READ: Rep. Salmon Says Republicans Who Voted To Keep Govt Open "Surrendered To The Demands Of Planned Parenthood's Management"

Arizona Rep. Matt Salmon (R-CD5) released a blistering statement after 91 House Republicans and 32 GOP Senators voted with Democrats to keep the U.S. government operating until December 12 without cutting off monies to Planned Parenthood.

Salmon said the GOP "yes" votes "surrendered to the demands of Planned Parenthood's management" instead of "taking a principled stand against arguably illegal activities".  Arizona's two GOP Senators - John McCain and Jeff Flake - and Rep. Martha McSally (R-CD2) voted "aye."

Here is the rest of Salmon's broadside:

“Today’s vote lacks the leadership our nation is demanding. Rather than taking a principled stand against arguably illegal activities, the House today surrendered to the demands of Planned Parenthood’s management and took up a continuing resolution that aimed to continue providing funding to an organization under multiple investigations for their potentially illegal abortion practices.

“I was proud to have voted in favor of Representative Roby’s amendment, which would have prevented any federal funding to Planned Parenthood in this resolution, and I know this fight isn’t over. We will again confront this issue in December, and I am hopeful that the House’s new leadership will pay more attention to the will of the American people than their own desire to capitulate.”

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McSally Only Arizona House Republican To Vote For Stopgap Measure To Keep Government Open

With seven hours left in the month, four out of Arizona's five GOP Representatives voted "nay" on an authorization measure to keep the federal government operating past midnight.  Rep. Martha McSally (R-CD2) teamed with 90 other Republicans and all 186 (voting) Democrats (277-151) to send the measure to the President's desk.  He already signed. it.

The government is now funded until December 12.

Earlier in the day, Arizona Senators John McCain and Jeff Flake (both Republicans) joined with 76 other Senators to send the measure to the House.



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WATCH: "You're Profiting Off Death...Appalling!": Rep. Gosar Drills Planned Parenthood CEO

"You're profiting off death... and that's appalling to me." With that, Arizona Rep. Paul Gosar (R-CD4) rested after his cross-examination of Cecile Richards, the President of the Planned Parenthood Federation of Arizona.

Gosar used his five minutes of the House Oversight Committee time to attempt to show that Planned Parenthood's national organization has increased its profit* by providing less Medicaid-reimbursed healthcare in favor of "profit centers" like abortion.

As he saw his time was expiring, Gosar skipped ahead to his final point and had to tell Richards that he was changing the  process where they had been interrupting each other: "This is my time, this is my time, don't interrupt."

Gosar also attempted to point out that Planned Parenthood has reduced the cost of (some sort of) contraceptives to $3/unit but gets Medicaid reimbursement at the rate of $35/unit.**  Richards disagreed with several parts of that analysis, and Arizona's Politics has not yet researched the issue.



Republicans are attempting to "defund" Planned Parenthood.  Most of the money that the organization receives from the U.S. come through states as Medicaid reimbursements for (non-abortion) medical services.  A small portion comes from Title X grants, for which Planned Parenthood provides family planning (non-abortion) services.

*Gosar and Richards sparred briefly about the term "profit". Planned Parenthood is a non-profit organization, and the two agreed that the amount of "revenue over expenses" has increased over the last several years.

**Gosar pointed out that - as a dentist - he is familiar with Medicaid reimbursements, and that they are not good.

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UPDATED: McSally, Outgoing House Leadership Today Revive "Border Jobs For Veterans Act" They Aborted To Placate Conservatives 1 1/2 Weeks Ago; Passes 410-0

(UPDATE, 4:15pm: The House passed the Act this evening, 410-0. Rep. McSally emailed a news release - reproduced at bottom - giving a shout-out to Sen. Flake and including a quote from him. The bill now goes back to the Senate for a (second) vote.)

Arizona Rep. Martha McSally (R-CD2) and the outgoing House leadership are reviving the non-controversial "Border Jobs For Veterans Act" that they helped abort 1 1/2 weeks ago as part of the effort to avert a Planned Parenthood-related government shutdown.

McSally is the primary sponsor of the House version of the Border Jobs For Veterans Act. Three Arizona colleagues - Reps. Ruben Gallego (D-CD7), Paul Gosar (R-CD4) and Kyrsten Sinema (D-CD9) - are among the 17 bi-partisan co-sponsors of the measure that passed on a voice vote in the Senate earlier this month.

The measure -  sponsored by Arizona Senator Jeff Flake (R-AZ) was sent to the House, where - as Arizona's Politics reported - it was gutted and replaced with the "Born Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act", sponsored by Arizona Rep. Trent Franks (R-CD8). The House leadership pushed it to the Floor without any committee action, as part of a two-measure package giving House members a chance to vote for punishing Planned Parenthood and threatening employees at abortion clinics with five years prison time.  The measures passed the House on largely party line votes.

While Arizona's Politics pushed Congressional offices last week for answers on how the House GOP came to vote against border security and jobs for veterans in favor of a symbolic pro-life vote, McSally's "related measure" was quickly (i.e. without committee action, aka not in regular order) put on the calendar.

McSally's Communications Director Patrick Ptak tells Arizona's Politics (by email) that McSally's office had been in contact with both House leadership and her Senate counterparts (e.g. Flake's office) regarding the bill. He adds that "we’re happy to see it come to the floor today."

