Letters & Oversight

Rep. Grijalva's official letters, oversight documents and select correspondence will appear on this page as they become publicly available.

BORDER AND IMMIGRATION ISSUES

May 10, 2012 - Letter to Attorney General Eric Holder on the need to investigate the role of Customs and Border Protection agents in the death of Anastasio Hernandez Rojas

January 23, 2012 - Letter to Department of Education civil rights chief Russlyn Ali on Arizona's attempts to shut down Tucson Unified School District's Mexican American Studies program

January 3, 2012 - Letter to Education Secretary Arne Duncan on Alabama's HB 56 law forcing schools to collect immigration information on students

December 2, 2011 - Letter to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton calling for the U.S. to highlight ongoing human rights and trafficking abuses in Mexico in future government dealings (signed by 31 other Members of Congress)

June 6, 2011 - Congressional Progressive Caucus co-chair letter to President Obama urging suspension of the Department of Homeland Security "Secure Communities" program pending the completion of an inspector general report about improper federal negotiations with states

May 14, 2010 - Joint letter to Attorney General Eric Holder with other Caucus heads urging a lawsuit to block Arizona's SB 1070 law

April 23, 2010 - Letter to President Obama urging opposition to Arizona's SB 1070 law

October 17, 2012 - Letter to Department of the Interior Inspector General Mary Kendall requesting a report on the scope of extraction operations on federal land by Murray Energy, whose CEO is suspected of pressuring employees to make political donations

September 10, 2012 - Letter from IRS director of exempt organizations Lois Lerner responding to Rep. Grijalva's request for information about financial disclosure loopholes

June 21, 2012 - Letter to IRS Commissioner Douglas Shulman highlighting needed changes to nonprofit financial disclosure law to improve transparency in political activity

June 12, 2012 - Letter with Rep. Keith Ellison to National Federation of Independent Business Dan Danner requesting information on the group's donors and members in light of questions about which business interests it truly represents

October 13, 2011 - Letter to Attorney General Eric Holder calling for an anti-trust investigation of new consumer fees instituted by several large banks

June 14, 2011 - Letter to House Speaker John Boehner and Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi on the need for better funding at border ports of entry, given the national economic impacts of understaffing and lack of infrastructure

EDUCATION

January 24, 2012 - Letter to Russlynn Ali, assistant secretary of education for civil rights, requesting a federal review of an Arizona statute that has been used to shut down Tucson's successful Mexican American Studies program (co-signed by CHC Chairman Charlie Gonzales)

Sept. 1, 2011 - Letter to the board of Pima Community College in Tucson expressing concern over potential changes in admissions policies to exclude some prospective students

ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY POLICIES

August 14, 2012 - Letter to Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack on why recently proposed changes to the Rosemont Mine operating plan should mean the completion of a new environmental impact statement before final approval

February 22, 2012 - Letter to House Natural Resources Committee Chairman Rep. Doc Hastings and Ranking Member Rep. Ed Markey calling for a hearing on whether Interior Department employee Indur Goklany may have received improper payments from an outside group that promotes denial of human contributions to climate change

February 7, 2012 - Letter to Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack urging a Forest Service review of the validity of Rosemont Copper's mining claims southeast of Tucson

February 2, 2012 - Letter to Cabeza Prieta National Wildlife Refuge manager Sidney Slone urging him to honor his commitment to share a record of decision on a Draft Environmental Assessment of the pronghorn recovery program with concerned environmental groups

January 12, 2012 - Letter from the Air Force Civil Engineer announcing the public comment period for a Draft Environmental Impact Statement on the potential siting of an F-35 training group in Tucson or various other locations around the country

December 29, 2011 - Letter to the Army Corps of Engineers asking for an extension of the public comment process on the development of the environmental impact statement for the Rosemont Mine proposal in Southern Arizona

November 22, 2011 - Letter to Federal Housing Finance Agency inspector general Scott Linick requesting an evaluation of the rules governing oil and gas leases on private land (see accompanying New York Times story here)

October 28, 2011 - Letter to U.S. Forest Service Chief Tom Tidwell asking for information about a Forest Service decision to allow Arizona state officials the use of federal roads to establish a new gun range near sensitive habitats

October 28, 2011 - Letter to Interior Secretary Ken Salazar urging him to consider wilderness designations on sensitive Arizona territory

Oct. 26, 2011 - Letters to 14 mining, oil, coal and gas companies asking for information on their profits from federally owned land under lease, the royalties they have returned to taxpayers from those projects, and the expected total value of extraction projects on federal land. Click each company to see the letter: Alpha Natural Resources, Barrick Gold Corporation, BG Americas & Global LNG, BHP Billiton, BP America, CONSOL Energy, Denison Mines (USA), ExxonMobil, Freeport McMoRan, Peabody Energy, Rio Tinto Copper, Rio Tinto Minerals, Shell Oil, Total Holdings USA

