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U.S. Senators are taking whacks at the emerging "fiscal cliff" pinata. Arizona Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) is in line after Maryland Democrat Barbara Mikulski.
(click on picture to live stream)
(Click here, or on picture, for live streaming video)
McCain spoke for exactly 10 minutes before turning over the floor (supposedly for a colloquy) to his amigo Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC). He spent most of his time complaining about President Obama's statement this afternoon at the White House, saying that it was "cheerleading" and "denigrating Republicans." McCain said he wanted to see the President lead, and meet with Republicans seriously. He also believes that the President does not seem to understand that many House Republicans took a pledge to not raise taxes and could not vote against it.
McCain also compared this crisis to the last time the government shut down: Last time, "we pulled back from the brink... after we went over it."
Here is the Obama statement: We welcome your comments about this post. Or, if you have something unrelated on your mind, please e-mail to info-at-arizonaspolitics-dot-com or call 602-799-7025. Thanks.
To contact us Click HERE McCain spoke for exactly 10 minutes before turning over the (Senate) floor (supposedly for a colloquy) to his amigo Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC). He spent most of his time complaining about President Obama's statement this afternoon at the White House, saying that it was "cheerleading" and "denigrating Republicans." McCain said he wanted to see the President lead, and meet with Republicans seriously. He also believes that the President does not seem to understand that many House Republicans took a pledge to not raise taxes and could not vote against it.
McCain also compared this crisis to the last time the government shut down: Last time, "we pulled back from the brink... after we went over it."
Here is the Obama statement.
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Retiring Arizona Senator Jon Kyl has been on his share of the Sunday news shows over the years - not as many as his Arizona colleague, John McCain, but who could top him? Yesterday was Kyl's final appearance as a Senator, and he again sat next to New York Democrat Chuck Schumer and they went back and forth on the "fiscal cliff" negotiations.
Nothing much newsworthy came out of this discussion. Here is the video and the transcript:
The entire transcript can be found here, but I have included a couple of the excerpts below the jump.
KARL: Give me your odds. I said 50/50...(CROSSTALK)SCHUMER: I think a little higher than that.KARL: Senator Kyl?KYL: I don't disagree with Chuck. And I also would say that the way you opened the program does not under- or overstate the consequences. If we are not able to reach an agreement, it will be dire. And that's from everybody from the Congressional Budget Office, which is nonpartisan, as you know, to the Fed chairman, probably at least another million jobs lost, an unemployment rate over 9 percent, and putting us back into recession. So responsible people on both sides of the aisle do need to try to come together, and there is a significant effort underway right now.* * *KARL: And let's remember. All the tax cuts are set to expire on January 1st, so I've got to ask you, Senator Kyl, a lot of Republicans, a lot of your colleagues, people you greatly respect have said, you know what, why don't we do $250,000? We've got to do what we can do.Let's take a look. Senator Cornyn, who's going to replace you as the number-two Republican in the Senate, said, "I believe we're going to pass the $250,000 and below sooner or later. We really don't have much leverage there because those rates go up by operation of law December 31st. I would focus on areas we have more leverage."So why would the president agree to raise that limit a dollar when you have so many Republicans that have said, you know what...KYL: I don't think you have "so many Republicans." That was one statement, and the context of it was, what is realistic as a deal, given the president's adamant position that he wouldn't compromise on anything above $200,000?Let's just get back to the theory, because Chuck had it right the first time. The more people you sweep up in this big tax increase, the worst it's going to be for the economy, the worse it's going to be for small business, and most importantly, the worse it's going to be for workers.Let me just point out two interesting statistics. Over half of the dividends paid by corporations go to people 65 years of age and older. In fact, a majority of adult Americans own stock or -- let me just make this point -- so when the dividend rate goes up to 68.6 percent, which is the combined corporate and dividend rate, A, corporations aren't going to pay dividends, and, B, if you are one of those seniors that get a dividend in your retirement, you're going to be taxed 68 percent. And, secondly, the death tax, 55 percent rate...
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As her blood clot continues to receive attention from doctors (latest medical statement here), media and Republicans, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton continues to work! In my e-mail box this afternoon were two missives setting forth the Secretary's comments today congratulating the people of Haiti and Sudan on the anniversaries of their independence. (One nation is celebrating 57 years of independence and the other 209 years; can you guess which is which?)
Sure, they are short statements, and she might even have lifted most of the language from last years' congrats, but COME ON, Secy. Clinton, take a break! Oh, and, Happy New Year's and dissolve that clot quickly!
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DOJ Gave Millions to Illegal Immigrant 'Sanctuaries,' Report Finds
The Department of Justice has spent tens of millions of dollars this year to compensate more than two dozen states, counties and cities for their costs of jailing illegal immigrants -- even though those communities have adopted policies that obstruct immigration enforcement, according to a recently released report.
"Subsidizing Sanctuaries: The State Criminal Alien Assistance Program," a report from the Center for Immigration Studies, found that the federal grant program commonly known as SCAAP allocated $62.2 million -- more than 15 percent of its $400 million total -- to 27 jurisdictions that are widely considered to be "sanctuary communities."
Some of those jurisdictions -- including San Francisco, Chicago and California's Santa Clara County -- are even trying to opt-out of Secure Communities, a program that automatically alerts Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials when criminal illegal immigrants are booked into jail, according to the report.
Jessica Vaughan, director of policy studies at the Center for Immigration Studies and a co-author of the report, said that the grant system as currently structured makes little sense.
"Basically, the federal government is subsidizing through this grant program jurisdictions that on the one hand are complaining about the cost of illegal immigration and demanding reimbursement from the federal government, while at the same time they have policies in place that make their locality a magnet for illegal aliens," Vaughan told FoxNews.com.
"And that's just illogical," she said.