Assuming it is passed by the House today, it will have to again be voted on by the Senate before reaching the President's desk.

(Rep. McSally's news release upon House passage:)

  McSally News Release - Border Jobs For Veterans

Arizona's Politics published the text of the Senate bill (identical to McSally's House companion) here.

  Bill Text Born Alive Survivors - 114th Congress - THOMAS (Library of Congress)

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WATCH: Phoenix Seeing $400K Blitz Of "Dear World" Ad Because Rep. Gosar's Boycotting Pope Over Climate Change; Democratic Reps. Grijalva, Gallego Join Effort

Last Friday, Arizona Rep. Paul Gosar (R-CD4) announced that he was leading a boycott of Pope

Francis' speech to a joint session of Congress (Thursday).  Later that day, NextGen Climate Action signed contracts to air an ad in Phoenix countering Gosar and touting the Pope's comments on climate change.

Yesterday, Democratic Reps. Raul Grijalva (D-CD3) and Ruben Gallego (D-CD7) teamed up with NextGen to semi-gently chide Gosar to listen to the Pope.

The ad buy does not mention Gosar (or anyone else), and is titled "Dear World". The script is a collection of quotes from the papal encyclical about climate change.

NextGen press secretary Suzanne Henkels tells Arizona's Politics* that they want to "ensur(e) that (Gosar's) constituents will hear the Pope’s powerful message on climate change", and NextGen increased the broadcast and digital buy to more than $400,000.

The ad was not originally planned to air on Phoenix TV stations - only on national cable, in Washington, D.C. and in five states.

NextGen issued a press release yesterday with comments from billionaire founder Tom Steyer, and Democratic Reps. Grijalva and Gallego. Only Steyer named Gosar.  Grijalva stated that "Unfortunately, Congressional Republicans continue to turn a blind eye to the need for increased sustainable energy, reduced carbon emissions and the development of new green technologies." And, Gallego added "I hope his message resonates with politicians on both sides of the aisle."

*Full comment from Henkels to Arizona's Politics: "On Friday, Arizona Congressman Paul Gosar announced that he plans to boycott Pope Francis’ upcoming address to the U.S. Congress. While Congressman Gosar may not want to hear Pope Francis’ call to action on climate change, Americans are looking to the Pope for leadership on this critical issue. NextGen Climate is ensuring his constituents will hear the Pope’s powerful message on climate change by running our new ad, “Dear World” in Gosar’s congressional district. We’re calling on Gosar’s constituents to reach out to their Congressman and encourage him to listen to the pope’s urgent call to action on climate change."

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Rep. McSally Signs Letter Urging Hardline GOPers To Avoid Government Shutdown; Part Of Centrist Effort By New Members

(Updated, 9:30am, to include full text of letter.)

Arizona Rep. Martha McSally (R-CD2) joined with 10 other freshman Republicans in signing a letter urging hardline conservatives to avoid a government shutdown over the Planned Parenthood issue.

The "Dear Colleague" letter was obtained by Politico, and summarized there. It is now publicly posted, and reproduced here in its entirety.  The article this morning contains this snippet:

“[W]e are writing today to express our strong support for a funding resolution that will avoid another unnecessary and harmful government shutdown.  [W]e were elected by our constituent’s to be principled, pragmatic leaders… The sixteen-day government shutdown in 2013 … not only hurt taxpayers with the loss of important government services — it actually cost more taxpayer money to close the federal government than to keep it open.”

 

  No Government Shutdown DearColleague Letter

The letter, from the freshmen in the 65-member Republican Main Street Partnership, puts McSally at odds with Arizona's four other Republican Representatives. Salmom, Gosar, Schweikert and Franks are all members of the House Freedom Caucus, consisting of the more conservative members at odds with House leadership. Salmon has been among the leaders of the latter.


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READ: Court Opinion Slapping Down Last Minute Referendum On Glendale Casino

Arizona Republic reports on Court of Appeals decision affirming decision to deny effort to hold Glendale referendum on settlement agreement with Tohono O'odham regarding the West Valley casino.

  1 CA-CV 14-0801

Here is a link to the opinion.

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Franks' Abortion Survivor Bill REPLACES Flake's Non-Controversial Border Jobs For Veterans Measure

Republicans in the House of Representatives today erased the non-controversial Border Jobs For Veterans Act, and replaced it with a much-more-controversial "Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act".

Arizona's Politics previously reported that the new bill had been tacked on to the unanimously-passed Border Jobs For Veterans Act. In fact, the House's move was a "strike everything" amendment that used Arizona Senator Jeff Flake's measure as a vessel, and it will now be sent back to the Senate with the measure that could impose five-year prison sentences on anyone working in a clinic who does not contact law enforcement if an aborted fetus moves and is not admitted to a hospital.

Here is the text of the resolution that paved the way for today's votes. (also, below) Section 4 provides for the removal of the veterans/border jobs language from Flake's bill.

Flake had just (last week) touted the unanimous passage of the bill, and spoke of its importance.

Arizona's Politics has asked Senator Flake's and  Representative Franks' offices for comment on this startling development.

  House resolution to replace veterans jobs...

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