Capitol drama: Sen. Hoffman justifies still playing hardball with Gov. Hobbs' nominees
"I'm quite frankly done with Jake Hoffman and his agenda," the governor said in early May. "We're going to move forward in the best way possible in the current environment."
This came after two directors of the state's health care agencies stepped down, saying it was clear they would not be confirmed. Hobbs has been battling the state Senate since she took office for her director nominees, who have gone through a rigorous and unprecedented vetting process.
Because of this, for the majority of her time in office, the agency heads tasked with implementing her agenda have operated on an interim basis.
State Sen. Jake Hoffman heads the Committee on Direction Nominations, which recommends whether a nominee should get a vote of the full Senate. He self-identified on The Gaggle as "one of the most conservative members of the Legislature."
The Queen Creek Republican is also one of the people indicted in the fake electors case, which charges the electors who broke the law by attempting to falsely certify Donald Trump as Arizona's choice for president in 2020.
This week on The Gaggle, a politics podcast by The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com, hosts Ron Hansen and Mary Jo Pitzl are joined by Sen. Hoffman to discuss why he thinks the stiff scrutiny on the governor's picks is justified.
Later in the episode, Doug Cole, a Republican veteran of state government who knows the process of nominating and selling Cabinet seats to lawmakers, joins to explore this unheard-of situation between the sitting governor and the leader of the Senate committee.
The best way to listen is to subscribe to The Gaggle on your favorite podcast app, but you can also stream the full episode below.
Note: The Gaggle is intended to be heard. But we also offer an AI transcript of the episode script. There may be slight deviations from the podcast audio.
Follow The Gaggle and all azcentral podcasts on X, formerly Twitter and Instagram.
Listen to The Gaggle : Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Stitcher
You can share your thoughts with us at 602-444-0804 or via email here.
Reach the producer Amanda Luberto at aluberto@gannett.com. Follow her on X, formerly Twitter @amandaluberto and on Bluesky @amandaluberto. Abby Bessinger assisted with production. You can reach Abby at abby.bessinger@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Inside Arizona's standoff: Hobbs vs. Hoffman over director nominees
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Boston Globe
an hour ago
- Boston Globe
Trump says Musk is ‘off the rails' with his third-party effort
Advertisement Their close bond crumbled in a public spectacle last month, as Trump pushed his sprawling domestic policy bill through Congress. Musk panned the legislation, which is projected to add trillions to the federal debt, as a 'disgusting abomination.' He has said he would support primary challengers against any Republican who voted for the legislation, which passed with almost unanimous Republican support, but he has given few details about his new political party. Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up 'Backing a candidate for president is not out of the question, but the focus for the next 12 months is on the House and the Senate,' Musk wrote on his social platform X on Sunday. Trump has also threatened to cut billions of dollars in federal contracts and tax subsidies for Musk's companies. Advertisement Trump said Sunday night that Musk had opposed the legislation because it eliminated the electric vehicle mandate, which would have been a boon for Tesla, one of Musk's companies. 'I have campaigned on this for two years and, quite honestly, when Elon gave me his total and unquestioned Endorsement, I asked him whether or not he knew that I was going to terminate the EV Mandate -- It was in every speech I made, and in every conversation I had,' Trump wrote in his post. 'He said he had no problems with that -- I was very surprised!' Musk did previously support ending the electric vehicle tax credits, but has done an about-face more recently, as Tesla's sales have dropped this year. Trump also said that Musk was furious that the president had pulled the nomination of Jared Isaacman, who has twice launched into orbit in a SpaceX vehicle and is a close friend of Musk, to run NASA. Trump withdrew the nomination after a White House official highlighted for Trump that Isaacman had previously donated to prominent Democrats. Isaacman met with Trump during the transition and disclosed the donations before he was nominated. But as Trump's relationship with Musk was fracturing, a White House official resurfaced the donations, according to two people with knowledge of the matter. Trump, who also has not walled off his or his family's business interests from the government, offered another reason Sunday for pulling Isaacman's nomination. 