{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.flake.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/roundup-report?ContentRecord_id=586D8535-B938-4CC1-8B4F-27028360130E", "Roundup Report: Week of Nov. 28, 2016", "2016-11-30", "2016", "2016-11", "Republican", "House", "AZ", "Jeff Flake", "F000444", "www.flake.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "THIS WEEK IN THE SENATE \u00a0 \r\nThe Senate will consider legislation on the use of technology to deliver health care in rural areas.\u00a0\r\n\r\n ROUNDUP REPORT \u00a0 \r\nCutting Wasteful Spending- CBSN reports that Sen. Flake spoke out against the House proposal to lift the congressional ban on earmarks. Sen. Flake helped ban this practice of wasteful spending when he was a member of the House. View Sen. Flake\u2019s interview with CBSN here. \u00a0\r\nSen. Flake also made a speech on the Senate floor on the ramifications of bringing back earmarks. View the floor speech here.\r\n \r\nKey Takeaway: \u201cHaving spent years fighting wasteful spending, I am disappointed that one of the first votes after the election will be on a Republican-led proposal to bring back earmarks. Congress should instead immediately pass legislation to make the ban on earmarks a permanent statutory prohibition. After all, you can\u2019t drain the swamp by feeding the alligators pork.\u201d\r\n \r\nConstituent Services- In a letter to the editor at the Arizona Daily Star, a Tucson resident described how Sen. Flake\u2019s staff helped her with obtaining a copy of her father\u2019s military discharge papers so that he could be buried at a veterans\u2019 cemetery. Read the full story here.\r\n \r\nKey Takeaway: \u201cMy father, who was drafted and served in the Korean war, passed away September 1. We wanted him to be buried at a veterans' cemetery. The only problem was that we couldn't find his discharge papers, and the official government copies had been destroyed in a fire. When I asked for help, Bob Brubaker jumped into action. He was efficient, professional, compassionate and successful, and brought great peace and comfort to my family. Thank you Bob Brubaker and Senator Flake for your selfless service to America and to your constituents, including to this grateful Democrat.\u201d\r\n \r\nExpanding HSAs- National Review reports that Sen. Flake\u2019s Health Savings Account Expansion Act would help expand health care options and repeal some of the restrictions that were put in place by Obamacare. Read the full story here. \u00a0\r\n \r\nKey Takeaway: \u201cUnder the Flake/Brat plan, a family could save up to $18,000 annually in a tax-free HSA, and use that money to pay for insurance premiums or out-of-pocket health-care costs. What they didn\u2019t spend could be saved or invested, offering them yet another opportunity to buy into the economy. More importantly, the type of HSA envisioned by Flake and Brat would put workers in control of their own health-care dollars.\u201d\r\n \r\nSouthern Arizona VA- 12 News reports that the Inspector General has found that the Southern Arizona Veterans Administration Health Care System was altering wait-time data in order to hide long wait times. Read the full story here.\r\n \r\nKey Takeaway: \u201cThe two Republican senators from Arizona say a separate investigation found employees failed to properly schedule approximately 400 orthopedic appointment requests and an additional 600 urology appointment requests.\u201d\r\n \r\n\r\n UPCOMING OFFICE HOURS \r\nIn order to make his staff more available to citizens of Arizona, Sen. Flake will send a member of his staff to hold office hours at various locations throughout the state to help residents with any problems they may be having with federal agencies, or to get messages to the senator.\r\nOffice hours serve as an opportunity for residents having problems with Social Security, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services or other federal agencies to seek assistance. Appointments are not necessary.\r\nNogales  \u00a0When:\u00a0Tuesday, Dec. 13   \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a011am-12pm\r\nWhere:\u00a0Nogales City Hall   \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0777 N. Grand Ave   \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Nogales, AZ 85621\r\n*Help will be available in both English and Spanish*\r\n\r\n TRIVIA CHALLENGE \r\nThe famous bridge that was reconstructed in Lake Havasu City in the 1960s was the London Bridge.\r\nOur last winner asks- When did Arizona become a state?\r\nThe 2 nd correct e-mailer gets to submit the next question. Please email your answer to this week\u2019s question to press@flake.senate.gov and we will notify you by the end of the week if you have won.\u00a0\r\n\r\n TWEET OF THE WEEK \r\n\r\n\r\n STAY UP TO DATE", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.flake.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/roundup-report?ContentRecord_id=586D8535-B938-4CC1-8B4F-27028360130E"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.3132900930941105, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}