According to Department of Justice figures cited in the report, five of the top 10 SCAAP grants to localities and two of the top 10 grants to states went to jurisdictions that are considered sanctuaries. That includes $14.2 million to Los Angeles County, $13.4 million to New York City and $88 million to the state of California.
Rather than award SCAAP grants to jurisdictions that incur costs of incarcerating undocumented criminal aliens, Vaughan said federal officials should use the grant program as an incentive for communities to participate in immigration enforcement programs like Secure Communities or the 287(g) program, which trains deputies to check the immigration status of individuals they arrest and has identified more than 180,000 illegal immigrants for deportation nationwide since 2006.
In a statement obtained by FoxNews.com, U.S. Rep. Gary Miller, R-Calif., said he disagreed with funding sanctuary cities using SCAAP grants and called on the Obama administration to take action.
"In its lawsuit challenging the Arizona immigration law, the Obama administration claims that the law creates a patchwork of immigration enforcement," Miller's statement read. "If this is the case, then the Obama administration should also sue sanctuary cities, for their policies are arguably a 'patchwork' of immigration enforcement as well. It is time for the administration to end its double standard."
To that end, Miller has authored legislation -- the Loophole Elimination and Verification Enforcement Act, or LEAVE -- that would prohibit sanctuary communities from receiving both Department of Justice and Department of Homeland Security funds.
"I hope the next Congress will take up this commonsense proposal and penalize sanctuary cities for their irresponsible policies," Miller's statement concluded.
In a statement to FoxNews.com, the Department of Justice said it administers the SCAAP grants in accordance with legislation authorizing the program and passed by Congress.
"Funding under this program is provided to any eligible jurisdiction that incurs costs associated with detaining criminal aliens," the statement read. "SCAAP does not inhibit, but rather supports the accountability process by reimbursing local agency costs for detaining illegal aliens who commit crimes."
The statement continued, "Making any jurisdiction ineligible for these funds could have an unintended consequence -- creating a disincentive to detain criminals who are greater flight risks and pose a danger to our communities. The Department of Justice is committed to providing support to our state and local partners to protect the safety of communities."
Bob Dane, a spokesman for the Federation for American Immigration Reform , suggested that the number of sanctuary communities would reduce significantly if the DOJ grants were discontinued.
"One of the best fixes is to deny state and federal funding to the places that harbor illegal aliens," Dane said. "The entire country is slowly but surely moving from a sanctuary mentality to a 'fix it' mentality, but you've got these remaining pockets of resistance, many of them in big cities."
Dane continued, "You hit 'em where it hurts, in the wallet, and maybe they'll get it. We're reimbursing cities for a problem of their own making."
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Long acts to follow! Many of the U.S. Senate's departing members gave their farewell addresses last week; Arizona Senator Jon Kyl (R) is set to give his tomorrow (at noon, AZ Time), and has to decide how much time he wants to take to give his valedictory.
Retiring Democratic Senators Ben Nelson (D-NE) and Kent Conrad (D-ND) and defeated Senator Scott Brown (R-MA) spoke last week, as did Maine Senator Olympia Snowe (R). (Others may have, as well.) Their speeches ran in the range of 15 minutes to an hour. Sen. Kyl's office notes to Arizona's Politics that he has not decided how long he is going to address his colleagues (and the nation, via C-Span). There are one dozen members of the 10-person Senate who are spending their final weeks there. In addition to Kyl and those named above, there are: Joe Lieberman (I-CT), Daniel Akaka (D-HA), Richard Lugar (R-IN), Jeff Bingaman (D-NM), Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-TX), Jim Webb (D-VA), and Herb Kohl (D-WI).
Kyl was one of the more high profile retiring members, due to his role as the Republican's Minority Whip. He will be replaced by Rep. Jeff Flake (R), who won a close election over Richard Carmona.
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Retiring Arizona Senator Jon Kyl (R-AZ) gave his valedictory speech on the Senate floor this afternoon. He finished by saying that "It's been an honor, really the privilege of a lifetime, to serve, and it IS difficult to say goodbye. But I will depart Capitol Hill with enormous faith in the American people, a profound appreciation for the miracle of the American republic and a resilient optimism in America's future."
Kyl served three terms (18 years) representing Arizona in the U.S. Senate, and has been the Republicans' Minority Whip since 2008.
By the way, the Senator spoke for almost exactly 30 minutes. We welcome your comments about this post. Or, if you have something unrelated on your mind, please e-mail to info-at-arizonaspolitics-dot-com or call 602-799-7025. Thanks.
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Arizona Senator John McCain sat down yesterday with his most-frequent interviewer, Fox News' Greta Van Susteren, and discussed the Benghazi Accountability report. The Senate Foreign Relations Committee met yesterday and this morning on the report.
McCain told Van Susteren that he has never known Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to back down from a fight and that he believes that she is not testifying this week because she is legitimately physically unable to do so.
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How long 'til we see non-ironic mentions of this, with demands for birth certificates and college transcripts, and whispers of Manchurian candidates? Hawaii's new U.S. Senator, Brian Schatz (D), has these similarities with the current President.
1) Midwestern roots. Schatz born in Michigan, Obama's mother from Kansas. 2) Grew up in Hawaii. BOTH attended same independent school there, Punahou School. 3) Went to college in California. Only part of the time for Obama.) 4) Visited Kenya!!! 5) Schatz worked in non-profit sector, Obama was community organizer. 6) State legislative experience. 7) Got to U.S. Senate in non-traditional way. Obama in election where Democratic and Republican front-runners (former Senator and incumbent, respectively) withdrew. Schatz named by Governor. 8) Abrahamic faiths. Obama is Christian who is sometimes accused of being a Muslim. Schatz is Jewish. One can only imagine what Schatz and Obama are plotting TOGETHER on Air Force One tonight!!! (Hmm, if Schatz runs in 2016, he would have spent the same amount of time in the Senate as Obama did.)
