District Update April 7, 2025

Dear ,

While temperatures reach triple digits back in the Arizona's First Congressional District, the District of Columbia is facing some serious rain showers. Below, please find a few reminders and updates on my work for the residents of Arizona’s First Congressional District.

The Senate Budget Resolution is Dangerous.

To say I’m disappointed with the Senate’s deeply unserious budget resolution would be an understatement. We are faced with an existential threat to both the short-term and long-term prosperity of America that requires a real solution, showing we are serious about slowing the growth of spending in the federal budget. With just $4 billion in cuts— equal to less than a single day’s worth of borrowing {about 20 hours}— the Senate budget resolution is more business as usual at a time when that’s exactly what we’re trying to avoid. As Chairman of the Joint Economic Committee, I have stood unwavering in my commitment to reduce the size and cost of the federal government in order to extend the 2017 tax cuts, and, just as importantly, ensure any benefit as a result of those tax cuts will not immediately be wasted by higher interest rates the Senate resolution will inevitably bring. There is still much work to be done to put the federal budget back on a path toward sound financial footing. I will not support a budget resolution that does anything less.

We've Left Future Generations to be Buried in Piles of Debt

Moral outrage is easy. Math is hard. But if you think I'm going to be indignant in response to a Swastika anonymously appearing on Joyce's windshield, just wait until you hear about the federal government’s plan to bankrupt a generation. For my weekly House Floor speech, I focused my frustrations on the facts:

1. Washington has accepted an outrageous 45 percent of tax receipts going just to pay down interest.

2. 30 percent of all U.S. tax receipts will go just to pay interest in a mere ten years.

3. And in 2027, the U.S. will face a deficit in prime-age workers.

Instead of misguided hate speech, the real crime is actually what we’re doing to our kids’ future. See below for some more highlights from the speech:

An excerpt displaying the Nazi symbol which was found on my wife's windshield last week in AZ-01.

An excerpt trying to explain the need for government databases to communicate with one another

One Month Left to be 'Real ID' Compliant!

Effective May 7, 2025, only the Arizona Travel ID (driver license or ID card), a U.S. passport and other federally approved identification will be accepted at TSA airport security checkpoints for domestic travel. The cost is $25.00.

If you are a current Arizona resident, Visit AZ MVD Now to gather your documents and make an appointment for your Travel ID. Still needing an Arizona ID or license? Visit an MVD office or Authorized Third Party driver license location with the required documents.

The Arizona Travel ID is the credential that complies with the federal REAL ID Act of 2005. It is available as both a driver license and identification card. There is a gold star embedded in the card to show that the cardholder has provided added proof of identification to ensure the license or ID meets strict federal requirements. For more information on the REAL ID Act, please visit the Department of Homeland Security website.

Rules for international travel are unchanged, and a valid passport or equivalent will be required to travel outside the United States.

Recognizing Some Amazing Citizens of AZ-01

Led by husband-and-wife team, Dr. Julio and Dr. Jessi Reis, Life Studio was built on the desire to help individuals create a life of balance through holistic chiropractic care, breath work and movement. Members of my staff had the opportunity to attend the ribbon cutting for their wellness studio last week. Life Studio focuses on holistic chiropractic care and acupuncture, as well as prioritizing connection and individualized care.

I am joyed to have them in AZ-01 to serve our neighbors. Their already, six-year, commitment to holistic wellness and personalized care is such a valuable addition, and I’m thrilled to see the positive impact they’ll continue to have on everyone they treat.

Key TCJA Provisions Set to Expire for AZ-01 Constituents

On December 31, 2025, Americans will face expirations of the 2017 tax reform. Here's what it means for Arizonans:
AZ-01 is home to 445,010 taxpayers. The average taxpayer in AZ-01 would see a 20 percent tax hike if key individual provisions from the 2017 Tax Cuts & Jobs Act (TCJA) expire. A family of four making $92,840, the median income in AZ-01, would see a $2,062 tax increase if TCJA expires. This is worth about ten weeks of groceries to a typical family of four in the region.

My Legislation Targeting Fentanyl and Foreign Evasion

Last week, I introduced the Manifest Modernization Act— legislation that will help law enforcement track fentanyl precursors entering the U.S., identify major sanction evasions schemes meant to skirt American law, and will uncover Uyghur and forced labor in supply chains. Currently, only ocean vessels must publicly disclose manifest information. The bill would extend the public disclosure requirement to aircraft, truck, and rail manifests.

