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Dear ,
I hope you and your family are doing well! Below, please find a few updates on my work last week for the residents of Arizona’s First Congressional District.
Blessings of Love & Light this Hanukkah Season
The celebration of Hanukkah, this year especially, resembles the strength and perseverance of the Jewish community. Exactly two months before the first night of Hanukkah, Israel experienced the horrific Hamas attacks on October 7.
This holiday remains such a significant reminder of how dedicated the Jewish community stays to their faith and the Holy Temple. To the many Jewish families that reside in Arizona's First Congressional District, we wish you a Chag Hanukkah Sameach and send many blessings during this Festival of Lights. May Hanukkah surround you with family, love, and light during these particularly trying times.
Every Dime That Congress Votes on Is Borrowed Money
Click here or on the image above to view my remarks.
For last week's floor speech, I continued to stress the importance that everything Congress votes on as a decision-making Body comes from funding that's ALREADY being borrowed. In nine years, when the Social Security trust fund is depleted, the trust fund doesn't have the ability to start accumulating funds from the general fund. That means that in less than a decade, seniors will see a 25% cut in their retirement benefits simply to make up for the depletion of that fund. Are my brothers and sisters on the Left willing to let senior poverty double in the name of partisan bickering? Here's a hard truth — it's not partisan. It's immoral.
Testifying at House Budget Committee Member Day Hearing
Last week, I testified in front of the House Budget Committee on the need to restore our nation's fiscal sanity — and had a little help from my little man, Matthew, who accompanied me while I told the truth about the math.
Chairing Ways and Means Oversight Subcommittee Hearing on Ballooning Interest on the Federal Debt
On Wednesday, I chaired a Ways and Means Oversight Subcommittee hearing where we listened to testimony from federal budget experts who warned that rising interest payments on our rapidly increasing national debt will have a disastrous impact on working families and federal government finances.
Everyone from families buying a home, small businesses getting a loan, banks lending money, and hardworking Americans buying a new car are affected by the U.S. bond market. Washington’s failure to rein in out-of-control spending and debt could prompt bond rating agencies to further downgrade the federal government’s credit rating, leading to declining demand for U.S. bonds. I highlighted how the issue of federal interest payments is critical, because it affects every American and most people around the world.
Daily Debt Monitor Text Message Sign-Up
Be sure to sign up to receive my “Daily Debt Monitor” text messages that track real-time updates of our national debt at the end of each day. 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.
Paying Up on the Wager Made During the 2023 World Series
(Reluctant) promises made are (even more so reluctant) promises kept. Back during the World Series, I made a friendly wager with my colleague, Rep. Roger Williams of Texas, that the Arizona Diamondbacks would triumph over the Texas Rangers. At stake was some authentic Mexican cuisine or Texas BBQ delivered to the winners by the losers.
Although the Diamondbacks fought a good fight, it was ultimately AZ-01 that ending up delivering lunch to my colleagues over at TX-25. Thanks for the good sportsmanship, Rep. Williams. And as always, a first World Series win is always one to celebrate.
Celebrating the 2023 Sewa Diwali Food Drive
Last Friday, I had the utmost pleasure to meet with such a philanthropic group of volunteers for the Sewa Diwali Food Drive. 'Sewa', meaning 'selfless giving', is always displayed to the highest extent year after year when meeting with this group.
Every year, I am blown away by the selflessness displayed by these individuals. This year, in fact, the group collected an immense amount of food, all of which will be donated to the Navajo Nation. Just in 2023 alone, Sewa Diwali has collected and donated over 133,000 pounds of food! Thank you for your continuous dedication to humanity.
What I’m Reading & Why It Matters
My current reading list this week encapsulates a whole array of topics. To start, I came across an article explaining how CAR-T therapy is now being used to treat a handful of autoimmune diseases, including systemic sclerosis, lupus, and inflammatory myositis.
I’ve also become shockingly aware of the alarming rate at which America’s youth are becoming convinced that the Holocaust never occurred. I’m thankful for my colleague, Rep. Stefanik of New York, who has challenged university administration to condemn antisemitism across college campuses. Antisemitic behavior has never had a place in America and will not begin now.
Finishing off my article findings this week is a compilation from Tom Standage with ten important themes to watch for in 2024. There’s a lot of questioning of what’s to come next year, whether it’s developments with artificial intelligence algorithms or keeping an eye out for growing tensions overseas.
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 |