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.

Live Updates Regarding Arizona Wildfires

Click here to view more resources on my website.

As many residents of our Congressional district have seen, wildfire season has started in Arizona. In just the last few weeks, at least four wildfires (Wildcat, Spring, Adams, and Catahoula) have started in our district. Thankfully, the Wildcat fire near Bartlett Lake has been largely contained. However, the Spring, Adams, and Catahoula fires along Highway 87 are still active.

The Wildcat fire was determined to human caused, and the cause of the other fires are undetermined at this time. That said, I would encourage everyone to please exercise caution with fire or anything that can cause fires when outside enjoying Arizona’s beautiful wilderness. I would also encourage everyone to please review current fire restrictions in the Tonto National Forest and go to the Arizona Department of Forestry and Fire Prevention to see what you can do to help prevent wildfires. 

Biden Administration to Sign an Executive Order That Is Nearly Identical to Trump Administration's Asylum Policy

This week, the Biden Administration announced its plan to sign an executive order that closely resembles a Trump-era executive order greatly restricting asylum for those attempting to cross our southern border illegally. This represents both a welcome and frankly puzzling decision by the Biden administration. Previous posts put out by the current Administration are highly critical of basically the same policy they are now in favor of.  The Biden administration is, ironically, implementing a plan they previously characterized as "turning their backs" on asylum-seekers.

It's clear why the Biden administration has reversed itself and made this decision to limit the ability of illegal border crossers to seek asylum. The situation along our southern border is a crisis. There’s no denying that. It’s time to put a stop to the Biden policies that have created the border security crisis. While I’m skeptical that the Biden administration is serious about securing our border and stopping the massive influx of illegal border crossers, I’m willing to put aside the hypocrisy of the decision and support this small step. 

Upcoming Mobile Office Hours With My District Staff

My district casework team is here to assist residents of Arizona’s First Congressional District with applications and claims pertaining to federal benefits. Staff from my district office may be in your neighborhood to offer one-on-one casework assistance. You also may call the District Office at (480) 946-2411 for immediate assistance with the IRS, Passports, Medicare, Social Security, VA and other federal benefits. 

AZ-01 Special Passport Acceptance Event with the U.S. Department of State

The U.S. Department of State, and their Passport Services team will be available by appointment on Saturday, June 22^nd from 9:00 a.m. to 2 p.m., at 14500 N. Northsight Blvd, Scottsdale, AZ 85260, to accept routine passport applications during a special acceptance event. Appointment registration is required. All supporting documentation, photos and fees must accompany the passport application. To schedule your appointment directly with the State Department, and to learn more about the event, please click here. 

Serious Schweikert Solutions: The User Data Privacy Act

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This week’s Serious Schweikert Solution remains extremely prevalent in today's society – especially with so many bad actors looking to profit off of our information. We call it the User Data Privacy Act, and the goal is to establish more strict requirements for websites and other digital platforms that store information to track users over time.

I have always believed data is a private property right, meaning it belongs to YOU as an American citizen. There should be safeguards in place for your property, shall you decide to share it with anyone else – just like every other entity that you as an American take ownership of. This is one of the only ways we can actually protect ourselves from bad actors, and sometimes, even our own selves.

Introducing This Year's Admitted Students into Our Service Academies 

Last week, I had the honor of congratulating nine driven students from Arizona's First Congressional District who have been appointed into the U.S. Service Academies. We are beyond proud to see how you represent this country. Best of luck to you all – you are bound to do wonderfully courageous things. 

Ranked in the Top 60 Members of Congress Committed to Delivering Results for Their Constituencies

I have long believed that one of the best ways to promote economic growth and prosperity is limited, fiscally responsible government. That’s what I have fought for in Congress and will continue to fight for. I believe that for the federal government to function properly, we must demand fiscal prudence and responsibility.

Recently, the Institute of Legislative Studies named me a “Champion of Limited Government” for my efforts to bring fiscal responsibility to the federal government.

“The Institute for Legislative Analysis is proud to present Representative David Schweikert with the ‘Champion of Limited Government’ Award for his outstanding voting record,” said ILA CEO Ryan McGowan. “While nearly every Republican will run on a campaign of standing up against out-of-control spending and big government policies, few live up to their promises. For this reason, the ILA has constructed a comprehensive ratings index to help recognize the lawmakers such as Rep. Schweikert who deliver on their promises. We thank Rep. Schweikert and his team for all their work fighting to restrain the size and scope of government.”

What I’m Reading & Why It Matters

The IRS is asking Congress for $104 billion after a previous request and allotment of $60 billion it received in 2022 from the Democrats’ Inflation Reduction Act that was expected to last until 2031. In an article published in the Wall Street Journal, its suggested that lawmakers should be demanding an audit, as the IRS has not provided an explanation for why their funding did not last as long as expected. It's noted that previous promises such as hiring 20,000 people by the end of 2024 and 10,000 by 2025 have not been upheld. Another massive spending pit is the newly permanent Direct File program, which is a program created by the IRS for submitting returns. The IRS piloted the program in the past tax cycle only serving 140,000 filers while spending $114 million. There are numerous instances of mismanagement and lawmakers must critically think before accepting the agency's $104 billion budget request.

Another read that caught my eye mentions the potential rising popularity of self-employment and how it's caused a speculation that the U.S. could be transitioning to a gig economy. There has been a rise in self-employment earnings being reported on tax returns from 2000 to 2018, but labor surveys do not show a rise in self-employment. Therefore, this misconception could have stemmed from new reports from the IRS, when the probable reason for the spike in reports is because individuals realized the potential benefit of refundable tax credits by reporting additional income. Increases and decreases in tax reports reflect the tax code and incentives for individuals to report their additional income. A leader of the study, Andrew Garin, provides an cautionary tale about interpreting different sources of data: “Our findings caution against trusting trends in administrative data over trends in survey data without careful consideration of the process by which the data are generated.”

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