Weekly Newsletter
February 22, 2026
Another Week of Democrat Sabotage at DHS
Another week has come and gone, and Democrats are still deliberately crippling the Department of Homeland Security by blocking its funding.
Let’s be clear: this is not a “stalemate.” It is a calculated stunt by the Democrats. House Republicans and Democrats passed a bipartisan, full-year funding bill to keep DHS operating and protect the American people. Senate Democrats refused to move it forward. Instead of negotiating in good faith, they chose obstruction—again—leaving the men and women on the front lines of our national security paying the price.
Border Patrol agents are left in limbo. TSA officers are screening passengers without knowing when their next paycheck will arrive. Coast Guard members, Secret Service personnel, and FEMA responders are being treated like political pawns.
This is not dysfunction. It is willful malice.
Every day this drags on, Democrats send a message that partisan leverage matters more than public safety. They are prepared to let border operations suffer, delay disaster response, and strain counterterrorism efforts—all to appease the most radical voices in their party. They would rather manufacture a crisis than admit that securing the border and enforcing immigration law are basic responsibilities of government.
The American people are watching. They see who passed funding and who continues to block it. They see who stands with law enforcement and who treats them as bargaining chips. And they see a party that claims to care about “protecting democracy” while actively undermining the security infrastructure that protects this nation every single day.
This shutdown is a choice. It is unnecessary. It is reckless. And it is happening because Democrats would rather score political points than secure the homeland.
Enough excuses. Fund DHS. Pay our frontline personnel. Protect the American people.
BREAKING: TSA PreCheck and Global Entry Suspended
Because Democrats have shut down critical operations at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, expedited screening programs run by the Transportation Security Administration — including TSA PreCheck and Global Entry — have now been suspended nationwide. The immediate consequence: Arizona travelers should expect significant delays at security and customs lines at airports across the country. Anyone flying domestically or internationally should plan to arrive much earlier than usual as the Democrats’ shutdown disrupts normal airport operations. You can thank the Democrats for ruining your vacation.
SCOTUS Rules on Tariffs, Now What?
The Supreme Court’s decision this week limiting one specific tariff authority was disappointing—but it does not change the facts or stop President Trump’s America First trade agenda. The United States is still facing a massive $1.2 trillion trade deficit. That means we are buying far more from other countries than we are selling to them. For decades, bad trade deals and global outsourcing sent American factories overseas, weakened our supply chains, and left us dependent on foreign nations for products we should be making ourselves. President Trump has long warned that no country can survive by living on debt and surrendering its manufacturing and industries—and he is right.
What makes the Court’s ruling especially frustrating is that it did not strike down tariffs themselves. It only ruled that President Trump had exceeded his power by invoking the use of one specific legal authority known as the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, or IEEPA. In fact, multiple other laws clearly give the President the power to impose tariffs and protect American industries. Even the Court acknowledged that these other authorities remain available. So, while the decision was a setback in one narrow area, it does not stop President Trump from continuing to defend American workers. If anything, it clarifies that stronger, more direct tools are still fully within his power.
The majority of justices ruled that tariffs are taxes and therefore can only be imposed by Congress. That contradicts the Court’s Obamacare decision, in which Congress said the mandate was not a tax, yet the Court upheld it by calling it a tax to avoid striking down the law down. Justice Thomas dissented, pointing out that past presidents have long used tariffs and that Congress delegated that authority to the executive branch. As the President said, the ruling is disappointing—but it won’t stop America First.
And President Trump wasted no time acting. He invoked Section 122 of the Trade Act of 1974 to implement a 10 percent temporary global tariff aimed at addressing America’s trade imbalance. Key goods like energy, fertilizer, pharmaceuticals, and certain agricultural products are excluded to protect critical supply chains. At the same time, national security tariffs and enforcement actions against unfair trade practices remain firmly in place. The message is clear: America will no longer be taken advantage of.
The results speak for themselves. Since President Trump began implementing reciprocal tariffs, the goods trade deficit has already declined by 17 percent. Industrial production is rising. Manufacturing is growing again. Small businesses—the backbone of American industry—are seeing renewed demand and expansion. These policies are not theoretical; they are delivering real, measurable improvements.
At its core, this fight is about economic independence and national strength. America cannot remain secure if we rely on foreign adversaries for essential goods or allow unfair trade practices to hollow out our workforce. President Trump understands that fair trade—not weak trade—is the foundation of long-term prosperity. While the Court may have complicated one path forward, it has not weakened his resolve. The President remains committed to using every lawful authority available to protect American jobs, restore domestic production, and ensure that America’s economic future is built at home—not shipped overseas.
“Worst of Worst” Includes Many Arrested in Arizona
Another week, another preventable outrage tied directly to the chaos unleashed by the Biden administration’s reckless open-border policies.
This time, it’s Marenn Sorm — a criminal illegal alien from Cambodia — arrested in Phoenix, Arizona. His record is not minor. It is staggering. Negligent manslaughter with a vehicle. Aggravated assault with a gun. Cruelty toward a child. DUI. Disorderly conduct. This is not someone who slipped through the cracks. This is someone who never should have been in our country — or our state — in the first place.
And yet here we are.
Arizonans are forced to live with the consequences of policies crafted by politicians thousands of miles away who refuse to secure the border, refuse to enforce immigration law, and refuse to admit the damage their agenda has caused. While they posture in Washington and argue semantics, communities in Phoenix and across our state deal with the very real fallout: violence, instability, and lives upended.
What makes this arrest even more infuriating is that it occurred while Democrats play political games in Congress – refusing to fund ICE and turning a blind eye to the very enforcement agency tasked with removing criminals like this creep from our communities. A sovereign nation has the responsibility to control its borders. When that responsibility is abandoned, criminals exploit the weakness. Arizona, as a border state, bears the brunt of that failure.
