01) One year ago, President Trump issued a proclamation to officially recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. With Israel's legislature, Supreme Court, President's office, and Prime Ministers office all being located in the city, Jerusalem is the epicenter of governance in the country. Congress has repeatedly voted to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, despite previous administrations - both Republican and Democratic - failing to deliver. This proclamation, which also relocates our embassy to Jerusalem, is yet another promise that President Trump has fulfilled. As the Co-Chair of the Congressional Israel Victory Caucus, I firmly believe that by moving the United States Embassy to Jerusalem and recognizing it as Israel's capital, we are sending a strong message of America's support for our great ally - asserting the belief that Israel is the nation state of the Jewish people, and that Israel has the undeniable right to exist and defend herself. Congressman Bill Johnson (OH-06) I was incredibly pleased when President Trump announced the United States' official recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. As the eternal capital of the Jewish people, this was a long-overdue and necessary action to demonstrate America's unwavering support on behalf of our strongest ally in the Middle East. I look forward to the ongoing progress we will make to advance the important partnership and longstanding bond between our nations. Congressman John Ratcliffe (TX-04) It is the diplomatic right of any sovereign nation to choose where their capital is located; and, for 67 years, Israel has recognized Jerusalem as their capital, said Rep. Barry Loudermilk (R-GA). I applaud President Trump for moving the U.S. Embassy in Tel Aviv to Jerusalem a year ago, and my good friend Rep. Andy Biggs for commemorating this seismic event between the United States and Israel. Congressman Barry Loudermilk (GA-11) America's relationship with Israel is unique, and it's strength is the foundation of American leadership in the Middle East. One year ago, President Donald Trump announced that our embassy was to be relocated to Jerusalem, and I was grateful for the opportunity to lead the House delegation to the embassy's opening in May. The President's commitment to Promises Made, Promises Kept strengthens our bond with the people of Israel, who know they have an ally in America. Congressman Joe Wilson (SC-02) Israel has long been a friend and an ally to the United States, and it is a priority of mine to continue to stand with them and fortify our bonds. One year ago that bond was strengthened when the President did the right thing by affirming U.S. Law and recognizing Jerusalem as the eternal and undivided capital of Israel. Congressman Don Bacon (NE-02) We have a special partnership with Israel -- the country is our greatest ally in the Middle East and the only democracy in the region. We share the same values regarding individual rights and liberties, and it is essential we stand by them. I am grateful for President Trump's leadership on this important issue and that he made the move to affirm Jerusalem as Israel's rightful capital one year ago. Congresswoman Vicky Hartzler (MO-04) It has been a year since President Trump fulfilled his pledge to move the United States embassy to Jerusalem. This long-overdue action demonstrates the close friendship between the United States and its strongest ally in the region. I know President Trump will continue to strengthen our bond with Israel after neglect from previous Administrations. Congressman Todd Rokita (IN-04) One year ago, President Trump announced that the Unites States officially recognized the city of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. Israel has long been our closest ally in the Middle East, and it was a great honor to witness the historic and long overdue opening of the American Embassy in the holy city of Jerusalem just a few months later. Today, I'm proud to celebrate the anniversary of this recognition, and I look forward to continuing to strengthen the enduring ties between our two nations. Congressman Jody Hice (GA-10) ###",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://schweikert.house.gov/media-center/in-the-news/david-schweikert-arizona-congressman-chad-benson-show,"David Schweikert, Arizona Congressman on the Chad Benson Show",2018-12-06,2018,2018-12,Republican,House,AZ,David Schweikert,S001183,schweikert.house.gov,,,legacy,Congressman David Schweikert joins to talk about the possibility of a Government shutdown and how Congress can avoid it.,1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://www.flake.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases?ContentRecord_id=706F73D5-AB15-4EAF-9A6D-29919325898F,"Flake, Cortez Masto Introduce Bill to Cut Wasteful Government Spending",2018-12-06,2018,2018-12,Republican,House,AZ,Jeff Flake,F000444,www.flake.senate.gov,,,legacy,"WASHINGTON U.S. Sens. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) and Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) today introduced the REDUCE Government Waste Act to cut wasteful spending and save the federal government tens of millions of dollars each year. It's just nuts to shell out millions of dollars to subsidize surplus piles of peanuts, bug-based foods, and robobartenders, said Flake. With $1 trillion being added to the national debt every year, it especially bugs taxpayers that all they hear from Washington about cutting waste is crickets. The REDUCE Government Waste Act gives Congress a starting point by saving millions. With the national debt standing at more than $21 trillion dollars, we must begin to eliminate wasteful spending happening in the federal government, said Cortez Masto. The REDUCE Government Waste Act is a good starting point to help us eliminate unnecessary government spending. This legislation will save tensof millions of dollars that could go towards paying down our national debt, supporting our veterans, or funding important medical research. To view the full text of the bill, click here. Background: The bipartisan Removing Excessive Dollars to Uproot and Cut Expensive (REDUCE) Government Waste Act would eliminate some of the most bizarre examples of wasteful spending. It includes provisions to: Prohibit The Repayment of Loans with Peanuts: This bill would end a USDA program which accepts peanuts as payment for federal loans. This program cost American taxpayers a whopping $13.6 million in 2016 and $31.5 million in 2017. Prohibit Agricultural Subsidies for Bug-Based Foods: This bill would prohibit the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Food and Drug Administration from using funds to research the development and taste-testing of insect-based foods for human consumption. It would also prevent funds from being utilized to research cricket farming. The USDA's National Institute of Food and Agriculture spent more than $1.3 million in grants for companies to research taste-testing of insects and the costs of farming crickets. Permanently Eliminate Grants for Robot Bartenders: This bill would permanently prohibit the Department of Defense from using funds to research the development of beerbots and robot bartenders. The Department of Defense and National Science Foundation recently gave grants, with one worth nearly $175,000 to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) that was then utilized to work on robots that served beer. However, the concept of robot bartenders has already been extensively researched by and involved in the private industry. For example, in 2014, Royal Caribbean cruise ships featured the Makr Shakr, a robot developed by MIT that would prepare customers' drink orders. ###",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://biggs.house.gov/media/whats-biggs-idea-podcast/remembering-fundamentals-senator-mike-lee,Remembering the Fundamentals - with Senator Mike Lee,2018-12-03,2018,2018-12,Republican,House,AZ,Andy Biggs,B001302,biggs.house.gov,,,legacy,"Senator Mike Lee joins Congressman Andy Biggs to talk about how the United States' government continues to allow out-of-control spending levels and a rising national debt, and what we can do to return our country to the fundamentals of the of the Constitution.https://soundcloud.com/user-171694389-215186623/remembering-the-fundamentals-with-senator-mike-lee",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://www.flake.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases?ContentRecord_id=7CE389B7-DCBD-4D00-A8E4-44308A30737D,Flake Statement on Former President George H. W. Bush,2018-12-01,2018,2018-12,Republican,House,AZ,Jeff Flake,F000444,www.flake.senate.gov,,,legacy,"WASHINGTON U.S. Sen. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) today issued the following statement on the passing of former President George H. W. Bush: I was sorry to hear of the death of former President George H. W. Bush last night. We all owe a debt of gratitude to President Bush. He leaves behind a legacy of enduring kindness and humble service to the nation. We express our heartfelt condolences to the entire Bush family. ###",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://biggs.house.gov/media/newsletters/wrapping-115th-congress,Wrapping Up the 115th Congress,2018-11-30,2018,2018-11,Republican,House,AZ,Andy Biggs,B001302,biggs.house.gov,,,legacy,1626 Longworth House Office Building,1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://gosar.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=3576,Congressman Gosar's Statement on the Passing of Former Arizona Congressman Ed Pastor,2018-11-28,2018,2018-11,Republican,House,AZ,Paul A. Gosar,G000565,gosar.house.gov,gosar,https://gosar.house.gov/news/documentquery.aspx,scraper,"Washington, D.C. - Today, U.S. Representative Paul A. Gosar, D.D.S. (AZ-04) released the following statement after learning of the passing of former Arizona Congressman Ed Pastor: ""I'm saddened to hear of the passing of my friend Ed Pastor. He was proud of his heritage and the people he served, said Congressman Gosar. ""He was a true spirit of a gentleman, he included me and took the time to talk, to say hi, to smile and to laugh. His warm heart and dedication to serving Arizona will always be remembered. His family and loved ones are in my prayers.""",1,2026-03-30T01:40:41Z,2026-06-27T23:10:16Z https://mcsally.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/mcsally-city-douglas-receive-major-update-port-entry-modernization,"McSally, City of Douglas Receive Major Update on Port of Entry Modernization Efforts",2018-11-28,2018,2018-11,Republican,House,AZ,Martha McSally,M001197,mcsally.house.gov,,,legacy,"Douglas, AZ Yesterday, the General Services Administration and the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) announced that the Feasibility Study, which began in the fall of 2017, confirmed a need for a two-port solution in order to modernize the Douglas Port of Entry. Upon receiving this news, Representative Martha McSally issued the following statement. ""I have been working on modernizing the Douglas Port of Entry with a two-port solution since I arrived in Congress. This project is absolutely vital to our security and local economy. Yesterday's announcement is a major win for Douglas, our region, our state, and our country and represents a critical step towards updating this antiquated facility."" Over the last four years, Representative McSally has fought tirelessly to update the Douglas Port of Entry (POE). She has engaged with administration officials under both President Obama and President Trump. As Chairwoman of the Border Maritime Security Subcommittee, Representative McSally held a hearing on border infrastructure and manning needs where she highlighted the importance of improving the Douglas POE. In addition, Congresswoman McSally has repeatedly called on CBP to accelerate their modernization projects. Because of her advocacy, the Douglas Port of Entry project was placed on CBP's 5-year plan and the feasibility study was funded.Most recently, she hosted Department of Homeland Security Secretary Nielsen in May to highlight the issues that the port faces.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://schweikert.house.gov/2018/11/28/congressman-david-schweikert-statement-passing-former-congressman-ed/,Congressman David Schweikert Statement on the Passing of Former Congressman Ed Pastor,2018-11-28,2018,2018-11,Republican,House,AZ,David Schweikert,S001183,schweikert.house.gov,schweikert,https://schweikert.house.gov/category/congress_press_release/,scraper,"WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Congressman David Schweikert released the following statement preceeding the news of Former Congressman Ed Pastor’s passing. Congressman Pastor was a Dean of our delegation. I am saddened to hear of his passing, but I know Arizona will forever be grateful for his exceptional legacy of service to fight for all Arizonans, politics aside. Joyce and I send our thoughts and prayers to the Pastor family. ### Back to News",1,2026-03-30T01:40:41Z,2026-06-27T23:10:16Z https://schweikert.house.gov/media-center/in-the-news/rep-david-schweikert-announced-abilityone-congressional-champion,Rep. David Schweikert Announced as AbilityOne Congressional Champion,2018-11-28,2018,2018-11,Republican,House,AZ,David Schweikert,S001183,schweikert.house.gov,,,legacy,Arizona Industries for the Blind welcomed Rep. David Schweikert as the newest AbilityOne Congressional Champion to pledge support of the AbilityOne Program.,1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://schweikert.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/congressman-david-schweikert-statement-passing-former-congressman-ed,Congressman David Schweikert Statement on the Passing of Former Congressman Ed Pastor,2018-11-28,2018,2018-11,Republican,House,AZ,David Schweikert,S001183,schweikert.house.gov,,,legacy,"WASHINGTON, DC Today, Congressman David Schweikert released the following statement preceeding the news of Former Congressman Ed Pastor's passing. Congressman Pastor was a Dean of our delegation. I am saddened to hear of his passing, but I know Arizona will forever be grateful for his exceptional legacy of service to fight for all Arizonans, politics aside. Joyce and I send our thoughts and prayers to the Pastor family. ###",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://www.flake.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases?ContentRecord_id=53B4AC9D-0293-4D12-9F46-B209CB22C00F,"VIDEO: Despite Objection, Flake Continues Bipartisan Effort to Protect Special Counsel",2018-11-28,2018,2018-11,Republican,House,AZ,Jeff Flake,F000444,www.flake.senate.gov,,,legacy,"WASHINGTON U.S. Sen. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) today took to the Senate floor with Sens. Chris Coons (D-Del.) and Cory Booker (D-N.J.) in another attempt to secure immediate passage of S. 2644, the Special Counsel Independence and Integrity Act. The bill, which passed the Senate Judiciary Committee in April by a bipartisan vote of 14-7, would protect the integrity of special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into Russia's interference in the 2016 presidential election. The bill was blocked by an objection from Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah). Flake has vowed to block all judicial nominees until this legislation receives a full Senate vote: One wouldn't expect that such an investigation would be controversial, but it somehow warranted a tweet from the president earlier this week, calling special counsel Mueller a conflicted prosecutor gone rogue' and claiming that the $30 million witch-hunt' is doing nothing but ruin lives. To be clear, this is the same investigation that brought indictments for more than a dozen Russian nationalists for attempting to influence the 2016 election. Why shouldn't we be up in arms about that? My colleagues and I will not rest until this body acts to protect the special counsel and this vital investigation. Video of Flake's remarks can be viewedhere. A complete transcript of Flake's prepared remarks can be viewed below. *** Madam President, I rise today to once again speak in defense of special counsel Robert Mueller, and to speak about the importance of the investigation he is leading into the attacks on our electoral system during the lead-up to the 2016 election. One wouldn't expect that such an investigation would be controversial, but it somehowwarranted a tweet from the president earlier this week, calling special counsel Mueller a conflicted prosecutor gone rogue and claiming that the $30 million witch hunt is doing nothing but ruin lives. To be clear, this is the same investigation that brought indictments for more than a dozen Russian nationalists for attempting to influence the 2016 election. Why shouldn't we be up in arms about that? Even so, the president has made it clear that he wants the investigation reigned in or terminated altogether. But the findings of this investigation are too important to our national security and the well-being of our democratic institutions to be halted or watered down. Mr. Mueller must be able to preserve the work he has done by completing a thorough investigation, and his findings must be made public. Legislation has been proposed to ensure this outcome. S. 2644, the Special Counsel Independence and Integrity Act, serves one purpose, and that is to protect the integrity of the special counsel's investigation and prevent the executive branch from inappropriately interfering in an independent investigation in the future. This legislation was passed out of the Judiciary Committee in a bipartisan manner nearly eight months ago and has been awaiting action on the Senate floor ever since. My colleagues have said that this legislation isn't necessary because there hasn't been any indication that Mr. Mueller will be removed from office. But after the forced resignation of the Attorney General on the day after the election, it is clear that something must be done to protect Mr. Mueller's investigation, and to ensure the future independence of our justice system in America. So a few weeks ago, my colleague from Delaware, Senator Coons, and I came to the Senate floor to ask for unanimous consent to bring to the floor S. 2644. After our efforts were blocked with an objection, we promised to come to the floor again and again as many times as needed, to ensure that this important legislation receives a vote. My colleagues and I will not rest until this body acts to protect the special counsel and this vital investigation. ###",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://www.flake.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases?ContentRecord_id=EC583408-0C9E-4B77-8FD6-2AEBB76C59B0,"Senate Foreign Relations Committee Approves Flake Amendment to Hold USAGM Accountable, Promote Democracy",2018-11-28,2018,2018-11,Republican,House,AZ,Jeff Flake,F000444,www.flake.senate.gov,,,legacy,"WASHINGTON U.S. Sen. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) today offered an amendment to S. 3654, the U.S. Agency for Global Media Reform Act, that will ensure that Congress is informed about pending investigations into, and any delays in formal disciplinary action being taken against employees placed on administrative leave for producing content that is inconsistent with the Agency's mission. The amendment was adopted by unanimous consent. Following the recent broadcasting of anti-Semitic programming by TV Marti, a U.S.-funded Spanish language network overseen by USAGM, this timely amendment will serve as a safeguard to journalistic integrity and the proper use of taxpayer dollars: Last spring, a TV Marti program that was introduced with the phrase, George Soros, a multimillionaire Jew,' was paid for and broadcast to Latin America in our name. American taxpayers should not be funding the dissemination of anti-Semitism. The USAGM's purpose is to inform and connect people in support of freedom and democracy, and this amendment will ensure those creating and approving its content will be held to a higher standard. Background: On October 29, 2018, Flake sent a letter requesting USAGM immediately investigate the evolution of TV Marti's anti-Semitic segment. USAGM CEO John Lansing condemned the content of the TV Marti segment and promised disciplinary action for those deemed responsible for the programming. In October 23, 2018, it was reported that Radio Television Marti had produced and broadcasted a program with anti-Semitic content in May 2018. TV Marti is a U.S.-funded Spanish-language network that falls under the United States Agency for Global Media. To view a PDF of the bill, click here. ###",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://schweikert.house.gov/2018/11/26/reps-schweikert-mccaul-introduce-bill-champion-american-businesses/,"Reps. Schweikert, McCaul Introduce Bill to Champion American Businesses Abroad",2018-11-26,2018,2018-11,Republican,House,AZ,David Schweikert,S001183,schweikert.house.gov,schweikert,https://schweikert.house.gov/category/congress_press_release/,scraper,"WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman Michael McCaul (TX-10), Chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee and a senior member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, and Congressman David Schweikert (AZ-06), member of the Ways and Means Committee and the Joint Economic Committee, today introduced the Championing American Businesses Through Diplomacy Act of 2018. This bill prioritizes economic and commercial diplomacy at the Department of State and U.S. missions throughout the world, allowing U.S. businesses better access to markets abroad. Congressman McCaul: “With the emergence of China’s Belt and Road Initiative and their coercive lending practices, we must make it easier for our businesses to have access to foreign markets. The enactment of the BUILD Act earlier this year was an important first step in leveraging the weight of the federal government behind this problem, but more can be done. Our diplomatic personnel on the ground in these countries and have unique insights on their political and economic complexities. We must do more to use this information to help the private-sector do business abroad and support U.S. foreign policy in upholding global stability.” Congressman Schweikert: “I am very pleased to be an original co-sponsor of this legislation which helps to ensure American businesses succeed abroad. While diplomatic relationships change over time, we must support U.S. businesses in areas that otherwise would not be prioritized.” The Championing American Businesses Through Diplomacy Act of 2018 would make the following changes to support economic and commercial diplomacy: Authorizes in statute the Assistant Secretary for Economic and Business Affairs, setting in statute their responsibilities to promote and support U.S. economic and commercial diplomacy; Streamlines and combines two commercial diplomacy guides – the Investment Climate Statement and the Country Commercial Guide, respectfully produced by the Department of State and Department of Commerce – into one annual guide for each country focused on critical information that businesses rely upon when assessing whether to do business in a particular country; Requires Ambassadors and their Embassies to submit a report to the Department of State of the specific actions they took in the year prior of how they are aided businesses achieve market access, while assessing levels of private-sector commercial competition from other strategic competitor nation-states; Requires the Secretary to report to Congress general commercial diplomacy trends, as well as assessments of commercial activity in strategic areas from competing nation-states that threatens U.S. national security; and Places further emphasis on training our diplomats on matters of commercial diplomacy. ### Back to News",1,2026-03-30T01:40:41Z,2026-06-27T23:10:16Z https://schweikert.