Griffin Pushes for Water Policy
STATE CAPITOL, PHOENIX – State Representative Gail Griffin, Chairman of the House Natural Resources, Energy & Water Committee issued the following statement on the Arizona Department of Water Resources’ characterization of Arizona’s rural groundwater basins as “critical”:
Are groundwater levels decreasing in certain basins? Yes, but the first step should be to stop the bleeding to prevent the rate of decline from getting worse. Then we can develop tools to help stabilize the aquifer and find ways to put more water back in the basin, such as groundwater recharge, reuse, and new technology for farming.
Republicans are working on these tools for rural areas, but we need a complete picture of the basins to know which tools make sense for which areas. We need all the facts.
Does Texas have a constitutional right to defy Supreme Court on protecting its border?
How many years’ worth of water we have at the current rate of decline? If the Department doesn’t think there’s enough water to go around, then it needs to tell us how much water “there is.” If the Department thinks active management practices are necessary to preserve the existing supply of groundwater for future needs, then it needs to tell us what the “existing supply” is.
These questions are essential to determining which basins are “critical” and which are not. The Department should not be characterizing basins as “critical” without this information.
Biggs Calls for Reining in Judiciary
Representative Andy Biggs (R-AZ) called for the passage of his Injunctive Authority Clarification Act on X (formerly Twitter) after a judge blocked President Donald Trump's invocation of the 1798 Alien Enemies Act to deport members of Venezuelan prison gang Tren de Aragua.
On Friday, federal judge James Boasberg ordered the reversal of planes carrying the alleged gang members and future removals to El Salvador after their President, Nayib Bukele, offered to detain members there.
As Politico explained, Boasberg sought to determine the legality of Trump's invocation of the 1798 Alien Enemies Act, only used three times in American history in wartime scenarios, to justify the deportations, as Tre de Aragua is not a foreign government.
"Another day, another judge who wants to make sweeping decisions for the entire country. I'm calling on House Leadership to bring my legislation, the Injunctive Authority Clarification Act, to the Floor to stop this nonsense," said Rep. Biggs on X in response.
... READ MORE
Senator Ruben Gallego: 30% of rural Arizonans rely on Medicaid. Cut it, and rural hospitals shut down—leaving many with costly helicopter rides as their only choice to get to emergency care. It's not safe, it's not smart, and we won’t let it happen.
Representative Andy Biggs: No one is surprised that the judge who tried to block President Trump’s deportations is married to a liberal activist. Stop nationwide injunctions now.
Representative Paul Gosar: Not a single woke activist judge ever told Biden he must stop welcoming 13 million illegals into our country.
Representative Eli Crane: This is not at all surprising. Washington, D.C. is a cesspool, and these activist judges don't even hide it. For far too long, no one has dared call them out. Thankfully, those days are over. I'm proud to support @RepBrandonGill's effort to impeach this partisan judge.
Representative Juan Ciscomani: Congratulations to the @uarizona Wildcats on making their 39th NCAA Tournament appearance! We're all rooting for you! #BearDown
Representative David Schweikert: Some really great work from the @JECRepublicans team. At the core of these five chapters lies an inevitable truth: the prosperity of our nation is on borrowed time. Stopping excessive spending now is crucial to ensure generations in the future are not burdened by our current disregard. Read our response to the ERP for a deeper dive into policy that cements American prosperity for today and tomorrow.
Representative Abe Hamadeh: NEW Congressman Hamadeh Introduces Standardized Accreditation Information for Veteran Ease (SAVE) Act
AZ Attorney General Kris Mayes: This ruling not only requires the Trump Administration to stop these indiscriminate and unlawful layoffs but also orders it to undo the harm inflicted on Arizona by restoring the jobs of hardworking federal employees.
State Senate President Warren Petersen: Progressive Democrat activists have launched an assault against Arizona's laws and the integrity of women's sports, yet instead of defending our state's interests, Arizona's Attorney General is wasting time fighting against the Trump Administration in an effort to obstruct his policies that voters overwhelmingly want implemented. I'm relieved we have Attorney General Bondi as an ally to help rectify wrongs committed against Arizona and to defend against a weaponized government. Together, we will defend women's sports and restore commonsense in our state and country.
State Senator T.J. Shope: Congrats to @ShawnnaLMBolick on the passage of SB1234!
State Representative Pamela Carter: Meet HCR2022 my House bill in honor of the largest producer of 70% of clean electricity in Arizona! Passed both Senate committee and House floor.
Biggs Calls for Passage of Judiciary Bill After Judge Blocks Trump's Deportation of Venezuelan Gang Members— By Cactus Politics' Grayson Bakich
Trump Disbands Voice of America, Director Lake Says is is 'Not Salvageable'— By Cactus Politics' Grayson Bakich— President Donald Trump recently announced the dismantling of Voice of America (VOA), a move which ally Kari Lake (R) agreed with, saying the organization is "not salvageable" and "a giant rot and burden to the American taxpayer—a national security risk for this nation—and irretrievably broken."
Senate Democrats Advance Republican CR, Avoid Government Shutdown— By Cactus Politics' Jackson Bakich— Ten Democrats voted to advance the continuing resolution (CR) to fund the government through September, setting the stage for the Republican-led measure to pass with a simple majority. The continuing resolution must be passed before midnight on Friday, March 14 to avoid a shutdown. Sixty votes were needed to end the discussion surrounding the CR (negate a filibuster). The vote to send the bill to a final decision was 62-38.
Biggs Demands Investigation into Democrat Fundraising Platform ActBlue— By Cactus Politics' Grayson Bakich— Representative Andy Biggs (R-AZ) recently wrote a letter to Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Director Kash Patel urging the opening of an inquiry into ActBlue, the Democratic Party's primary fundraising apparatus, for supposed misconduct.
Hamadeh Reintroduces Bipartisan Bill Assisting Veterans Pursuing STEM Degrees— By Cactus Politics' Grayson Bakich— Representative Abe Hamadeh (R-AZ) joined Representative Nikki Budzinski (D-IL) in reintroducing the bipartisan Edith Nourse Rogers STEM Scholarship Opportunity Act.
BREAKING: Raul Grijalva Dead at 77— By Cactus Politics' Grayson Bakich— Representative Raul Grijalva (D-AZ), who had been battling cancer, has passed away at the age of 77.
Gallego Introduces Bipartisan Bill Protecting Seniors from Social Security Overpayment Lookback— By Cactus Politics' Grayson Bakich— Senator Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) is cosponsoring a bipartisan bill that would prevent Social Security seniors from needing to pay back overpayments from over ten years ago.
Gosar Reintroduces Bill to Produce Green Energy on Public Land— By Cactus Politics' Grayson Bakich— Representative Paul Gosar (R-AZ) has reintroduced legislation increasing the production of wind and solar energy on public land.
Arizona's Delegates Unite Behind Ciscomani's Reintroduced Tribal Water Agreement Bill— By Cactus Politics' Grayson Bakich— Almost all of Arizona's Congressional delegation has united behind Representative Juan Ciscomani's (R-AZ) Northeastern Arizona Indian Water Rights Settlement Agreement, which he recently reintroduced to Congress.
Congress to Introduce Parental Rights Legislation to Protect Kids Online— By Cactus Politics' Javier Manjarres— WASHINGTON— On the heels of the Utah state legislature passing a first-in-the-nation online parental rights legislative measure, Utah Senator Mike Lee (R) will reintroduce his App Store Accountability Act in the U.S. Senate.
The Snakebite is written by Grayson Bakich and Javier Manjarres
