Dear ,

To our Jewish communities in AZ-01, I wish you a meaningful Yom Kippur. With its rich history intertwined with the core values of Judaism, Yom Kippur remains a significant day in Jewish religious and cultural life, emphasizing repentance, forgiveness, and spiritual renewal.

May those observing one of the holiest holidays in Judaism have an easy fast. G'mar Chatimah Tova!

Below you will find a few updates on my work this past week for the residents of Arizona’s First Congressional District.

Our National Debt Is Getting Dramatically Worse

I delivered a speech on the House Floor last week to react to the national debt surpassing $33 trillion, which is certainly a big deal — but it's getting dramatically worse. So far this fiscal year, the federal government has borrowed nearly $2.2 trillion, and we still have a week left to go. To put that in perspective, in May 2022, the Congressional Budget Office projected the federal deficit for Fiscal Year 2023 would be $984 billion. It's becoming apparent that our nation's fiscal health is quickly deteriorating, in no small part due to exploding health care costs and falling tax receipts. With the clock ticking, we must begin to have adult conversations about stabilizing our debt to save our Republic for our children and grandchildren.

Introducing the Earn to Learn Act

Last week, I reintroduced the bipartisan, bicameral Earn to Learn Act to provide students across the country with the ability to save for their college education, develop sound financial literacy, and put them on track to not only graduate, but secure a job in their chosen field.

This legislation establishes a matched-savings scholarship program for low-income students to save for their college education while providing financial training skills to help prepare them to succeed in today’s evolving workforce. Over the last decade, Arizona has proven to be a national leader in promoting programs that provide critical resources to students who need them most. Taking Earn to Learn nationwide helps expand access to higher education, address our country’s labor shortage, and ultimately grow the economy by making society more productive.

Training the Workforce of Tomorrow

Last Wednesday, I participated in a Joint Economic Committee hearing focused on preparing our nation's workforce for the jobs of tomorrow. Witnesses explained how federal job training programs shouldn’t be the solution due to their ineffectiveness. Instead, we should look to the successes of the private sector. A more skilled workforce will increase productivity and grow the U.S. economy.

Congressional Nominations to U.S. Military Service Academies October 6th Deadline Approaching Soon

The online academy application portal for my office remains 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 and submit a completed application file is October 6, 2023.

Mobile Office Hours

Tomorrow, September 26th, my District Office team will be at the Granite Reef Senior Center located at 1700 N. Granite Reef Road, Scottsdale, AZ 85257, from 10 a.m. until 12 p.m. in Room 12 to assist constituents one-on-one with casework. If you or someone you know needs help with a federal benefit, such as Social Security, VA, or OPM, please come by to see how the office can be of service.

If you are unavailable during this time and have questions about casework or other constituent services, please call my district office staff at (480) 946-2411. 

What I’m Reading & Why It Matters

This week, I'm reading an article in The Washington Post on research published in the Journal of the American Heart Association showing that the number of U.S. adults who died of heart disease and whose death record cited obesity as a contributing factor was three times greater in 2020 than in 1999.

There were 281,135 deaths from heart disease linked to obesity in that time range, the researchers said, and the death rate tripled from 2.2 deaths per 100,000 people to 6.6 deaths per 100,000.

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