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/reps-schweikert-mccaul-introduce-bill-champion-american-businesses,"Reps. Schweikert, McCaul Introduce Bill to Champion American Businesses Abroad",2018-11-26,2018,2018-11,Republican,House,AZ,David Schweikert,S001183,schweikert.house.gov,,,legacy,"WASHINGTON, D.C. CongressmanMichael McCaul(TX-10),Chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee and a senior member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, andCongressman David Schweikert (AZ-06), member of the Ways and Means Committee and the Joint Economic Committee, today introduced theChampioning American Businesses Through Diplomacy Act of 2018.This bill prioritizes economic and commercial diplomacy at the Department of State and U.S. missions throughout the world, allowing U.S. businesses better access to markets abroad. Congressman McCaul:With the emergence of China's Belt and Road Initiative and their coercive lending practices, we must make it easier for our businesses to have access to foreign markets. The enactment of the BUILD Act earlier this year was an important first step in leveraging the weight of the federal government behind this problem, but more can be done. Our diplomatic personnel on the ground in these countries and have unique insights on their political and economic complexities. We must do more to use this information to help the private-sector do business abroad and support U.S. foreign policy in upholding global stability. Congressman Schweikert:I am very pleased to be an original co-sponsor of this legislation which helps to ensure American businesses succeed abroad. While diplomatic relationships change over time, we must support U.S. businesses in areas that otherwise would not be prioritized. TheChampioning American Businesses Through Diplomacy Act of 2018would make the following changes to support economic and commercial diplomacy: Authorizes in statute the Assistant Secretary for Economic and Business Affairs, setting in statute their responsibilities to promote and support U.S. economic and commercial diplomacy; Streamlines and combines two commercial diplomacy guides the Investment Climate Statement and the Country Commercial Guide, respectfully produced by the Department of State and Department of Commerce into one annual guide for each country focused on critical information that businesses rely upon when assessing whether to do business in a particular country; Requires Ambassadors and their Embassies to submit a report to the Department of State of the specific actions they took in the year prior of how they are aided businesses achieve market access, while assessing levels of private-sector commercial competition from other strategic competitor nation-states; Requires the Secretary to report to Congress general commercial diplomacy trends, as well as assessments of commercial activity in strategic areas from competing nation-states that threatens U.S. national security; and Places further emphasis on training our diplomats on matters of commercial diplomacy. ###",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://biggs.house.gov/media/whats-biggs-idea-podcast/standing-border-patrol-agents-brandon-judd,Standing with Border Patrol Agents - with Brandon Judd,2018-11-23,2018,2018-11,Republican,House,AZ,Andy Biggs,B001302,biggs.house.gov,,,legacy,"Border Patrol Agent, Brandon Judd, talks to Congressman Andy Biggs about the pathway to secure the border and support the work of the thousands of Border Patrol agents on the front-lines of the fight against illegal immigration.https://soundcloud.com/user-171694389-215186623/standing-with-border-patrol-agents-with-brandon-judd",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://biggs.house.gov/media/newsletters/happy-thanksgiving,Happy Thanksgiving!,2018-11-22,2018,2018-11,Republican,House,AZ,Andy Biggs,B001302,biggs.house.gov,,,legacy,1626 Longworth House Office Building,1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://biggs.house.gov/media/newsletters/have-you-listened-yet-0,Have you listened yet?,2018-11-19,2018,2018-11,Republican,House,AZ,Andy Biggs,B001302,biggs.house.gov,,,legacy,1626 Longworth House Office Building,1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://biggs.house.gov/media/in-the-news/op-ed-house-republicans-must-prepare-battle-new-democratic-majority,OP-ED: House Republicans must prepare to battle new Democratic majority,2018-11-16,2018,2018-11,Republican,House,AZ,Andy Biggs,B001302,biggs.house.gov,,,legacy,"With Democrats set to become the majority party in the U.S. House of Representatives in January, I call on my Republican colleagues in the chamber to gear up for the inevitable Democratic attacks on everything we've worked to accomplish in the past two years in partnership with President Trump. We need Republican leaders who are prepared for the fight against the Democrats and who recognize that our political opponents don't consider legislating a process. They consider it a war. We need to alter the House rules, procedures and processes to slow down their inevitable weaponizing by the Democrats. We will continue to find many points of comity with our friends across the aisle, but it would be folly to believe that we will not have to take the fight to them and take our message to the American people. Republicans in the House will have a tough slog for the next two years, but surrender is not an option. Democrats and Republicans spent the last year 18 months telling Americans that the midterm elections held last week were pivotal in determining the direction of our country and even the survivability of this great nation. It is not too much now to fight, even from the minority position, to prevent a gigantic move to the left. Our leaders must courageously take on Democrats, who will seek to impose an ever-increasing number of socialist policies on our nation. We must have leaders who are articulate and knowledgeable about issues and about the rules and procedures that will allow even the minority to function effectively. The entire Republican leadership team must have a foundation of core conservative principles to rely on as they push back on the Democratic onslaught coming in the House. Trust me, the Democrats have no policy prescriptions. Since the 2016 elections they have made every issue solely about President Trump. They have filed three different resolutions to impeach the president. They are promising to continue their ephemeral dream of ending President Trump's presidency prematurely. We must pop their balloon with the appropriate pointed object regularly. Not only must we be prepared to aggressively defend the progress we have made on the Republican agenda we promised in the 2016 campaign; we must use the lame duck session in the final weeks of our control of the House to further Republican objectives. We can take another run at solving the health-care issue by voting on a bill that cleanly repeals ObamaCare, and additional bills that resolve issues related to lowering health-care costs. Republicans can also pass a bill that will actually fund construction of a border wall. And we can pass the heartbeat bill that applies a scientific standard to protect the unborn. These bills can pass the House, but skeptics will say that they will never pass the Senate. That may be true, but members of the House can only govern and vote on legislation in the body in which we serve. We do not and cannot control the Senate. We can and should do our work in the House regardless of potential Senate inaction. If that means we work through the holidays, then so be it. Republicans in the House should not accept subservience in the minority. We must begin reasserting our agenda in the lame duck session and then through strategic aggressive action in the coming legislative session. The campaign for the 2020 elections starts now, with the leadership team we put in place. I urge my colleagues to recognize that our leaders will reflect whether we are going to fight for our values of faith, family and freedom. We must work with the Democrats where we can, but we must have the courage to stand up and fight in the face of the onslaught coming.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://biggs.house.gov/media/newsletters/honoring-our-veterans,Honoring Our Veterans,2018-11-16,2018,2018-11,Republican,House,AZ,Andy Biggs,B001302,biggs.house.gov,,,legacy,1626 Longworth House Office Building,1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://biggs.house.gov/media/press-releases/congressman-biggs-votes-manage-our-wolves-act,"Congressman Biggs Votes for the ""Manage Our Wolves Act""",2018-11-16,2018,2018-11,Republican,House,AZ,Andy Biggs,B001302,biggs.house.gov,,,legacy,"WASHINGTON, D.C. Today, the U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R. 6784 Manage Our Wolves Act by a vote of 196 180. This bill directs the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to delist the gray wolf from the endangered species list; allows states to manage individual wolf population, and exempts the gray wolf delisting from judicial review to prevent further litigation.Congressman Biggs released the following statement: The federal government's listing of the gray wolf is no longer necessary and yet continues to cause economic harm for ranchers across the United States.I will continue to work with Chairman Gosar, Chairman Bishop, and the Trump administration to continue to reform the Endangered Species Act and return power back to the states. ### Congressman Andy Biggs is a first-term Representative from Arizona's Fifth Congressional District, representing parts of Chandler, Gilbert, Mesa, and Queen Creek. Congressman Biggs is a member of the House Judiciary and Science, Space, and Technology committees, and is the chairman of the Environment Subcommittee. He lives with his wife, Cindy, in Gilbert.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://biggs.house.gov/media/whats-biggs-idea-podcast/honoring-our-veterans-bill-montgomery,Honoring our Veterans - with Bill Montgomery,2018-11-16,2018,2018-11,Republican,House,AZ,Andy Biggs,B001302,biggs.house.gov,,,legacy,"Maricopa County Attorney Bill Montgomery joins Congressman Andy Biggs on the podcast to talk about Veterans Day, his service in the United States' Armed Forces, the opioid crisis, and criminal justice reform.https://soundcloud.com/user-171694389-215186623/honoring-our-veterans-with-bill-montgomery",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://biggs.house.gov/media/in-the-news/house-gop-urged-use-lame-duck-session-fund-border-wall-make-good-other-promises,"House GOP Urged to Use Lame-Duck Session to Fund Border Wall, Make Good on Other Promises",2018-11-15,2018,2018-11,Republican,House,AZ,Andy Biggs,B001302,biggs.house.gov,,,legacy,1626 Longworth House Office Building,1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://biggs.house.gov/media/press-releases/congressman-biggs-congratulates-western-caucus-chairman-paul-gosar,Congressman Biggs Congratulates Western Caucus Chairman Paul Gosar,2018-11-15,2018,2018-11,Republican,House,AZ,Andy Biggs,B001302,biggs.house.gov,,,legacy,"WASHINGTON, D.C. Yesterday, the Congressional Western Caucus Executive Committee re-elected Congressman Paul Gosar as Chairman for the 116thCongress. Congressman Biggs, Regulatory Reform Officer of the executive committee, voted in favor of Chairman Gosar's re-election and released the following statement: I congratulate Congressman Gosar on his re-election as Chairman of the Western Caucus. Under his leadership, the membership has grown significantly, and our influence has expanded throughout the House and Senate. We have effectively fought for our priorities of eliminating onerous regulations and fostering economic prosperity throughout the past two years. The Western Caucus has never been in better shape, and I am privileged to serve with Chairman Gosar. ### Congressman Andy Biggs is a first-term Representative from Arizona's Fifth Congressional District, representing parts of Chandler, Gilbert, Mesa, and Queen Creek. Congressman Biggs is a member of the House Judiciary and Science, Space, and Technology committees, and is the chairman of the Environment Subcommittee. He lives with his wife, Cindy, in Gilbert.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://biggs.house.gov/media/whats-biggs-idea-podcast/being-fiscally-responsible-congressman-dave-brat,Being Fiscally Responsible - with Congressman Dave Brat,2018-11-15,2018,2018-11,Republican,House,AZ,Andy Biggs,B001302,biggs.house.gov,,,legacy,"""What's the BIGGS Idea"" Podcast",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://www.flake.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases?ContentRecord_id=BED506AA-918D-4F2D-9368-5D3EC3D4F4A2,"VIDEO: Flake Delivers Keynote Address at RTCA Dinner, Defends Free Press",2018-11-15,2018,2018-11,Republican,House,AZ,Jeff Flake,F000444,www.flake.senate.gov,,,legacy,"WASHINGTON U.S. Sen. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) last night delivered the keynote address at the 2018 Congressional Radio and Television Correspondents' (RTCA) dinner. In his remarks, Flake reiterated the importance of the freedom of the press and its role in upholding democracy in an increasingly unstable world: Despotism is the enemy of the people. The free press is the despot's enemy, which makes the free press the guardian of democracy. The values of free expression and a reverence for the free press have been our global hallmark. It is our ability to freely air the truth that keeps our government honest and keeps people free. Between the mighty and the modest, truth is the great leveler. That is why respect for freedom of the press has always been, and must always be, one of this country's most important exports. Video of Flake's remarks can be viewedhere. Flake's full remarks can be viewed below. *** I appreciate the invitation to speak here tonight. If I'm a bit winded, it's because I took the stairs. I saw Suzanne Malveaux and a CNN camera next to the elevator in the Russell Building this morning and I got nervous. This morning Chris Coons suggested that there's surely got to be room for a television show out there along the lines of Jerry Seinfeld's Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee. Something like Senators in elevators with advocates. There's an old joke that says when serving in the House of Representatives, you run toward the press at every opportunity. When you're in the Senate, you run from the press as fast as you can. My experience has been that that's not a joke, it's an axiom. Let me get serious here for just afew minutes. I'd like to say a few words tonight about the search for truth, which is what all of you here tonight are all about. It's what defines your profession. Near the beginning of the document that made us free, our Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson wrote: We hold these truths to be self-evident... So, from our very beginnings, our freedom has been predicated on truth. The founders were visionary in this regard, understanding well that good faith and shared facts between the governed and the government would be the very basis of this ongoing idea of America. Without truth, and a principled fidelity to truth and to shared facts, our democracy will not last. Over the past few years we have seen the truth objective, empirical, evidence-based truth more battered and abused than at any time in our history. The term alternative facts has been enshrined into the American lexicon. We've seen an unrelenting daily assault on the constitutionally-protected free press, an assault that is as unprecedented as it is unwarranted. I would say that the truth has been, well, accosted, but my kids would call that a dad joke. It seems you all agree with my kids. It is said that if you serve long enough in Washington, you'll see just about everything. My eighteen years in this town hasn't been all that long especially compared to politicians like Orrin Hatch, whose retirement party I left early to be here tonight. But I can tell you that I thought that I would have to serve a lot longer than Orrin Hatch, and I still would never hear the President of the United States refer to our free press as the enemy of the people, a phrase that has such an ignoble pedigree. And, of course, as those in this room tonight know well, the president has it precisely backward. Despotism is the enemy of the people. The free press is the despot's enemy, which makes the free press the guardian of democracy. The careless use of the term fake news is not just injurious to the body politic, it puts journalists in real danger. Those of us who travel overseas, especially to war zones and other troubled areas around the globe, frequently encounter members of the U.S. based media who risk their lives, and sometimes lose their lives, reporting on the truth. To dismiss their work as fake news is an affront to their commitment and their sacrifice. It also lends language to dictators, language used to stifle legitimate dissent and to crack down on journalists in their own countries. The values of free expression and a reverence for the free press have been our global hallmark. It is our ability to freely air the truth that keeps our government honest and keeps people free. Between the mighty and the modest, truth is the great leveler. That is why respect for freedom of the press has always been, and must always be, one of this country's most important exports. And in our country, from the trivial to the truly dangerous, it is the range and regularity of the untruths we now see that should be cause for profound alarm. As George Orwell warned, The further a society drifts from the truth, the more it will hate those who speak it. In America, we do not pay obeisance to the powerful in fact, we question the powerful most ardently to do so is our birthright and a requirement of our citizenship and so, we know well that no matter how powerful, no person, not even the president, will ever have dominion over objective reality. Of course, a major difference between politicians and the free press, is that the press usually corrects itself when it makes a mistake. We politicians usually don't. Any of us who have spent time in public life have endured news coverage we felt was jaded or unfair. But in our positions, to employ even idle threats to use laws or regulations to stifle criticism or to take away credentials is corrosive to our democratic institutions. Simply put: it is the press's obligation to uncover the truth about power. It is the people's right to criticize their government. And it is our job as politicians to take it. The question of why the truth is now under such assault may well be for historians to determine. But for those who cherish American constitutional democracy, what matters is the effect on America and her people and her standing in an increasingly unstable world -- made all the more unstable by this parsing of truth. What matters is the daily disassembling of our democratic institutions. If we compromise the truth for the sake of our politics, we are lost. That is why the work that you in this room do has never been more important than it is today. Now, if I can address those beyond this room for a moment. To my colleagues whom you will be covering in the next Congress. I'm sure they're watching on CSPAN. The historian Jon Meacham, in his book, The Soul of America, reassures that history shows us that we are frequently vulnerable to fear, bitterness, and strife. The good news, he says, is that we have come through such darkness before. Perhaps. But not with both nuclear weapons and Twitter. And certainly not with such an anomalous presidency as this one. But I take Jon Meacham's point, and I am heartened by it. We will get through this. But at the moment, we are in it, and we must face it squarely. Because too much is at stake for us to turn away. A culminating event such as the election of our current president scrambles normal binary notions of politics, and we are all disoriented at this dealignment. We find that many of the day's biggest issues simply don't break down neatly to familiar ideas of left v. right, but rather more along these lines: --Do you believe in democracy, or not? --Are you faithful to your country, or to your party? --Are you loyal to the law and the Constitution, or to a man? --Do you reflexively ascribe the worst motives to your opponents, but somehow deny, excuse, or endorse every repulsive thing your compatriot says, does, or tweets? These questions have sent some of us wandering into the political wilderness. Fortunately, I'm no stranger to the wilderness. In fact, during one congressional recess I spent a week alone, voluntarily marooned, on a tiny island called Jabonwod, a remote spit of sand and coconut trees in the central Pacific, about 7,000 miles from Washington. Determined to test my survival skills, I brought no food or water, relying solely on what I could catch or collect. That, it turned out, was the easier part. More difficult was dealing with the stultifying loneliness that set in on the first night and never left me. By day three, for companionship, I began to mark the hermit crabs that wandered through my camp with a number, just to see if they would reoccur. By the end of the week, I had 126 numbered friends. I still miss number 72. I was not so fond of number 12, who pinched my big toe. Now, I would not recommend such drastic measures for my colleagues to measure their independence, but I hope that should they be asked to go along with policies they cannot abide, or condone behavior that should never be condoned, that they will eschew the comfort and security of the tribe and set out into the wilderness rather than compromise their conscience. I would urge them to challenge partisan assumptions, regularly. Recognize the good in political opponents. Apologize every now and then. Admit to mistakes. Forgive, and ask for forgiveness. Listen more. Speak up more. Partisan politics sometimes keeps us silent when we should speak out. A prominent strain of my political party has traditionally claimed an instinctive mistrust of concentrated power, and when the White House has from time to time been occupied by the other party, these stalwarts of small government and constitutional principle have been eagle-eyed in defense of liberty, and in full throat rushing to your cameras to defend against grave threats to the institutions of American liberty posed by Democrats. Where are these guardians of liberty, one can fairly ask, when objective reality itself is commandeered by a president from their party? Crickets, as the kids say. I would tell my colleagues, if you find yourself in a herd, crane your neck, look back there and check out your brand, ask yourself if it really suits you. From personal experience, I can say that it's never too late to leave the herd. When you peel off from the herd, your equilibrium returns. Food tastes better. You sleep well. Your mind is your own again. You cease being captive to some bad impulses and even worse ideas. It can strain relationships, to be sure, and leave you eating alone in the Senate dining room every now and then. But that's okay. To revise and extend a remark the president himself may recognize: I like people whose minds weren't captured. How I miss John McCain. Now, in closing, if you'll indulge me for a minute while I talk about my beloved state of Arizona. Nearly a century and a half ago, Brigham Young sent my great-great grandfather, William Jordan Flake, from Utah to settle in northern Arizona. He started a community, and after the arrival of a man named Erastus Snow, the town was named Snowflake, for the two of them. It was in this small community that I was raised, on a ranch, with ten brothers and sisters and 69 first cousins on my father side alone. If you're wondering how a Flake can get elected, well, now you know. I just wish I had more cousins in New Hampshire. Back in those early days, Snowflake was still very much the wild west. A few years after its founding, William Jordan's son, James Madison Flake, my great-grandfather, was deputized along with his brother, Charles, to disarm an outlaw. They did so, but not before the outlaw killed Charles and wounded my great grandfather, James Madison. James Madison Flake pitched in to help raise his brother's four children, and within three years he lost his own wife to illness, leaving him to raise his nine children alone. In his journal he wrote: Once again I must kiss the sod and face a cloudy future. That phrase sticks with me whenever I have my elevator moments, or when Manu Raju jumps out from behind the Russell trolley to pepper me with gotcha questions. I still have it pretty good. In the ensuing years, James Madison Flake went on to honor his wife's memory by traveling around Arizona and as far away as Colorado to promote the cause of women's suffrage. I have to think that this week, more than a century later, James Madison Flake would be as proud as his great-grandson that Arizona has elected its first female senator. Let me close by thanking all of you for the important work you do. For the past eighteen years I've run toward you, and I've run away from you, and I've enjoyed everywell almost every minute of it. The work you do is more important than ever. You are doing it well. Please keep doing it. And lastly, and most sincerely. Go get 'em Acosta. Do. Not. Back. Down! Thank you for inviting me here tonight. ###",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://www.flake.