Park Service balks at requirement to plan ahead for future shutdowns
WASHINGTON – The National Park Service is not interested in coming up with plans to let states pay to keep parks open should another government shutdown occur, a service official testified Thursday to a House subcommittee.
GOP outlines strategy to unseat freshmen Arizona Democrats in Congress
The midterm congressional elections are still a year off, but the Republican Party started ratcheting up its campaign this week against three freshman Arizona Democrats it has targeted in the race.
Obamacare enrollment underwhelming in Arizona, nation
WASHINGTON – Only 739 Arizona residents signed up for health insurance in the first month after the troubled health insurance marketplace went online, according to numbers released this week on the centerpiece of the Affordable Care Act.
Arizona delegation seeks reimbursement for Grand Canyon opening
Arizona’s congressional delegation urged the National Park Service to issue the state a full refund for payments made to open Grand Canyon National Park while the government shut down during bitter budget fights in Washington, D.C. in October.
Advocates press on, despite grim 2013 outlook for immigration reform
Immigration overhaul advocates said they will keep fighting, despite a House Republican leader’s comment last week that there is not enough time left on this year’s legislative calendar to act on the issue.
Ex-US Rep. Rick Renzi appeals corruption verdict
Former U.S. Rep. Rick Renzi is appealing his conviction on public corruption, money laundering and other charges.
McCain, Flake vote to ban workplace discrimination for sexual orientation
WASHINGTON – Arizona Republican Sens. John McCain and Jeff Flake joined an overwhelming majority of senators Thursday to pass a bill banning workplace discrimination based on an employee’s sexual orientation or gender identity.
Officials, lawmakers call for greater investment in wildfire prevention
WASHINGTON – For every dollar the government spends preventing wildfire damage, it could save cash-strapped agencies like the Forest Service another $5 on fighting increasingly large fires, a Senate committee was told Tuesday.
Border Patrol rejects curbs on force
SAN DIEGO (AP) ai??i?? Border Patrol agents will be allowed to continue using deadly force against rock-throwers, the chief of the agency said, despite the recommendation of a government-commissioned review to end the practice.
McCain urges House to act on immigration reform, says issue can’t wait
Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., urged the House Thursday to act on immigration reform, even if that means moving on its own piecemeal approach to the problem rather than the Senate’s comprehensive reform bill.
Cuts to food stamp benefits hit more than 1 million Arizonans Friday
More than 1.1 million Arizonans who depend on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program – better known as food stamps – will see their benefits reduced Friday in a long-planned national cut.
Report blames national parks maintenance backlog on Congress
Congress is letting maintenance backlogs grow in national parks like the Grand Canyon while continuing to add new sites that the National Park Service cannot afford to maintain, a report Tuesday charged.