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To contact us Click HERE Two weeks ago, Arizona's Politics reported on the Senate's passage of a simple (one sentence0 bill that would allow the Pascua Yaqui Tribe to determine its own membership. After a brief stay on the President's desk, that bill has now been signed into law.
The Pascua Yaqui Tribe has a small amount of land in Pima County and has a number of members living in the Phoenix-area community of Guadalupe.
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Sen. John McCain spoke on the Senate floor yesterday about his longtime colleague, Sen. Daniel Inouye (D-Hawaii), who passed away earlier in the day.
McCain led off noting that the "unique, brave, wonderful" Inouye was "A MAN WHO BROUGHT TO THIS INSTITUTION THE MOST UNIQUE CREDENTIALS THAT I WOULD ARGUE PROBABLY OF ANYONE WHO'S EVER SERVED IN THIS PRETTY DIVERSE BODY."
McCain yielded the floor when he saw Hawaii's other Senator, Daniel Akaka, arrive to deliver his own eulogy.
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Arizona Secretary of State Ken Bennett (R) testified about the state's elections process before the Senate Judiciary Committee in Washington this morning. He provided a defense of Arizona's process and of the voter identification requirements. And, under questioning, he noted that two of the groups that mounted voter registration efforts in Arizona this year acknowledged that they had signed people - mostly, Hispanics - on to the Permanent Early Voting List ("PEVL") without their knowledge (by checking the box for the PEVL after the form had been filled out by the voter. Bennett was trying to explain why some Hispanics may have had to vote provisional ballots on election day. (Although it would appear that that might contradict his claim that there was not a higher proportion of Hispanics who had to vote provisionally.)
"One of them admitted that of the 34,000 Latino voters that they registered within the last few weeks, or the month or two, before the election, on many of those voter registration forms, the voter themselves had not checked the box to be on what's called the Permanent Early Voter List and receive their ballot by mail. For the purposes of the organization that was pushing the drive, I was frankly a bit surprised that they admitted to me that the organization officials had checked a box on the voter registration form that the voter may not have known had been checked by the group that they gave it, which caused a ballot to be mailed to those voters, and they were thinking that I'm going to go to the polls to vote and a ballot actually shows up that they thought was a sample ballot or whatever." (this quote is from the final six minutes of the hearing, and is transcribed by Arizona's Politics)
(click on picture to go to video)
Arizona's Politics is seeking a response from the groups that Bennett references, and will update as necessary.
Here is a link to Bennett's written statement to the committee.
(http://www.senate.gov/isvp/?comm=judiciary&type=live&filename=judiciary121912 link to Senate video)
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Retiring Arizona Senator Jon Kyl (R-AZ) gave his valedictory speech on the Senate floor this afternoon. He finished by saying that "It's been an honor, really the privilege of a lifetime, to serve, and it IS difficult to say goodbye. But I will depart Capitol Hill with enormous faith in the American people, a profound appreciation for the miracle of the American republic and a resilient optimism in America's future."
Kyl served three terms (18 years) representing Arizona in the U.S. Senate, and has been the Republicans' Minority Whip since 2008.
By the way, the Senator spoke for almost exactly 30 minutes. We welcome your comments about this post. Or, if you have something unrelated on your mind, please e-mail to info-at-arizonaspolitics-dot-com or call 602-799-7025. Thanks.
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Arizona Senator John McCain sat down yesterday with his most-frequent interviewer, Fox News' Greta Van Susteren, and discussed the Benghazi Accountability report. The Senate Foreign Relations Committee met yesterday and this morning on the report.
McCain told Van Susteren that he has never known Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to back down from a fight and that he believes that she is not testifying this week because she is legitimately physically unable to do so.
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Senator John McCain (R-AZ) continued his Saying Farewell Tour today, bidding an adios to his long-time amigo Senator Joe Lieberman (I-CT).
The short speech (7 1/2 minutes) was unsurprisingly personal, recounting much of what we have already heard McCain say about his buddy, who retired this year rather than face a(nother) tough re-election bid for a fifth Senate term.
"He came here to do justice, Mr. President, to love mercy and to walk humbly with his God. It’s hard to find anyone here who doesn’t like and admire Joe. He’s impossible to dislike even if you only know him a little. Most of his detractors seem to be people who don’t know him and who tend to view people very strictly through the perspectives of their ideology and partisan identity. The only thing to resent about Joe Lieberman is that he’s so damn considerate of everyone that you can find yourself feeling a little ashamed when he catches you raising your voice to someone or behaving in other ways that fall short of his unfailing graciousness."
(click picture to view video)
McCain added that he "nearly" nominated Lieberman to be his Vice Presidential nominee in 2008. (It was widely reported that McCain preferred Lieberman - who had been on the Democratic ticket eight years earlier - to eventual pick Sarah Palin.)
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Arizona Governor Jan Brewer's (R) eponymous SuperPAC has a quarter-of-a-million dollars in the bank, ready for 2014 or 2016. That cushion was provided by Republican mega-money couple Sheldon and Miriam Adelson. On October 19*, the same day that the casino magnate and his wife gave $10 Million to GOP Presidential nominee Mitt Romney's SuperPAC, they wrote a check to Jan PAC to help Brewer work Arizona Congressional races, the Montana Senatorial campaign, and pro-Romney robocalls.
The Adelson contribution is easily the largest to the Governor's committee (no dollar limits for Super PACs), making up more than one-quarter of the $909,267.71 raised through November 26, per her new FEC filing. Brewer's private meeting with Adelson one month later at the Republican Governors Association made national news, and it morphed into the primary piece of evidence that Brewer might consider herself a presidential aspirant in 2016.
The Adelsons spent approximately $150 Million during the 2012 campaign in their efforts to defeat President Barack Obama and other Democrats. (Given that almost the entire amount spent on independent expenditures had been raised before the Adelson contribution, it is unclear whether the JanPAC contributions should be thought of as part of the 2012 effort, or an opening salvo for the future.)
