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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.
Let's Get to Work.
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Today, Congress returns to Washington, where we will tackle the harsh realities facing our nation. When it comes to government funding, remember every dime a member of Congress votes on is borrowed. I hope you’ll take the time to tune into my speech on the House floor tomorrow evening to learn more about the scope of the challenge and a path forward.
If we actually walk through the math, there's a way we can actually keep our promises to hardworking Americans. Avoiding the difficult policy conversations puts us on a path where, in the next 3-4 years, the math says my 8-year-old daughter's generation will be the first generation to live poorer than their parents.
How many times have you had anyone just try to be honest about the math? It isn’t Republican or Democrat math, it's the reality that others avoid because they’re terrified to confront the challenge.
I've done presentation after presentation on how you could crash the price of health care, adopt artificial intelligence to reduce the size of this government, improve interactions with government agencies, and transform the mechanics of talent-based immigration to actually grow the economy. You can view those archived videos on my website, here.
The Joint Economic Committee Republicans took the leap and told the truth; we wrote a detailed report about demographics, tax policy, maximizing economic growth, and health. We spent months working on these figures, ultimately finding $9.1 trillion of additional health care costs over the next ten years. We're about to have the fifth year in a row where prime age males are dying younger. Is it moral what we do in the Farm Bill in terms of nutrition support, and what we do in trying to have a healthier society?
It's imperative that Congress stops engaging in policy that guarantees misery in perpetuity. I will continue to end misery, encourage economic growth, and deliver real solutions to challenging problems. Let's get serious this September, there is much work to be done.
Can You Guess What Our Total National Debt Will Be by the End of Fiscal Year 2024?
To commemorate Congress gaveling back in session for the month of September, I wanted to host a contest for YOU to predict what the total national debt will be at the end of the fiscal year! The U.S. Department of Treasury will publish data for September 30 (which will include the total national debt number) on October 1 at approximately 4:15 PM EDT.
Submit your entry by expressing the total debt in trillions rounded to 3 decimal places. For example, 35.xxxx trillion. The winning entry will be the submission that is closest to, but not over the result as published by the Treasury Department.
The grand prize will be an American flag flown over our United States Capitol on Constitution Day (September 17, 2024) provided at my personal expense. We will be accepting submissions up to the day of Treasury's announcement. Reply to this newsletter with your guess in the correct format, and we will keep a spreadsheet with the necessary information. I'm looking forward to reviewing each of your submissions!
Watch Out for This Current City of Phoenix Scam
Scammers have been sending people fake text messages that have been made to look like texts from the City of Phoenix or the Phoenix Municipal Court. The texts falsely claim that a “speed monitoring camera" has recorded a person speeding in a school zone and that the phony speeding violation can be handled by visiting or linking to a phony website to make payment, instead of appearing in court.
If you receive this text, or a similar one, DO NOT VISIT THE WEBSITE, DO NOT MAKE PAYMENT, AND IMMEDIATELY DELETE IT. For any case in the Phoenix Municipal Court, the Court will never seek or request payment by text or email. If you are unsure about any communication you have received seeking payment for a traffic violation, or other offense that is asserted to be in the Phoenix Municipal Court, please call the Court at (602) 262-6421.
Recognizing Some Amazing Citizens of AZ-01
Last week, I sat down with the Alzheimer’s Association to discuss legislation and policy to promote Alzheimer’s Research and Advocacy. The 2024 Arizona Alzheimer's Fact Sheet shows that 11% of all Arizonans over 65 years are living with Alzheimer's, totaling over 150,000 residents affected. The cost of caring for those with Alzheimer’s and other dementias is estimated to total $360 billion in 2024, increasing to nearly $1 trillion by mid-century. I'm very grateful to continue having conversations with the Alzheimer’s Association to see what innovative and moral efforts they push each year.
Upcoming Mobile Office Hours with My District Office
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. Stop by the City of Phoenix, Saguaro Public Library (2808 N. 46th Street Phoenix, AZ 85008) tomorrow, Tuesday, September 10, from 3:30 p.m. - 5:00 p.m., or call my District Office at (480) 946-2411 for immediate assistance with the IRS, Passports, Medicare, Social Security, VA and other federal benefits.
A Conversation About Health Care Innovation
A couple weeks back, I let you know that I had the privilege of joining Professor Heather Howard, the host of The Princeton Pulse Podcast, for a discussion regarding the integration and regulation of artificial intelligence to make life better, cheaper and easier for Americans. Alongside Professor Howard, I got to converse with Niraj Jha, an engineering professor at Princeton who is currently conducting research to develop a software package that could enhance the reliability of AI for medical diagnoses. I'm happy to finally be able to share with you the full episode! Click here or on the image above to stream my important conversation with Host Heather Howard and Prof. Niraj Jha.
Stay Informed on Our Rapidly Rising National Debt
As a leg up for our Fiscal Year Debt Contest, we would recommend signing up for my Daily Debt Monitor, which is a free text message thread where I send you updates on our growing debt. You can sign up by clicking the image above, or by clicking here!
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The problem is simple: “Falling birthrates, Rising Costs”. A recent article by Barron's outlines how increasing childcare costs and the housing crisis pose a threat to the U.S. birthrate, and thus, the U.S. labor force. In 2023, the birth rate was 1.62, and according to the CDC, 2.1 births per woman are needed to continue necessary population growth. Responses from young adults reveal a concerning trend; per a Pew Research Center survey, 47% of young adults said they were not interested in having children. The estimated cost of having a child is now set at $18,000 a year, excluding education or college costs. Many families are not able to absorb the financial costs of children amid the ever-present issue of rising inflation and increasing debt. Childcare remains expensive and often inaccessible. In 2023, 24% of household income contributed toward childcare costs. Despite rising costs of childcare, many facilities are understaffed, and tuition hikes are insufficient to cover business costs. To add additional factors, median housing costs have increased to $422,600 in July of 2024.
A recent study published suggests that daily coffee consumption is associated with higher muscle mass. Researchers analyzed data from over 8,300 U.S. adults and found that those who drank coffee daily had 11 to 13 percent more muscle mass compared to non-coffee drinkers. This increase in muscle mass could potentially lower the risk of sarcopenia, a disease associated with muscle loss. However, the study did not establish a direct cause-and-effect relationship, and decaf coffee was not linked to higher muscle mass. Experts like Scott Keatley, RD, while finding the results intriguing, advise against starting a coffee habit solely for muscle benefits. Instead, a balanced diet and resistance training are recommended for building muscle mass. |