OPINION — “Pay-first, chase-later.” Those are the words Congressman David Schweikert used to describe programs like the Arizona Empowerment Scholarship Account (ESA) during a June 10, 2026, speech in congress on waste and fraud in government programs.
He was talking about how too many government programs rely on an outdated model that sends taxpayer money out the door first and tries to recover it later. Sound familiar, Arizona taxpayers? That’s exactly the approach the Goldwater Institute and the Republican legislature have used to manage the dollars spent using ESA funds since the program was created.
In one study, Channel 12 News Phoenix found over 20% of purchases were unallowable and only $1.2 million had been recovered because the school superintendent’s office doesn’t have enough staff to audit all the purchases. Meanwhile, the Republican controlled legislature’s 2026 budget once again failed to include any meaningful new controls over the program while praising efforts to chase waste and fraud in programs like SNAP. You remember SNAP, the food program to help the underprivileged have access to more nutritious food? The same program that has kicked 205,223 Arizona children off its rolls since July 2025, which Congressman Schweikert voted for.