***
Other interesting notes from JanPAC's post-election filing indicate that - besides the mailers previously reported on - the committee spent $30,000 on Get Out the Vote calls on behalf of Romney. JanPAC also acknowledge for the first time that it did spend money on robocalls on behalf of unsuccessful Montana Senatorial candidate Denny Rehberg. Those robocalls received unwelcome attention because Montana law makes robocalls - even for political purposes - illegal.
In addition, JanPAC did not file the required FEC disclosures regarding the Montana calls. Those same disclosures were required for the Romney robocalls.
*October 19 was a big day for last minute campaign contributions, because any monies given after October 18 did not need to be reported until one month after the election was over.
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(UPDATED, 12:31pm: Lede updated to reflect that Roll Call had initially covered yesterday's "boisterous" meeting.)
The saga of Arizona Rep. David Schweikert (R-CD5-->CD6) and three other Republicans getting removed from their coveted House Committee slots continues to unravel. Roll Call covered the Republican Study Conference meeting yesterday, and Politico now is leading with unnamed Congresspeople and other sources saying that Schweikert and two of the others are "the most egregious assholes" in the Republican caucus. The incident that led to Schweikert being removed from the Financial Services Committee is reportedly the August reports (that started on Politico) that the FBI had investigated Representatives' (and staff's) behavior on a privately-funded trip to Israel in 2011; one Representative skinny-dipped in the Sea of Galilee and others apparently partially disrobed to frolic in the religiously-significant lake.
Schweikert was locked in a contentious primary fight with fellow Republican lawmaker Ben Quayle (R-CD3), they had both been on the trip, and Quayle was one of the Congresspeople who went into the lake (Schweikert was not). Quayle was forced to respond shortly before the August 28 primary.
Meanwhile, many conservatives are escalating the intra-GOP battle with House GOP leadership. Yesterday, Kentucky Senator Rand Paul - a Tea Party favorite and the heir apparent to the Ron Paul following - used his leadership PAC to send out an e-mail urging his and his father's followers to petition House leadership to reverse their committee assignment decisions. (Arizona's Politics is on various Ron Paul e-mail lists but not on Rand Paul's; the list was definitely rented.) The e-mail is reproduced below the jump. ("RAND-PAC" did not support either Schweikert or Quayle in the election.)
Dear Fellow Conservative,
Last week the GOP establishment purged four principled conservatives from their committee assignments.
And at a closed door caucus meeting on Capitol Hill, Speaker Boehner reportedly warned members that leadership is watching their "voting patterns."
It appears the GOP establishment is going all-out to maintain their iron grip on the Republican Party.
You and I can't allow establishment Republicans to punish conservatives for voting their values.
That's why it's vital you sign the petition to House Speaker John Boehner and House Budget Committee chairman Paul Ryan.
The petition urges John Boehner and Paul Ryan to stop purging fiscal conservatives from committee assignments, and to reinstate the four already purged from their positions.
You see, according to news reports, two of the congressmen were purged from the Budget Committee for voting for a five-year balanced budget plan - instead of Paul Ryan's budget which balanced in twenty-eight years.
Apparently, it seems that not toeing the establishment line is grounds for purging fiscal conservatives from committee assignments.
Fellow Conservative, our country is $16 trillion in debt, the "official" unemployment rate is just under 8%, and assaults on our liberties continue on a daily basis.
It's time for Republicans to get serious for a change.
It's time for my colleagues to stop insulting American's intelligence with tired talking points and phony "solutions."
Instead of caving on their no tax pledge with phony solutions like the $800 BILLION tax hike put forth by leadership in the house, Republicans should be leading the charge for lower taxes and smaller government.
But I'm afraid, for that to happen, you and I are going to have to force my colleagues to recognize you will not tolerate Republicans being indistinguishable from Democrats.
And I believe one sure way to do that is for you and I to let the GOP establishment know constitutional conservatives won't tolerate them purging fiscal conservatives from their committee assignments.
So please, sign the petition to House Speaker John Boehner and Budget Committee chairman Paul Ryan IMMEDIATELY.
And along with your signed petition, I hope you'll agree to make a generous contribution of $500, $250, $100, $50 - or whatever you can afford - to RAND PAC right away.
Your generous contribution will help me mobilize millions of grassroots conservatives to turn up the heat on the GOP establishment to stop purging fiscal conservatives from committee assignments.
Even if it's just $20 or $10, any amount you can contribute will be put to immediate use in this critical fight.
You and I must not sit back and allow the GOP establishment to maintain its iron grip on our party.
Sign the petition to House Speaker John Boehner and Budget Committee chairman Paul Ryan TODAY.
In Liberty, Senator Rand Paul
P.S. Last week the GOP establishment purged four principled conservatives from their committee assignments.
And according to news reports, two of the congressmen were purged from the Budget Committee for voting for a budget that balanced in five years - instead of the establishment's budget which balanced in twenty-eight years.
That's why it's vital you help stop the conservative purge by signing the petition to House Speaker John Boehner and House Budget Committee chairman Paul Ryan.
And if at all possible, please include a generous contribution of $500, $250, $100, $50 - or whatever you can afford - to help with this fight.
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Two days before the 2nd anniversary of the killing of U.S. Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry on the Arizona-Mexico border, Arizona Rep. Paul Gosar (R-CD1) spoke about Terry and about the Fast and Furious gun-walking investigation.
After using the first half of his 2 1/2 minute speech remembering Terry and recounting the events of December 14-15, 2010, Gosar recapped the subsequent Fast and Furious investigation, vowed to continue to demand answers from the Justice Department, and said he would "look to the Hispanic Caucus to break their silence and to take up this issue affecting everyone in Mexico."
