News/info regarding Arizona's politics. U.S. Senate, Congress, Governor, statewide offices, initiatives, and - where we can - county and local.
We aim to present objective information (unless labeled as "commentary") and do original reporting.
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Arizona Rep. Trent Franks (R-CD8) dramatically blasted the Obama Administration's drone strikes policies yesterday during a House Judiciary Committee hearing. In questioning a Bush Administration attorney, John B. Bellinger III, and law professor Stephen Vladeck, Franks noted that Obama and Democrats had "eviscerated" the Bush Administration over issues of torture, but was now fine with drone strikes against U.S. citizens who might be enemies in overseas battlefields.
"It seems to me that there's more than a subtle difference between waterboarding and blowing someone into eternity. The hypocrisy of this Administration is profound in my opinion on this front."
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Arizona Rep. David Schweikert (R-CD6) took to the House floor this afternoon to express his "great frustration" with his party's leadership and how they handled the Violence Against Women Act proceedings today.
Over the weekend, it looked like the House GOP leadership was going to allow a vote on an alternative that would have addressed the Tribal Court jurisdiction loophole. Schweikert notes that Reps. Darrell Issa and Tom Cole had worked on it with Native American courts - it had gone to a vote last year - and that Schweikert had worked with the "sophisticated" Salt River-Pima Maricopa Indian Community on it.
His "great frustration" was evident in this one-minute speech, and he was gaveled almost as soon as his alloted minute had expired. (Of course, Schweikert has been frustrated with his party's leadership before.)
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Arizona Rep. Ann Kirkpatrick (D-CD1) made a brief speech this morning, urging colleagues to re-authorize the Violence Against Women Act. This speech was after the Republican substitute had been defeated, and just before the House passed the Senate version, 286-138.
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Arizona Senator John McCain (R) spoke on the Senate floor, bemoaning "the charade" that the Senate was going through on two responses to sequestration that were not going to get 60 votes to pass anything through to the House (which is probably what enables the House GOP to complain about the Senate never passing anything).
He noted that the President did not take action to try to stop the sequester over the past year plus, while he and a couple of his Republican colleagues have been warning about the effects of the cuts on the military during the time. "But, that's the blame game, and I'm ad to engage in that. But, can't we at least come to some agreement to prevent this. Are we going to lurch from one fiscal cliff to another?"
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Arizona Rep. Matt Salmon (R-CD5) was a guest this morning on C-Span's "Washington Journal" program, answering questions chiefly on budget and sequestration issues.
His 31-minute appearance included him going one step further than supporting the previously-passed measure that will withhold some of Congress' pay until they pass a budget, and would dock 20% of Members' pay if they do not pass a BALANCED budget - "Let's lead by example!"
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All four Arizona Republicans in the House of Representatives voted against reauthorizing the lapsed Violence Against Women Act ("VAWA") this morning.
No Democrats voted against the Senate-passed version, which is now on its way to the desk. 87 Republicans also voted "aye". Arizona's Reps. Trent Franks, Matt Salmon, David Schweikert, and Paul Gosar voted "nay".
Gosar and Schweikert also voted against the Republican substitute reauthorization, which failed 166-257. 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.
Arizona Rep. Ron Barber (D-CD2) took his turn at the Democrats' (for the day) microphone on the House floor today, to bemoan the upcoming across-the-board sequestration cuts and the effects they will have on his southern Arizona district.
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Arizona Rep. Ann Kirkpatrick (D-CD1) took part in the parade of Congressmembers speaking out on the looming sequestration cuts. As an example, she talked about how it would effect the Grand Canyon (in her district), students in northern Arizona, and tribal communities.
She noted that Medicare is exempted from the cuts, but that the Indian Health Service is not.
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