Millions of shipments entering the country each day face little scrutiny. Public disclosure of shipping manifests is critical for tracking imports of unsafe or illegal goods like fentanyl, goods made with forced labor, trade-based money laundering and illicit finance, sanctions evasion, and counterfeit goods. Modern problems require modern solutions. Transparency and advanced data analytics can close the gap drug traffickers and bad actors exploit to smuggle illicit drugs and goods into the country.

Better, Faster, Cheaper: How Innovation is Expanding Optimism for the Future

Many of you know my fascination with innovation and the further implementation of technology into different facets of many industries. The up-and-coming innovation is extensive, and luckily, there are thousands of scholarly studies and research pieces being released daily that expand on progress of these projects. Not enough members of Congress take the time to capitalize on how these innovative advancements actually promote the health and well-being of our society. This segment dives deeper into technological implementations that are actively making life better and cheaper for our brothers and sisters. This week, we've got all eyes on AI:

FDA's new guidance on AI in drug development centers the risk introduced by the technology

The FDA’s recent draft guidance advises drug developers to engage with the agency early when incorporating artificial intelligence (AI) in drug development. It emphasizes the level of regulatory scrutiny will correspond to the AI’s impact on decision-making, with more critical applications facing stricter evaluation criteria. This approach aims to ensure AI tools are both effective and safe during drug development.

Mirror, Mirror: Withings Omnia Wants to Display All Your Health Data

At CES 2025, Withings introduced Omnia, a full-length mirror which integrates date-collecting sensors for weight, heart health, metabolic functions, and more. Interacting with an AI voice assistant, users can receive real-time feedback and potentially engage in telehealth consultations directly through the mirror. Currently, Omnia is in the development stage, with no confirmed release date or pricing.

HHS publishes AI Strategic Plan, with guidance for healthcare, public health, human services

HHS's AI strategic plan emphasizes ethical and responsible use of AI to avoid potential harm. Efforts will be made to ensure AI technologies are accessible, particularly for rural communities and individuals with disabilities. This strategic plan intends to integrate AI in an ethical, equitable, and beneficial manner for all Americans.

Fiction: "When you remove the Social Security cap, the numbers work for 75 years!" "In 2025 it is $176,000 dollars!" "Stop saying you want to do hard things when you refuse to remove the cap on Social Security and Medicare!"

Fact: While some changes to the Social Security tax cap should certainly be on the table, eliminating the cap would provide smaller than expected savings while imposing a substantial, mostly unanticipated, burden on other federal funding priorities.

"Eliminating the cap" refers to applying Social Security’s 12.4 percent tax rate to all wages, rather than continuing to limit the tax to an individual’s first $168,000 earned annually (that is the cap limit for 2024, and it rises with inflation). Often pitched as a cure-all, eliminating the social security cap is often suggested as a singular, solvent policy. Even leading progressive ideas by Senator Bernie Sanders [D-VT] and Representative John Larson [D-CT] only include imposing the tax on those who make higher wages and even then, solvency could not be expected with this policy.

Capping Social Security also caps the benefits of high earners. Suggesting that the cap is removed but the cap of benefits is not would undermine what the social security program is. “Social Security has been presented as a social insurance program in which as with a traditional pension you benefits are earned by your level of tax contributions,” explains the Manhattan Institute.

Seven to eight years from now, the Social Security Trust Fund is empty. When that happens, benefits get cut 21 percent overnight, doubling senior poverty. The fantasy of just lifting the cap on Social Security taxes thinking all our problems suddenly vanish isn't intellectually honest. Fully eliminating the payroll tax cap might cover half the long-term shortfall—half—but at what cost?

Here’s the moral position: stop pretending we can fund 20th-century promises with 21st-century demographics. We need a package of smart, modern, creative policies—yes, savings, yes, modernization, and yes, technology—to stabilize the system without crushing working families. No single policy—including lifting the Social Security tax cap—can fix the entire shortfall without the need for other savings proposals.

Do you have any general questions that I can help answer? Do not hesitate to reach out to my offices at (202) 225-2190 or (480) 946-2411.

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

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