|
The Implications of a Stuffed Continuing Resolution
The House of Representatives is again attempting to what we call 'Christmas tree' provisions included in the expected funding legislation. In fact, as you're reading this email, members may or may not finally have access to the long-awaited text of the legislation, rumored to be anywhere from 400 to 1,400 pages in length.
At the last minute, my fellow Republican colleagues have decided to try to include as much of their interests as possible within the bill, with actual pay-fors to fund these projects being far outweighed by the amount of proposals themselves. The problem lies within my colleagues adding their policy into the intended continuing funding authority legislation without ever sending said policy to get voted on in committee.
We promised the American people a clean continuing resolution, and again, we haven't stuck to our promise, as we continue to shove provisions lacking the adequate funding (and debate for that matter) into the bill. I am hoping Congress can actually sit down and do the work to give our country the best possible funding authorization that we've been promising.
Arizona Delegation Bands Together to Congratulate My Alma Mater on Advancing to College Football Playoffs
|
Click here to view our full message to the team! |
Last week, I did something rather out of the ordinary. Along with my weekly House Floor speech, I presented a congratulatory message to my Alma Mater, Arizona State University, to congratulate them on their win which sent them to the College Football Playoffs (CFP)! Representative Debbie Lesko, Rep. Paul Gosar and I highlighted the team's ability to defeat all odds and rise above. Sun Devils, we'll see you at the Peach Bowl, and congratulations again on your advancement to the CFP!
Introducing the Winners of This Year's Congressional App Challenge!
Thank you to each student who contributed their coding skills and creativity to this year's Congressional App Challenge submissions. The attention to detail and intentionality behind each app has made it so difficult to pick a winner among such exemplary options.
The winners of the 2024 Congressional App Challenge for Congressional District One are Humaid Jaffery and Daniel Furtado with their app CyberpolisAI, which encourages users to utilize machine learning.
In second place is Camila Saenz with her app HealthyFam, which allows users to track their families doctors appointments and medications.
In third place is Roshni Nagarakanti with her app WaterWise, which allows users to monitor their water usage and compete with other users to see who can conserve the most water.
Thank you to all who participated, and congratulations to our winners!
| 1st Place: CyberpolisAI by Humaid Jaffery and Daniel Furtado - BASIS Scottsdale |
2nd Place: HealthyFam by Camila Saenz - Phoenix Country Day School |
3rd Place: WaterWise by Roshni Nagarakanti - Desert Mountain High School |
| Cyberpolis is the educational platform to teach any interested student, beginner or expert, machine learning. Cyberpolis reinforces explanations with fun analogies and breaks down the intimidating equations into digestible parts, giving them the option to utilize our block system, where they can rearrange code blocks (which have explanations as to what they accomplish attached to them) that when in the right order become the answer to the code segment; or, ask our integrated OpenAI LLM that we made able to directly access user code and website content to use as context for its prompts. |
With HealthyFam, families can easily manage and track medical appointments for every member in one place. The app allows users to create detailed profiles for each family member by entering important information like name, age, and medical history. It also helps track specific risk factors such as chronic conditions or recurring health needs, ensuring that everyone’s health is properly monitored. HealthyFam simplifies scheduling by allowing users to log regular check-ups, dental visits, vision screenings, and other specialized medical appointments. |
WaterWise is an app developed to help residents of Scottsdale tackle the pressing issue of water conservation. This app is designed to help monitor daily water usage, discover practical tips to reduce consumption and engage users in a fun, competitive way to promote sustainable habits. A leaderboard feature is also incorporated into the app and allows users to see how their water usage compares with other users in Scottsdale. Each day, after logging water consumption, a ranking on the leaderboard is received. |
Honorable mentions:
Homeless Stop by Eric Wang and Edward He
IconoTrans: Iconic Symbols & Word Translator by Veer Chopra
Path to Purpose by Zakary Boem and Euwain Sheard
Recognizing Some Amazing Citizens of AZ-01
My staff has visited some incredible ribbon cuttings of brand new establishments around AZ-01. To start, we visited Dr. Jodie’s Integrative Consulting PLLC. Dr. Jodie Gruenstern provides holistic veterinarian care to pets. She offers expanded options covering natural food, treats and treatments to keep pets healthy and happy.