The speech also comes one day after one of the "straw buyers" - who purchased guns pretending they were for personal use but sold them to others who smuggled them into Mexico - was sentenced in U.S. District Court to 57 months in prison. Jaime Avila, Jr. had purchased/re-sold one of the AK-47-style weapons found at the scene of the battle that killed Terry.
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A measure sponsored by Rep. Raul Grijalva (D-CD7) (and co-sponsored by Rep. Paul Gosar (R-CD1-->CD4) has made it to the President's desk, and will permit the Pascua Yaqui Tribe to determine its own membership. H.R. 4413 is a one sentence resolution amending federal law "To allow the Pascua Yaqui Tribe to determine the requirements for membership in that tribe." It removes the previous language that set forth four different clauses, and states that "membership of the Pascua Yaqui Tribe shall consist of any United States citizen of Pascua Yaqui blood enrolled by the tribe."
The Pascua Yaqui Tribe has a small amount of land in Pima County and has a number of members living in the Phoenix-area community of Guadalupe. They recently celebrated the 34th anniversary of the U.S. government's recognition of their tribe.
It is expected that President Obama will sign the measure shortly.
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Bloomberg News' Phoenix correspondent Amanda Crawford, who broke the story of Governor Jan Brewer's trip to Afghanistan last week, is reporting that the Governor said again yesterday that she has not ruled out running for another gubernatorial term in 2016.
The Governor spoke with reporters yesterday afternoon after a ceremonial bill signing. She was also asked about the $250,000 contribution from casino magnates the Adelsons to her Jan PAC.
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Arizona Rep. David Schweikert (R-CD5-->CD6) apparently voiced his concerns about being removed from the Financial Services Committee to House Speaker John Boehner today in the closed door House Republican Conference. According to Politico, Schweikert "want(s) to know where the line of acceptable behavior is." The freshman Republican from the East Valley is enjoying a wave of positive attention from this intra-party fight.
The Politico article notes that "sources" are saying that Schweikert and the other three lawmakers removed from good committee assignments were removed not for ideological reasons, but because they "worked against their colleagues or leadership."
Arizona's Politics asked Schweikert's spokesperson yesterday how the current committee shuffling compared to any shuffling that occurred when he was in the Arizona state legislature. He has not yet responded, but apparently did note at the House Republican Conference today that he had had to kick people off of committees when he was the Majority Whip in the Arizona House.
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Arizona Rep. David Schweikert (R-CD5, East Valley) took to the House floor yesterday to try to keep "The Town To Tough To Die" alive. His one-minute speech came the day after the Goldwater Institute argued on behalf of Tombstone in front of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. Tombstone is seeking the right to use mehanized equipment in the federal Huachuca Mountain Wilderness Area in order to repair a vital water pipeline damaged in last year's Monument Fire.
Schweikert's talk was entertaining, complete with a picture of four men working on a boulder on a mountainside. "They're not allowed to take a little Bobcat up the mountainside to get to the springs to fix their water, so you have to go up by hand up a mountainside to remove the boulders. Is there an adult in the Forest Service who has a little sense?"
Of course, it would be impossible for Rep. Schweikert to go into detail in his allotted sixty seconds. We will provide a brief synopsis here, and will paste (below the jump) some of the factual background set forth in Hon. Frank Zapata's May 14, 2012 Order denying Tombstone's (2nd) motion for a preliminary injunction.
Rock and debris slides following the Monument Fire damaged the water system that supplies Tombstone with most of its water. Tombstone claims that the Forest Service ("USFS") has been hindering its efforts to reach and fix the water system by requiring Tombstone to tell it what repairs it intends and what materials and equipment they will be using to make the repairs. The USFS says that it has approved Tombstone's requests when it has provided the information necessary to determine that the Wilderness Area would not be inappropriately disturbed for other users. There also is a dispute about the extent of Tombstone's water rights in the mountains - Tombstone's claims are based on maps and springs systems that the Forest Service claims are difficult to determine today.
The appeal on the denial of the injunction was argued by the Goldwater Institute (for Tombstone) and the USFS on Tuesday, after the U.S. Supreme Court twice refused to hear the appeal (on different grounds).
(There are other issues standing in Tombstone's way, as this article in its local paper sets forth.)
