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.

The Need for a Bipartisan Debt Commission

With our federal government borrowing over $78,000 per second every day, it's becoming increasingly clear that our nation cannot continue down an unsustainable fiscal path. Congress must stop living in a fantasy world, embrace the reality of the math, and develop fiscally responsible solutions to save our Republic.

Congress has a chance to reverse course and head toward a stable and prosperous future by forming a bipartisan debt commission to tackle this crisis threatening our Republic. Check out this op-ed published in The Hill by FreedomWorks making the case for Speaker Johnson to make establishing this debt commission a priority early on in his speakership.

It's not too late to prevent the doubling of senior poverty and ensure our children and grandchildren aren't saddled with crushing debt. The time to act is now.

Providing Aid to Israel

Last week, I voted for of a supplemental aid package in support of Israel as they defend themselves against Iranian-backed Hamas terrorists who infiltrated their country and brutally massacred countless civilians in a horrific assault last month.

While this legislation is critical to support Israel in its fight against terrorism, I also made good-faith efforts to ensure any emergency assistance we provide is offset by frozen Iranian assets recently confiscated by the U.S. through my Fortify Israel Act, as well as using unobligated funds made available through the Inflation Reduction Act.

I have always believed that the United States must stand firmly and continue to offer our unwavering support to our strongest ally in the Middle East.

Applauding House Passage of My Bill Expanding Affordable Pumped Storage Hydropower in Arizona

Today, the House overwhelmingly passed my bipartisan legislation I introduced with Congressman Greg Stanton (AZ-04) which enables the exploration of constructing additional pumped storage hydropower facilities in the Salt River reservoir system to keep energy costs low for Arizonans, help stabilize the state's electric grid during peak demand, and boost the supply of affordable and reliable energy.

As our state's economy and population continue to explode, we must embrace long-term energy storage technologies to lower costs for Arizona residents. I'm proud to have worked with Congressman Stanton to shepherd this bill through the House, and I look forward to its passage in the Senate as it moves one step closer to becoming law.

Celebrating National Adoption Month

Adoption runs deep in my family. As someone who has had the privilege of adopting two beautiful and loving children, I could not imagine my life without them in it. 

Adoption is so special in the fact that it looks different for everyone, but impacts everyone the same; someone is given a chance at love — a chance that someone might’ve not initially had. 

The amount of joy that’s been brought into my family’s lives through adoption is quite indescribable. That’s why I’m honored to be able to celebrate National Adoption Month, not just during the month of November, but every day in between. It’s not about religion; it’s about relationship. Choosing life is always choosing love.

National Diabetes Month

Bringing awareness to this chronic disease has so many positive potentials for not only the health of our citizens, but the fiscal health of our nation. There needs to be an all-in approach to take this on; furthering diabetes innovation is not partisan — it's moral.

The FDA recently approved the first cellular therapy to treat patients with Type 1 diabetes.
These therapies can get the body to start accepting a replenishment of islet cells, which produce insulin. Continuing to develop technological health advancements for diabetes could be one of the single biggest things to, at the same time, solve income inequality. 

During this Diabetes Awareness Month, let’s focus on what’s going on in our society and our moral obligation to find a way to end this misery.

Daily Debt Monitor Text Message Sign-Up

My “Daily Debt Monitor” text message is finally up and running! This has been a work in progress for a couple of weeks, and we are thrilled to finally be able to provide real-time updates of our national debt.

The amazing team of economists and analysts with the Joint Economic Committee has been timely in providing daily updates of both fiscal year-to-date tax collections and national debt totals. Subscribing is easy — head to schweikert.house.gov and fill out the required information on the homepage of my website. 

I hope these updated numbers can provide some further insight as to why I am so adamant about reducing our outrageous government spending.

2024 Medicare Open Enrollment Has Begun

Medicare Open Enrollment is officially underway. Until December 7th, use Medicare Open Enrollment to compare prescription drug and health coverage options to find what best meets your needs. Your health needs can change from year to year — so do Medicare plan costs and coverage. Get started at www.medicare.gov/plan-compare.

What I’m Reading & Why It Matters

This week, I'm reading this interesting story on the discovery of several species of buffalofish in Apache Lake, which have been estimated to be over 100 years old. It is plausible that some buffalofishes from a 1918 Arizona stocking event remain alive today!

I'm also reading about the IRS's announcement that the limit on contributions to 401(k) and other popular accounts will be higher in 2024. The agency, citing the rising cost of living, boosted the annual individual contribution limits for 401(K), 403(b), most 457 plans and the government’s Thrift Savings Plan by $500, to $23,000.

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