Next, we paid a visit to Rob Dramov and his team, who use modern diagnostic techniques in the field of naturopathic medicine to diagnose and effectively treat root causes of disease and illness. I'm excited to recognize the success of Dramov Naturopathic Medical Center, and I wish them nothing but the best as they assist our community.
Finally, it was a pleasure to visit the Holland Center and celebrate their recent renovations. The Holland Center strives to drive community enrichment through the arts, education, and community service programs for all generations.
NEW: Healthy Holiday Recipes!
This week, the juice lady has two delicious holiday dip recipes that will be sure to satisfy any craving crowd.
Merry & Bright Beet Dip
INGREDIENTS
2 medium red beets, cooked until tender (about 1 1/2 cups)
1 cup cooked chickpeas
2 cloves garlic
1/4 cup almond flour (or finely ground almonds)
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/3 cup red wine vinegar
1/2 tsp. sea salt
INSTRUCTIONS
1. Blend all ingredients together in a food processor or blender, adding a little water as needed to thin.
2. Serve with cracker like rice crackers or other gluten free crackers. It is also a great dip for a vegetable plate.
A note from the nutritionist: "Beets can help the liver remove toxins. It has also been shown in studies to lower blood pressure and the risk of heart disease."
Holiday White Bean Dip
INGREDIENTS
2 cans (15.5 oz each) white beans, rinsed and drained
3 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
1 - 2 tbsp. red-wine vinegar
1/4 cup purified water
2 tsp. finely chopped fresh rosemary or 1 tsp. dried
Sea salt and ground pepper to taste
INSTRUCTIONS
1. Combine beans that are rinsed and drained with all ingredients except herbs and seasoning.
2. Process until smooth, adding more water if necessary.
3. Add the rosemary and pulse until combined.
4. Season to taste and transfer to a serving bowl.
5. Drizzle with a little oil.
6. Serve with veggies and/or gluten free crackers.
A note from the nutritionist: "White beans are rich in fiber that can slow down digestion and help prevent blood sugar from spiking after you eat."
What I’m Reading & Why It Matters
Darryl Laiu and Ellenoor Shameli explore why humans struggle to conceptualize large numbers. According to a 2013 study, 50 percent of students thought that a million was half way in between a thousand and a billion. Dr. Elizabeth, who is the Director of the Stanford Synapse Brainwave Learning Center explained that our brains are still reliant on evolutionary old methods of processing numbers in the brain, which makes it hard to process modern day statistics. Therefore, the brain processes large numbers and small numbers in different parts of the brain. As a solution to this, graphics and other visualization techniques, metaphors, and the use of ratios or percentages can help people better conceptualize larger numbers.
The Penn Wharton Budget Model has released an outline of tax package that contains 13 spending and tax reforms. These reforms revolve around these main principles of reducing federal budget deficits by 38 percent; growing the capital stock by 31 percent, GDP by 21 percent, and wages by almost 7 percent; reducing health insurance premiums by 27 percent; producing almost universal health insurance enrollment along with improvements in average health and productivity; reducing old-age poverty; and reducing carbon emissions, relative to current law. To achieve these reform goals, the policy bundle focuses on methods which simplify the tax code, limit tax-induced distortions, utilize corrective taxes, and prioritize the funding of Social Security and Medicare funds. Proposals of simplification include taxing capitol gains without a distinction between ordinary and preferred means of income, utilizing the rate structure.
Andrew Paul discusses what factors are involved in the "perfect" cup of coffee. A study was done using Ethiopian coffee beans in a 15:1 ratio. The results revealed that "light and medium roasts on average measured higher than darker variants across the roasting spectrum samples... Darker roasts, however, maintained higher caffeine levels than lighter roasts across all varieties." |