(Below: The "Background", as set forth in the May 14, 2012 Order)
BACKGROUND The City of Tombstone (hereinafter, “Tombstone” or “Plaintiff”) seeks to prevent the United States Forest Service (hereinafter, “USFS” or “Defendants”) from interfering with its ability to adequately access various water sources that deliver water to Tombstone. The water system in question is within the Coronado National Forest in the Huachuca Mountain Wilderness Area. During the summer of 2011, there was a large fire in these mountains (the Monument Fire) that destroyed vegetation; after the fire, there was a large amount of rainfall that caused rocks and debris to slide down the mountain that damaged the water system. Tombstone claims that it is facing a serious water shortage as the water system in the Huachuca Mountains is a significant source of its water. Tombstone claims that while it has three separate wells that it can and does use to supply water to the city, there have been problems with contamination that limit the full use of this well water. Tombstone claims that since approximately September of 2011, it has been attempting to access areas in the Huachuca Mountains to repair its water system, but that officials from the USFS have hindered their efforts by insisting that they need authorization from the USFS to access the land and make the repairs. The USFS has been insisting that they specify what repairs they plan to do as to each damaged section of the water system, and specify what materials and equipment they will be using to make the repairs. Tombstone claims that it is not required to receive authorization from the USFS, and even if it was, that it has given the USFS enough information to authorize all of its requested actions in the Huachuca Mountains. Tombstone claims that it has been using the water system in the Huachuca Mountains since the 1800's, and that there are numerous property filings and documents exchanged with the federal government that reflect that it has ownership or a right-of-way on the federal National Forest land at issue to go on the land unhindered by the federal government to address the water system. Defendants dispute Plaintiff's position, argues that its position is based on vague, informal, unsubstantiated documents, and that determining water rights and rights to land dating back to the 1800's is a fact intensive task that can not be decided at this very early stage of the litigation. In contrast to Tombstone's position, the USFS claims that it has devoted an immense amount of resources and done everything in its power to expeditiously authorize Tombstone's requests to address the water system in the Huachuca Mountains. However, the USFS argues that it is required by federal statutes and regulations (including the National Environmental Policy Act-"NEPA" and the Endangered Species Act-"ESA") to evaluate the impact Plaintiff's proposed actions will have on the National Forest areas in question. For example, when a party proposes to use mechanized equipment on National Forest land such as Plaintiff, the USFS evaluates that action and issues a Minimum Requirements Decision Guide ("MRDG") specifying the appropriate equipment and actions that can be taken on federal land such that damage is minimized to protected areas such as the National Forest. Plaintiff, for example, seeks to engage in ground-disturbing activities with heavy equipment (excavators, tractors, etc.) that have to cross in and out of federal land, disturb the land by digging and removing land, and removing damaged materials and inserting new materials into the land to address the water system. As the USFS is charged with the responsibility of preserving National Forest land for the enjoyment of all citizens, it argues that it required to evaluate and authorize Tombstone's actions. To perform this task, the USFS argues that it has informed Tombstone on numerous occasions that it must submit site specific information informing it of the specific actions, materials, and equipment it plans to use at damaged sites. Despite numerous requests by USFS, it claims that Tombstone has largely failed to provide the specific information requested such that USFS can perform its mandated duties to evaluate Tombstone's actions. For example, the mayor of Tombstone requested a blanket permit to address all of its claimed springs in the Huachuca Mountains based on his position that Tombstone had a right to access the land in question to repair the water system without interference; this demand appears to be based on a hand-written 1901 sketch map that appears to show numerous springs in the Huachuca Mountains. However, as this 1901 map had no detailed information pertaining to the site specific activities, materials, and equipment that would be used, the USFS could not issue any authorization (blanket or otherwise). In addition, the USFS argues that it has had numerous meetings with Tombstone informing them of the information they need, and have had USFS engineers and other personnel work with Tombstone to give them recommendations on the type of materials, equipment, and action to take to receive authorization for work from the USFS. To the extent Tombstone has submitted site specific information informing it of the specific actions, materials, and equipment it plans to use at damaged areas, the USFS argues that it acted as quickly as possible to authorize the repairs, and that it has already expeditiously issued authorizations to Tombstone. The USFS argues that Tombstone has repeatedly failed to provide site specific information as to each location, and that Tombstone’s failure to do so has resulted in an inefficient, piecemeal process that has resulted in unnecessary delays for Tombstone. In addition, Defendants argue that Tombstone has otherwise failed to provide sufficient information entitling it to unfettered access to the 25 water sources at issue, Plaintiff’s water from the Huachuca mountains has been substantially restored, Plaintiff currently has access to sufficient and safe water between its wells and the Huachuca water, and that Plaintiff’s claims of a drastic water emergency related to public consumption and fire needs are overstated and speculative. The Court agrees with Defendants’ position.
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Arizona Senator John McCain was among a handful of Senators holding a news conference this afternoon after the Senate voted 92-4 to pass a "bill to authorize the extension of nondiscriminatory treatment (normal trade relations treatment) to products of the Russian Federation and Moldova and to require reports on the compliance of the Russian Federation with its obligations as a member of the World Trade Organization, and for other purposes." Here is the text of the bill.
Here is the link (not yet embeddable) to the news conference regarding reports that Syria may have weaponized some of its chemical weapons. (C-Span had some confusion and initially sent us erroneous links.)
We welcome your comments about this post. Or, if you have something unrelated on your mind, please e-mail to info-at-arizonaspolitics-dot-com or call 602-799-7025. Thanks.
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Arizona Governor Jan Brewer's (R) eponymous SuperPAC has a quarter-of-a-million dollars in the bank, ready for 2014 or 2016. That cushion was provided by Republican mega-money couple Sheldon and Miriam Adelson. On October 19*, the same day that the casino magnate and his wife gave $10 Million to GOP Presidential nominee Mitt Romney's SuperPAC, they wrote a check to Jan PAC to help Brewer work Arizona Congressional races, the Montana Senatorial campaign, and pro-Romney robocalls.
The Adelson contribution is easily the largest to the Governor's committee (no dollar limits for Super PACs), making up more than one-quarter of the $909,267.71 raised through November 26, per her new FEC filing. Brewer's private meeting with Adelson one month later at the Republican Governors Association made national news, and it morphed into the primary piece of evidence that Brewer might consider herself a presidential aspirant in 2016.
The Adelsons spent approximately $150 Million during the 2012 campaign in their efforts to defeat President Barack Obama and other Democrats. (Given that almost the entire amount spent on independent expenditures had been raised before the Adelson contribution, it is unclear whether the JanPAC contributions should be thought of as part of the 2012 effort, or an opening salvo for the future.)
***
Other interesting notes from JanPAC's post-election filing indicate that - besides the mailers previously reported on - the committee spent $30,000 on Get Out the Vote calls on behalf of Romney. JanPAC also acknowledge for the first time that it did spend money on robocalls on behalf of unsuccessful Montana Senatorial candidate Denny Rehberg. Those robocalls received unwelcome attention because Montana law makes robocalls - even for political purposes - illegal.
In addition, JanPAC did not file the required FEC disclosures regarding the Montana calls. Those same disclosures were required for the Romney robocalls.
*October 19 was a big day for last minute campaign contributions, because any monies given after October 18 did not need to be reported until one month after the election was over.
We welcome your comments about this post. Or, if you have something unrelated on your mind, please e-mail to info-at-arizonaspolitics-dot-com or call 602-799-7025. Thanks.
