ICYMI: Yesterday, CAP announced our new President, Peter Gentala. Read more here about my decision and Peter’s appointment. 

Politics often demands patience in the face of blatant misinformation. Governor Katie Hobbs’ recent State of the State address was a glaring example. From claims about contraception to attacks on the Empowerment Scholarship Account (ESA) program, Hobbs spent nearly an hour this past Monday spreading misinformation and misleading narratives.

Let’s set the record straight, focusing on the mistruths spoken that directly attack the pillars of life and education—core values we here at Center for Arizona Policy fight to protect every day.

CLAIM: Conservatives Want to Ban Contraception

Hobbs declared, “Put a bill on my desk to guarantee the right to contraception.”

Let’s set the record straight: No, we do not want to ban contraception. Never in CAP’s advocacy at the legislature have we proposed or supported a ban on contraception. Abortion is not contraception. This is where the line must be drawn.

By intentionally blurring the distinction, Hobbs and her allies attempt to paint those of us who defend life as extremists. The truth is that we fight to protect life, including the unborn, and oppose abortifacients—drugs designed to terminate a pregnancy and the life of an unborn child.

CLAIM: Conservatives Oppose Fertility Treatments

Another inflammatory claim from Hobbs was her call for “legislation to protect a woman’s right to access fertility treatment, because every Arizonan should be able to decide how and when to start a family.”

Again, no one is proposing a ban on infertility treatments. Calls for an ethical discussion on in-vitro fertilization (IVF) and associated treatments are not calls for bans. Calls for legislation to provide for the medical care of IVF participants are not calls for bans. Many conservatives are very supportive of ethical fertility treatments, IVF.

Most importantly, there are legitimate concerns regarding how embryos are handled during the IVF process. Embryos are human lives, not disposable commodities. There also are legitimate concerns on the need to ensure those seeking IVF treatment are provided full information on the risks.

The conservative position seeks to ensure embryos are treated with dignity—created only when necessary, not discarded or frozen indefinitely. This is not about denying families the chance to grow; it’s about protecting life at every stage. Yet Hobbs characterizes this concern as opposition to IVF entirely, portraying us as heartless and anti-family.

CLAIM: ESA Parents Are Scamming AZ Taxpayers

Hobbs’ most egregious attack was aimed at Arizona’s Empowerment Scholarship Account (ESA) program. She described it as a “billion-dollar boondoggle increasingly scamming Arizonans” and claimed it is “unchecked, flawed, and rife with exploitation.”

This could not be further from the truth. ESAs are a lifeline for parents seeking better educational opportunities for their children. Hobbs’ allegations are not only baseless but also deeply offensive to the thousands of families who rely on this program.

The audacity of her rhetoric is truly astounding. She essentially accuses parents of scamming taxpayers simply because they choose a better educational path for their children.

The reality, backed by data, tells a completely different story:

• ESAs account for only a small fraction of the state’s education budget while providing life-changing opportunities for thousands of families.
• Public schools, which serve 0% of the state’s enrollment growth, still receive over 60% of all new K-12 funding in 2024.

The ESA program is not “unchecked” as Hobbs claims. Parents are required to submit receipts for all expenses, and any that do not meet the rules are not reimbursed.

CLAIM: Grand Pianos in Million Dollar Homes

Anyone who has ever been in the market for a grand piano understands how ludicrous this statement is. Hobbs’ claim that ESA funds are being spent on “grand pianos to sit in multi-million-dollar homes” is as false as it is absurd.

1. ESA rules explicitly prohibit such purchases, even specifically naming grand pianos.
2. The funds provided by a standard ESA would not cover the cost of a grand piano, a prohibitively expensive item.
3. The story is a clear attempt to paint ESA families as frivolous spenders, ignoring the realities faced by parents seeking better educational opportunities for their children.

This rhetoric is not just misleading—it’s insulting. Hobbs’ narrative vilifies parents who use ESAs to ensure their children can thrive academically, often fleeing underperforming public schools.

CLAIM: ESAs are bankrupting the state.

Governor Hobbs and her anti-school choice friends have repeatedly claimed that ESAs are bankrupting the state, an idea she inferred throughout her State of the State address. Again, not true.

Arizona currently is running a budget surplus that is estimated to be between $560 million and $935 million.

The 80,000 ESA families continue to save the state money. To get the facts, check out this report from Goldwater Institute.

Fraud Rates: Context Matters

Hobbs also alleged that the ESA program is rife with fraud. Yet a study by the Common Sense Institute found that only 1% of ESA funds have been associated with fraud—an incredibly low rate compared to other government programs:

• 22% fraud rate for unemployment benefits.
• 16% fraud rate for Medicaid billing fraud.
• 11% fraud rate for Arizona’s SNAP program.

Even public schools have faced financial scandals, with $26 million in documented fraud across Arizona school districts, according to a 2018 Goldwater Institute report. Yet Hobbs ignores these issues to focus on a program designed to empower parents.

Who Benefits from ESAs?

Hobbs’ attacks also attempt to frame ESAs as a program for the wealthy. But the data disproves this narrative:

• Many families turn to ESAs to find better educational options when their local public schools are not able to meet their child’s needs.
• ESAs help children with disabilities, kids in foster care, and military families access schools or programs tailored to their specific needs.
• The program is open to all Arizona families, ensuring that every child—regardless of background—has access to the education they deserve.

Her accusations conveniently ignore the real beneficiaries of ESAs: children who are thriving in environments tailored to their needs.

Standing Firm

Arizona voters sent a clear message last November by electing a state legislature that is more supportive of educational freedom and life than in the last four years. The pro-parent, pro-freedom, pro-life majorities expanded. Efforts by Governor Hobbs to “flip” the legislature failed.

Hobbs’ attacks on ESAs are a direct challenge to educational freedom in Arizona. But her rhetoric does not stop there. By spreading misinformation about contraception and IVF, she misrepresents our values and fuels baseless fears. These distortions, paired with her efforts to dismantle a program that has transformed countless lives through school choice, highlight a troubling pattern.

CAP will continue to stand firm—not just for the parents and children who rely on ESAs now, but for all Arizona families who value the freedom to make decisions about education, life, and family. The future of these principles depends on our willingness to defend them.

ICYMI

• SCOTUS hears Texas age-verification law for pornography sites. Peter Gentala speaks out on this here.
• See more information on the SCOTUS hearing in the Texas porn law case.
• See how Disney/Pixar is starting to reverse course on their LGBTQ agenda
• Arizona’s Democratic congressional leaders voted against protecting fairness for women and girls in sports