Congressman Juan Ciscomani (R-AZ) voted Tuesday in favor of a stopgap spending bill that would keep the federal government funded through December 4, ahead of a potential funding lapse at the end of September.
"I've never voted to shut down the government because I know the consequences are real for Southern Arizona," Ciscomani wrote after the vote. "My constituents deserve a government that works."
The House passed the Continuing Appropriations Act by a mostly party-line vote of 220-205, extending current government funding levels until early December.
Furthermore, the measure is what lawmakers call a continuing resolution, a temporary bill that keeps federal agencies operating while full-year spending legislation is still being negotiated.
Funding Deadline
The timing stands out because Congress typically passes stopgap measures just days before a funding deadline.
This bill cleared the House more than two months early, with House leaders citing limited legislative days remaining before the September 30 deadline as a key reason for acting now.
Now that lawmakers are heading into recess, only 16 working days remain before the funding deadline.
The bill maintains current funding levels for a range of federal programs including food assistance through SNAP and WIC, the National Flood Insurance Program, wildfire suppression efforts, disaster relief, and small business support.
Republicans argued the move was responsible and would prevent unnecessary disruption for the American public. House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) framed it as a straightforward extension that protects against a partisan shutdown fight in the fall.
For Ciscomani, the vote reflects his role as Arizona's only member of the House Appropriations Committee. He noted the stopgap does not pause work on full-year spending bills and said he remains committed to delivering a full-year funding bill while continuing to secure resources for his district, including more than $40 million in community project funding this year and $60 million in previous years.
The bill now moves to the Senate, where it will need at least some Democratic support to advance past the chamber's 60-vote threshold.
