Here’s how Social Security cuts could impact your Arizona district

For years, Republicans in Washington, D.C., have set their sights on cutting Social Security. Now, with full control over the White House and both chambers of Congress — and with the Trump administration taking a jackhammer to the federal government — the chances are higher than ever that they do.

To that end, congressional Republicans have proposed a budget that would make huge cuts to the program relied on by America’s seniors. The plan was proposed by the Republican Study Committee, which comprises about 80% of Republicans in the House. If enacted, the plan would raise the retirement age for 257 million people — 3 out of every 4 Americans — meaning most people would have to work longer before being able to draw Social Security.

Democrats from the House Committee on the Budget put together a map that tracks how each congressional district would be impacted. According to the map, “5.5 million (or 75 percent of) people in Arizona would see their Social Security benefits cut.”

“Breaking Social Security’s sacred promise is just the beginning. This extreme budget ends Medicare as we know it, attacks the Affordable Care Act, and slashes food assistance for children while lavishing the ultra-rich with massive new tax cuts,” House Democrats wrote on the map’s webpage.

In Arizona’s 3rd Congressional District — a deep-blue slice of central Phoenix — the Republican plan would cut Social Security benefits for 700,000 people, or 87% of the people who live there. That’s the highest, both in raw numbers and percentage, of any district in the state.


The map allows anyone to enter their address or zip code to see how many people will have their Social Security benefits cut.

Here’s a list of cuts by district:

1st Congressional District (Scottsdale and North Phoenix)
Represented by: David Schweikert, Republican
People affected: 570,000
Percentage of district: 71%

2nd Congressional District (Northern Arizona)
Represented by: Eli Crane, Republican
People affected: 560,000
Percentage of district: 69%

3rd Congressional District (Central Phoenix)
Represented by: Yassamin Ansari, Democrat
People affected: 700,000
Percentage of district: 87%

4th Congressional District: (Tempe and Mesa)
Represented by: Greg Stanton, Democrat
People affected: 640,000
Percentage of district: 80%

5th Congressional District: (Gilbert, Queen Creek and Apache Junction)
Represented by: Andy Biggs, Republican
People affected: 650,000
Percentage of district: 79%

6th Congressional District: (Southeastern Arizona)
Represented by: Juan Ciscomani, Republican
People affected: 550,000
Percentage of district: 68%

7th Congressional District: (Southern Arizona and Tucson)
Represented by: Raúl Grijalva, Democrat
People affected: 630,000 people
Percentage of district: 80%

8th Congressional District: (Northwest Valley)
Represented by: Abe Hamadeh, Republican
People affected: 580,000
Percentage of district: 72%

9th Congressional District (Western Arizona)
Represented by: Paul Gosar, Republican
People affected: 610,000 people
Percentage of district: 73%