This Week With Gosar

Weekly Newsletter

December 21, 2025

Merry Christmas!

As we celebrate the birth of our Savior, my family and I want to wish each of you a joyful and blessed Christmas season. This is a time to pause, give thanks, and reflect on the enduring values that bind us together.

Especially at Christmas, we are reminded that the strength of our nation does not come from Washington, D.C., but from our homes, our churches, our communities, and the grace of God.

I am deeply grateful to the men and women in uniform, our first responders, and all those who must spend the holidays away from loved ones in service to others. Please know you are in our prayers.

From my family to yours, may your home be filled with warmth, laughter, and peace, and may the hope of Christmas carry you into the New Year.

Merry Christmas!❄

For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Isaiah 9:6 (NKJV)

ICYMI: Why Healthcare CEO's Should Testify Before Congress

Congress has both the authority and the obligation to conduct oversight when federally regulated industries profit at the expense of the American people.Earlier this week, Chronicles Magazine published my editorialoutlining why it's time for healthcare CEOs to testify before Congress.

If you missed it, below is my entire editorial.

Congress has both the authority and the obligation to conduct oversight when federally regulated industries profit at the expense of the American people. The evidence now overwhelmingly demonstrates that major health insurers have used the Affordable Care Act (ACA), better known as Obamacare, not as a vehicle to expand affordable care, but as a mechanism to extract record corporate profits, evade accountability, and shift costs onto patients and taxpayers.

Healthcare CEOs should be compelled to testify because their companies operate almost entirely on public dollars, public mandates, and public trust-yet have consistently abused all three.

First, insurers are profiting from taxpayer subsidies while denying care. Obamacare plans are heavily subsidized by federal spending, yet some insurers deny as many as one in three claims. For example, in 2023 the Obamacare marketplace denied 20% of claims on average, with many carriers denying up to 35% of in-network claims. These are claims from people who followed the rules, paid their premiums and still had care denied. Far from covering every American, Obamacare has left more than 28 million uninsured, according to the CDC. CEOs must answer why companies receiving billions in public funds routinely delay, deny, or obstruct medically necessary care while posting record profits.

Second, insurers have exploited regulatory loopholes to inflate profits. Through vertical integration and internal billing schemes, insurers appear to meet medical spending requirements on paper while routing money to subsidiaries they own, counting internal transactions as so-called patient care. How much taxpayer money is being laundered through corporate balance sheets instead of reaching patients? This accounting shell game undermines the intent of the law and raises serious questions about whether consumers are being defrauded.

Third, executives are enriching themselves while consumers face rising costs. In fact, the top five healthcare CEOs earn $75 million. At the same time, American family's healthcare premiums have increased to $27,000 since Obamacare became law. Major insurers also engage in large stock buybacks to boost their own share prices. These practices extract tens of billions of dollars that could otherwise go toward lowering premiums or improving benefits. While healthcare premiums, deductibles, and out-of-pocket expenses climb for most Americans, insurance executives collect multimillion-dollar compensation packages and authorize massive stock buybacks. Taxpayer-subsidized revenue should not bankroll executive bonuses and Wall Street payouts. Congress must ask why executive pay and shareholder rewards take priority over affordability and patient care in a subsidized market.

Fourth, premiums and out-of-pocket costs keep rising. Obama sold the Affordable Care Act on the promise that you could keep your plan, keep your doctor, lower premiums, greater choice, improved access and those with pre-existing medical conditions would be protected.Consumers were promised access and choice, yet many discovered after enrollment that doctors and hospitals were unavailable or excluded. Since Obamacare became law, average premiums in Arizona have gone up dramatically. In fact, from 2013-2017, ACA premiums for Arizonans nearly tripled. CEOs must explain why patients are paying more while they continue to insist Obamacare is working.

Fifth, improper enrollments and fraud have cost taxpayers billions. Federal watchdogs have identified widespread failures to verify eligibility, resulting in improper subsidy payments that flow directly to insurers. Federal investigators revealed last month that the COVID-19 expansion of Obamacare led to an estimated $35 billion in fraudulent enrollments. It is estimated that there are more than 12 million phantom Obamacare enrollees, costing taxpayers billions. Congressional testimony is necessary to determine whether insurers exercised due diligence-or knowingly looked the other way.

Sixth, consolidation has reduced competition and raised prices. Health insurers have raked in $400 billion are operating at a 230% profit since Obamacare became law, subsidizing them is nothing more than corporate welfare. Additionally, insurer mergers have concentrated market power, especially in rural and underserved areas like in my great state of Arizona. Market concentration increases prices, limits consumer choice and magnifies the policy failures of Obamacare. CEOs must explain how fewer choices and higher premiums serve consumers-or the public interest.