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases?ContentRecord_id=F8A19205-A2B2-41A7-BCEC-F3D2A87A5833,VIDEO: Flake Vows to Block All Judicial Nominees Until Senate Votes to Protect Special Counsel,2018-11-14,2018,2018-11,Republican,House,AZ,Jeff Flake,F000444,www.flake.senate.gov,,,legacy,"WASHINGTON U.S. Sen. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) today took to the Senate floor with Sen. Chris Coons (D-Del.) in an attempt to secure immediate passage of S. 2644, the Special Counsel Independence and Integrity Act. The bill, which passed the Senate Judiciary Committee in April by a bipartisan vote of 14-7, would protect the integrity of Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into Russia's interference in the 2016 presidential election. The request was blocked by an objection from the Majority Leader: One further note on this unanimous consent request: because it has failed today, Senator Coons and I are prepared to raise it again and again, until there is a vote on this vital bipartisan legislation on the Senate floor. And I have informed the Majority Leader that I will not vote to advance any of the 21 judicial nominees pending in the Judiciary Committee, or vote to confirm the 32 judges awaiting a confirmation vote on the floor, until S. 2644 is brought to the full Senate for a vote. Video of Flake's remarks can be viewed here. A complete transcript of Flake's prepared remarks can be viewed below. *** Mr. President, I rise today to speak in defense of Special Counsel Robert Mueller, and to defend the vital role he has been playing since May of last year in yet another act of service to his country, in what has been a life of distinguished service. For his trouble, Mr. Mueller has been accused repeatedly and without basis in fact of conducting a witch hunt in the course of his current investigation - by none other than the president of the United States. And so, I would like to also take this opportunity to say a few words about what Mueller and his team have been investigating and why, as the point of this vital investigation seems to have been purposely confused and maligned by the White House in a rather alarming way. My colleague from Delaware, Senator Coons, and I have asked for unanimous consent to bring to the floor S. 2644, the Special Counsel Independence and Integrity Act, which passed on a bipartisan vote out of the Judiciary Committee in April. This request has received an objection. This bill is designed to do one thing: protect the integrity of the Special Counsel's investigation, and spare it of any interference from the executive branch, including from those who may themselves be subjects of the investigation. Mr. President, the findings of Mr. Mueller's investigation are of utmost importance to the security of this country, and to the well-being of our democratic institutions as well. In America, as we all know, no one is above the law; our doctrine of separation of powers and the independence of our judicial system is what sets us apart from lawless countries; and presidents do not get to determine who and what gets investigated, and who and what does not. For the record and for history, this Special Counsel was appointed to thoroughly investigate the attacks on our electoral system by elements of the Russian government during the lead-up to our 2016 general election. How such an investigation could be a cause of controversy is beyond me surely we all recognize that it is essential to understand this new form of foreign aggression so that we might better defend America against such attacks in the future, right? One would think that there would be unanimous national resolve to get to the bottom of such aggression from an enemy foreign power, especially a foreign power with whom we spent much of the second half of the twentieth century locked in a global ideological struggle, especially when in their renewed aggression toward us they have targeted the institution that we have and they don't free and fair elections. Vladimir Putin knows that he could never defeat us on the battlefield. And he knows that the ideas at the center of his former empire were soulless and bankrupt. So he wants to rob us of what makes the United States superior to his autocracy: His goal is to turn us against ourselves and in so doing try to destroy our democracy. This is a matter of grave national importance. This is not a moment for our own national leadership to be weak or irresolute or compromised in any way. But some of us in Washington have seemed strangely incurious about just what the Russian malefactors did to America in 2016 at the direction of Vladimir Putin. Our president has been so incurious that at times over the past two years he has been eager to accept Putin's denials at face value. In fact, our executive branch has generally been in such a state of denial about the attacks on our democracy that the White House has not been at all aggressive to defend against future attacks. I defy any of us to name a threat so grave, to which the government of the United States - that we, all of us, including this Senate - has responded so lackadaisically. Why is that? And why have we been so meek in the face of outrageous claims from the White House that this investigation is a witch hunt claims that we know are false? Because in spite of what the White House has said at various times since that election of 2016, our intelligence agencies corroborated by allied intelligence agencies as well - possess a mountain of forensic data that establishes the fact of these incursions and establishes Russian responsibility beyond the shadow of a doubt. Presumably, this shameful counter-offensive by the White House has taken place because another part of Special Counsel Mueller's charge is to determine whether the Russians had any American cooperation in their effort to undermine the sanctity of our electoral process. Now, we have been told that the bill that Senator Coons and I have brought up is not necessary, as there have been no indications that the independence of Mr. Mueller's investigation is in jeopardy. That may have been an arguable position before last week. But it is not arguable anymore. With the firing of the attorney general, and (in my view) the improper installation of an acting attorney general who has not been subject to confirmation by this body the president now has this investigation in his sites, and we all know it. My purpose here is not to divine the president's motives in his seeming determination to sow doubt about and curtail Mr. Mueller's investigation. If, as the president says, there was no involvement by anyone in his campaign with the Russian malefactors, then this investigation, properly concluded, will discover and document that. But Mr. Mueller has already brought dozens of indictments against Russian nationals. And it is in the national security interest of the United States to fully understand what they did to us in 2016. If the president doesn't understand that, we must. If he doesn't prioritize that, we will. We all of us - talk much here in this place in defense of all that we hold dear. Those are the words that we speak. All that we hold dear. But what do we actually mean by those words? And do we really mean it when we say them? Speaking personally, I cannot think of values held more dear than the independence of our judicial system and an electoral system free of malign influence, either foreign or domestic. When I think of the things that we hold most dear, those things are right at the top of the list. It is our sworn oath to keep it that way. One further note on this unanimous consent request: because it has failed today, Senator Coons and I are prepared to raise it again and again, until there is a vote on this vital bipartisan legislation on the Senate floor. And I have informed the Majority Leader that I will not vote to advance any of the 21 judicial nominees pending in the Judiciary Committee, or vote to confirm the 32 judges awaiting a confirmation vote on the floor, until S. 2644 is brought to the full Senate for a vote. Thank you, Mr. President. I yield the floor. ###",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://biggs.house.gov/media/in-the-news/op-ed-democrats-have-civility-problem-fix,OP-ED: Democrats have a civility problem to fix,2018-11-13,2018,2018-11,Republican,House,AZ,Andy Biggs,B001302,biggs.house.gov,,,legacy,"Rhetoric from the left drips with irony and devastates civil political discourse in this country. A week prior to the midterm election, I was eating lunch with a friend at a restaurant in my congressional district. Another friend arrived early for his lunch appointment and joined us in conversation while waiting for his associate. His appointment arrived, and I was introduced as his friend's congressman. In this popular restaurant during the busy lunch hour, the new arrival began a loud tirade of profanity-laced invective toward me and the president. I tried to reason with him, but he was off the handle. I assured him that I was willing to meet with him when he was more rational and calm to discuss his concerns, which only provoked him to the limits of his vocabulary and even a brief exploration of my faith (also punctuated with profanity). The irony is that his beef with the president, if I can take substance from his vulgar communication, is that the president is a bully and a boor. I think the irony is clear, though lost on my angry constituent. He even rejected my offer to sit and talk another time when he was calmed down by saying that my support for the president was disqualifying. Now think about that. That attitude is dehumanizing. It suggests that if one supports the elected president of the United States, talking in a reasonable manner, in a civilized way is not necessary and would actually be beneath him. And this attitude is the destructive nature of this irony in American politics today. If this was the only time this conduct has occurred to me or other supporters of the president, we could write this off as a fellow who was simply having a bad day. However, we see this type of ironic behavior recurring daily. A writer at a Comcast-owned media outlet was content with the strategy of terrorizing Fox News host Tucker Carlson's family and vandalizing his home as a strategy. Maxine Waters incited criminal conduct by promoting harassment and intimidation of Republicans, conservatives, and Trump supporters. I offered up a motion to censure Ms. Waters because I believe that elected officials should be encouraging discourse not destruction in American politics. It is ironic that those who champion diversity in fact hate diversity of political thought. Those who demand civility only need be civil if you agree with them, or, in the case of Hilary Clinton, are Democrats. Those who demand tolerance need only be tolerant to those with acceptable viewpoints. For those on the left, toning down rhetoric means that conservatives should not express their cogent, reasoned, and deeply held views, while the left can castigate, hurl invective, and incite criminal behavior. Irony often makes great literature, but rarely good politics. Political discourse today is rotten. Some say it is the worst ever, but I remind them of a time when states threatened to, and actually seceded, when Abraham Lincoln was elected president. We've seen threats from some in a couple of states to secede because President Trump won the election. I suspect we will continue to see masked domestic terrorists commit crimes against conservatives and reprehensible conduct toward conservatives. How long will this be tolerated by leaders on the left? Will it go on in its destructive and ironic way until civility is a long-forgotten American virtue? These are the destructive ironies in American politics today, and they must be corrected before the foundations of our Republic collapse.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://biggs.house.gov/media/in-the-news/op-ed-republican-agenda-prevent-democrats-taking-wrecking-ball-america-s-progress,OP-ED: A Republican agenda to prevent Democrats taking a wrecking ball to Americas progress,2018-11-13,2018,2018-11,Republican,House,AZ,Andy Biggs,B001302,biggs.house.gov,,,legacy,"Republicans in Congress will hold the majority for less than two months. We must do all we can to further the agenda we promised in 2016 and in 2018before the Democrats take a wrecking ball to the progress America has made in the last two years. We need to repeal ObamaCare and implement the rational replacements that will protect all Americans and reduce health insurance premiums while providing better access to health care. Let's vote for a clean repeal of ObamaCare. That's what we promised. We must deliver on that promise. We must fund and complete a border wall. Failure to secure the border is a major problem for this country and Republicans promised to fix it. We must deliver on that promise. We must pass the heartbeat bill that provides protection to the unborn in a scientifically rational manner. We promised we would. We must deliver on that promise. As we speed toward another budget deadline in December, we must make real steps toward balancing our national budget. We must deliver on that promise. We have hinted at another tax package that will further help the middle class, small businesses, and make individual tax cuts permanent. We must deliver on that promise. There are a host of additional bills that will move the Republican agenda forward. We must deliver on those promises, too. It is a lame duck session for the House. I call on our leadership and my colleagues to work assiduously to complete the race and complete our legislative term on a high note by bringing these bills to the floor. When our constituents lament our health care systemthey are lamenting the fact that America is still operating under the rules and provisions of ObamaCare. When they complain that a wall and border security aren't in place, they are frustrated that Obama's policies remain. They want the prolife agenda to move forward, they want a balanced national budget, and they want more personalized tax relief. We can still fulfill these promises before the Democrats give us Speaker Pelosi, and committee leaders like Maxine Waters, Adam Schiff, and Jerry Nadler. Now is not the time to capitulate, it is the time to lead. We should be reviewingand modifyingrules and processes that Democrats are likely to abuse when they have the keys to the congressional car. Republicans can either lead by keeping our promises or we can curl up in the fetal position and lick our wounds while reflecting on what might have been. It's time to push forward.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://biggs.house.gov/media/press-releases/congressman-biggs-statement-right-try-developments,Congressman Biggs' Statement on Right to Try Developments,2018-11-13,2018,2018-11,Republican,House,AZ,Andy Biggs,B001302,biggs.house.gov,,,legacy,"WASHINGTON, D.C. This month, FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb, M.D. announced he plans to strengthen the FDA's expanded access program, including efforts to implement Right to Try legislation that was signed into law earlier this year. Congressman Biggs, a leading sponsor of the Right to Try bill, released the following statement: I applaud Commissioner Gottlieb and the FDA for their diligence in swiftly implementing Right to Try. This policy will give hope to countless of patients facing terminal illnesses around the country. It was an honor to play a small role in passing this legislation earlier this year, and I look forward to seeing the FDA's continued work to give Americans the right to try. For more information about the FDA's latest efforts to implement Right to Try,please visit this new website. ### Congressman Andy Biggs is a first-term Representative from Arizona's Fifth Congressional District, representing parts of Chandler, Gilbert, Mesa, and Queen Creek. Congressman Biggs is a member of the House Judiciary and Science, Space, and Technology committees, and is the chairman of the Environment Subcommittee. He lives with his wife, Cindy, in Gilbert.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://gosar.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=3563,House Passes Congressman Gosar’s Cottonwood Land Exchange Act,2018-11-13,2018,2018-11,Republican,House,AZ,Paul A. Gosar,G000565,gosar.house.gov,gosar,https://gosar.house.gov/news/documentquery.aspx,scraper,"Washington, D.C. - Today, U.S. Representative Paul A. Gosar, D.D.S. (AZ-04) and Yavapai County Supervisor Randy Garrison released the following statements after HR 6146, the Cottonwood Land Exchange Act passed the House of Representatives by unanimous consent. The bill would require the U.S. Forest Service to exchange, at the request of Yavapai County, 80 acres of federal lands in the Coconino National Forest for 369 acres of lands owned by the county. The result is a usable additional 80 acres for Yavapai County versus the currently unusable 369 acres, giving Cornville a much larger and more functional park. “Rural communities in Arizona are being harmed as checkerboards of federal land are creating roadblocks and preventing growth,” said Congressman Gosar. “The Cottonwood Land Exchange Act is common-sense legislation that will benefit local communities and families in Cornville by allowing for expansion of Windmill Park. This locally-driven solution is a win-win. I am grateful for everyone who played a role in making this victory happen, especially the Yavapai County Supervisors and the parents of Cornville.” Yavapai County Supervisor Randy Garrison said, ""This is a great step forward for our communities. Putting public land back into the hands of our local citizens will provide generations of enjoyment of these great resources which include a rich riparian corridor, ancient archeological sites while providing a direct access to our State wide trail system and further protects our endangered Arizona Cliff Rose. I want to personally thank Congressman Gosar and the entire Arizona Congressional Delegation on providing the leadership and support to move this Decades long process to completion. Our Citizens are extremely thankful for the hard work and dedication to see this day through."" Background: The text of H.R. 6146 can be found HERE. A map of this land exchange can be found HERE. Cosponsors of H.R. 6146 include: U.S. Representatives Debbie Lesko (AZ-08), Kyrsten Sinema (AZ-09), David Schweikert (AZ-06), Ruben Gallego (AZ-07), Tom O’Halleran (AZ-01).",1,2026-03-30T01:40:41Z,2026-06-27T23:10:16Z https://www.flake.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases?ContentRecord_id=182AB38D-417D-42E8-B16A-5DD0DB2E2212,"Flake, Booker, Coons Welcome Appointment of New Special Envoy for Great Lakes Region of Africa",2018-11-13,2018,2018-11,Republican,House,AZ,Jeff Flake,F000444,www.flake.senate.gov,,,legacy,"WASHINGTON U.S. Sens. Jeff Flake (R-AZ), Cory Booker (D-NJ), and Chris Coons (D-DE), members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, issued the following statement on the appointment of Dr. J. Peter Pham to be the Special Envoy for the Great Lakes Region of Africa. Flake and Booker are the top lawmakers on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee's Subcommittee on Africa and Global Health Policy. We welcome today's appointment of a new Special Envoy for the Great Lakes Region of Africa, Dr. J. Peter Pham. With elections next month in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the United States must continue to engage at a high-level with all stakeholders to ensure the elections occur on time and are credible. We hope Dr. Pham will take up this important mission with urgency and work closely with regional leaders to make clear to the DRC government that delays and failure to take critical steps now to ensure the credibility of elections on December 23 will be met with condemnation and financial consequences from the international community. In the broader Great Lakes, it will be critical for the Special Envoy to engage multilaterally to address the ongoing conflict, displacement, and public health emergencies that have affected millions of people throughout the region. It is vital that the Special Envoy focus attention and resources on the containment of the Ebola outbreak in the DRC, which has been exacerbated by the conflict. In order to end these cycles of violence and instability, our focus must be on strengthening institutions and civil society. Citizens of the Great Lakes region deserve the safety and stability that transparent and accountable government can bring as well as economic opportunities to improve their wellbeing. We applaud the efforts of our previous Special Envoys for the Great Lakes Region and look forward to working with Dr. Pham to continue to address these important issues. ###",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://schweikert.house.gov/2018/11/12/freedomworks-endorses-congressman-schweikert-policy-chair/,FreedomWorks Endorses Congressman Schweikert For Policy Chair,2018-11-12,2018,2018-11,Republican,House,AZ,David Schweikert,S001183,schweikert.house.gov,schweikert,https://schweikert.house.gov/category/congress_press_release/,scraper,"Washington, D.C. – On Friday, November 9, 2018, Congressman David Schweikert received an endorsement from FreedomWorks, an influential political think-tank specializing in free-markets and grassroot freedom. The article urges Republican Members of Congress to vote in support of Rep. Schweikert for Policy Chairmanship in the 116th Congress. In the article, President of FreedomWorks Adam Brandon writes “his approach to policy and innovation and his ability to inspire and motivate grassroots activists is critical at this moment to help Republicans better define themselves, adapt and take advantage of changing technology, and win elections in the future.” As Policy Chairman, Congressman Schweikert plans to lead by example, in demonstrating that Republicans are forward-thinking problem solvers. To read the full article of endorsement: FreedomWorks Endorses Rep. David Schweikert for Republican Policy Chair Committee ### Back to News",1,2026-03-30T01:40:41Z,2026-06-27T23:10:16Z https://schweikert.