Thankfully, this individual has now been removed from our communities. But the bigger question remains: how many more are here because enforcement was deliberately dismantled? How many more victims could have been spared if border security had been treated as a priority instead of a political inconvenience?
The American people deserve a secure border. Arizona families deserve safety. And law-abiding citizens deserve leaders who put them first.
To see more of the dangerous illegals removed from Arizona communities, click here. You will be shocked.
State of the Union Preview
As President Donald Trump prepares to deliver his upcoming State of the Union address next week, the contrast in American politics could not be clearer. On one side stands an administration focused on restoring sovereignty, strengthening enforcement, and rebuilding public trust. On the other side stands a Democratic Party that has repeatedly chosen obstruction over security — particularly when it comes to the border and election integrity.
In recent weeks, that divide has come into sharp focus.
As I noted above, after the House passed a bipartisan, full-year funding bill, Democrats blocked funding for the Department of Homeland Security at the eleventh hour, triggering a partial shutdown. The consequences were immediate: TSA agents, Coast Guard members, Secret Service personnel, and FEMA responders forced to work without pay; cybersecurity operations slowed; counterterrorism readiness strained.
This was not an unavoidable impasse. It was a deliberate political maneuver.
For border states like Arizona, the implications are deeply concerning. Our communities have lived with the consequences of federal inaction — fentanyl pouring across the border, cartel activity expanding, local law enforcement stretched thin, ranchers and families bearing the brunt of chaos. When DHS operations are disrupted, even temporarily, Arizona feels it first.
Yet rather than strengthen enforcement, many Democrats appear intent on weakening it. Shutting down Homeland Security to gain leverage over immigration policy sends a dangerous message: that political positioning matters more than border security. For families who have lost loved ones to drug trafficking or crime tied to illegal immigration, that message rings hollow.
The same troubling pattern is evident in the debate over election integrity.
The SAVE America Act, recently passed by House Republicans, affirms a simple principle: voting is a right of U.S. citizenship. It requires proof of citizenship to register and a government-issued photo ID to vote — safeguards that mirror the requirements Americans meet every day to board a plane, buy alcohol, or conduct routine transactions.
These are hardly radical proposals. They are basic measures designed to restore confidence in elections.
Yet Democrats overwhelmingly oppose them.
After years of unprecedented illegal immigration and documented weaknesses in voter registration systems, public trust demands stronger verification — not looser standards. For a border state like Arizona, where migration pressures and administrative strain intersect, maintaining accurate voter rolls is not theoretical. It is essential to ensuring that lawful citizens alone determine electoral outcomes.
As President Trump takes the podium next Tuesday for his State of the Union, he will outline an agenda centered on secure borders, economic renewal, and institutional accountability. He will speak of enforcement restored, inflation curbed, energy unleashed, and American strength reasserted at home and abroad.
Across the aisle will sit lawmakers who recently forced a shutdown of the agency responsible for homeland security and who continue to resist basic election safeguards.
The choice before the country is unmistakable. Secure borders or political brinkmanship. Verified ballots or vulnerable systems. Enforcement of the law or erosion of it.
The contrast could not be sharper — and for Arizona, the stakes could not be higher. I look forward to hearing what President Trump has to say!
Reminder: Submissions Being Accepted for Congressional Art Competition
The 2026 Congressional Art Competition is underway and I invite creative high school students from Arizona’s 9th Congressional District—grades 8 through 12, including homeschool, online, and alternative programs—to show off their artistic talents. My office is now accepting submissions through Wednesday, April 1, 2026.
Each spring, the Congressional Institute hosts this nationwide visual art competition to celebrate and inspire young artists across the country. Since it began in 1982, more than 650,000 students have participated. The winning artwork from our district will be proudly displayed for an entire year in the United States Capitol—a truly unique honor. This competition is a fantastic opportunity to highlight the creativity, passion, and talent of Arizona’s next generation of artists, and I encourage every student with a love for art to participate. See the above flyer for more information and details about this year’s art competition! 🎨
Tweet of the Week:
Photo of the Week:
📸 Joe Mancino sent in this awesome photo of a white pelican in flight that he recently took at the Gilbert Riparian Water Ranch. Amazing picture, Joe. Keep sending them in!
Do you want the chance for your photograph to be featured as our "Picture of the Week?" If so, send your best shots along with a brief description to Anthony.foti@mail.house.gov. Remember to include your name and where you live.
Gosar in the News and Other Must-Read Stories:
📰 Children’s Health Defense: Rand Paul Introduces Bill to End Liability Shield for Vaccine Manufacturers
🗞Gateway Pundit: Mitch McConnell Blocks Save Act from Being Brought to a Vote on the Senate Floor
📰 Fox News: Rogan agrees birthright citizenship is a 'crazy law' enabling most of US migrant problems
🗞 New York Post: Trump has lost the tariff battle but not the tariff war
📰 The Daily Wire: Biden Shielded Him From Deportation. He Was Just Arrested For Trying To Drown A Woman.
⚠ Warning!! The Gosar Weekly Newsletter is meant for discerning readers with above-average intelligence. We link to interesting stories. We get stories a couple different ways: Google alerts, a third-party aggregator and sometimes readers send stuff. We don’t vouch for every publication or every author. If we link to a story, it is because of that story. The views expressed in any of the publications do not represent any promotion, endorsement or reflection of Congressman Gosar’s views. While we try our best, we cannot guarantee every news organization spouting hatred, animosity or divisiveness will be filtered from appearing in the Gosar Weekly Newsletter. We will endeavor to prevent that from happening by never linking to Fake News organizations including CNN, MSNBC, CNBC, Rolling Stone, the Arizona Republic, the Arizona Mirror, Media Matters or the New Republic.