Seventh, Congress cannot legislate responsibly without direct accountability. Democrat lawmakers are blindly insisting that Congress continue to subsidize Obamacare without hearing directly from the executives who profit most from them. America has a healthcare problem because of the Democrats.

Their solution? More of the same: just extend the Obamacare subsidies to insurance companies and kick the can down the road, again. Congressional hearings are essential to inform reforms, close loopholes, and protect taxpayers.

Finally, public confidence demands transparency. When life-saving care depends on corporate decisions backed by federal dollars, silence from industry leadership is unacceptable. Testimony under oath is the minimum standard of accountability.

Obamacare has become one of the largest taxpayer pipelines in the entire U.S. economy. $9 trillion in taxpayer-funded revenue has flowed to health insurers under Obamacare. Yet instead of delivering affordable, accessible care, the ACA has produced record corporate profit, massive executive compensation, considerable fraud and widespread denial of care. When insurers deny care, manipulate rules, extract taxpayer subsidies, and reward executives handsomely for it, Congress cannot look away. Healthcare CEOs should not be shielded from scrutiny simply because their industry is powerful. Instead, they should be required to appear before Congress, answer hard questions, and explain-under oath-why an industry built on public support has completely failed the public it is meant to serve.

Gosar Legislation Helping La Paz County to be Signed by President Trump

La Paz County residents, listen up: I have some great news! You may recall that back in July that the United States House of Representatives passed my legislation, H.R. 1043, the La Paz County Solar Energy and Job Creation Act,requiring the Secretary of the Interior to convey 3,400 acres of Bureau of Land Management land to La Paz County to help maximize additional renewable energy generation and energy storage capabilities and facilitate transformative economic development. I wrote about it extensively in my newsletter on July 27. Don't worry if you missed it, I've got you covered: click here to get caught up quickly.

Here's the good news: this week the United States Senate also passed my legislation, and I already spoke to officials at the White House and President Trump plans to sign it into law any day! Just to be 100% clear, the Senate passed my bill, not anyone else's - I say this because a few Democrats are suddenly trying to take credit. Ahem, ahem - you know who you are!! I guess it is true what they say, victory has a thousand fathers! I want to sincerely thank my counterpart, Alaska Senator Dan Sullivan, who I worked especially close with on the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources to get this bill passed before the end of the year.

For more than a decade, I have been working closely with the local officials in La Paz County to make this land transfer happen. In fact, this legislation builds upon the success of the La Paz County Land Conveyance Act, another important bill that I introduced in 2015 and was enacted into law in 2019.

My latest legislative victory is vital to the financial future of La Paz County and concentrates on the continued goal of creating and enlarging the county's job and energy hub. The 3,400 acres proposed for conveyance in this legislation include those remaining parcels in the original proposal that were not enacted into law and add other parcels that are also compatible for clean energy development to unlock additional employment opportunities for county residents. I am pleased to have once again led an effort that works to promote economic vitality, job creation, and affordable energy for Arizonans.

More Winning: U.S. Department of Education for Recognizing Grand Canyon University's Nonprofit Status

This week, the U.S. Department of Education announced that it was formally recognizing Grand Canyon University (GCU) as a nonprofit institution of higher education, bringing a long-overdue end to years of political interference and bureaucratic hostility.

For years, I fought the Biden administration's unjustified scrutiny and ideological bias against GCU. In 2024, I wrote an op-ed condemning Joe Biden's refusal to acknowledge GCU's nonprofit status. And in 2023, I wrote a letter to then Department of Education Secretary Cordray demanding he stop the assault against GCU. It was never about facts or compliance; it was about politics and an unacceptable hostility toward the largest Christian university in the nation.

I applaud the U.S. Department of Education for finally doing what should have been done years ago: recognizing Grand Canyon University as the nonprofit institution it is. This week's decision is a victory for fairness, the rule of law, and religious freedom.

Border Wall Installation Begins in Nogales, Arizona

Even more great news! Border wall panel installation recently began in Nogales. This project will close a small opening in the previously constructed border wall that was planned for completion during the first Trump administration but was subsequently cancelled by Sleepy Joe so he could welcome in more than 20 million illegal aliens through the southern border.

It's Mail Time!

I receive thousands of letters each month from constituents, and I appreciate hearing from everyone who writes in. Here are a few letters I recently received.

Roger R. from Goodyear, AZ wrote:

As a constituent in Goodyear who strongly supports responsible renewable energy and grid modernization, I appreciate your leadership on the La Paz County Solar Energy and Jobs Creation Act and your efforts to position the region as an energy hub that can expand clean generation and storage capacity while strengthening the local tax base and creating good-paying jobs.

