Senators McCain and Kyl today made the following statement regarding the United States District Court of Arizona's decision to block enforcement of the most important provisions of SB 1070.
Read full statement below:
“We are deeply disappointed in the court’s ruling today and disagree with the court’s opinion that the Arizona’s law will unduly ‘burden’ the enforcement of federal immigration law.
“Instead of wasting tax payer resources filing a lawsuit against Arizona and complaining that the law would be burdensome, the Obama Administration should have focused its efforts on working with Congress to provide the necessary resources to support the state in its efforts to act where the Federal government has failed to take responsibility.
“After this decision, it’s even more important to implement our Ten-Point Border Security plan to protect Arizonans and our country.”
Senators McCain and Kyl are more committed than ever to securing our border. They will continue to push tirelessly for implementation of their 10-point plan to secure the border first!
You can read the plan here.
Senator McCain dropped by to help the Home Depot team open their newest Rapid Deployment Center in Tolleson, AZ this afternoon.
This state of the art facility will supply inventory to Home Depot stores across the Southwest. After a quick tour of the new facility Senator McCain spoke to the employees and answered questions.
Thank you for the invitation to visit today and congratulations on your grand opening.
Below are a few pics from the event.
Senator McCain visited Las Sendas Elementary School this morning to hold a town hall with over 125 East Valley residents.
Arizona voters are engaged and everyone came out with some great questions. The discussion ranged from the SB 1070 court decision to bringing more high wage jobs here to Arizona.
Thank you to everyone for coming out. Below are a few pics from the event.
Today, the Air Force announced Luke Air Force Base as their preferred training station for the new F-35 Lightning II (Joint Strike Fighter). Senator McCain is proud to have led the effort in advocating for the F-35 to come to Arizona -- which provides an unparalleled training environment as well as strong community support for our brave men and women serving in our armed forces. Our Arizona military bases not only protect our national security, but are vital to our state’s economy.
Today’s announcement clearly demonstrates how Senator McCain has been, and will continue to be, an effective leader for Arizona in Washington DC.
See Senator McCain’s statement on the F-35 below.
STATEMENT BY SENATOR McCAIN REGARDING THE ANNOUNCEMENT BY THE DEPARTMENT OF AIR FORCE
Applauds the Air Force for Stationing the F-35 Lightning II at Luke Air Force Base
Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator John McCain (R-AZ) today made the following statement regarding the Department of Air Force selection of Luke Air Force Base as their preferred base for stationing of the F-35 Lightning II (Joint Strike Fighter) and the decision not to select the 162nd Fighter Wing at Tucson International Airport (IAP):
“I am pleased with the selection by the Department of the Air Force of Luke Air Force Base (AFB) to be the preferred alternative for the home of pilot training of three F-35 Lighting II (Joint Strike Fighter) squadrons. While I had hoped to welcome the F-35 Lighting II (Joint Strike Fighter) to both Luke AFB and Tucson International Air Port (IAP), I understand the decision by the Department of the Air Force to defer consideration of assigning the F-35 to the 162nd Fighter Wing at Tucson IAP until a future time given the base’s critical current mission of training foreign pilots in the F-16.
“The Air Force has recognized that the unparalleled capabilities inherent to Arizona – from the Barry M. Goldwater Range, to great flying weather, and strong support from state and local governments and communities, serve to provide the best environment and the finest quality of life for our military personnel training in the Air Force’s next generation fighter. In return, Luke AFB offers the West Valley and the State of Arizona a strong economic engine contributing more than 8,000 jobs and $2.17 billion annually to the state’s economy.
“This decision today recognizes the extensive support and proactive land management by local city, county and state governments over the past years to sustain military operations at Luke AFB. I am proud of the cooperation we have fostered in Arizona to bring this outstanding opportunity to the West Valley and will continue efforts in the future to maintain this long-term, mutually beneficial relationship. I would also like to congratulate and thank the Fighter County Partnership and the West Valley Partners for their continued support of Luke AFB.
“While this is an important day for the future of Luke AFB, we are not finished. I will continue to work on behalf of all citizens in Arizona to ensure the Air Force conducts a fair, transparent and comprehensive environmental impact analysis over the next 12 months to address legitimate concerns with the operation of this aircraft. This analysis is absolutely critical for the support of the Air Force at Luke AFB over the long-term.
“We also cannot overlook that the Tucson community has received great news over the past six months with decisions by the nations of Singapore and Holland to move their F-16 pilot training to Tucson. Given the critical nature of support for the foreign military sales program and training support for our allies, I am confident that the F-35 will be stationed at Tucson IAP at some point in the future. Until then, training of F-16 foreign pilots remains a robust and vital mission for many years to come, and Tucson IAP will continue as the base of choice for our foreign allies who purchase F-16 aircraft, due to the unparalleled range capabilities and the strong support of the Tucson community.
“In the meantime, I will continue to work with the Department of the Air Force, the Air National Guard, and representatives of the community as well as the Tucson Airport Authority to ensure we position the base for future favorable consideration.”
Senator McCain appeared on The Hannity Show on FOX News to discuss the Wikileaks scandal and Arizona Immigration news.
Watch the full interview below.
Senator McCain appeared in studio on the Mac & Gaydos Show to talk about immigration, the economy and the latest updates from Washington DC.
You can hear the entire interview below:
Over the last week, Senator McCain has received endorsements from the Arizona Association of Realtors and the Chandler Chamber of Commerce.
Our thanks to both organizations for their support.
You can view the Arizona Association of Realtors endorsement here and the Chandler Chamber of Commerce endorsement here.
Senators McCain and Kyl travled the state on Saturday to hear from Arizona voters and to share their thoughts on immigration, the economy and healthcare.
We had record turnouts at town halls in Chandler and Tucson, as hundreds of Arizona voters came out to show their support for Senator McCain.
In both cities, voters asked some great questions and Senators McCain and Kyl discussed their 10-point plan to secure the border and how they plan to make efforts in January to "Repeal and Replace" Obamacare.
Thanks to everyone for coming out. You can check out all the pics below.
Both Senators are finishing up the day with a town hall in Prescott at 5pm. We will put up the additional pics from Prescott later this weekend.
Update: Below are the additional pics from the Prescott Town Hall. Over 300 supporters joined Senators McCain and Kyl at this town hall to discuss the issues.
Today was a full day of events across Arizona, as Senator McCain traveled around the valley to meet with Arizona voters.
The day began in Phoenix at the Arizona Home Educators' Convention. Senator McCain spoke to over 4,000 attendees to share an update from Washington D.C. and to thank them for all that they do for Arizona's children.
Next, Senator McCain stopped by the East Valley Business Luncheon in Gilbert to receive the Spirit of Enterprise Award from the Gilbert Chamber of Commerce and to answer questions from the audience.
The final stop of the day was a standing room only town hall in Glendale. The crowd gave Senator McCain a enthusiastic reception and it is clear that Arizona voters are excited and engaged.
Thank you to everyone for coming out today for these great events.
On Saturday, we are having town halls in Chandler, Tucson and Prescott. If you missed today's events please check out the event details for Saturday here. Come out and join us.
Below are the pics from our events today.