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/freedomworks-endorses-congressman-schweikert-policy-chair,FreedomWorks Endorses Congressman Schweikert For Policy Chair,2018-11-12,2018,2018-11,Republican,House,AZ,David Schweikert,S001183,schweikert.house.gov,,,legacy,"Washington, D.C. - On Friday, November 9, 2018, Congressman David Schweikert received an endorsement from FreedomWorks, an influential political think-tank specializing in free-markets and grassroot freedom. The article urges Republican Members of Congress to vote in support of Rep. Schweikert for Policy Chairmanship in the 116th Congress. In the article, President of FreedomWorks Adam Brandon writes his approach to policy and innovation and his ability to inspire and motivate grassroots activists is critical at this moment to help Republicans better define themselves, adapt and take advantage of changing technology, and win elections in the future. As Policy Chairman, Congressman Schweikert plans to lead by example, in demonstrating that Republicans are forward-thinking problem solvers. To read the full article of endorsement: FreedomWorks Endorses Rep. David Schweikert for Republican Policy Chair Committee ###",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://biggs.house.gov/media/press-releases/president-trump-stands-migrant-caravans-and-enforces-immigration-laws,President Trump Stands Up to Migrant Caravans and Enforces Immigration Laws,2018-11-01,2018,2018-11,Republican,House,AZ,Andy Biggs,B001302,biggs.house.gov,,,legacy,"WASHINGTON, D.C. Today, President Trump outlined the Administration's response to the immigration crisis at the southern border. Going forward, no migrant who enters the United States illegally, rather than entering legally through a port of entry, will be eligible for asylum. Additionally, any alien apprehended after crossing the border illegally will be detained until their immigration status is adjudicated. Congressman Biggs issued the following statement: I applaud President Trump's actions to fully enforce our nation's immigration laws and to show the world that illegal entry will not be tolerated or rewarded. The Obama Administration's use of catch-and-release policies, coupled with deficiencies in our asylum system, have allowed hundreds of thousands of aliens to gain legal entry to the United States even though they may not qualify. President Trump is well within the law to limit asylum to individuals entering the United States legally. However, it is time for Congress to get serious about securing the southern border and strengthening our immigration laws. I introduced the Fund and Complete the Border Wall Act, H.R.6657, to finish building a border wall and to provide much-needed assistance to our Border Patrol agents. I hope my colleagues in Congress will heed their oath to protect the United States and work with President Trump to close the loopholes in our immigration laws. ### Congressman Andy Biggs is a first-term Representative from Arizona's Fifth Congressional District, representing parts of Chandler, Gilbert, Mesa, and Queen Creek. Congressman Biggs is a member of the House Judiciary and Science, Space, and Technology committees, and is the chairman of the Environment Subcommittee. He lives with his wife, Cindy, in Gilbert.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://gosar.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=3562,Congressman Gosar Urges DOJ To Investigate Source of Caravans,2018-11-01,2018,2018-11,Republican,House,AZ,Paul A. Gosar,G000565,gosar.house.gov,gosar,https://gosar.house.gov/news/documentquery.aspx,scraper,"“For years our immigration laws have been exploited. Right now, thousands of Central American migrants are traveling thousands of miles to reach our border. The level of organization, logistics and coordination being depicted in reports of the most recent caravan raises serious concerns. I urge the Department of Justice to investigate the matter to determine the actors responsible for this invasion.” See full letter HERE. Additional cosigners include U.S. Representatives Andy Biggs, Rod Blum, Jeff Duncan, Bob Gibbs, Louie Gohmert, Andy Harris, M.D., Steve King, Ralph Norman, Scott Perry, Todd Rokita and Ted S. Yoho, D.V.M.",1,2026-03-30T01:40:41Z,2026-06-27T23:10:16Z https://mcsally.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/mcsally-statement-troop-deployment-secure-southern-border,McSally Statement on Troop Deployment to Secure the Southern Border,2018-10-31,2018,2018-10,Republican,House,AZ,Martha McSally,M001197,mcsally.house.gov,,,legacy,"TUCSON - Today, U.S. Representative Martha McSally issued the following statement after confirming troops deployed as part of Operation Faithful Patriot will be housed at military installations in Southern Arizona. ""I confirmed with military leaders that Davis-Monthan and Fort Huachuca will be hosting military assets deploying soon to help secure our border. Arizona's military installations are yet again demonstrating their value to our national security and safety. Border security is national security and I fully support the President's decision to deploy the military to protect our border and Arizona communities. We will welcome the troops into our community as we do all who serve and sacrifice for our nation.""",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://biggs.house.gov/media/press-releases/congressman-biggs-and-congressman-jeffries-introduce-justice-against-corruption,Congressman Biggs and Congressman Jeffries Introduce the Justice Against Corruption on K Street (JACK) Act,2018-10-30,2018,2018-10,Republican,House,AZ,Andy Biggs,B001302,biggs.house.gov,,,legacy,"GILBERT, ARIZONA Today, Congressman Andy Biggs and Congressman Hakeem Jeffries introduced the bipartisan Justice Against Corruption on K Street(JACK) Act.The JACK Act would amend the Lobbying Disclosure Act to require lobbyists to disclose if they have ever been convicted of bribery, extortion, embezzlement, illegal kickbacks, tax evasion, or money laundering. Congressman Biggs, Congressman Jeffries, and Senator John Kennedy released the following statements: This common-sense piece of legislation is another step forward in draining the Washington, D.C. swamp. There is no reason these individuals should be able to hide convictions for serious crimes like bribery, extortion, and embezzlement when lobbying Congress.Theseremissions foster corruption and the remedy is full transparency.I am pleased to work with Congressman Hakeem Jeffries and Senator John Kennedy, who introduced the bill in the Senate, and I look forward to the JACK Act becoming law. Congressman Biggs We must clean up Washington and make it work for the people. The JACK Act will boost transparency and accountability by requiring lobbyists to disclose any criminal convictions for bribery, money laundering, embezzlements or other related crimes. Corruption in this town is an American problem and we must come together in a bipartisan way to fix it. Congressman Jeffries This idea is simple: If you have been convicted of a felony like bribery, extortion, embezzlement or tax evasion, you should have to disclose that when registering to become a lobbyist.Corrupt lobbyists need to be brought into the sunlight, even if they're wearing $6,000 suits. Political leaders and businesses need to know the backgrounds of those who are trying to influence public policy.These corrupt lobbyists are the worst kind of swamp creatures and they need a one-way ticket out of Washington. Senator Kennedy The bill's title refers to Jack Abramoff, who was convicted of tax fraud and bribery. Jack re-registered as a federal lobbyist in 2017 and did not have to include his criminal history on his registration. The JACK Act will provide the public with much needed transparency and accountability over Congress' actions. ###",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://biggs.house.gov/media/whats-biggs-idea-podcast/stopping-caravan-jessica-vaughan,Stopping the Caravan - with Jessica Vaughan,2018-10-26,2018,2018-10,Republican,House,AZ,Andy Biggs,B001302,biggs.house.gov,,,legacy,"Congressman Andy Biggs talks with Jessica Vaughan, the Director of Policy Studies for the Center for Immigration Studies, about the caravans of illegal immigrants marching towards America's southern border and what the U.S. response should be.https://soundcloud.com/user-171694389-215186623/stopping-the-caravan-with-jessica-vaughan",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://schweikert.house.gov/2018/10/26/blockchain-caucus-leaders-commend-nist-standard-blockchain-technology/,Blockchain Caucus Leaders Commend NIST Standard For Blockchain Technology,2018-10-26,2018,2018-10,Republican,House,AZ,David Schweikert,S001183,schweikert.house.gov,schweikert,https://schweikert.house.gov/category/congress_press_release/,scraper,"Chairs of the Congressional Blockchain Caucus, Reps. Schweikert, Emmer, and Foster, Commend NIST’s Standard for Blockchain Technology Washington, D.C. – Today, leaders of the Congressional Blockchain Caucus issued the following statements in response to the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) finalizing their internal report on an Overview of Blockchain Technology. “I commend NIST on all of their hard work in finalizing their Blockchain Overview, said Congressman David Schweikert (AZ-06). I am happy to state we are using the NIST standard for the definition of blockchain in all three of our recently introduced blockchain related legislation. I look forward to continuing to work with NIST and my other colleagues on the Congressional Blockchain Caucus to further our understanding of blockchain technology to ensure that potential public policy does not hinder its development.” “I am pleased NIST began to tackle a clear definition of blockchain more than ten months ago. This final report presents welcome clarity and I appreciate the federal government taking a close look at understanding and supporting these innovative technologies. I am pleased to work with my colleagues and the Congressional Blockchain Caucus as we continue to ensure government avoids unnecessary roadblocks to development of these transformative technologies here in the United States,” said Congressman Tom Emmer (MN-06). “The work NIST is doing to establish standards will be crucial to maximizing interoperability and security while allowing blockchain technology to flourish. Opportunities for innovation are enhanced when everyone speaks the same technical language.” said Congressman Bill Foster (IL-11). Background: This NIST Report on blockchain aims at helping further the public’s understanding of this exciting technology at a pivotal time where further research and development is imperative. NIST has long been a leader in providing technical guidance in the field of emerging technology. The Congressional Blockchain Caucus had worked with NIST to use the same definition of blockchain that they have written in their report in recently introduced legislation. ### Back to News",1,2026-03-30T01:40:41Z,2026-06-27T23:08:35Z https://schweikert.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/blockchain-caucus-leaders-commend-nist-standard-blockchain-technology,Blockchain Caucus Leaders Commend NIST Standard For Blockchain Technology,2018-10-26,2018,2018-10,Republican,House,AZ,David Schweikert,S001183,schweikert.house.gov,,,legacy,"Chairs of the Congressional Blockchain Caucus, Reps. Schweikert, Emmer, and Foster, Commend NIST's Standard for Blockchain Technology Washington, D.C. Today, leaders of the Congressional Blockchain Caucus issued the following statements in response to the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) finalizing their internal report on an Overview of Blockchain Technology. I commend NIST on all of their hard work in finalizing their Blockchain Overview, said Congressman David Schweikert (AZ-06). I am happy to state we are using the NIST standard for the definition of blockchain in all three of our recently introduced blockchain related legislation. I look forward to continuing to work with NIST and my other colleagues on the Congressional Blockchain Caucus to further our understanding of blockchain technology to ensure that potential public policy does not hinder its development. I am pleased NIST began to tackle a clear definition of blockchain more than ten months ago. This final report presents welcome clarity and I appreciate the federal government taking a close look at understanding and supporting these innovative technologies. I am pleased to work with my colleagues and the Congressional Blockchain Caucus as we continue to ensure government avoids unnecessary roadblocks to development of these transformative technologies here in the United States, said Congressman Tom Emmer (MN-06). The work NIST is doing to establish standards will be crucial to maximizing interoperability and security while allowing blockchain technology to flourish. Opportunities for innovation are enhanced when everyone speaks the same technical language. said Congressman Bill Foster (IL-11). Background: This NIST Report on blockchain aims at helping further the public's understanding of this exciting technology at a pivotal time where further research and development is imperative. NIST has long been a leader in providing technical guidance in the field of emerging technology. The Congressional Blockchain Caucus had worked with NIST to use the same definition of blockchain that they have written in their report in recently introduced legislation. ###",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://www.flake.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases?ContentRecord_id=1A06E439-E2A1-4EDA-BCC5-ABF77C2C1C01,"Flake, McCaskill Push Against Return of Earmarks",2018-10-22,2018,2018-10,Republican,House,AZ,Jeff Flake,F000444,www.flake.senate.gov,,,legacy,"WASHINGTON Continuing their bipartisan push to permanently ban the practice of earmarking in Congress, U.S. Sens. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) and Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.) led a bipartisan effort in calling on Senate leadership to push back on efforts to reinstate the practice and instead pass their bipartisan legislation to make permanent the temporary moratorium on congressional earmarks that has been in effect since 2010. Flake and McCaskill were joined in their effort by Sens. Pat Toomey (R-Pa.), Mike Lee (R-Utah), Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), Ben Sasse (R-Neb.), Rob Portman (R-Ohio), James Lankford (R-Okla.), Rand Paul (R-Ky.), and Ted Cruz (R-Texas). While the moratorium continues as a rule of the Democratic and Republican caucuses, members of both parties in both chambers of Congress are actively plotting to revive earmarks, but by some other name, wrote the senators in a letter to Senate leadership. Although proponents claim the process can be cleaned-up by simply adding more transparency, history has demonstrated earmarking is inherently corrupt. The senators continued in their letter, writing, The pay-to-play nature of earmarks encourages the worst behavior and no amount of transparency can fix the inherent unfairness in the earmark process, which favors those with the resources to hire a politically-connected lobbyist rather than those with the greatest need or merit. Flake and McCaskill's bipartisan Earmark Elimination Act would create a point of order against any provision contained within a bill that matches the definition of an earmark. An earmark is defined as any congressionally directed spending item, tax benefit, or tariff benefit targeted to a specific recipient or group of beneficiaries. This point of order would only apply to the earmark, not the entire bill. If the point of order is raised, the earmark would be stricken unless a two-thirds vote of the Senate waived the earmark point of order. Earlier this year, Flake and McCaskill held a press conference announcing their legislation titled, Pork: Eat it, Don't Spend it in which the senators focused on recent hearings in the House of Representatives to explore lifting Congress' self-imposed, temporary ban on the practice of earmarking. Full text of letter HERE. ###",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://biggs.house.gov/media/whats-biggs-idea-podcast/unpacking-great-fisa-abuse-scandal-john-solomon,Unpacking the Great FISA Abuse Scandal - with John Solomon,2018-10-19,2018,2018-10,Republican,House,AZ,Andy Biggs,B001302,biggs.house.gov,,,legacy,"John Solomon, Executive Vice President at the Hill, joins Congressman Andy Biggs to discuss the great FISA abuse scandal that investigative journalists and Members of Congress seek answers to.https://soundcloud.com/user-171694389-215186623/unpacking-the-great-fisa-abuse-scandal-with-john-solomon",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://biggs.house.gov/media/press-releases/congressman-biggs-sends-letter-attorney-general-sessions-about-amber-alert,Congressman Biggs Sends Letter to Attorney General Sessions about AMBER Alert In Indian Country Funding,2018-10-17,2018,2018-10,Republican,House,AZ,Andy Biggs,B001302,biggs.house.gov,,,legacy,"GILBERT, ARIZONA Today, Congressman Andy Biggs sent a letter to Attorney General Jeff Sessions, asking that he request full funding for the development and implementation of AMBER Alert in Indian Country communication plans. This funding is crucial to fulfill the work already in progress to implement the Ashlynne Mike AMBER Alert in Indian Country Act, which was signed into law by President Trump last April. Read the text of the letter below: October 17, 2018 Attorney General Jeff Sessions Department of Justice 950 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20530-0001 Dear Attorney General Sessions, Thank you for yours and President Trump's efforts to keep all Americans safe. I am particularly grateful that President Donald J. Trump recently signed the Ashlynne Mike AMBER Alert in Indian County Act into law. Congress passed this law by unanimous consent and it will reshape the way Indian Country works to save lives when minutes count the most. As you begin to develop the budget for fiscal year 2020, I urge you to request full funding for the development and implementation of AMBER Alert communication plans in Indian Country. Ashlynne Mike was a beautiful 11-year old who lived in the Navajo Nation the largest Indian Reservation in the United States. She was a kindhearted young girl who had enormous potential. After school on Monday, May 2, 2016, while Ashlynne and her nine-year-old brother Ian played near the local bus stop, a stranger approached them and lured them into his vehicle by offering them a ride home. He abducted the children and took them to a remote part of the reservation where he brutally abused Ashlynne and left her and her brother to fend for themselves in the desert. Although Ian was able to seek help, Ashlynne died alone in the desert. Ashlynne was abducted around 4:00 P.M. Her father filed a missing person report at 6:53 P.M. within 3 hours. Unfortunately, due to difficulties with the Navajo's AMBER Alert system, authorities did not send an AMBER Alert until 2:30 A.M. on Tuesday almost 10 hours after Ashlynne went missing. Had Indian Country been included as partners in the AMBER Alert Plans, law enforcement could have rescued Ashlynne in time, and she might still be alive today. This law reauthorizes the Department of Justice (DOJ) grant program that assists state and local governments in developing and implementing AMBER Alert communication plans. It explicitly requires DOJ to perform a needs assessment of AMBER Alert capabilities on Indian reservations. It will also, for the first time, require funds be used to integrate tribal AMBER Alert systems with those of neighboring jurisdictions to ensure that AMBER Alerts reach as many people as possible, as swiftly as possible. As Congress awaits the needs assessment from DOJ, I respectfully ask that you request full funding for the AMBER Alert in Indian Country communications plans. Thank you for your consideration. Sincerely, Andy Biggs Member of Congress",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://biggs.house.gov/media/press-releases/congressman-biggs-statement-new-reports-caravan-headed-us-border,Congressman Biggs Statement on New Reports of Caravan Headed to U.S. Border,2018-10-17,2018,2018-10,Republican,House,AZ,Andy Biggs,B001302,biggs.house.gov,,,legacy,"GILBERT, ARIZONA In response to reports of a caravan of migrants headed towards the U.S.-Mexico border, Congressman Andy Biggs released the following statement: Illegal aliens and their enablers continue to flout the laws of the United States. The federal government has failed to enforce our immigration laws, and Congress has allowed incentives to enter this country illegally. We have continued to provide foreign aid to our neighbors to the south even though they permit, and even encourage, thousands of their citizens to enter the U.S. illegally. In response, I introduced my bill, the Fund and Complete the Border Wall Act, which penalizes the home country of each illegal alien who is apprehended at our borders. Congress must also codify President Trump's executive actions to end the catch and release system, which incentivizes illegal entry into the U.S. Finally, I call on the President to send additional assistance to aid our Border Patrol agents. ### Congressman Andy Biggs is a first-term Representative from Arizona's Fifth Congressional District, representing parts of Chandler, Gilbert, Mesa, and Queen Creek. Congressman Biggs is a member of the House Judiciary and Science, Space, and Technology committees, and is the chairman of the Environment Subcommittee. He lives with his wife, Cindy, in Gilbert.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://biggs.house.gov/media/press-releases/congressman-biggs-introduces-resolution-support-states-move-over-laws,"Congressman Biggs Introduces Resolution to Support States' ""Move Over"" Laws",2018-10-16,2018,2018-10,Republican,House,AZ,Andy Biggs,B001302,biggs.house.gov,,,legacy,"WASHINGTON, D.C. Today, Congressman Andy Biggs introduced a resolution supporting state move over laws, which require drivers to shift lanes away from tow trucks, police, and emergency vehicles whenever it is safe to do so. While recognizing the risks to all individuals engaged in roadside duty, this resolution especially highlights the underreported dangers faced by the towing industry and expresses support for a National Move Over Law Day, ideally to be held the third Saturday in October.He released the following statement: In 2017, nearly fifty tow truck operators lost their lives in America while performing roadside assistancea devastating statistic that does not always receive the attention it deserves.These deaths, along with those of police and emergency personnel, are an enormous tragedy.I am happy to see that all fifty states have passed move over laws, and I encourage them to continue educating drivers everywhere to look out for tow truck drivers, first responders, and other people assisting on the road. ### Congressman Andy Biggs is a first-term Representative from Arizona's Fifth Congressional District, representing parts of Chandler, Gilbert, Mesa, and Queen Creek. Congressman Biggs is a member of the House Judiciary and Science, Space, and Technology committees, and is the chairman of the Environment Subcommittee. He lives with his wife, Cindy, in Gilbert.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://biggs.house.gov/media/press-releases/congressman-biggs-statement-glenn-simpsons-house-judiciary-deposition,Congressman Biggs Statement on Glenn Simpson's House Judiciary Deposition,2018-10-16,2018,2018-10,Republican,House,AZ,Andy Biggs,B001302,biggs.house.gov,,,legacy,"WASHINGTON, D.C. Today, Congressman Andy Biggs led the House Judiciary Committee's deposition of Fusion GPS founder, Glenn Simpson. As his lawyer promised, Mr. Simpson invoked the Fifth Amendment, instead of answering the questions. Congressman Biggs issued the following statement: Mr. Simpson's testimony is necessary to further determine the extent of the abuse by leaders in the previous administration's police apparatus. They apparently used their power against a political opponent, Donald Trump, during the 2016 presidential campaign. Mr. Simpson invoked the Fifth today, resulting in a recess of the deposition. Consequently, my colleagues and I will follow the rules of the House Judiciary Committee by submitting our questions to Chairman Goodlatte. The Chairman will adjudicate the validity of Mr. Simpson's reliance on the Fifth to avoid answering questions. If the Chairman finds that Mr. Simpson was simply ducking our questions, Mr. Simpson will be required to return to the Committee to continue the deposition, and answers will be requisite. Failure to answer may result in a contempt citation. ### Congressman Andy Biggs is a first-term Representative from Arizona's Fifth Congressional District, representing parts of Chandler, Gilbert, Mesa, and Queen Creek. Congressman Biggs is a member of the House Judiciary and Science, Space, and Technology committees, and is the chairman of the Environment Subcommittee. He lives with his wife, Cindy, in Gilbert.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://biggs.house.gov/media/press-releases/congressman-biggs-visits-us-mexico-border,Congressman Biggs Visits the U.S.-Mexico Border,2018-10-15,2018,2018-10,Republican,House,AZ,Andy Biggs,B001302,biggs.house.gov,,,legacy,"GILBERT, ARIZONA Congressman Andy Biggs visited the U.S.