Rep. David Schweikert, a U.S. Congressman representing Arizona’s 1st district since 2011, raised concerns about the sustainability of federal entitlement programs and the allocation of government spending in a series of posts on his social media account in late March 2026.
Three days later, on March 30, he addressed youth-related federal spending: “And here is the part nobody in this town wants to touch: In 33 months, less than 6% of federal spending goes to those under 18.”
Later that same day, Schweikert highlighted demographic shifts affecting government finances: “The dirty secret is demographics. Fewer 18-year-olds than 20 years ago and double the number 65 and up. In 6.5 years, the trust funds crack. This ends one of two ways. We get a lot more productive and crash healthcare costs, or the math buries us.”
Schweikert has represented Arizona’s 1st District since replacing Harry Mitchell in Congress in 2011 and previously served in the Arizona House of Representatives from 1991 to 1995. He was born in Los Angeles in 1962 and currently resides in Fountain Hills. Schweikert holds degrees from Arizona State University (1988 and again in 2005). In recent elections, he won re-election against Amish Shah in 2024 with just over half the vote and narrowly defeated Jevin Hodge in 2022.
These statements come amid ongoing national debates about entitlement reform as both Social Security and Medicare face projected funding shortfalls within the next decade.