To contact us Click HERE
Arizona Rep. Paul Gosar (R-CD1) was able to friendly-question NFL icon Dick Butkus in a Congressional hearing this morning, and the two agreed that the National Football League should begin testing (current) players for Human Growth Hormone (HGH).
Gosar urged the NFL to, as the famous Nike slogan suggests "just do it," and took the opportunity to disagree with former Phoenix Suns (basketball) great Charles Barkley's famous Nike commercial, in which he stated "I am not a role model." Butkus - an NFL Hall of Fame linebacker - agreed with the first-term Congressman. (Barkley is in basketball's Hall of Fame.)
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Only eight days after having a cancerous tumor removed from his tongue, Arizona Rep. Ron Barber (D-CD8) was back in the Capitol casting votes today (Tuesday).
The votes were not consequential - he was part of a 398-2 majority to pass the American Energy Manufacturing Technical Corrections Act, for example - but, it answered the concerns that were apparently lingering in some southern Arizona Republicans' minds, after the attempted assassination of previous Rep. Gabrielle Giffords in January 2011 (in which Barber was also shot, and 13 people were killed) left the district without a vote in the House for almost all of 17 months.
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Arizona Rep. David Schweikert (R-CD5-->CD6) apparently voiced his concerns about being removed from the Financial Services Committee to House Speaker John Boehner today in the closed door House Republican Conference. According to Politico, Schweikert "want(s) to know where the line of acceptable behavior is." The freshman Republican from the East Valley is enjoying a wave of positive attention from this intra-party fight.
The Politico article notes that "sources" are saying that Schweikert and the other three lawmakers removed from good committee assignments were removed not for ideological reasons, but because they "worked against their colleagues or leadership."
Arizona's Politics asked Schweikert's spokesperson yesterday how the current committee shuffling compared to any shuffling that occurred when he was in the Arizona state legislature. He has not yet responded, but apparently did note at the House Republican Conference today that he had had to kick people off of committees when he was the Majority Whip in the Arizona House.
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To contact us Click HERE
Arizona Rep. David Schweikert (R-CD5, East Valley) took to the House floor yesterday to try to keep "The Town To Tough To Die" alive. His one-minute speech came the day after the Goldwater Institute argued on behalf of Tombstone in front of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. Tombstone is seeking the right to use mehanized equipment in the federal Huachuca Mountain Wilderness Area in order to repair a vital water pipeline damaged in last year's Monument Fire.
Schweikert's talk was entertaining, complete with a picture of four men working on a boulder on a mountainside. "They're not allowed to take a little Bobcat up the mountainside to get to the springs to fix their water, so you have to go up by hand up a mountainside to remove the boulders. Is there an adult in the Forest Service who has a little sense?"
Of course, it would be impossible for Rep. Schweikert to go into detail in his allotted sixty seconds. We will provide a brief synopsis here, and will paste (below the jump) some of the factual background set forth in Hon. Frank Zapata's May 14, 2012 Order denying Tombstone's (2nd) motion for a preliminary injunction.
Rock and debris slides following the Monument Fire damaged the water system that supplies Tombstone with most of its water. Tombstone claims that the Forest Service ("USFS") has been hindering its efforts to reach and fix the water system by requiring Tombstone to tell it what repairs it intends and what materials and equipment they will be using to make the repairs. The USFS says that it has approved Tombstone's requests when it has provided the information necessary to determine that the Wilderness Area would not be inappropriately disturbed for other users. There also is a dispute about the extent of Tombstone's water rights in the mountains - Tombstone's claims are based on maps and springs systems that the Forest Service claims are difficult to determine today.
The appeal on the denial of the injunction was argued by the Goldwater Institute (for Tombstone) and the USFS on Tuesday, after the U.S. Supreme Court twice refused to hear the appeal (on different grounds).
(There are other issues standing in Tombstone's way, as this article in its local paper sets forth.)
(Below: The "Background", as set forth in the May 14, 2012 Order)
BACKGROUND The City of Tombstone (hereinafter, “Tombstone” or “Plaintiff”) seeks to prevent the United States Forest Service (hereinafter, “USFS” or “Defendants”) from interfering with its ability to adequately access various water sources that deliver water to Tombstone. The water system in question is within the Coronado National Forest in the Huachuca Mountain Wilderness Area. During the summer of 2011, there was a large fire in these mountains (the Monument Fire) that destroyed vegetation; after the fire, there was a large amount of rainfall that caused rocks and debris to slide down the mountain that damaged the water system. Tombstone claims that it is facing a serious water shortage as the water system in the Huachuca Mountains is a significant source of its water. Tombstone claims that while it has three separate wells that it can and does use to supply water to the city, there have been problems with contamination that limit the full use of this well water. Tombstone claims that since approximately September of 2011, it has been attempting to access areas in the Huachuca Mountains to repair its water system, but that officials from the USFS have hindered their efforts by insisting that they need authorization from the USFS to access the land and make the repairs. The USFS has been insisting that they specify what repairs they plan to do as to each damaged section of the water system, and specify what materials and equipment they will be using to make the repairs. Tombstone claims that it is not required to receive authorization from the USFS, and even if it was, that it has given the USFS enough information to authorize all of its requested actions in the Huachuca Mountains. Tombstone claims that it has been using the water system in the Huachuca Mountains since the 1800's, and that there are numerous property filings and documents exchanged with the federal government that reflect that it has ownership or a right-of-way on the federal National Forest land at issue to go on the land unhindered by the federal government to address the water system. Defendants dispute Plaintiff's position, argues that its position is based on vague, informal, unsubstantiated documents, and that determining water rights and rights to land dating back to the 1800's is a fact intensive task that can not be decided at this very early stage of the litigation. In contrast to Tombstone's position, the USFS claims