-Mexico border this past Friday, making his second trip in four months. He released the following statement: Since taking office in January 2017, I have prioritized border security and enforcement of our immigration laws. This is what my constituents expect, and what is necessary to keep them safe from criminally violent illegal aliens. I have traveled to the border on a regular basis to understand the challenges our Border Patrol and ICE officers continually face. Special thanks to Border Patrol agent Art Del Cueto for leading the tour. Our border remains insecure, and human smugglers and drug cartels are taking advantage of the federal government's failure. This is a national security issue. It is putting our communities and our Border Patrol agents in harm's way. This is why I've introduced the Fund and Complete the Border Wall Act' to fund, complete and pay for the border wall plus give our Border Patrol agents the resources necessary to do their jobs. We have no excuses for allowing our border to remain open. We must act now. ### Congressman Andy Biggs is a first-term Representative from Arizona's Fifth Congressional District, representing parts of Chandler, Gilbert, Mesa, and Queen Creek. Congressman Biggs is a member of the House Judiciary and Science, Space, and Technology committees, and is the chairman of the Environment Subcommittee. He lives with his wife, Cindy, in Gilbert.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://www.flake.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases?ContentRecord_id=4F86D691-6A60-4728-BE77-2347459AB6DB,"VIDEO: Flake Decries Language that Incites Oppression, Violence",2018-10-11,2018,2018-10,Republican,House,AZ,Jeff Flake,F000444,www.flake.senate.gov,,,legacy,"WASHINGTON U.S. Sen. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.), a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, today delivered remarks on the Senate floor in defense of the free press. With the disappearance and apparent brutal murder of Saudi Arabian journalist Jamal Khashoggi, Flake again cautioned against the use of language that empowers authoritarian governments and oppressive regimes: We in this body had best be very clear about who the enemies of the people are and who they are not. The free press is the guardian of democracy and enemy of tyrants, and the man or woman who speaks from behind the presidential seal needs to remind the country and the world of this truism again and again, so long as the world will listen. Video of Flake's full remarks can be viewed here. A transcript of Flake's prepared remarks can be found below. *** Mr. President, there are no more consequential words spoken than those spoken by the president of the United States. The words of a president reverberate around the world like no other world leader's, and as attentive as Americans are to what our president says, the rest of the world is probably paying even closer attention, as often it is their fate that hangs in the balance when a president speaks. Americans can ignore certain utterances of the president. The rest of the world often has no such luxury. Another audience for presidential utterances is the despot, the strongman, the dictator. And from this president, that horrible focus group has received a great deal of sustenance. In fact, the oppressors of the world have taken to parroting some of their favorite lines from this White House anything critical of their regimes has become fake news, the press is the enemy of the people, just to name two of this president's greatest hits. As I mentioned in this chamber in January of this year, a state official in Myanmar recently said, ""There is no such thing as Rohingya. It is fake news,"" referring to the persecuted ethnic group. In February of last year, Syrian President Bashar Assad brushed off an Amnesty International report that some 13,000 people had been killed at one of his military prisons by saying, ""You can forge anything these days, we are living in a fake news era."" In the Philippines, President Rodrigo Duterte has complained of being ""demonized"" by ""fake news."" Last year, according to a news report, with our President quote ""laughing by his side,"" Duterte called reporters ""spies. In July 2017, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro complained to the Russian propaganda outlet, that the world media had ""spread lots of false versions, lots of lies"" about his country, adding, ""This is what we call 'fake news' today, isn't it?"" And on and on. This feedback loop is appalling, Mr. President. We are in an era in which the authoritarian impulse is reasserting itself, to challenge free people and free societies, everywhere. We cannot give language to authoritarians, language that is used against their own people. And now, with the apparent brutal murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, some of those real enemies of freedom seem to have taken license to eliminate a man that their regime viewed as a threat. Mr. President, we need to know exactly what happened in that Saudi Consulate in Turkey earlier this month. Put bluntly, we cannot do business as usual with the Saudi Government if they directed or were complicit in the murder of Jamal Khashoggi. Mr. President, we in this body had best be very clear about who the enemies of the people are and who they are not. The free press is the guardian of democracy and enemy of tyrants, and the man or woman who speaks from behind the presidential seal needs to remind the country and the world of this truism again and again, so long as the world will listen. I yield the floor. ###",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://www.flake.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases?ContentRecord_id=8FD93419-8404-4697-835D-D43754675DA2,"Senate Unanimously Approves Flake, Heitkamp CBP HiRe Act",2018-10-11,2018,2018-10,Republican,House,AZ,Jeff Flake,F000444,www.flake.senate.gov,,,legacy,"WASHINGTON U.S. Sens. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) and Heidi Heitkamp (D-N.D.) last night applauded the Senate's unanimous passage of the Customs and Border Protection Hiring and Retention (CBP HiRe) Act. The Flake-Heitkamp bill will boost manpower at the border and understaffed ports of entry by allowing CBP to utilize specific incentives, pay rates, and authorities to help the agency reach congressionally mandated staffing levels. In recent years, CBP has experienced difficulties recruiting, hiring, and retaining both Border Patrol agents to secure the border and CBP officers to staff trade-facilitating ports of entry. These positions remain unfilled due to high attrition rates, a lengthy hiring process, and difficulty finding applicants willing to work in remote locations. Despite congressional authorization and ample funding for new hires, CBP continues to fall short of congressionally-mandated staffing levels. The CBP HiRe Act streamlines processes and procedures to give CBP more autonomy over existing incentives and authorities to bring more law enforcement personnel into frontline positions. The bill allows CBP to offer recruitment, relocation, and retention incentives to applicants for law enforcement positions in remote and rural areas with a critical hiring need as well as recruitment and retention difficulties. The bill also allows CBP to use the rural and remote nature of an area, and any resulting hiring challenges, when applying for consideration of a special pay rate. The CBP HiRe Act is a commonsense, bipartisan solution to the bureaucratic hiring process that has left the border and our ports of entry understaffed. This bill will give CBP the tools it needs to effectively and efficiently recruit and retain the personnel needed to complete its border security and trade-facilitating missions, said Flake. Now that the bill has unanimously passed the Senate, I urge the House to swiftly approve this legislation and send to the president's desk without delay. Our Customs and Border Protection officers and agents are on the front lines of keeping North Dakota and America safe but especially in rural areas like North Dakota, CBP faces unique challenges in hiring and retaining the workforce we need to protect our borders, Sen.Heitkamp said. After hearing firsthand about the challenges CBP faces, we introduced this bipartisan bill to help the agency attract and retain the best workforce possible, and it's an important win for North Dakota communities, our Customs and Border Protection workforce, and our national security that it has now passed the Senate. Along with the new Northern Border strategy recently released by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS)that was prompted by my bipartisan bill that was passed into law, we're working toward solutions that will keep every North Dakota community strong and safe. Support: The CBP HiRe Act is supported by National Border Patrol Council, National Treasury Employees Union, Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association, Tucson Border Patrol Local Union, Arizona-Mexico Commission, Border Trade Alliance, Arizona Border Counties Coalition, Douglas International Port Authority, Douglas Regional Economic Development Corp, Fresh Produce Association of the Americas, Greater Nogales/Santa Cruz County Port Authority, Greater Yuma Economic Development Corp, Nogales-Santa Cruz County Chamber of Commerce, Transportation & Trade Corridor Alliance, Tucson Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, Ambos Nogales Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, Douglas Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, Sierra Vista Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, Partnership for Public Service, and The Volcker Alliance. To view statements of support, click here. To view the full text of the bill, click here. Background: On Oct. 4, 2017, the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee approved the CBP HiRe Act. On Aug. 22, 2017, Flake secured CBP commitment to implement major policy changes designed to increase manpower at strained and understaffed ports of entry along Arizona's border with Mexico. Read more about the stakeholder meeting convened by Flake in Tucson here. On March 9, 2017, Flake introduced the Boots on the Border Act to address hiring shortfalls at CBP by waiving duplicative polygraph requirements for applicants with qualifying law enforcement or military experience. Read more about the bill here. On Oct.17, 2016, Flake sent a letter to Department of Homeland (DHS) Secretary Jeh Johnson requesting additional information on CBP's polygraph examinations. The signed letter can be viewedhere. On June, 29, 2016, during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing, Flake sought answers from Secretary Johnson on several border and immigration-related issues impacting Arizona, including the hiring rate of CBP officers. Video of Flake and Secretary Johnson's exchange can be viewedhere. On Dec. 5, 2016, Flake and Heitkamp first introduced the CBP HiRe Act. On Oct. 19, 2015, theBorder Jobs for Veterans Actwas signed into law. Sen. Flake's bill has helped put veterans to work as CBP officers at understaffed U.S. ports of entry by requiring the Department of Defense and DHS to cooperate on efforts to recruit and expedite the hiring of outgoing U.S. military service members. In 2014, Flake led a successful effort to secure congressional authorization and funding for the creation of 2,000 new CBP officer positions to increase manpower at strained and understaffed ports of entry. As ranking member of the U.S. Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs subcommittee that oversees the federal workforce, Heitkamp has long been working to address challenges border security officials face in recruiting and retaining quality officers and agents to help keep communities safe. In July 2016, Heitkamp introduced her Flexible HIRE (Hiring and Improving Recruitment, Retention, and Education) Act of 2016 which aims to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the federal hiring process so that federal agencies can better attract and maintain personnel in regions like the Bakken and Northern Border. The bipartisan CBP HiRe Act applies the principles behind Heitkamp's Flexible HIRE Act to address federal hiring and retention obstacles that CBP faces in rural or remote areas. Additionally, Heitkamp's bipartisan Northern Border Security Review Act which is now law mandated an evaluation of security threats along the 5,500-mile long Northern Border by comprehensively examining current resources and personnel levels to help make sure CBP has the tools it needs to protect our communities. That review led to the release of an updated Northern Border Strategy to give direction and focus to DHS and its partnering agencies as they work to tackle challenges such as the lack of surveillance at the border, drug trafficking, hiring and retention of Customs and Border Protection agents and officers, and port modernization to facilitate lawful trade and travel. DHS also committed to updating the strategy every 5 years. ###",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://biggs.house.gov/media/press-releases/biggs-and-gaetz-call-rosenstein-subpoena,Representatives Biggs and Gaetz Call for Rosenstein Subpoena,2018-10-10,2018,2018-10,Republican,House,AZ,Andy Biggs,B001302,biggs.house.gov,,,legacy,"WASHINGTON, D.C. Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein was expected to testify this week before the House Judiciary and Oversight Committees, but he will not appear. Congressman Andy Biggs and Congressman Matt Gaetz released the following statements: Members of the House Judiciary Committee have repeatedly called for Deputy Attorney General Rosenstein to answer questions about serious accusations that he was willing to wear a wire to gather evidence against the sitting President of the United States, and to testify about other issues. Despite speculation that he would appear on Thursday, October 11th, Rosenstein has again failed to cooperate with congressional leaders. The Judiciary Committee must now subpoena him to appear. His obstinance should not be rewarded with more delays. Rod Rosenstein has stonewalled congressional investigations for months, while allowing Special Counsel Robert Mueller to escape oversight of his investigation. Members of Congress have repeatedly called on Rosenstein to provide more transparency and to submit to congressional oversight. Unfortunately, he continually chooses to obstruct our efforts. The Deputy Attorney General must appear before the committee and provide transparency that the American people deserve. Congressman Andy Biggs I applaud Congressman Biggs for his request to subpoena Deputy AG Rod Rosenstein, who was initially scheduled to testify before the House Judiciary Committee this Thursday, but canceled at the eleventh hour. This is serious business, and we do not take our oversight responsibility lightly. For the DOJ to continue playing hide-and-seek with Congressional interviews, however, does not inspire confidence that they are taking us seriously. I hope that a subpoena will impress upon DAG Rosenstein the gravity of our request, and I look forward to questioning him when he appears before the committee. Congressman Matt Gaetz ###",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://biggs.house.gov/media/press-releases/congressman-biggs-introduces-freedom-farmers-act,"Congressman Biggs Introduces the ""Freedom for Farmers Act""",2018-10-10,2018,2018-10,Republican,House,AZ,Andy Biggs,B001302,biggs.house.gov,,,legacy,"GILBERT, ARIZONA This week, Congressman Andy Biggs introduced theFreedom for Farmers Actto abolish the Department of Health and Human Services' (HHS) Agency of Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) within one year of enactment while ensuring that critical public health safeguards are preserved.Although ATSDR was originally established to investigate toxic waste sites (known as Superfunds), it has recently begun to harass law-abiding agricultural companies.Congressman Biggs released the following statement: Like most Americans, I had never even heard of ATSDR until it began an investigation of Hickman's Family Farms, Arizona's largest poultry company.Even though Hickman's fully complies with all Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) requirements, ATSDR continues an open-ended ammonia and hydrogen sulfide investigation of the company's facilities in Arlington and Tonopah.My office has sent two separate letters to ATSDR over the past year asking the agency to explain the scope and purpose of its investigation; neither has received an adequate response.The time for patience is over. Eliminating ATSDR will not jeopardize public health: there are already other government agencies, including EPA, that have the authority to investigate and regulate toxic chemicals.Additionally, my Freedom for Farmers Act' ensures that the disease registry ATSDR had been maintaining will be relocated elsewhere within HHS, at the discretion of the Secretary.Since coming to Congress, I have been committed to rolling back overreaching and duplicative government agencies; the Freedom for Farmers Act' continues this effort. ### Congressman Andy Biggs is a first-term Representative from Arizona's Fifth Congressional District, representing parts of Chandler, Gilbert, Mesa, and Queen Creek. Congressman Biggs is a member of the House Judiciary and Science, Space, and Technology committees, and is the chairman of the Environment Subcommittee. He lives with his wife, Cindy, in Gilbert.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://www.flake.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases?ContentRecord_id=11410C14-68ED-4CFF-BF75-45485563507C,Bipartisan Letter Triggers Global Magnitsky Investigation Into Disappearance of Jamal Khashoggi,2018-10-10,2018,2018-10,Republican,House,AZ,Jeff Flake,F000444,www.flake.senate.gov,,,legacy,"WASHINGTON In a letter to President Donald Trump, U.S. Sen. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) today joined Sens. Bob Corker (R-Tenn.) and Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), chairman and ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) and Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), chairman and ranking member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs, in triggering an investigation and Global Magnitsky sanctions determination regarding the disappearance of Jamal Khashoggi, a Saudi journalist and columnist for The Washington Post. Khashoggi has not been heard from since he entered a Saudi consulate in Istanbul last Tuesday afternoon. The letter was also signed by Sens. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), Ben Cardin (D-Md.), John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Cory Gardner (R-Colo.), Ed Markey (D-Mass.), Johnny Isakson (R-Ga.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Todd Young (R-Ind.), Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Rob Portman (R-Ohio), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), Chris Coons (D-Del.), Jim Risch (R-Idaho), and Tom Udall (D-N.M). Background Under the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act, the president, upon receipt of a letter from the chairman and ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, must make a determination and is authorized to impose sanctions with respect to a foreign person responsible for extrajudicial killings, torture, or other gross violations of internationally recognized human rights violations against individuals who seek to obtain, exercise, defend, or promote human rights and freedoms, including freedom of expression. Text of the letter can be viewed below. *** October 10, 2018 Dear Mr. President: The Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act requires the President, upon receipt of a request from the Chairman and Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, to determine whether a foreign person is responsible for an extrajudicial killing, torture, or other gross violation of internationally recognized human rights against an individual exercising freedom of expression, and report to the Committee within 120 days with a determination and a decision on the imposition of sanctions on that foreign person or persons. The recent disappearance of Saudi journalist and Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi suggests that he could be a victim of a gross violation of internationally recognized human rights, which includes torture or cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment, prolonged detention without charges and trial, causing the disappearance of persons by the abduction and clandestine detention of those persons, and other flagrant denial of the right to life, liberty, or the security of person. Therefore, we request that you make a determination on the imposition of sanctions pursuant to the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act with respect to any foreign person responsible for such a violation related to Mr. Khashoggi. Our expectation is that in making your determination you will consider any relevant information, including with respect to the highest ranking officials in the Government of Saudi Arabia. ###",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://www.flake.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases?ContentRecord_id=45CA7E47-8360-41BE-9F50-A8B5A0FDC39A,"Flake, Kyl Support Draft Agreements for Drought Contingency Plan",2018-10-10,2018,2018-10,Republican,House,AZ,Jeff Flake,F000444,www.flake.senate.gov,,,legacy,"WASHINGTON U.S. Sens. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) and Jon Kyl (R-Ariz.) today made the following statement regarding the draft agreements for the Upper Basin and Lower Basin Drought Contingency Plans released by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation (USBR): The draft agreements for the Upper Basin and Lower Basin Drought Contingency Plans released by the USBR today mark an important accomplishment by state and federal partners. Projections show water levels in Lake Mead will drop below 1,075-feet by 2020, which will trigger initial reductions in Colorado River water delivered to Arizona under existing federal guidelines. The draft agreements propose a voluntary framework for conserving water in Lake Mead with the goal of preventing draconian shortages at elevations below 1,025-feet. By working together, Basin States can maintain control over their respective water futures rather than risk compulsory cutbacks handed down from Washington. This commitment to work with other Basin States will require all Arizona stakeholders to agree on the policies under which Arizona will meet its overall obligations. ###",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://schweikert.house.gov/2018/10/09/congressman-david-schweikert-introduces-legislation-amend-public-health/,Congressman David Schweikert Introduces Legislation to Amend Public Health Service Act,2018-10-09,2018,2018-10,Republican,House,AZ,David Schweikert,S001183,schweikert.house.gov,schweikert,https://schweikert.house.gov/category/congress_press_release/,scraper,"Washington, D.C. – Congressman David Schweikert introduced H.R. 7003 to amend the Public Health Service Act to establish a health insurance Federal Invisible Risk Sharing Program. According to Kaiser, 10% of the sickest individuals account for nearly two thirds of population health spending (graph below). This means that healthier individuals are covering the costs of a small number of high cost patients. This is especially true in the individual ACA marketplace because there is a smaller insurance pool for these costs to be allocated, as opposed to the large group or private market where costs can be disbursed over a larger number of people – the cost exposure to any one individual is limited. The Federal Invisible Risk Sharing Program gives insurers the ability to recoup the extraordinary costs of their highest cost patients without resulting in higher costs for healthier individuals participating in the marketplace. The Program seeks to ensure individuals have access to affordable health insurance at the lowest possible rates, whether they have a pre-existing condition or not. H.R. 7003 offers predictability to the individual marketplace for individuals and insurers and, over time, gives states the ability to manage the program based on their own needs. This is a proven model to provide affordability and stability to the health insurance marketplace. The full op-ed can be read here. [[{“fid”:”472″,”view_mode”:”full”,”fields”:{“format”:”full”,”field_file_image_alt_text[und][0][value]”:false,”field_file_image_title_text[und][0][value]”:false},”link_text”:null,”type”:”media”,”field_deltas”:{“1”:{“format”:”full”,”field_file_image_alt_text[und][0][value]”:false,”field_file_image_title_text[und][0][value]”:false}},”attributes”:{“style”:”text-align: -webkit-center;”,”class”:”media-element file-full”,”data-delta”:”1″}}]] Back to News",1,2026-03-30T01:40:41Z,2026-06-27T23:08:35Z https://schweikert.