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Outbyte PC Repair FREERepair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →Outbyte Driver Updater FREEScan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Arizona’s 1st Congressional District had 175,943 people receiving Social Security benefits in December 2025, according to the Social Security Administration (SSA). That is the precise count behind the rounded “175,000” figure. It includes retired workers and other eligible beneficiaries—not retirees alone. Separately, an Arizona Mirror report says Jay Feely made critical comments about Social Security in 2011; it does not establish whether those reflect his current position.
What did Jay Feely say about Social Security?
In an October 1, 2026 report, the Arizona Mirror reported on Feely’s statements from 2011. It said he agreed with an op-ed that called Social Security a “Ponzi scheme.” That phrase was the op-ed’s characterization; it should not be presented as a direct quotation from Feely.
The report also reproduced a separate statement from Feely in a 2011 social-media exchange: “No but it is a liability that needs reforming, we’re sticking our head in the sand,”. The Mirror additionally described his past support for privatizing Social Security and raising the retirement age, and reported that he told “Arizona Horizon” Americans needed a discussion that “nobody’s been willing to do since 1983.” These are accounts of past remarks and positions, not proof of a current plan.
How many Social Security beneficiaries live in Arizona’s 1st Congressional District?
The SSA counted 175,943 OASDI beneficiaries in Arizona’s 1st Congressional District for December 2025. OASDI—Old-Age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance—is the program commonly called Social Security. The figure comes from the SSA’s Congressional Statistics, December 2025: Arizona, which reports district data for the 119th Congress.
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The same table reports $412.991 million in total monthly benefits for the district. The SSA table expresses this amount in thousands of dollars: 412,991 thousand dollars. It is a monthly total for December 2025, not an annual amount.
Are all 175,943 beneficiaries retirees?
No. Of the district’s 175,943 beneficiaries, 148,960 were retired workers. The remaining beneficiaries included disabled workers, widow(er)s and parents, spouses, and children. The SSA’s OASDI figures cover eligible workers and family members receiving monthly benefits when a worker claims retirement benefits, dies, or becomes disabled. Benefit amounts are largely determined by a worker’s lifetime covered earnings.
What period and geography do the SSA figures cover?
The counts describe beneficiaries in current-payment status for December 2025; they are not an estimate of enrollment on the Arizona Mirror report’s October 2026 publication date. The SSA says the district statistics are based on 100 percent Master Beneficiary Record data and U.S. Postal Service geographic data, using the congressional district definitions for the 119th Congress. That reference period and district basis matter when interpreting the total.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Does Jay Feely support Social Security cuts now?
The available reporting does not establish his current position. The Arizona Mirror said Feely’s campaign did not respond to questions about his current plan or whether he supports the cuts the report described as scheduled for 2032. The unanswered questions do not amount to a yes or no, and the report’s reference to scheduled cuts is not itself an underlying projection or independent confirmation of the timing.
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