Congresswoman Lesko Weekly Update

Good Afternoon,

I hope everyone had a wonderful week in our great State of Arizona!

Lesko Urges Biden To Fully Consider All Military Aircraft Proposals and Protect National Security

I was pleased to lead the Arizona Congressional Delegation in a letter to President Biden requesting that his administration give full and fair consideration to all proposals on aircraft to replace the UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter and to encourage the U.S. Army to make a timely decision on this vital national security program. As our nation faces growing national security threats from our adversaries, such as Russia and China, we must ensure that our military servicemembers have modern, up-to-date equipment and aircraft so that they are adequately prepared to take on future conflicts and successfully compete against our adversaries.

Lesko Requests Answers on Coolidge Dam Water Release

I also led a letter with my Arizona Delegation colleagues to Bureau of Indian Affairs Director Darryl LaCounte to request answers regarding the Bureau’s failure to notify local farmers in Pinal County, Arizona about a recent excess water release from the San Carlos Reservoir. Record droughts have forced Arizonans to take on reductions in their water allocations, and farmers have been particularly impacted by these cuts. Farmers could have used this excess water, but the Bureau of Indian Affairs failed to notify them of the release, so this water supply went to waste. I was pleased to lead this effort to get answers from the Bureau of Indian Affairs about their protocols for water releases and why they failed to notify the non-tribal communities around the Coolidge Dam of the release.

GET THE FACTS: National Debt Surpasses $31 Trillion

This week, our national debt surpassed $31 trillion for the first time ever. In just two-and-a-half years, our national debt has gone up by $7.6 trillion. It is unfortunate that Congressional Democrats have continued to raise the debt ceiling and allow our nation to spend money that we do not have. Congressional Democrats have already spent $3.8 trillion since President Biden took office, and that number only seems to be going up. According to the Congressional Budget Office, President Biden's student loan forgiveness plan will cost a minimum of $400 billion. Americans, especially Arizonans, are already facing a cost-of-living crisis due to the record inflation rates. We should not be burdening our children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren with such an expensive bill, especially on these failed, partisan priorities. I have repeatedly opposed this reckless spending that has driven up our debt, and I will continue to fight to restore fiscal sanity to Washington, D.C., and balance the budget.

Around the District

Monica from our office presented a Congressional Recognition to the HART Pantry, a nonprofit in Peoria, AZ, that provides meals, school supplies, clothes, and counseling to at-risk teens. Thank you for helping teens complete their education and build a brighter future!

Monica from our office recently attended the 100th birthday celebration for Dr. Vivian Wood! She served in the U.S. Marine Corps during World War II and now resides in Sun City, AZ. We wish Dr. Wood a very happy birthday, and we are grateful for her service.

Michael from our office recently attended the American Legion Post 96 Riders’ breakfast in Surprise, AZ! The American Legion is doing wonderful work in Arizona and across the nation to support veterans and active duty service members of all branches of our military.

Monica from our office attended the ribbon cutting for the grand opening of Blue Corn Cafe and Bakery in Glendale, AZ. Welcome to Arizona’s Eighth Congressional District! We are proud to be a place where businesses can open and thrive!

Monica met with Donald Cravins, the Under Secretary of Commerce for Minority Business Development Agency. They discussed expanding entrepreneurship among minorities and how Arizona is proud to be home to a large concentration of minority-owned businesses.

Monica also attended the ribbon cutting for the Bearded Barber, a barbershop and speakeasy located in Anthem, AZ! Welcome to Arizona’s Eighth Congressional District!

Casework Highlight

A constituent needed a Spanish work visa to complete a study abroad program and contacted our office for assistance. Our office contacted the State Department and ensured the background check was completed on time, and the constituent was able to participate in her study abroad program.

Encouraging Story

I want to share this story about how nurses, hospital staff, and parents in Glendale, AZ, participated in a Babies with Books read-a-thon, an international initiative that promotes reading to newborns. Nurses handed out children’s books to families and encouraged new parents to read to their babies while they were in the hospital. I am pleased to see our Glendale community promoting reading to newborn babies!

Military Academy Nominations

Are you interested in attending a Military Service Academy? Applications for Service Academy Nominations are now open! The deadline for this year’s Service Academy Nominations is October 28, 2022. Visit my website or click here to learn more and apply!

Congressional App Challenge

Submissions for the Congressional App Challenge are now open to all middle and high school students! The Congressional App Challenge is a competition to encourage students to engage in coding and computer science. App submissions are due by November 1, 2022. Winning apps will be displayed in the U.S. Capitol! Register today and submit your app here.

We are Here to Help

As always, my office is here to help. My Surprise district office is open and serving constituents. To make an appointment with the office, please call 623-776-7911.

My Washington, D.C. office is open and answering your calls. Please feel free to contact us via phone at 202-225-4576 or via email by going to my website at https://lesko.house.gov/contact/.

I encourage you to visit the website and to also follow me on Twitter, Instagram, Parler, Gettr, and Truth Social, and like my Facebook page for up to date information on what I'm doing and how my office can help you.

May God continue to bless you and our great Nation.

Sincerely,

Congresswoman Debbie Lesko