Dear ,

I hope you and your family are doing well. I wanted to provide a few updates on my work this past week for the residents of Arizona's First Congressional District.

Expanding Arizona's Affordable Pumped-Storage Hydropower 

Last week, I introduced bipartisan legislation with Rep. Greg Stanton (AZ-04) to keep energy costs low for Arizonans, help stabilize our state's electric grid during peak demand, and boost the supply of affordable and reliable energy. Our legislation would help enable the exploration of constructing additional pumped-storage hydropower facilities in the Salt River reservoir system, which would ensure that central Arizona’s energy supply remains accessible and affordable to millions of customers throughout the region.

An all-of-the-above energy strategy is essential to meeting Arizona’s growing economic and household consumption demands. We need a wide range of domestic technologies to ensure grid reliability and find ways to harness a diverse energy portfolio which isn’t overly reliant on foreign supply chains. That's why I’m proud to introduce this bipartisan legislation that provides clarity for evaluating proposed pumped storage sites in Arizona’s First Congressional District.

Improving Competition to Lower Prescription Drug Prices

Click here or on the image above to watch the interview.

I recently sat down with Bob Cusack, the editor in chief of The Hill, for a one-on-one conversation on finding bipartisan solutions to bring down the cost of prescription drugs for patients. The majority of prescription drugs we consume nowadays are off-patent, meaning other pharmaceutical companies can compete and lower prescription drug costs. We need to be focused on models that incentivize companies to create disruptive and affordable drugs for patients. I look forward to continuing this work on the House Ways and Means Committee, beginning with a hearing this Thursday on why health care has become so unaffordable.

Schweikert Tax Tips

We're in the middle of tax-filing season, and I wanted to share some resources the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has made available to taxpayers to ensure quick and accurate processing of tax returns! Many taxpayers will be eligible to use the IRS Free File software at Free File: Do your Federal Taxes for Free | Internal Revenue Service (irs.gov). The program offers software packages that will find deductions, credits, and exemptions for users. If you are more comfortable with a tax professional handling things, the IRS has resources to help locate the right preparer at Choosing a Tax Professional | Internal Revenue Service (irs.gov).

Still have questions? Visit the Interactive Tax Assistant at ITA | Internal Revenue Service (irs.gov) to find information about filing status, credits or deductions, dependent eligibility, and more. 

What I’m Reading & Why It Matters

It's becoming increasingly difficult to detect fake profiles on social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter. With AI technology developing at a rapid pace, bots can be disguised as real profiles and flood the internet with disinformation. Scientists from the Copenhagen Business School conducted a recent experiment where they set up a mock Twitter feed focused specifically on the war in Ukraine and generated tweets supporting both sides of the debate surrounding the conflict. One of the real profiles was mislabeled as fake by nearly 42% of participants, while one of the best-performing fake accounts was identified as a bot by just 10%.

Thank you for taking the time to read this update on my latest work in Washington, D.C. and Arizona's First Congressional District! If you have any comments or concerns, I encourage you to reach out to my office.

Sincerely,

David Schweikert