that it has devoted an immense amount of resources and done everything in its power to expeditiously authorize Tombstone's requests to address the water system in the Huachuca Mountains. However, the USFS argues that it is required by federal statutes and regulations (including the National Environmental Policy Act-"NEPA" and the Endangered Species Act-"ESA") to evaluate the impact Plaintiff's proposed actions will have on the National Forest areas in question. For example, when a party proposes to use mechanized equipment on National Forest land such as Plaintiff, the USFS evaluates that action and issues a Minimum Requirements Decision Guide ("MRDG") specifying the appropriate equipment and actions that can be taken on federal land such that damage is minimized to protected areas such as the National Forest. Plaintiff, for example, seeks to engage in ground-disturbing activities with heavy equipment (excavators, tractors, etc.) that have to cross in and out of federal land, disturb the land by digging and removing land, and removing damaged materials and inserting new materials into the land to address the water system. As the USFS is charged with the responsibility of preserving National Forest land for the enjoyment of all citizens, it argues that it required to evaluate and authorize Tombstone's actions. To perform this task, the USFS argues that it has informed Tombstone on numerous occasions that it must submit site specific information informing it of the specific actions, materials, and equipment it plans to use at damaged sites. Despite numerous requests by USFS, it claims that Tombstone has largely failed to provide the specific information requested such that USFS can perform its mandated duties to evaluate Tombstone's actions. For example, the mayor of Tombstone requested a blanket permit to address all of its claimed springs in the Huachuca Mountains based on his position that Tombstone had a right to access the land in question to repair the water system without interference; this demand appears to be based on a hand-written 1901 sketch map that appears to show numerous springs in the Huachuca Mountains. However, as this 1901 map had no detailed information pertaining to the site specific activities, materials, and equipment that would be used, the USFS could not issue any authorization (blanket or otherwise). In addition, the USFS argues that it has had numerous meetings with Tombstone informing them of the information they need, and have had USFS engineers and other personnel work with Tombstone to give them recommendations on the type of materials, equipment, and action to take to receive authorization for work from the USFS. To the extent Tombstone has submitted site specific information informing it of the specific actions, materials, and equipment it plans to use at damaged areas, the USFS argues that it acted as quickly as possible to authorize the repairs, and that it has already expeditiously issued authorizations to Tombstone. The USFS argues that Tombstone has repeatedly failed to provide site specific information as to each location, and that Tombstone’s failure to do so has resulted in an inefficient, piecemeal process that has resulted in unnecessary delays for Tombstone. In addition, Defendants argue that Tombstone has otherwise failed to provide sufficient information entitling it to unfettered access to the 25 water sources at issue, Plaintiff’s water from the Huachuca mountains has been substantially restored, Plaintiff currently has access to sufficient and safe water between its wells and the Huachuca water, and that Plaintiff’s claims of a drastic water emergency related to public consumption and fire needs are overstated and speculative. The Court agrees with Defendants’ position.
We welcome your comments about this post. Or, if you have something unrelated on your mind, please e-mail to info-at-arizonaspolitics-dot-com or call 602-799-7025. Thanks.
To contact us Click HERE
Arizona Senator John McCain was among a handful of Senators holding a news conference this afternoon after the Senate voted 92-4 to pass a "bill to authorize the extension of nondiscriminatory treatment (normal trade relations treatment) to products of the Russian Federation and Moldova and to require reports on the compliance of the Russian Federation with its obligations as a member of the World Trade Organization, and for other purposes." Here is the text of the bill.
Here is the link (not yet embeddable) to the news conference regarding reports that Syria may have weaponized some of its chemical weapons. (C-Span had some confusion and initially sent us erroneous links.)
We welcome your comments about this post. Or, if you have something unrelated on your mind, please e-mail to info-at-arizonaspolitics-dot-com or call 602-799-7025. Thanks.
To contact us Click HERE
Arizona Governor Jan Brewer's (R) eponymous SuperPAC has a quarter-of-a-million dollars in the bank, ready for 2014 or 2016. That cushion was provided by Republican mega-money couple Sheldon and Miriam Adelson. On October 19*, the same day that the casino magnate and his wife gave $10 Million to GOP Presidential nominee Mitt Romney's SuperPAC, they wrote a check to Jan PAC to help Brewer work Arizona Congressional races, the Montana Senatorial campaign, and pro-Romney robocalls.
The Adelson contribution is easily the largest to the Governor's committee (no dollar limits for Super PACs), making up more than one-quarter of the $909,267.71 raised through November 26, per her new FEC filing. Brewer's private meeting with Adelson one month later at the Republican Governors Association made national news, and it morphed into the primary piece of evidence that Brewer might consider herself a presidential aspirant in 2016.
The Adelsons spent approximately $150 Million during the 2012 campaign in their efforts to defeat President Barack Obama and other Democrats. (Given that almost the entire amount spent on independent expenditures had been raised before the Adelson contribution, it is unclear whether the JanPAC contributions should be thought of as part of the 2012 effort, or an opening salvo for the future.)
***
Other interesting notes from JanPAC's post-election filing indicate that - besides the mailers previously reported on - the committee spent $30,000 on Get Out the Vote calls on behalf of Romney. JanPAC also acknowledge for the first time that it did spend money on robocalls on behalf of unsuccessful Montana Senatorial candidate Denny Rehberg. Those robocalls received unwelcome attention because Montana law makes robocalls - even for political purposes - illegal.
In addition, JanPAC did not file the required FEC disclosures regarding the Montana calls. Those same disclosures were required for the Romney robocalls.
*October 19 was a big day for last minute campaign contributions, because any monies given after October 18 did not need to be reported until one month after the election was over.
We welcome your comments about this post. Or, if you have something unrelated on your mind, please e-mail to info-at-arizonaspolitics-dot-com or call 602-799-7025. Thanks.
(click on picture to live stream)
Here is the Obama statement.
(click picture to view video)
