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.

Recognizing Valley Fever Awareness Month

As the month of August winds down, I want to take a moment to recognize Valley Fever Awareness Month to bring attention to this debilitating disease that affects both humans and pets. Two-thirds of all Valley Fever cases occur in Arizona, and roughly half of all infections occur in Maricopa County.

In Congress, I'm co-chair of the Valley Fever Task Force with Speaker McCarthy, and our top priority is securing funding for research that will get us closer to eradicating this disease for good. We're pushing the U.S. Agriculture Department to accelerate their development of a Valley Fever prevention vaccine for dogs, which could open doors to potential cures for humans suffering from this terrible disease.

Honoring Scottsdale's Troop 252 Eagle Scouts

Recently, I attended Troop 252's Court of Honor ceremony and presented congressional recognition certificates to four well-deserving Eagle Scouts for their achievements. Congrats to these young leaders and the differences they're making in our communities!

Visualizing Our Deficit

Did you realize the U.S. budget deficit over the past year reached $2.3 trillion? That means the federal government borrowed $72,932 per second! This level of borrowing is simply unsustainable and immoral, and it's America's working class that ends up bearing the costs of this insane amount of spending.

REAL ID Deadline Extended to 2025

Attention travelers — there's no need to panic if you haven't gotten your REAL ID-compliant identification card yet!

The Department of Homeland Security has extended the REAL ID full enforcement date to May 7, 2025. Beginning then, every traveler 18 years of age or older will need a REAL ID-compliant driver’s license or identification card, state-issued enhanced driver’s license, or another TSA-acceptable form of identification at airport security checkpoints for domestic air travel. To obtain a REAL ID, you'll need to show proof of a certified birth certificate. If you need to get a copy of your birth certificate, click here if you were born in Arizona and here if you were born in another state.

Presenting the Congressional Award to Hudson Sinik

Last week, I presented the Congressional Award to Gold Medalist Hudson Sinik of Scottsdale. Over the course of two years, Hudson participated in a rigorous, self-paced program in which he hand-crafted face masks for members of the Navajo Nation, demonstrated a commitment to improving his public speaking skills, and dedicated over 200 hours to physical fitness. Congratulations, Hudson!

If you would like to request a Certificate of Congressional Recognition for a member of Arizona’s First Congressional District, please fill out and submit the online form here.

Military Service Academy Applications Reminder

The online academy application portal for my office is open to eligible high school students residing in Arizona's First Congressional District who are interested in attending one of our nation's premier military service academies. To learn more about the congressional nomination process and how to submit an application, please review the application form here. I wish prospective students the best of luck and sincerely appreciate their interest in serving our country. The deadline to apply is October 6, 2023.

What I’m Reading & Why It Matters

This week, I wanted to share the U.S. Treasury Department's Debt to the Penny dataset which provides information about the total outstanding public debt and is reported each day. Debt to the Penny is made up of intragovernmental holdings and debt held by the public, including securities issued by the U.S. Treasury. As of August 24, total public debt outstanding was $32,777,879,728,405.51 and debt held by the public was $25,922,115,213,450.97.

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