This Week With Gosar

Weekly Newsletter

August 23, 2026

A Victory for School Choice in Arizona

I have some good news for Arizona parents: school choice won!

This week, the Arizona Supreme Court upheld a lower-court ruling that effectively keeps Proposition 212, the union-backed measure targeting Arizona's Empowerment Scholarship Account (ESA) program, off the November ballot. The initiative sought to impose new restrictions on Arizona's universal school-choice program, including an income cap and additional requirements for families and schools.

The case came down to whether the initiative had enough valid signatures to qualify for the ballot. The courts found that thousands of signatures could not legally be counted, including duplicate signatures. The legal challenge also uncovered signatures collected by individuals who were prohibited under Arizona law from circulating petitions. After applying the court's rules, the initiative fell below the required threshold.

I applaud the Goldwater Institute and the Arizona Free Enterprise Club for standing up for election integrity and, most importantly, Arizona parents' right to choose the education that works best for their children.

Parents-not teachers' unions, bureaucrats or politicians-should decide whether their children attend a district school, charter school, private school or homeschool. Arizona has built one of the nation's strongest school-choice programs, and I will continue fighting to protect it.

Keeping Dangerous Criminals Out of Our Communities

President Trump and Department of Homeland Security Secretary Mullin are delivering on their promise to make America safer by empowering ICE to arrest and remove dangerous criminal illegal aliens from our communities.

This week, ICE arrested several individuals convicted of serious and despicable crimes-including sexual assault of children, forcible sexual abuse, drug offenses, theft and fraud. One of those arrested, Elvis Vargas-Murillo, a criminal illegal alien from Mexico, was convicted in the U.S. District Court of Arizona for fraud, cocaine possession, parole violations, possession of narcotic equipment, and illegal re-entry into the United States.

Arizona families should not have to worry about dangerous criminals who have already demonstrated a willingness to break our laws remaining in our communities. I commend the men and women of ICE for doing their jobs and removing these public safety threats from our streets.

The message is simple: if you enter our country illegally and commit crimes against Americans, you should not be allowed to remain here. President Trump is restoring law and order, securing our border, and putting the safety of American citizens first.

The Democrats' New War on Prayer

Not to be outdone by Massachusetts, whose governor recently embraced abortion up to the moment of birth as I noted in last week's newsletter, New Jersey Governor Mikie Sherrill decided to raise the bar this week-or lower it in my opinion-by signing a bill that can criminalize peaceful prayer and sidewalk counseling outside abortion facilities.

That's right: apparently in the Garden State, protecting the murder of innocent babies requires protecting abortion facilities from prayer.

The new law creates a crime of "interference with reproductive health care services" and relies on vague terms such as "threaten," "intimidate," and "coerce." Given the broad language, it is difficult to see these provisions as anything other than a potential tool to target people who are peacefully praying, holding signs, or offering alternatives to women considering abortion.

We have seen this playbook before. Under Joe Biden, the Department of Justice prosecuted 75-year-old Paulette Harlow and sought to imprison her for two years over her participation in a peaceful protest outside an abortion clinic in Washington. If the Left believes it can use the power of government to silence people with whom it disagrees, this new law looks like it could be right out of the same dirty-tricks playbook.

Let's get this straight: Democrats want government to stay completely out of the abortion decision-but apparently not when it comes to deciding who is allowed to pray about it.

Massachusetts says abortion can happen virtually until birth. New Jersey says you'd better be careful about praying outside the facility.

At this rate, I suppose we should be grateful they haven't started requiring a

government permit before you can say "Amen."

There is nothing compassionate or tolerant about using the power of government to silence people for peacefully expressing their beliefs. The First Amendment doesn't come with an abortion exception.

Fighting Back Against Fentanyl

This week, the Trump administration delivered real results in the fight against the fentanyl epidemic. Under President Trump's leadership, the border has been secured, cartels and narco-terrorists are being targeted, and fentanyl overdose deaths have fallen dramatically. The administration's efforts to dismantle the criminal networks responsible for poisoning Americans are saving lives. This week, President Trump announced that fentanyl deaths have fallen by 22 percent.

But we cannot stop there. We must make sure those who knowingly traffic this deadly poison face consequences severe enough to match the devastation they cause.

That is why I previously introduced H.R. 3764, the Death Penalty for Dealing Fentanyl Act, which would authorize the death penalty or life imprisonment for anyone convicted of manufacturing, distributing, or possessing with intent to distribute fentanyl when that fentanyl results in a death.

Fentanyl is so deadly that even a tiny amount can kill. The DEA has identified fentanyl overdoses as the leading cause of death for Americans ages 18-44, and more than 105,000 Americans died from drug poisonings in 2023, with nearly 70 percent involving synthetic opioids such as fentanyl. Arizona has been on the front lines of this fight, including being part of the largest fentanyl bust in U.S. history, which resulted in the arrest of a Mexican cartel leader.

President Trump is cutting off the supply and dismantling the cartels. My legislation makes clear that those who knowingly traffic fentanyl and cause the death of an American should face the ultimate penalty. We must continue supporting the administration's aggressive efforts to secure our border, destroy the cartels, and save American lives.

Arizona: One of America's Most Fun States

And finally, here's something we can all agree on: Arizona is a pretty great place to have some fun!

This week, WalletHub has ranked Arizona No. 10 among the most fun states in America, putting the Grand Canyon State ahead of 40 other states. The ranking considered 26 different measures of entertainment and recreation-from access to national parks and outdoor activities to restaurants, nightlife, theaters, and other ways to enjoy our free time.

And anyone who has explored Arizona knows why. From the Grand Canyon and Arizona's spectacular public lands to hiking, hunting, fishing, golf, skiing, great restaurants, sporting events, and everything in between, there is something for just about everyone.

We may not agree on everything in Washington, but I think we can all agree on this: Arizona is one heck of a fun place to call home. And coming in at number 10 nationally? That's something worth celebrating!

Tweet of the Week:

Photo of the Week:

Daniel Hagen from Payson, AZ shares another amazing photo he snapped while paddle boarding. This time it is a picture of a bobcat that he describes as trotting away over the rocks. Incredible picture, Daniel! Keep sending them in.

Do you want the chance for your photograph to be featured as our "Photo of the Week?" If so, send your best shots along with a brief description to [email protected]. Remember to include your name and where you live.

Gosar in the News and Other Must-Read Stories:

Arizona's Family: Puppy named 'Tillman' being trained as service dog for veterans, first responders

Goldwater Institute: Union Attack on School Choice Fails Miserably

New York Post: Fauci was privately informed about questions over COVID-19 vaccines and miscarriages, new texts show

KJZZ: Arizona pushes back on a new Colorado River plan that could bring 'catastrophic harm'

Breitbart: Judge Blocks Homeland Security Review of Migrant Trucker Licenses

USA Today: Gruesome find: More human remains discovered at shrinking Lake Mead

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.