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/congressman-david-schweikert-introduces-legislation-amend-public-health,Congressman David Schweikert Introduces Legislation to Amend Public Health Service Act,2018-10-09,2018,2018-10,Republican,House,AZ,David Schweikert,S001183,schweikert.house.gov,,,legacy,"Washington, D.C. Congressman David Schweikert introduced H.R. 7003 to amend the Public Health Service Act to establish a health insurance Federal Invisible Risk Sharing Program. According to Kaiser, 10% of the sickest individuals account for nearly two thirds of population health spending (graph below). This means that healthier individuals are covering the costs of a small number of high cost patients. This is especially true in the individual ACA marketplace because there is a smaller insurance pool for these costs to be allocated, as opposed to the large group or private market where costs can be disbursed over a larger number of people the cost exposure to any one individual is limited. The Federal Invisible Risk Sharing Program gives insurers the ability to recoup the extraordinary costs of their highest cost patients without resulting in higher costs for healthier individuals participating in the marketplace. The Program seeks to ensure individuals have access to affordable health insurance at the lowest possible rates, whether they have a pre-existing condition or not. H.R. 7003 offers predictability to the individual marketplace for individuals and insurers and, over time, gives states the ability to manage the program based on their own needs. This is a proven model to provide affordability and stability to the health insurance marketplace. The full op-ed can be read here.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://biggs.house.gov/media/press-releases/congressman-andy-biggs-praises-senate-confirmation-judge-brett-kavanaugh,Congressman Andy Biggs Praises Senate Confirmation of Judge Brett Kavanaugh,2018-10-06,2018,2018-10,Republican,House,AZ,Andy Biggs,B001302,biggs.house.gov,,,legacy,"GILBERT, ARIZONA Today, the U.S. Senate confirmed Judge Brett Kavanaugh for the U.S. Supreme Court. Congressman Andy Biggs issued the following statement: I am very pleased that Judge Brett Kavanaugh has been confirmed to take a seat on the United States Supreme Court. Judge Brett Kavanaugh is highly qualified and will be an excellent justice. He authored hundreds of opinions while on one of the nation's most influential courts. His judicial colleagues, those who appeared before him and those who worked for him, have extolled his capacity and integrity. Judge Kavanaugh's judicial philosophy follows the language of the Constitution and enacted laws. He understands that the role of the courts is to apply the law, not make law from the bench. Such a mindset is needed now, more than ever, in every court across this nation. Judge Kavanaugh and his family have received an unprecedented amount of violent vitriol by the Left who have attacked and threatened him. He and his family showed incredible grace, poise, and forgiveness through this destructive process. His adversaries ought to follow his example of humility. I am deeply appreciative that Judge Kavanaugh and his family accepted the duty of public service, and I have no doubt that he will help lead the Supreme Court back to our founders' intentions. ### Congressman Andy Biggs is a first-term Representative from Arizona's Fifth Congressional District, representing parts of Chandler, Gilbert, Mesa, and Queen Creek. Congressman Biggs is a member of the House Judiciary and Science, Space, and Technology committees, and is the chairman of the Environment Subcommittee. He lives with his wife, Cindy, in Gilbert.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://biggs.house.gov/media/press-releases/arizona-vfw-endorses-phoenix-va-congressional-oversight-act,"Arizona VFW Endorses the ""Phoenix VA Congressional Oversight Act""",2018-10-04,2018,2018-10,Republican,House,AZ,Andy Biggs,B001302,biggs.house.gov,,,legacy,"GILBERT, ARIZONA Today, the Veterans of Foreign Wars, Department of Arizona, announced their endorsement for H.R. 7013 the Phoenix VA Congressional Oversight Act.Jim Ellars, National Legislative Officer in Arizona, released the following letter of endorsement: The Honorable Andy Biggs Member of Congress 1626 Longworth House Office Building Washington, D.C. 20515 Congressman Biggs, The Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW), Department of Arizona, is very much engaged in developing more comprehensive and responsive systems and means within the Veterans Administration (VA) Health Care System to deal with the direct, real time health treatment, management, and processing for patients. These needs are vital processes between the provider and the patient that enable the best health care outcome. I believe that Congress's oversight role is tied directly to, and a critical component of, the provider's ability to make smart personal treatment decisions based on individual needs rather than predetermined checklist filters. A key provision of all three of those needs is for the patient to be able to access those entities that are directly responsible for accessing the system and who have the authority to make more personal responses to individual issues within the system. I believe that the Phoenix VA Congressional Oversight Act' is a good first step to making such a provision within the VA Health Care System a reality. Therefore, the VFW, Department of Arizona, is pleased to endorse the act. Sincerely, Jim Ellars, National Legislative Officer Veterans of Foreign Wars Department of Arizona ###",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://biggs.house.gov/media/press-releases/congressman-biggs-requests-investigations-mishandling-dr-fords-sensitive,Congressman Biggs Requests Investigations Into Mishandling of Dr. Ford's Sensitive Correspondence,2018-10-03,2018,2018-10,Republican,House,AZ,Andy Biggs,B001302,biggs.house.gov,,,legacy,"GILBERT, ARIZONA Today, Congressman Andy Biggs sent letters to the House and Senate Committees on Ethics, requesting an immediate investigation into the mishandling of Dr. Christine Blasey Ford's sensitive correspondence. Congressman Biggs was joined by Representatives Steve King, Jeff Duncan, Bob Gibbs, Ralph Norman, Rod Blum, and Louie Gohmert. Read the text of the House and Senate letters below: HOUSE: October 2, 2018 The Honorable Susan W. Brooks The Honorable Ted Deutch Chairwoman Ranking Member House Committee on Ethics House Committee on Ethics 1015 Longworth HOB 1015 Longworth HOB Washington, D.C. 20515 Washington, D.C. 20515 Dear Chairwoman Brooks and Ranking Member Deutch: We are writing to respectfully request an immediate investigation into Representative Anna Eshoo and her staff for the mishandling of Dr. Christine Blasey Ford's July 30th letter. This sensitive document was leaked to the media without Dr. Ford's consent while it was hidden from the majority staff of the Senate Judiciary Committee. These acts demand an immediate and thorough investigation to find who is responsible. Dr. Ford testified that she delivered a letter to Rep. Eshoo who forwarded it to Senator Feinstein on July 30, 2018 detailing allegations against Judge Brett Kavanaugh. In that letter, Dr. Ford asked that her identity remain confidential. The next day, Senator Feinstein confirmed that she would not share Dr. Ford's letter without her explicit consent. On September 12, 2018, The Intercept reported on the existence of the letter a fact that was known only to Dr. Ford, Representative Eshoo, and Senator Feinstein. On September 13, 2018, Senator Feinstein referred the letter to the FBI. Senator Feinstein claims that she failed to disclose the contents of Dr. Ford's letter to Chairman Grassley because Dr. Ford asked for it to remain private. But Dr. Ford testified that she never consented to any of these disclosures. Leaking Dr. Ford's letter was a cynically political act that is damaging to the credibility of the United States Congress. Deliberately outing Dr. Ford without her consent may have a lasting impact on women's willingness to report future assaults. Democratic members of Congress and their staffs placed political expediency above the wishes of Dr. Ford. For these reasons, we are calling for an immediate ethics investigation to identify the individuals who are responsible for this breach and take appropriate action. For the integrity of our institution and the trust of future survivors of sexual assault, we urge that you give this matter your immediate attention. Sincerely, SENATE: October 2, 2018 The Honorable Johnny Isakson The Honorable Christopher A. Coons Chairman Vice Chairman U.S. Senate Select Committee on EthicsU.S. Senate Select Committee on Ethics 220 Hart Building 220 Hart Building Washington, D.C. 20510 Washington, D.C. 20510 Dear Chairman Isakson and Vice Chairman Coons: We are writing to respectfully request an immediate investigation into Senator Dianne Feinstein and her staff for the mishandling of Dr. Christine Blasey Ford's July 30th letter. This sensitive document was leaked to the media without Dr. Ford's consent while it was hidden from the majority staff of the Senate Judiciary Committee. These acts demand an immediate and thorough investigation to find who is responsible. Dr. Ford testified that she delivered a letter to Rep. Eshoo who forwarded it to Senator Feinstein on July 30, 2018 detailing allegations against Judge Brett Kavanaugh. In that letter, Dr. Ford asked that her identity remain confidential. The next day, Senator Feinstein confirmed that she would not share Dr. Ford's letter without her explicit consent. On September 12, 2018, The Intercept reported on the existence of the letter a fact that was known only to Dr. Ford, Representative Eshoo, and Senator Feinstein. On September 13, 2018, Senator Feinstein referred the letter to the FBI. Senator Feinstein claims that she failed to disclose the contents of Dr. Ford's letter to Chairman Grassley because Dr. Ford asked for it to remain private. But Dr. Ford testified that she never consented to any of these disclosures. Leaking Dr. Ford's letter was a cynically political act that is damaging to the credibility of the United States Congress. Deliberately outing Dr. Ford without her consent may have a lasting impact on women's willingness to report future assaults. Democratic members of Congress and their staffs placed political expediency above the wishes of Dr. Ford. For these reasons, we are calling for an immediate ethics investigation to identify the individuals who are responsible for this breach and take appropriate action. For the integrity of our institution and the trust of future survivors of sexual assault, we urge that you give this matter your immediate attention. Sincerely,",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://mcsally.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/mcsally-leads-small-business-solution,McSally Leads on Small Business Solution,2018-10-03,2018,2018-10,Republican,House,AZ,Martha McSally,M001197,mcsally.house.gov,,,legacy,"TUCSON Yesterday, U.S. Representative Martha McSally led a letter to Paul Ryan, the Speaker of the House, and Kevin Brady, Chairman of the Ways and Means Committee, urging them to bring legislation to the House floor to fix the retail glitch ensuring that restaurants and retailers can take full advantage of the expensing provisions within the Tax Cut and Jobs Act (TCJA). Due to a technical drafting error, businesses that make qualified improvement property (QIP) investments in the interior of their facilities cannot write off the cost of the improvements in the year they are made, but instead revert to a 39 year cost recovery period. The TCJA clearly intended to improve the cost recovery treatment for QIP investments as it does other types of investment, but the technical error made their treatment worse than they were prior to TCJA's passage. Restaurants and retailers are some of the most visible and valued businesses in our communities and it is essential that we correct this technical error and extend to them the same treatment as other types of investment, said Congresswoman McSally. While they wait for Congress to correct this error, these businesses are delaying or forgoing renovations, halting plans to revitalize declining malls, and placing safety improvements on hold. Not only does this hurt restaurants and retailers, but it hurts the businesses involved in the planning renovations, and ultimately our communities. We must act swiftly to correct this glitch. Click HERE to read Representative McSally's full letter.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://biggs.house.gov/media/press-releases/congressman-biggs-introduces-phoenix-va-congressional-oversight-act,"Congressman Biggs Introduces the ""Phoenix VA Congressional Oversight Act""",2018-10-02,2018,2018-10,Republican,House,AZ,Andy Biggs,B001302,biggs.house.gov,,,legacy,"GILBERT, ARIZONA Today, Congressman Andy Biggs introduced thePhoenix VA Congressional Oversight Act,which authorizes a pilot program to improve constituent services in Arizona. He released the following statement: The Phoenix VA Health Care System (PVAHCS) is still one of the most-poorly run VA facilities in the country.A recent report from the VA indicates that the PVAHCS remains a high-risk center, while many other health care systems around the nation show improvement.Despite Congressional actions to bring accountability to the VA, my constituents still encounter the same bureaucratic challenges they faced throughout the previous administration, including the struggles to receive proper medical treatment and obtain timely doctor appointments. The Phoenix VA Congressional Oversight Act' addresses the challenges that are impeding progress at the PVAHCS. My bill establishes a dedicated, full-time congressional relations team within the PVAHCS, allows Members of Congress to provide veterans services inside the PVAHCS, and requires a report from the VA Secretary on the findings of the pilot program, including whetherthe program should be expanded to other regions in the country. This bill helps expedite veterans' casework, reduce bureaucratic mismanagement, and enhance oversight and accountability. Thisis a small, but necessary, step in our efforts to help our veterans receive the care that they deserve. ### Congressman Andy Biggs is a first-term Representative from Arizona's Fifth Congressional District, representing parts of Chandler, Gilbert, Mesa, and Queen Creek. Congressman Biggs is a member of the House Judiciary and Science, Space, and Technology committees, and is the chairman of the Environment Subcommittee. He lives with his wife, Cindy, in Gilbert.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://schweikert.house.gov/2018/10/02/congressman-david-schweikert-introduces-two-blockchain-related-bills/,"Congressman David Schweikert Introduces two Blockchain related bills, H.Res 1108 and H.R. 7002",2018-10-02,2018,2018-10,Republican,House,AZ,David Schweikert,S001183,schweikert.house.gov,schweikert,https://schweikert.house.gov/category/congress_press_release/,scraper,"Washington, D.C. – Today, Congressman David Schweikert introduced H.Res. 1108 and H.R. 7002 to increase Congress’s support and knowledge for implementing blockchain technology. H.Res. 1108 seeks to increase research and show Congress’s support for an “innovation friendly” regulatory approach of blockchain technology. We hope that this resolution will increase the support and growth of the technology’s implementation in the public and private sector to improve overall privacy, transparency, and efficiency. H.R. 7002 will amend the E-SIGN Act to confirm the applicability of blockchain to electronic records, electronic signatures, and smart contracts. We believe that this bill will provide clarity to the application of existing law during a time when several states have already enacted conflicting legislation regarding the validity of electronic signatures, records, and smart contracts using blockchain. This clarification will enable the technology to grow and reach its potential. Both H.Res. 1108 and H.R. 7002 include the NIST standard for the definition for blockchain. We look forward to increasing awareness about the potential and validity of blockchain technology. Back to News",1,2026-03-30T01:40:41Z,2026-06-27T23:08:35Z https://schweikert.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/congressman-david-schweikert-introduces-two-blockchain-related-bills,"Congressman David Schweikert Introduces two Blockchain related bills, H.Res 1108 and H.R. 7002",2018-10-02,2018,2018-10,Republican,House,AZ,David Schweikert,S001183,schweikert.house.gov,,,legacy,"Washington, D.C. Today, Congressman David Schweikert introduced H.Res. 1108 and H.R. 7002 to increase Congress's support and knowledge for implementing blockchain technology. H.Res. 1108 seeks to increase research and show Congress's support for an innovation friendly regulatory approach of blockchain technology. We hope that this resolution will increase the support and growth of the technology's implementation in the public and private sector to improve overall privacy, transparency, and efficiency. H.R. 7002 will amend the E-SIGN Act to confirm the applicability of blockchain to electronic records, electronic signatures, and smart contracts. We believe that this bill will provide clarity to the application of existing law during a time when several states have already enacted conflicting legislation regarding the validity of electronic signatures, records, and smart contracts using blockchain. This clarification will enable the technology to grow and reach its potential. Both H.Res. 1108 and H.R. 7002 include the NIST standard for the definition for blockchain. We look forward to increasing awareness about the potential and validity of blockchain technology.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://www.flake.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases?ContentRecord_id=57EBCAA1-FB6D-41D8-865A-C332F4AF5200,"Flake, Kyl Statement on US-Mexico-Canada Trade Agreement",2018-10-02,2018,2018-10,Republican,House,AZ,Jeff Flake,F000444,www.flake.senate.gov,,,legacy,"WASHINGTON U.S. Sens. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) and Jon Kyl (R-Ariz.) released the following statement regarding the announcement of a new trade agreement between the United States, Canada, and Mexico: We applaud the announcement of a new NAFTA, now named the US-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA). Free trade with Mexico and Canada is crucial to Arizona's economy, resulting in $19 billion in bilateral trade last year alone. USMCA will allow Arizona businesses, especially within the vitally important agriculture industry, the freedom they need to continue trade with partners in Mexico and Canada. Additionally, new requirements outlined in the agreement will benefit the automotive industry in Sonora, which produces 1,488 vehicles daily and supports more than 50,000 employees. We support any free trade agreement that leads to increased exports, job creation, higher wages, and lower costs of goods and services. ###",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://www.flake.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases?ContentRecord_id=6DE2A16B-A17B-4FF4-9075-1171B3F1A3C1,VIDEO: Flake Condemns Political Tribalism in Address at New Hampshire Institute of Politics,2018-10-02,2018,2018-10,Republican,House,AZ,Jeff Flake,F000444,www.flake.senate.gov,,,legacy,"WASHINGTON U.S. Sen. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) last night delivered a speech at Saint Anselm College's New Hampshire Institute of Politics. His remarks, titled After the Deluge: A Rejection of Destructive Politics and a Return to Principle,' addressed the necessity of overcoming tribalism and changing the current political culture: Well, by the ways that we measure political success in this sordid era, and by the conventions of how party loyalists are supposed to behave, I hope to continue to fail my tribe. And I would encourage us all across the ideological spectrum - to take that same risk. Step out of your tribe. Do something hard and start a dialogue that you might never have thought of starting before, and that our current tribal rules do not allow. From personal experience, I can attest to the fact that it is never too late to leave the tribe. My message here today is that tribalism is ruining us. It is tearing our country apart. It is no way for sane adults to act. And most importantly - ultimately, the only tribe to which any of us owes allegiance is the American tribe. Video of Flake's full remarks can be viewed here. A transcript of Flake's prepared remarks can be found below. After the Deluge: A Rejection of Destructive Politics and a Return to Principle Dr. DiSalvo, Executive Director Levesque, thanks so much for having me here at the Institute of Politics. And thank you all for being here. It's wonderful to be in New Hampshire again. I've always heard that St. Anselm is a safe spacepopulated by calm, reasonable peopleand I am counting on this today you have no idea. I only regret that not much of interest is happening for us to talk about But seriously, and to be clear, when I titled this speech After the Deluge I meant that metaphorically. I hadn't counted on an actual deluge. So, teachable moment: be careful what you title things. Because that makes them happen. Use your words responsibly. When I first started thinking about this speech and how to frame it, I had thought about calling it What happened to Ronald Reagan's Party. President Reagan's party was once brimming with ideas, and full of purpose and principle. It was coherent, and inspiring, and idealistic. So much so that it awakened the imagination of a kid from Snowflake, Arizona, and a whole generation of other kids just like him. Made us think big thoughts, and of our place in the world, and of what it meant to be an American in America, the shining city on a hill. Reagan's vision of America as the indispensable nation was benevolent and big-hearted, a beacon to the striver and to the oppressed and those locked behind an ideological wall that divided the world into free and oppressed. It was morning in Reagan's America. It wasn't perfect, but it was always getting better. It wasn't endless bounty, but by grace and grit there was enough for everybody. We were the sum of our goodness, not our gripes of our resolve, not our resentments. And in Reagan's America, we knew where the buck stopped. Now, you can't find that poor buck. It's wandering out there, searching for someone, anyone, to claim responsibility. And President Reagan even during his most intense partisan battles - both comported himself with dignity and accorded his opponents the respect he felt for them the dignity he felt they deserved. You know, just like we see in Washington today Let us return to the present deluge of our own creation. Because the only way we will get through this period is by being honest about it, and by resisting the cheap impulse to find a stalking horse for the damage we ourselves are inflicting. What is it the kids say? When you point a finger at someone there are three more pointing back at you? Even the wisdom of the playground has escaped us in the nation's capital. Governing is hard. Democracy is hard. Decency shouldn't be that hard, but apparently it is. You know what's easy? Being callous. Being a demagogue. The politics of vengeance that's easy. Dehumanization requires very little talent. By