Oct. 24, 2011 - Letter to Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack raising concerns about lack of public notification and inclusion in preparing a draft environmental impact statement for the Rosemont Mine project south of Tucson

Sept. 7, 2011 - Letter (with Sen. Tom Udall) to Government Accountability Office head Gene Dodaro requesting a study of the value of oil, gas and minerals extracted by corporations on public land and the royalties to taxpayers from those projects -- video of the Sept. 22 press conference releasing the letter is available here

July 28, 2011 - Letter to Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar on the need for more humane horse management policies (signed by more than 60 Members of Congress)

June 24, 2011 - Letter to Coronado National Forest Supervisor Jim Upchurch requesting an extension of the public comment period on the Rosemont Mine proposal

May 4, 2011 - Letter to Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar on the need to protect the Grand Canyon from mining impacts

April 26, 2011 - Letter to National Park Service Director Jon Jarvis urging a more humane bison management policy

April 12, 2011 - Letter to Attorney General Eric Holder urging him to support a court ruling against a planned NIETC multi-state power transmission line

July 30, 2010 - Letter to Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar urging reforms to the Bureau of Land Management's wild horse roundup and preservation policies

July 26, 2010 - Letter to President Obama highlighting the need for reforms of the outdated 1872 Mining Law ahead of Vice President Biden's visit to the Grand Canyon

June 9, 2010 - Letter to Speaker Pelosi and Majority Leader Reid on legislative priorities for a potential energy overhaul bill

May 13, 2010 - Letter to Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar on the need for stronger environmental regulation of offshore drilling

HOUSING REFORM

February 6, 2012 - Letter to Arizona attorney general Tom Horne encouraging him reject the proposed lawsuit settlement with major lender banks giving them immunity from potential mortgage fraud prosecution

October 15, 2010 - Letter to Troubled Assets Relief Program special inspector general Neil Barofsky requesting an audit of mortgage lenders Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and GMAC in light of revelations about improper foreclosures and evictions nationwide.

HEALTH CARE

June 12, 2012 - Letter to National Federation of Independent Business Dan Danner requesting information on the group's donors and members in light of questions about which business interests it truly represents

February 2, 2012 - Letter to Cindy Mann, Director of the Center for Medicaid and State Operations, urging her to establish a Volunteer Donation Program and Safety Net Care Pool to help Arizonans afford medical care

December 16, 2011 - Letter to Cindy Mann, Director of the Center for Medicaid and State Operations, asking for an explanation of how Arizona's Medicaid waiver request will impact medical service for Native American communities

June 27, 2011 - Letter to HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius and Medicare/Medicaid Administrator Don Berwick stressing Congress' intent that Medicaid eligibility not be reduced at the state level

May 4, 2011 - Letter to Cindy Mann, Director of the Center for Medicaid and State Operations, on the need to reject Arizona's request for a waiver to freeze Medicaid enrollment and reduce existing benefit rolls

March 4, 2011 - Letter to Cindy Mann, Director of the Center for Medicaid and State Operations, requesting a 90-day public comment period before any Arizona Medicaid cuts take effect

February 4, 2011 - Letter to HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius encouraging her to reject proposed cuts to Arizona's Medicaid program

DEEPWATER HORIZON OIL SPILL RESPONSE

January 25, 2011 - Letter to President Obama highlighting concerns about White House influence over last year's governmental report on the federal response to the Deepwater Horizon spill, including redacted documents turned over in response to his letter of November 30, 2010

November 30, 2010 - Letter to NOAA Administrator Jane Lubchenco, co-signed by Natural Resources Chairman Nick Rahall, reiterating the Sept. 29 request for information and Rep. Rahall's earlier request for data on endangered species consultations as part of oil licensing

September 29, 2010 - Letters to NOAA Administrator Jane Lubchenco, US Geological Survey Director Marcia McNutt, and US Coast Guard Rear Admiral James Watson requesting information about the administration's early August report suggesting 74 percent of the oil spilled by the Deepwater Horizon disaster was no longer an environmental threat

August 2, 2010 - Letter to Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar on the potential to generate thousands of jobs in the Gulf of Mexico by employing residents to dismantle outdated and abandoned oil rigs (press release)

BP ATLANTIS OIL RIG

November 3, 2010 - Letter from Michael Bromwich, head of the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation, and Enforcement, indefinitely delaying the delivery of a report on safety concerns at the BP Atlantis oil rig

September (undated) - Letter from Michael Bromwich, head of the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation, and Enforcement, promising a full report on BP Atlantis some time in October of 2010