'I also thought it inappropriate that a very close friend of Elon, who was in the Space Business, run NASA, when NASA is such a big part of Elon's corporate life,' Trump wrote. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Sunday that the goals of Musk's past government cost-cutting effort, through the Department of Government Efficiency, were popular. But the billionaire himself, Bessent said, was not. Advertisement 'I believe that the boards of directors at his various companies wanted him to come back and run those companies, which he is better at than anyone,' he said on CNN on Sunday. 'So I imagine that those board of directors did not like this announcement yesterday and will be encouraging him to focus on his business activities, not his political activities.' This article originally appeared in
CNBC
3 hours ago
- CNBC
CNBC Daily Open: Most people don't start a political party after separation
When they find themselves without a significant other, most men finally start living: They pay attention to their personal grooming, hit the gym and discover new hobbies. What does the world's richest man do? He starts a political party. Last weekend, as the United States celebrated its independence from the British in 1776, Elon Musk enshrined his sovereignty from U.S. President Donald Trump by establishing the creatively named "American Party." Few details have been revealed, but Musk said the party will focus on "just 2 or 3 Senate seats and 8 to 10 House districts," and will have legislative discussions "with both parties" — referring to the U.S. Democratic and Republican Parties. It might be easier to realize Musk's dream of colonizing Mars than to bridge the political aisle in the U.S. government today. To be fair, some thought appeared to be behind the move. Musk decided to form the party after holding a poll on X in which 65.4% of respondents voted in favor. Folks, here's direct democracy — and the powerful post-separation motivation — in confirms tariffs will kick in Aug. 1. That postpones the deadline by a month, but tariffs could "boomerang" back to April levels for countries without deals. Trump on Friday said letters with "take it or leave it" offers will go out to 12 countries Monday. U.S. stock futures slipped Sunday. Despite the White House pushing back the return of "reciprocal" tariffs, some investors could be worried trade negotiations would result in higher-than-expected duties. Europe's Stoxx 600 index dropped 0.48% Friday. OPEC+ members to increase oil output. Eight members of the alliance agreed on Saturday to hike their collective crude production by 548,000 barrels per day, around 100,000 more than expected. Elon Musk forms a new political party. On Saturday, the world's richest man said he has formed a new U.S. political party named the "American Party," which he claims will give Americans "back your freedom." [PRO] Wall Street is growing cautious on European equities. As investors seek shelter from tumult in U.S., the Stoxx 600 index has risen 6.6% year to date. Analysts, however, think the foundations of that growth could be shaky. The CEO mindset is shifting. It's no longer all about winning CEOs today aren't just steering companies — they're navigating a minefield. From geopolitical shocks and economic volatility to rapid shifts in tech and consumer behavior, the playbook for leadership is being rewritten in real time. In an exclusive interview with CNBC earlier this week, McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown outlined a leadership approach centered on urgency, momentum and learning from failure.
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Yahoo
Trump hits out at Musk over plan to form new political party
US President Donald Trump has hit out at former close ally Elon Musk over the multi-billionaire's plan to launch a new political party. "I am saddened to watch Elon Musk go completely 'off the rails,' essentially becoming a train wreck over the past five weeks," Trump posted on his Truth Social platform on Sunday. After teasing the idea for weeks, Musk posted on X over the weekend that he had set up the America Party to compete against the Republican and Democratic parties. The Tesla boss's announcement comes weeks after a dramatic falling out with Trump, who appointed Musk to lead the Department of Government Efficiency (Doge), which is tasked with identifying areas to cut federal spending. In his post, Trump also took aim at Musk's push for an "Electric Vehicle (EV) Mandate", saying it would have "forced everyone to buy an electric car in a short period of time." Trump's tax and spending plans - which he called his "big, beautiful bill" - ends tax breaks for electric vehicles.