raging at each other with our minds vacant of reason and reeling with ill-will and conspiracy theories, we Republicans have given in to the horrible tribal impulse to first mistake our opponents for our enemiesand then we have become seized with the conviction that we must destroy that enemy seemingly oblivious to the fact that not only are we not enemies, we are each vital organs in the same body. It's as if in order to save itself, your brain decided to destroy your heart. That's about the level of care we are currently bringing to the proceedings. That's about how smart we seem to be right now. We are harming ourselves, seemingly without regard to who else we take out with us, or what institutions we plunder. There is a sickness in our system, and we have infected the whole country with it. And that was just last week. Ah, last weekOn the day before the Senate Judiciary Committee was to meet to hear the extraordinary testimony of Christine Ford and Brett Kavanaugh, on the senate floor, I gave a speech exhorting my colleagues to listen with open minds to the testimony that we were about to hear. And to resist the impulse to strip Dr. Ford and Judge Kavanaugh of their humanity and turn them into mere props for our politics. It surely is a symptom of our disease that such a modest plea was met with rage from all sides. It was an interesting experiment, actually. Like dipping a toe into a pool of piranhas. And just as piranhas are unthinking killing machines, so, too, can ideologues be unthinking and dangerous. The left was enraged because I had failed to behave exactly as they would have me behave, and prejudge the testimony against Brett Kavanaugh. And the right was enraged because I had similarly failed to prejudge the testimony against Christine Ford. I had failed my tribe. I have been failing my tribe for some time now. Well, by the ways that we measure political success in this sordid era, and by the conventions of how party loyalists are supposed to behave, I hope to continue to fail my tribe. And I would encourage us all across the ideological spectrum - to take that same risk. Step out of your tribe. Do something hard and start a dialogue that you might never have thought of starting before, and that our current tribal rules do not allow. From personal experience, I can attest to the fact that it is never too late to leave the tribe. To self-styled smashmouth tough guy politicians, bipartisanship has become sort of a mushy word. It isn't viscerally satisfying to people who always have to get their way the way two-year-olds must get their way. No offense to two-year-olds, but they have no business in elected office. Anyone who studies history knows that when we have been at our best as a country, when we have been at our most prosperous and most principled, we have done the hard work that our constitutional system was designed to do, and we have compromised. Throughout our history, consequential moments have gone in search of statesmen and -women, and to our great good fortune, those moments have almost always found them. Our country is itself a compromise, and our system of representative democracy would not exist but for one of the grandest compromises in human history. But, stop the presses: we are not always at our best. And anyone who studies history also knows that that ours is a country that has literally come apart at the seams once before due to its tribalism our country was once almost dissolved over its differences. There are some days in Washington when it feels as if we are lurching toward dissolution once again. And yet, in our short life span, the United States has become the most successful and principled and generous civilization ever known. And America became unique in the history of nations not in spite of our differences, but because of our differences. The accommodation of difference is, of course, what a democracy is and does. But that is a lesson that we forget and relearn on a more or less constant basis, as we divide ourselves into shirts and skins and relish in the perverse satisfactions of destructive partisan tribalism. My message here today is that tribalism is ruining us. It is tearing our country apart. It is no way for sane adults to act. And most importantly - ultimately, the only tribe to which any of us owes allegiance is the American tribe. The only way that we will chart a course out of our present disaster is by resolutely failing the tribes that we have fallen into, the tribes that have separated us as Americans and turned us against each other. By rejecting that binary model of democracy, and doing things differently than we have done them in the pastBy partnering with our opponents, appreciating the goodness in them and in their argumentsBy choosing a different path than the path of bitter partisan advantage and the dopamine rush of scoring cheap political points. When I last had the privilege of speaking here, I framed my talk around the refrain that We will get through this, and when we do I went on to describe a future beyond this moment, beyond this presidency a future in which we repair the damage from this period, and strengthen our foundations so that our politics might never succumb to these base and tribal impulses again. But before we can get there, we must navigate our way out of here. And in order to see the future we must understand the past and how it led us here. Our current crisis has many fathers. But my generation has done its fair share to refine this brand of poisonous politics. In my time in Congress, I have seen the deterioration up close. In January 2011, a few days after Democratic Congresswoman Gabby Giffords was shot and gravely wounded while greeting constituents at a Tucson supermarket, we in the Arizona congressional delegation left an empty seat for her at that year's State of the Union address. That year, the delegation made it a point to sit together in solidarity rather than divide along party lines as the rest of the chamber typically does during the speech. One year later, when Gabbywho was working very hard on rehabilitating from her grievous injuryreturned to Congress, I sat next to her during the State of the Union. During President Obama's applause lines, Gabby wanted to stand up but was unable to do so on her own, so I helped her. That often left me standing, a lone Republican among cheering Democrats. During and after the president's address, I received furious text messages and emails from partisans who wanted to know why I agreed with President Obama. While I like and respect President Obama very much, I did not agree with him on much during that speech, but Gabby Giffords was my friend, and it was my honor to help her stand that evening. It was a gesture of affection for a cherished and brave colleague. I hadn't given it any more thought. It certainly didn't occur to me that I should worry what Republicans might think, because life is too short to worry about such things. In that moment, Congresswoman Giffords and I were not members of different political partieswe were friends, fellow Arizonans, fellow Americans, fellow human beings. And yet, all some people could see was that I was somehow consorting with the enemy. Much the same thing happened in the late summer of 2016, on the day that my Democratic colleague from Virginia, Senator Tim Kaine, was added to the Democratic ticket as the vice-presidential nominee. Tim and I entered the Senate together, and we obviously have disagreed on many things, but I know him to be exceptionally smart, hardworking, and patriotic. By way of congratulating Tim on being named to the Democratic ticket, I tweeted a playful jab: Trying to count the ways I hate Tim Kaine. Drawing a blank. Congrats to a good man and a good friend. Once again: remarkable, unhinged fury from the ideologues. At a political gathering not long afterward, I received a scolding from a die-hard Republican who felt that I was aiding and abetting the enemy: If you can't say anything bad, don't say anything at. . . . He caught himself before fully reversing the advice I'm sure his mother once gave him. Such is the conditioned response of a shattered politics. Six years after Congresswoman Giffords was shot, I found myself in an eerily familiar settinga hospital waiting room, listening as doctors described the critical condition of another colleague, Congressman Steve Scalise, who was fighting for his life after receiving a large-caliber gunshot wound to the hip. Four other victims were being treated for gunshot wounds on different floors and at different hospitals. It was an early morning in June 2017, and this one hit even closer to home. We had all been practicing for one of the rare moments of civility in Washingtonthe Congressional baseball gamewhen a crazed gunman opened fire. Arriving back at the Capitol later that morning in a daze, I navigated my way across marble floors in steel baseball cleats to the Senate gym because my gear was still in the dugout, which was by then a crime scene. As I changed out of my uniform, the red stains on my pants leg and a blood-soaked batting glove, used to apply pressure to injuries, reminded me how fortunate I had been. To discover later that the motive had been political was shocking. The gunman looked out on a ball field and saw something other than a dozen or so middle-aged members of Congress taking batting practice. He saw the enemy. It seems elementary to have to form this thought, much less speak these words, but here we are: I am a proud conservative and a lifelong Republican. That does not make the Democrats my enemies. America has too many real enemies to indulge such nonsense. We will serve our constituents when our tribal impulses take over and we cease to have human responses to each other. When we have governed best, we have sought comity and consensus. We fight and argue vehemently for our positions and our principles, but with the understanding that policies that endure always bear the imprint of both sides. That is when America is at her best. If it sounds as if I am calling for a new politics, that's because I am. Because we simply cannot go on this way. There's a fella down in Texas, very funny guy, very liberal, from back a generation or so ago before Texas banned Democrats. His name is Jim Hightower. Hightower had a stock saying that went: The only thing in the middle of the road is yellow stripes and dead armadillos. Like I said he's funny. But with all due respect to Mr. Hightower and those poor armadillos, I want to make clear that what I am talking about here today is not the abandonment of conviction in deference to some kind of soft middle-of-the-roadism. I'm not talking about surrendering belief, or putting a finger to the wind to figure out what your deeply-held convictions will be for today, subject to change tomorrow. I am a conservative Republican. That is borne out by any objective measure or grading system that exists. And my friend Chris Coons, the senator from Delaware, is a liberal Democrat. Incidentally, when I say that Senator Coons is my friend, I don't mean it in that syrupy Washington way whereby people call each other My dear friend while gouging each other's eyes out. Chris is my dear friend, and I am very grateful to know him. We are friends because we have worked together, and we have worked together because the constitutional framework that created our government ingeniously makes governing hard and compromise inevitable if we're doing it right. It makes me have to consider what is best for the people of Delaware just as it makes Chris responsive to what is best for the people of Arizona. It is when we try to avoid compromise, and take partisan advantage, and do things just because we have the numbers especially when we are as terribly and closely divided as we are now that we begin to do serious harm to the country. I don't want to get into it much here, but the compromise that Chris and I struck on Friday is one that I take seriously, and we did it because fairness required us to do it. And we did it because in that moment, our impulse to tribalism was tearing the country apart. In order for the results we arrive at to make sense to the country, we all have to have a process that we can have faith in. I, for one, am waiting for the additional information that will come with the supplemental FBI investigation to inform my decision on Judge Kavanaugh's nomination. For the past year, I have been speaking out about the condition of our democracy, because my conscience has required me to do so. Our institutions have been under assault, the independence of our justice system has been threatened, our doctrine of separation of powers has been tested like seldom before, and the stability of the world has become an open question as the administration upends the postwar world order that we created and that has kept the world safe for 70 years. I didn't go to Washington expecting to have to defend the basic institutions of American liberty. I didn't expect to find myself inveighing against the president of the United States, especially a president from my own party. I went to Washington to reduce the size and reach of Washington's sometimes suffocating effect on the American economy. To reduce taxes and regulations, and unleash the full potential and great societal benefit of American capitalism. I went to Washington to work on expanding America's markets through vigorous and free trade, and to see to it that we had a robust, secure and welcoming immigration policy. I went to Washington to challenge my ideological opposites, to learn from them, to make friends, and to compromise for the common good. Because none of our problems can be solved by just one party, by just one tribe. That kind of thinking is the recipe for our current disaster. It has unleashed all of our worst impulses and brought us to the brink. And until we solve the problem of our politics, and stop warring on each other, and imperiling our democracy, the issues I went to Washington to work on will be impossible to address. We have got to make it so that indulgence in tribalism at the expense of what's good for the country will be punished at the ballot box. We must change our political culture. So that when you come to destroy and not to build, you will pay a political price. And we've got to reward compromise again, because compromise is the rock on which we were founded. Want to make America great as an elected official? Be humble, conduct yourself in good faith, and when necessary, compromise to find solutions. If the past week has taught me anything, it is that the country is hungry for us to work together again, on their behalf. Just a few hours ago, I was interviewed in Boston before a crowd of a few thousand people at the Forbes 30 under 30 event. The moderator joked that sometimes it looks like I'm a man without a country. Truth is, sometimes I feel like I'm a man, temporarily, without a party. But I've got a country, thank goodness. The same wonderful country I've always had. It's the same country that makes me think, whenever I travel overseas and come back again, of the poem by the 19th-century poet, Henry Van Dyke. Tis fine to see the old world, and travel up and down Among the shining places and cities of renown To admire the crumbling castles and the statues of the kings But now I think I've had enough of antiquated things So it's home again and home again, America for me I want a ship that's westward bound to plow the rolling sea To the blessed land of room enough beyond the ocean bars Where the air is full of sunlight and the flag is full of stars May we always remember that in this blessed land of room enough, there is room enough for all of us, regardless of our political party. Thank you so much, St. Anselm. I am very grateful for your invitation. ###",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://mcsally.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/statement-representative-mcsally-new-united-states-mexico-canada,Statement from Representative McSally on New United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement,2018-10-01,2018,2018-10,Republican,House,AZ,Martha McSally,M001197,mcsally.house.gov,,,legacy,"TUCSON Today, President Trump announced the United States has reached a new trade agreement with Canada and Mexico.Congresswoman McSally released the following statement about the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA). ""The news today is a major win for American workers and the people of Arizona. Nearly fifty percent of all Arizona exports are destined for Mexico or Canada.The Trump Administration has worked hard to negotiate a trilateral agreement that modernizes NAFTA and prioritizes our workers, farmers, and ranchers. We will all benefit from an updated agreement and I will continue to advocate on behalf of Arizonans as Congress considers the details and works to implement this deal.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://biggs.house.gov/media/press-releases/congressman-biggs-votes-pass-tax-reform-20,Congressman Biggs Votes to Pass Tax Reform 2.0,2018-09-28,2018,2018-09,Republican,House,AZ,Andy Biggs,B001302,biggs.house.gov,,,legacy,"WASHINGTON, D.C. This week, the House of Representatives passed the three bills comprising Tax Reform 2.0. These bills were H.R. 6756, the American Innovation Act; H.R. 6757, the Family Savings Act; and H.R. 6760, the Protecting Family and Small Business Tax Cuts Act of 2018. Congressman Biggs supported these three bills and issued the following statement: Last winter, the Congress passed a historic tax cuts package to give American individuals, families, and businesses significant relief from their tax burdens. This action, along with rigorous efforts to trim onerous regulations, boosted the American economy for years to come. Due, in part, to the 2017 tax cuts package, government revenue is up, unemployment numbers are down, consumer confidence is up, wages for hard-working Americans are up, more jobs are being created, and GDP is soaring. Within days of passage and continuing for months hundreds of companies distributed billions of dollars in bonuses and pay raises for millions of workers. With this success, comes the responsibility to sustain these benefits for future generations of Americans. That's why I was pleased to vote for Tax Reform 2.0 to entrench our historic tax reform policiesand give Arizonans more economic certainty. I hope that the Senate will quickly consider these bills to send Tax Reform 2.0 to the President's desk for his signature. ### Congressman Andy Biggs is a first-term Representative from Arizona's Fifth Congressional District, representing parts of Chandler, Gilbert, Mesa, and Queen Creek. Congressman Biggs is a member of the House Judiciary and Science, Space, and Technology committees, and is the chairman of the Environment Subcommittee. He lives with his wife, Cindy, in Gilbert.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://gosar.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=3542,Locking in Tax Cuts,2018-09-28,2018,2018-09,Republican,House,AZ,Paul A. Gosar,G000565,gosar.house.gov,gosar,https://gosar.house.gov/news/documentquery.aspx,scraper,"WASHINGTON -- Today, U.S. Representative Paul A. Gosar, D.D.S (AZ-04) voted in favor of Tax Reform 2.0. This legislation is a package of three bills that permanently locks in place the historic reforms of the Tax Cuts & Jobs Act. Currently, many of the great provisions in the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act are temporary and will expire in 2025. The passage of today’s package will help lock in these provisions so that small businesses and families can continue to see the benefits from this historic tax reform. “I often say that trust is a series of promises kept,” said Congressman Gosar. “This week, the House kept its promise to the American people and locked in permanent tax cuts."" (Courtesy of Ways and Means) Background: On Friday, September 28, 2018, the House passed Tax Reform 2.0, which includes three bills, H.R. 6757 - American Innovation Act, H.R. 6756- Family Savings Act, and H.R. 6760- Protecting Family and Small Business Tax Cuts Act. H.R. 6760, the Protecting Family and Small Business Tax Cuts Act of 2018, sponsored by Rep. Rodney Davis (R-IL), and cosponsored by Rep. Mark Meadows (R-NC), Rep. Mark Walker (R-NC), House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Kevin Brady (R-TX), and all other Ways and Means Committee Republicans.",1,2026-03-30T01:40:41Z,2026-06-27T23:06:18Z https://mcsally.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/mcsally-secures-major-victories-10-and-arizona,McSally Secures Major Victories for the A-10 and Arizona,2018-09-28,2018,2018-09,Republican,House,AZ,Martha McSally,M001197,mcsally.house.gov,,,legacy,"Washington, D.C. President Donald Trump signed the Fiscal Year 2019 Defense Appropriations Bill into law today. This legislation will allocate $674.4 billion to rebuild our armed forces, restore military readiness, and support our warfighters. U.S. Representative Martha McSally's amendment to increase funding for the A-10 wing replacement program was also included in the final appropriations bill. This amendment increases the total amount of funding for new A-10 wings to $144 million, which will allow for the re-winging of roughly 14-20 planes. Earlier this month, Representative McSally sent a letter to the Defense Appropriations Conference Committee urging that they include her amendment to fund the A-10 wing replacement program at the full authorized amount. ""For the last ten years, partisan bickering in Washington has failed to prioritize funding our military on schedule. Our troops pay the price, not knowing when their funding for critical equipment, bases, and future warfighting capabilities would be passed, said Congresswoman McSally. ""Since coming to Congress as one of the few veterans here, I have tirelessly advocated against continuing resolutions (CRs), especially for defense, by providing a first-hand voice of how detrimental CRs are to our military. Today, we can let our troops know that we support them and have their backs. This funding will continue the positive trend of rebuilding our military and restoring readiness, which will ultimately translate to maintaining our strategic edge, deterring our enemies, and saving American lives. This defense bill allocates: $163 million in funding for the A-10 fleet, including $144 million for new wings $65 million above the Air Force request thanks to an amendment Congresswoman McSally included in the bill and shepherded through the conference process. $224 million for Compass Call cross deck initiativemore than double the amount requested, which will allow for acceleration of modernization for this vital information warfare and electronic attack operations platform. $243.2B for training, maintenance, and base operations to ensure our troops are prepared for their missions, like the critical missions at Arizona bases, including F-35 pilot training at Luke Air Force base; A-10 pilot training at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base; military intelligence training and electronic testing at Ft. Huachuca; munitions testing in Yuma; and many others. The bill also funds programs that support Arizona's premier defense industry: $9.3 billion for 93 F-35 aircraft, which supports 27 suppliers and more than 6,000 jobs in Arizona. $1.1B for 66 AH-64 Apache helicopters, which are made in Mesa, Arizona. Funds critical munitions, including the Advanced Medium Range Air-to-Air Missile (AMRAAM), SM-3, and SM-6 missiles, which are manufactured in Tucson. Supports the Global Hawk program, which is maintained in Sierra Vista. Includes $163 million for MQ-1C Grey Eagle, which is supported by Arizona suppliers. Adds $6 million for strategic radiation-hardened microelectronic processors to help guard against threats to our satellite constellations which fuel U.S. communications and global positioning satellites and are used in weapons systems that are Arizona-made. Provides $16 billion for basic, applied, and advanced researchan increase of $771 million-- that will benefit Arizona's world-class research enterprises.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://www.flake.