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Following the transplant money and protecting American patients
Right now there is a family being told, “be patient, you’re on the list,” watching a spouse or child fade while they wait on an organ another American agreed to donate on the worst day of their life. They do not know that the same transplant system is now under a major investigation for giving wealthy foreign nationals with cash and a plane ticket faster access to those donor organs than our own patients.
More than 100,000 Americans are on transplant waitlists while Chairman Jason Smith and I dig into tax-exempt hospitals that advertised “short-wait” transplant packages for foreign VIPs. This week we sent formal letters to the University of Chicago Medical Center and Montefiore Medical Center demanding documents, contracts, transplant data and financial records related to these programs, because if a U.S. taxpayer funded hospital gave a foreign cash patient a faster path to an organ than an American on the list, Congress has a duty to act.
In the broader Ways and Means investigation into organ procurement organizations and the transplant system, we already have a record of a cancer-infected liver that killed a Missouri mom, a federal report flagging 73 cases where organ recovery continued even as patients showed signs of life, whistleblowers saying hundreds of Americans were quietly skipped on the list and dozens died, and data showing 18 of the 21 most profitable OPOs sitting in the worst federal performance tier while Medicare picks up the bill. The records we are reviewing describe a system that treats American patients and donors as disposable. My job is to follow those records wherever they lead and make sure tax-exempt hospitals and OPOs remember who the system is supposed to serve first: the American who agreed to donate, and the American who is dying on the waitlist.
Pushing FEMA to fix its Arizona mistake
After September’s floods in Gila and Mohave counties killed three Arizonans and left more than $100 million in damage, FEMA still said no to disaster aid. That makes no sense when federal land surrounds these communities and the way that land is managed helps determine where the water goes. I have joined colleagues on both sides of the aisle to push FEMA and the administration to reverse this decision because a town like Globe cannot carry that kind of cost alone. If Washington wants control of the land around our communities, it does not get to walk away when Arizona families are the ones shoveling mud out of their living rooms.
Recognizing Amazing Constituents of AZ-01!
It was a pleasure to meet with the winners of the 2025 Congressional App Challenge! Humaid and Ayaan won first place with their app DreamSeal, to help CPAP users get better fits on their masks. Anagha took second with her app RetinAlyze, to use AI tools to detect diabetic retinopathy. Ishita took third with her app HearMee, to provide accessible mental health services to survivors of domestic and interpersonal violence. Hearing from these talented students about their inspirations, difficulties, and goals is one of the highlights of my position. Well done and congratulations to all, I know they will go on to do great things in our community as they pursue their educations.
Tax Filing Season Has Officially Started
IRS put out new guidance on how the One, Big, Beautiful Bill credits will show up for families this filing season. If you claim the Earned Income Tax Credit or the Additional Child Tax Credit and file online with direct deposit, you still should not expect money before early March. That is fine if the refund is a bonus and brutal if you are trying to cover child care or tuition. IRS is also nudging people into direct deposit and online accounts while paper checks quietly fade away. For Arizona families the homework is simple. File online, use direct deposit, and check every Social Security number and credit box so the IRS does not kick your return into a slow manual review.
What I'm Reading and Why it Matters
VA tests AI program at Prescott clinic with a goal to focus on more veterans
VA is piloting “ambient scribe” AI at the Prescott clinic, with Phoenix rolling it out next, so the software listens to the visit and drafts the medical note instead of the doctor hammering it out after hours. For Arizona veterans that means more of the appointment is spent looking at a human being instead of a screen, and it’s a rare case of Washington using technology to cut paperwork and burnout instead of layering on more bureaucracy.
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