Congressman Juan Ciscomani (AZ-06) has led Arizona’s Republican House delegation in sending a letter to Senators Mark Kelly and Ruben Gallego, urging them to support a seven-week continuing resolution (CR) that would end the ongoing federal government shutdown. The Senate is scheduled to vote on this legislation today.
All Arizona Republicans voted in favor of H.R. 5371, known as the Continuing Appropriations and Extensions Act, 2026. This bill proposes an extension of current funding levels and follows a practice that has been used under both major parties in previous years.
The letter from the delegation states: “Our goal in passing this bill was quite simple: keep the government open and functioning for all those who depend on it for a paycheck, and the critical services that our federal government provides.”
The correspondence highlights several impacts of the shutdown in Arizona, including effects on ten military installations, over 34,000 federal civilian employees, approximately 20,000 active-duty service members, more than 450,000 veterans, and thousands of families relying on WIC benefits, small business loans, and other essential federal services.
The letter concludes: “This shutdown was not necessary – but its already happened. Now is the time to do the right thing and vote to reopen our government. We have a duty as elected officials to ensure the people come before politics and thus, we urge you to join us for the good of all our constituents and put Arizonans first.”
Juan Ciscomani currently serves as U.S. Representative for Arizona’s 6th district after replacing Ann Kirkpatrick in 2023. He won election victories against Kirsten Engel in both 2022 and 2024.