As Arizona continues to face extreme heat and water stress, continued federal support for large-scale solar, storage, and transmission-along with protections for public lands and environmental stewardship-will be essential for both reliability and affordability of our power system. I encourage you to pair this kind of pro-growth clean energy policy with robust investments in efficiency, distributed solar and storage, and grid resilience that directly benefit households and small businesses across the state.

Thank you again for your work on H.R. 1043 and for keeping constituents informed about progress in Congress; please keep prioritizing policies that accelerate the clean energy transition and America's energy.

✍ Roger, I appreciate your note. You may be very interested in reading this article about my efforts that appeared in the E&E News earlier this year. As the article rightfully points out, for years I have been working to pass legislation to boost solar and wind power on public lands, when it makes sense. I have consistently fought, and will always continue to fight, for America First energy policies. In addition to the La Paz County Solar Energy and Job Creation Act, the House Committee on Natural Resources, of which I am a member and subcommittee chairman, also held a hearing in March 2024 to consider legislation that would prevent further abuse of the Antiquities Act to protect American land rights and the development of energy projects on American soil. In January 2025, I introduced H.R. 34, the Land and Social Security Optimization (LASSO) Act, legislation requiring 10% of revenue generated by lands under the administrative jurisdiction of the Department of the Interior (DOI), including submerged lands on the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS), and the Forest Service to be deposited into the Federal Old-Age and Survivors Insurance (OASI) Trust Fund. This would not only shore up the Social Security shortfall but encourage further onshore and offshore energy development by countersignaling the previous administration's executive actions to prohibit new drilling along the entire East Coast, the eastern Gulf of Mexico, the coasts of Washington, Oregon and California, and portions of Alaska's Northern Bering Sea.I believe that all solutions to secure American energy sovereignty-nuclear, solar, geothermal, oil, natural gas, hydroelectric, and otherwise-should remain on the table and in fact be encouraged at every step by the United States government. I know that President Trump holds the same view, and I stand firmly behind his bold executive actions to replenish our reserves; slash regulations prohibiting energy production; and leverage the immense array of natural resources at our disposal to "drill, baby, drill!" I will continue working with President Trump, as well as my colleagues in Congress, to make America prosperous, industrious, and energy independent. The bottom line is that I'm a guy who's all about all-of-the-above energy and Arizona has great solar. We can't turn our back on it.

Scott K. from Yuma had this to say:

Would you please start the process to impeach Donald Trump! He is weak, dishonest, disrespectful and liar! Get with the rest of your colleagues who all know he is incompetent and an embarrassment. After his hate filled divisive speech last night he needs to go! DO THE RIGHT THING!

✍ Scott, you know darn well that there is no merit behind impeaching President Trump, the greatest President in our lifetime. Rather, it is merely another example of Democrats prioritizing demonizing President Trump for political theatre rather than serving their constituents. Democrats have evidently made slandering President Trump their top legislative priority. Like the many other tactics to obstruct President Trump's agenda, these constant talks of impeachment cannot be taken seriously. In fact, your own party shares this view. Just last week, the House voted 237-140 to set aside a resolution from Rep. Al Green (D-Texas) to impeach President Trump. 47 House democratic leaders voted "present," because they know that President Trump is fighting to make life more affordable for everyday Americans. Democrats' impeachment efforts of President Trump are even more hypocritical when compared with their efforts to obstruct investigations into Joe Biden's documented corruption. Like I said, I do not take these impeachment articles seriously, nor do I believe the Democrats behind them have introduced them for any reason other than as a public relations stunt. I would urge my colleagues on the other side of the aisle to stop abusing the impeachment process to try to score cheap political points and start to spend more of their time serving the people who elected them to office. P.S. - Merry Christmas, Scott. Try to find some joy in the holiday spirit.

Tweet of the Week:

Photo of the Week:

Dave Kiesling from Goodyear, AZ sent in this great holiday photo which he describes as Santa and his elves leaving their calling cards in Goodyear! Love this photo, Dave! Keep sending them in.☃

It's Christmas Time! Do you want the chance for your photograph to be featured as our "Picture of the Week?" If so, send your best shots of holiday photos 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:

Parker Pioneer: Senate approves Gosar bill unlocking solar development, economic growth in La Paz County

Sierra Sun Times: Congressman Paul Gosar Applauds U.S. Department of Education for Recognizing the Largest Christian University in the Nation, Grand Canyon University's Nonprofit Status

AZ Free News: Gosar Renews Push To End OPT Program, Citing Worker Displacement And Security Risks

Health and Me: The Time Of Christmas Carol Is Here; The Best Part? Singing Is Good For Your Health, Say Studies

⚠ 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.