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases?ContentRecord_id=D00A6D7D-91F1-483C-90A4-7E75B604B3DF,Flake Statement on SCOTUS Nomination,2018-09-28,2018,2018-09,Republican,House,AZ,Jeff Flake,F000444,www.flake.senate.gov,,,legacy,"WASHINGTON U.S. Sen. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) today released the following statement: After hearing more than 30 hours of testimony from Judge Kavanaugh earlier this month, I was prepared to support his nomination based on his view of the law and his record as a judge. In fact, I commented at the time that had he been nominated in another era, he would have likely received 90+ votes. When Dr. Ford's allegations against Judge Kavanaugh surfaced two weeks ago, I insisted that she be allowed to testify before the committee moved to a vote. Yesterday, we heard compelling testimony from Dr. Ford, as well as a persuasive response from Judge Kavanaugh. I wish that I could express the confidence that some of my colleagues have conveyed about what either did or did not happen in the early 1980s, but I left the hearing yesterday with as much doubt as certainty. What I do know is that our system of justice affords a presumption of innocence to the accused, absent corroborating evidence. That is what binds us to the rule of law. While some may argue that a different standard should apply regarding the Senate's advice and consent responsibilities, I believe that the constitution's provisions of fairness and due process apply here as well. I will vote to confirm Judge Kavanaugh. ###",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://biggs.house.gov/media/press-releases/congressman-biggs-statement-senate-judiciarys-hearing,Congressman Biggs' Statement on Senate Judiciary's Hearing,2018-09-27,2018,2018-09,Republican,House,AZ,Andy Biggs,B001302,biggs.house.gov,,,legacy,"WASHINGTON, D.C. Today, the Senate Judiciary Committee heard testimony from Judge Brett Kavanaugh and Dr. Christine Blasey Ford. Congressman Biggs issued the following statement: Judge Kavanaugh presented an emotional and passionate defense of his integrity to the nation today. I applaud him for his perseverance throughout this disgraceful process. No person should endure the character assassination that has befallen Judge Kavanaugh. My heart goes out to him, his family, and his friends. Now that both sides have had a chance to share their testimony in public, I hope the Senate moves expeditiously to confirm Judge Kavanaugh. He has the integrity and qualifications to serve on the U.S. Supreme Court, and I have perfect confidence in him moving forward. ### Congressman Andy Biggs is a first-term Representative from Arizona's Fifth Congressional District, representing parts of Chandler, Gilbert, Mesa, and Queen Creek. Congressman Biggs is a member of the House Judiciary and Science, Space, and Technology committees, and is the chairman of the Environment Subcommittee. He lives with his wife, Cindy, in Gilbert.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://biggs.house.gov/media/press-releases/congressman-biggs-statement-list-act-2018,"Congressman Biggs' Statement for the ""List Act of 2018""",2018-09-26,2018,2018-09,Republican,House,AZ,Andy Biggs,B001302,biggs.house.gov,,,legacy,"WASHINGTON, D.C. Today, the House Natural Resources Committee held a legislative hearing on the Western Caucus'sEndangered Species Act of 1973(ESA) Modernization Package.The package consists of nine bills, including H.R. 6356 theLIST Act of 2018,introduced by Congressman Andy Biggs.Congressman Biggs submitted the following statement for the record: I thank Chairman Rob Bishop and Ranking Member Raul Grijalva for holding this important legislative hearing. I am honored to join Western Caucus Chairman Paul Gosar and colleagues in introducing the Western Caucus ESA Modernization package. This package includes my bill, the LIST Act of 2018, which makes a number of improvements to bring the ESA into the 21stcentury. The LIST Act authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to de-list species from the endangered species list when he receives an objective, measurable, and scientific study demonstrating a species has recovered; and penalizes those who intentionally submit false or fraudulent data in order to cause a species listing. The Act does not eliminate protections for truly endangered species. Rather, these actions will allow the federal government to focus resources towards protecting species that actually need it. The ESA is one of the most intrusive federal policies on western states.Over the last four decades, ESA regulations, including the listing of endangered species, have done more to infringe on private property and states' rights than they have to recover endangered species. TheESA was created to protect threatened species and their habitats; however, biased science and de-listing regulations are often used to harm western priorities instead of protecting endangered species. Hundreds of species are listed as endangered under the ESA, including the infamous Gray Wolf. Scientific data shows that this species has fully recovered and no longer needs federal protection, but inexplicably remains on the list. This listing allows unelected federal bureaucrats, in the name of protecting the Gray Wolf, to limit the use of public lands. It also prevents farmers and ranchers from protecting their land and livestock from these predators. ESA listings are meant to give short-term support for species recovery; it is not supposed to turn into a permanent classification. Current regulations make it much easier for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) to list new species as endangered instead of examining the current list for potential removal. Over the last 45 years, less than two percent of the total species listed have eventually been delisted 42 distinct species out of 2386 to be exact. Unfortunately, several of the bureaucratic processes for de-listing recovered species have broken down or failed entirely. Listing a species is not insignificant. These classifications impose costly requirements on private landowners and federal agencies, and limitations on private and public project proposals. Radical environmental groups exploit false or fraudulent data in order to cause a species to be listed as endangered. Oftentimes, newly-discovered or poorly-understood species are quickly listed and later turn out to be ecologically abundant. This leads to unnecessary costs and burdens for everyone impacted by the listing. The Arizona Farm Bureau, which is headquartered in my district, warns that as the law is written today, the Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) is forced to rely on existing data however faulty it might be, and petitioners know this and use the lack of scientific evidence to force listings. ESA regulations not only harm westerners, but Americans across the country. Mr. Chairman, we have an opportunity to make a significant change by cutting job-killing regulations and passing legislation to fix their unintended consequences.The Western Caucus ESA modernization package is long overdue and will help millions of Americans around the country by protecting local interests not special interests. ### Congressman Andy Biggs is a first-term Representative from Arizona's Fifth Congressional District, representing parts of Chandler, Gilbert, Mesa, and Queen Creek. Congressman Biggs is a member of the House Judiciary and Science, Space, and Technology committees, and is the chairman of the Environment Subcommittee. He lives with his wife, Cindy, in Gilbert.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://gosar.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=3537,Gosar Votes Against Government Funding Bill,2018-09-26,2018,2018-09,Republican,House,AZ,Paul A. Gosar,G000565,gosar.house.gov,gosar,https://gosar.house.gov/news/documentquery.aspx,scraper,"WASHINGTON, D.C. -- U.S. Representative Paul A. Gosar, D.D.S (AZ-04) released the following statement after voting against the Conference Report to Accompany H.R. 6157 - Department of Defense and Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Appropriations Act and Continuing Appropriations Act: “While providing funds for our nation’s defense is critical, today’s funding bill failed to deliver on the promises we made to the American people. We promised to decrease wasteful government spending, build a border wall and protect the unborn. Instead, leadership rolled over and gave into the demands of open border Democrats. In an effort to keep our promise, I joined a few of my conservative colleagues in offering amendments to fully fund the wall; however, leadership denied these efforts. Unfortunately, even with Republicans in control of the Senate and the House, leadership continues to fold to Democrat priorities and fails to deliver on our promises.”",1,2026-03-30T01:40:41Z,2026-06-27T23:06:18Z https://mcsally.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/mcsally-chairs-hearing-aid-victims-human-trafficking-and-target-child,McSally Chairs Hearing to Aid Victims of Human Trafficking and Target Child Predators,2018-09-26,2018,2018-09,Republican,House,AZ,Martha McSally,M001197,mcsally.house.gov,,,legacy,"Washington, D.C. Today, U.S. Representative Martha McSally, the Chairwoman of the Homeland Security Border and Maritime Security Subcommittee, held a hearing to assess federal efforts to combat human trafficking. Members of the subcommittee heard testimony from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Department of Justice about what steps they have taken to dismantle trafficking operations, small and large, and their work to partner with state, local, and tribal governments as well as law enforcement and the general public to raise awareness of this issue. The witnesses highlighted the importance of legislation recently signed by President Trump to authorize DHS' Blue Campaign and another bill that gives states and victims the power to sue websites like Backpage.com that support and facilitate human trafficking. I called this hearing today to shine a light on the heinous crime of human trafficking, and highlight the work being done by our federal agencies who partner with state, local, and tribal governments and law enforcement agencies to eradicate human trafficking from our streets, our local business, and our neighborhoods. 55 percent of active cases involved the sex trafficking of children. Predators use social media to identify and locate our children and then go on to use websites like Backpage.com to rent them to the highest bidder, said Congresswoman McSally. It's critical that we prosecute those who victimize our most vulnerable populations. We must also support efforts to raise awareness and educate those who work in law enforcement, at ports of entry, in health care, in child protective services, and elsewhere to identify trafficking. I am committed to fighting for survivors and ensuring they receive the care they need after they've been rescued. Click HERE or below to watch Congresswoman McSally's opening statement. Click HERE or below to watch Acting Assistant Attorney General John Gore discuss how the Allow States and Victims to Fight Online Sex Trafficking (FOSTA) Act creates liabilities for websites that facilitate sex trafficking or prostitution. Click HERE or below to watch Special Agent Steven Cagen discuss how about abolishing ICE would be detrimental to the Department of Homeland Security.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://www.flake.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases?ContentRecord_id=B29E68E2-50B2-4DC6-B1A5-BB1D8050D258,"VIDEO: Flake Condemns Politicized Senate Process, Urges Human Decency",2018-09-26,2018,2018-09,Republican,House,AZ,Jeff Flake,F000444,www.flake.senate.gov,,,legacy,"WASHINGTON U.S. Sen. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today took to the Senate floor to decry the political attacks against Dr. Christine Blasey Ford and Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh: And so these witnesses who will testify in a very important hearing tomorrow, these unwitting combatants in an undeclared war - these people are not props for us to make our political points These are human beings, with families and children people who love them and people whom they love and live for and each is suffering through the very ugly process that we have created. I do not believe that a claim of sexual assault is invalid because a 15-year-old girl didn't promptly report the assault to the authorities, as the President of the United States said just two days ago. How uninformed and uncaring do you have to be to say things like that, much less believe them? Do we have any idea what kind of message that sends, especially to young women? How many times do we have to marginalize and ignore women before we learn that important lesson? I say to all of my colleagues: For this process to be a process, we must have open minds. We must listen. We must do our best, seek the truth, in good faith. That is our only duty. Video of Flake's full remarks can be viewed here. A transcript of Flake's prepared remarks can be found below. *** Mr. President, I rise today to say a few words about the two human beings who will be providing extraordinarily important testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee tomorrow - Dr. Christine Blasey Ford and Judge Brett Kavanaugh, who will testify in that order. Two human beings. It feels a bit odd in this political setting to specify their humanity that way, doesn't it? And I admit it feels strange to have to do that. But we in this political culture and in this city and in this building and even in this chamber we seem to sometimes forget that before this woman and this man are anything else, they are human beings. We sometimes seem intent on stripping people of their humanity so that we might more easily disregard or defame them and put them through the grinder that our politics requires. We seem, sometimes, to even enjoy that. For the past two weeks we have certainly seen that happen to both of these human beings, for whatever reason because we think we are right and they are wrong, because we think that our ideological struggle is more important than their humanity, because we are so practiced at dehumanizing people that we have also dehumanized ourselves. Whatever else they are or have become to us, whatever grotesque caricature we have made of them or ourselves, before we are Democrats or Republicans, before we are even Americans, we are human beings. As President Kennedy said, We all breathe the same air. We all cherish our children's future. And we are all mortal. And so these witnesses who will testify in a very important hearing tomorrow, these unwitting combatants in an undeclared war - these people are not props for us to make our political points, nor are they to be demolished like Anita Hill as was said on conservative media the other night. Nor is one them a proven sex criminal as has been circulating on the left side of the Internet. These are human beings, with families and children people who love them and people whom they love and live for and each is suffering through the very ugly process that we have created. I will not review the unseemly process that brought us to this point, because that is for another time, and in any case didn't start with this particular nomination. But here we are. There was an earlier case, twenty-seven years ago, from which you might have thought we would have learned something, but the past couple of weeks makes it clear that we really haven't learned much at all. Consequently, there have been cries from both sides of these proceedings that each of these witnesses has fallen victim to character assassination. Both of those claims are absolutely correct. And so I will say to these witnesses these human beings - we owe both of you a sincere apology. An apology is inadequate, of course, but it's a start. We can't very well undo the damage that has been done, but we can govern our own behavior as we go through this painful hearing tomorrow, and the days afterward. We must do that, lest we do even more damage. Some of the public comments about both of these witnesses have been vile. Not unrelated to those comments, each of these witnesses have reportedly been subject to death threats, and for that we should be ashamed. The toxic political culture that we have created has infected everything, and we have done little to stop it. In fact, we have only indulged it, and fanned the flames, taken partisan advantage at every turn, and deepened the ugly divisions that exist in our country. These past two years, we have tested the limits of how low we can go. And my colleagues, I say to you that winning at all costs is too high a cost. If we cannot have a human rather than a political response to these witnesses, if we are heedless to the capacity that we have to do real and lasting damage, then maybe we shouldn't be here. When Dr. Ford came forward, I felt strongly that her voice needed to be heard, and that is why I informed Chairman Grassley that the Judiciary Committee could not and should not proceed to vote until she had the opportunity to make her voice heard, until such time that her claims were fully aired and carefully considered, her credibility gauged. This is a lifetime appointment. This is said to be a deliberative body. In the interest of due diligence and fairness, it seemed to me to be the only thing to do. Not everybody felt that way. One man, somewhere in the country, called my office in Arizona and left a message saying that he was tired of me interrupting our president and that for the offense of allowing Dr. Ford to be heard, for this offense, me and my family would be taken out. I mention this with reluctance, but only to say that we have lit a match, my colleagues. The question is, do we appreciate how close the powder keg is? Tomorrow, we have a hearing. Many members of this body, from both parties, have already made up their minds, on the record, in advance of this hearing. They will presumably hear what they want to hear and disregard the rest. One is tempted to ask, why even bother to have a hearing? I do not know how I will assess the credibility of these witnesses these human beings on the grave matters that will be testified to, because I have not yet heard a word of their testimony, and because I am not psychic. I am not gifted with clairvoyance. Given these limitations, I will have to listen to the testimony before I make up my mind about the testimony. What I do know is that I don't believe that Dr. Ford is part of some kind of vast conspiracy from start to finish to smear Judge Kavanaugh, as has been alleged by some on the right. And what I do know is that I don't believe that Judge Kavanaugh is some kind of serial sexual predator, as has been alleged by some on the left. I must also say that separate and apart from this nomination and the facts that pertain to it, I do not believe that a claim of sexual assault is invalid because a 15-year-old girl didn't promptly report the assault to the authorities, as the President of the United States said just two days ago. How uninformed and uncaring do you have to be to say things like that, much less believe them? Do we have any idea what kind of message that sends, especially to young women? How many times do we have to marginalize and ignore women before we learn that important lesson? And now, if I might say a word or two about the human beings first, on the Judiciary Committee and then in the full senate who will have to weigh the testimony we will hear tomorrow, and come to a decision on this nomination. The Judiciary Committee is scheduled to vote on Judge Kavanaugh's nomination on Friday. I hope that tomorrow's hearing gives us some guidance on how we vote. But those of us on the Committee have to be prepared for the possibility, indeed the likelihood, that there will be no definitive answers to the very large questions before us. In legal terms, the outcome might not be dispositive. While we can only vote yes or no, I hope that we in this body will acknowledge that we don't have all the answers. We are imperfect, and we make imperfect decisions. This monumental decision will no doubt fit that description. Up or down, yes or no, however this vote goes, I am confident in saying that it will forever be steeped in doubt. This doubt is the only thing of which I am confident in this process. I say to all of my colleagues: For this process to be a process, we must have open minds. We must listen. We must do our best, seek the truth, in good faith. That is our only duty. Thank you, Mr. President. I yield the floor. ###",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://biggs.house.gov/media/press-releases/implementation-process-begins-ashlynne-mike-amber-alert-indian-country-act,"Implementation Process Begins for the ""Ashlynne Mike AMBER Alert in Indian Country Act""",2018-09-25,2018,2018-09,Republican,House,AZ,Andy Biggs,B001302,biggs.house.gov,,,legacy,"WASHINGTON, D.C. This morning, the U.S. Department of Justice, the state of Arizona, and representatives of every federally recognized tribe in the state began a workshop to facilitate the implementation of the Ashlynne Mike AMBER Alert in Indian Country Act, which was signed into law earlier this year. The workshop will be held on September 25-26, 2018, at the Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation's We Ko Pa Resort Conference Center. Congressman Biggs, the House sponsor of this law, released the following statement: I entered Congress to make a difference for Americans and to ensure that every individual man, woman, and child was protected under our laws.I was honored to lead the effort in the House to pass this bill hearing the story of Ashlynne Mike's abduction, murder, and the absence of the AMBER Alert program on tribal lands that could have saved her life.I truly believe that this law will save lives, and I am grateful for everyone who stepped up to make this a reality. I send my best wishes to our partners meeting today in Arizona, and pray for wisdom and efficiency for those implementing this program. ### Congressman Andy Biggs is a first-term Representative from Arizona's Fifth Congressional District, representing parts of Chandler, Gilbert, Mesa, and Queen Creek. Congressman Biggs is a member of the House Judiciary and Science, Space, and Technology committees, and is the chairman of the Environment Subcommittee. He lives with his wife, Cindy, in Gilbert.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://biggs.house.gov/media/press-releases/congressman-biggs-statement-latest-rosenstein-revelations,Congressman Biggs' Statement on Latest Rosenstein Revelations,2018-09-21,2018,2018-09,Republican,House,AZ,Andy Biggs,B001302,biggs.house.gov,,,legacy,"GILBERT, ARIZONA Media reports claim Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein secretly recorded President Trump during private conversations and that Rosenstein talked about invoking the 25th amendment to impeach our President.Former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe's attorney released a statement soon after, implying that his client's leaked memos may have sparked the news. Congressman Biggs released the following statement: Rod Rosenstein has resisted oversight efforts to expose corruption at the highest levels of the Department of Justice and FBI. Special Counsel Robert Mueller'sinvestigation has escaped any scrutiny under Rosenstein's management. If these latest reports are true, Mr. Rosenstein's clandestine activities are more sinister than we thought. Rod Rosenstein continues to deny his constitutional obligation to release documents requested by Congress, and recent reports suggest he's working to undermine our democratically elected President. If he does not cooperate, Congress must act immediately. The American people must have complete transparency, and Congress has a duty to protect the integrity of our institution. ### Congressman Andy Biggs is a first-term Representative from Arizona's Fifth Congressional District, representing parts of Chandler, Gilbert, Mesa, and Queen Creek. Congressman Biggs is a member of the House Judiciary and Science, Space, and Technology committees, and is the chairman of the Environment Subcommittee. He lives with his wife, Cindy, in Gilbert.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z