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Happy Veterans Day
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This Veterans Day, we pause to recognize the courageous men and women who have served our nation in uniform. Their dedication, sacrifice, and commitment have protected the freedoms we enjoy every day.
UCIS Naturalization Ceremony
 
I was honored to have been able to attend and speak at the U. S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Naturalization Ceremony this past week at the Desert Botanical Garden.
It is with great pride that we were able to welcome 25 new citizens as fellow Americans, surrounded by their friends and family. Moments like these are stark reminders of our strength and unity as a nation. Congratulations to all our new fellow Americans!
Thank you to Judge Collin’s for presiding, to the USCIS staff, U.S. Marshals, and to the Desert Botanical Garden for hosting.
IRS Grants Penalty Relief for Employers Under the under the Working Families Tax Cut Act
The Treasury Department and IRS announced penalty relief for employers during the 2025 tax year as they adjust to new reporting rules under the Working Families Tax Cut Act. The new rules cover how cash tips and qualified overtime pay are reported on Forms W-2 and 1099.
Under Notice 2025-62, employers will not face penalties this year for not separately reporting cash tips, employee occupations, or qualified overtime amounts, as long as all other filing information is correct. The IRS is treating 2025 as a transition year since many employers do not yet have the systems to track the new data.
JEC Update
The Joint Economic Committee released an issue brief entitled, Long Overdue: Enhanced Premium Tax Credits Should Expire, which finds that the Biden COVID premium subsidies have not only outlived their intended temporary purpose, but evidence indicates that their design, focused on maximizing coverage regardless of cost, reduces pressure on insurers to contain costs. As a result, the Biden COVID premium subsidies perform poorly as permanent policy: they do more to improve the financial outcomes of large health insurers than to reduce health care costs for Americans.
Debt Update:
The JEC also released its Monthly Debt Update, as of November 6, 2025, total gross national debt is $38.09 trillion, which is $2.18 trillion higher than one year ago and $10.89 trillion higher than five years ago. Also, over the past year, the rate of increase averaged $5.97 billion per day, $248.91 million per hour, $4.15 million per minute, or $60,140.63 per second. Additionally, gross national debt per household is now $288,101.
As of October 2025, the average interest rate on the total marketable national debt is 3.393 percent, virtually unchanged from last year (+3 basis points from 3.363 percent) but more than double the rate of 1.625 percent from five years ago (+177 basis points). Net interest as a share of outlays is forecast by the Congressional Budget Office to be 13.85 percent in FY2026, 14.11 percent in FY2027, and 14.52 percent in FY2028.
What I'm Reading and Why it Matters
AI Steps Into the Fight Against Tuberculosis
I recently read an article about a Scottsdale hospital expanding its use of robotic systems for joint and orthopedic surgeries. The technology helps surgeons perform procedures with more accuracy and can lead to faster recovery times for patients. Hospitals in Arizona continue to invest in innovation that improves care and strengthens our healthcare system.
This matters because medical progress is about more than new tools. It is about improving outcomes, helping patients heal, and giving doctors better ways to treat their communities. Arizona’s focus on research and technology is helping build a healthier future for the state. |