On Wednesday, Rep. Juan Ciscomani of Arizona’s 6th Congressional District was selected to serve on the House Appropriations Committee during the 118th Congress. He is the only first-term legislator to serve on this committee.
Ciscomani is not the only representative of Cochise County to serve on this committee. His predecessor, Anne Kirkpatrick, served on the committee as well as the late Jim Kolbe, who served on the committee for 20 years.
“The hardworking families in my district need to know that their tax dollars are being spent responsibly and efficiently,” said Ciscomani in a press release on Thursday. “That will be my objective as a member of the House Appropriations Committee.”
The House Appropriations Committee is responsible for writing legislation to provide funding for government agencies, departments and organizations and sets funding levels for all federal programs.
In Thursday’s press release, Ciscomani stated this appointment would give him a unique opportunity to serve Arizonans. He said that as a representative of a border district with two military installations he would prioritize border security and military readiness. During his campaign, Ciscomani promised not to vote for any budget if it did not fund the completion of the border wall started by former President Donald Trump.
“I look forward to working with the Arizona delegation and my colleagues to promote fiscal responsibility, bring transparency to federal spending and preserve the American Dream for all,” said Ciscomani.
Fiscal responsibility will be the main focus of the 118th Congress’ House Appropriations Committee now that Republicans have gained control of the House.
“Given the reckless spending we’ve seen over the past few years, our committee’s work will be at the forefront of the national debate,” said Rep. Kay Granger, R-Texas, chairwoman of the House Appropriations Committee. “Fortunately, we have assembled a strong team to fight for fiscal responsibility.”
This House Appropriations Committee’s work to fight for fiscal responsibility will likely look a little different than it has in previous congressional sessions due to the concessions House Speaker Kevin McCarthy made to secure his position late last week.
McCarthy was elected speaker of the house on Jan. 7 after a historic 15 votes. The preceding week in Congress was characterized by unprecedented chaos and controversial concessions made by McCarthy to hardliners in the Republican party blocking his election. At one point, Reps. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla. and Mike Rogers, R-Ala. almost came to blows on the House floor.
The concessions made by McCarthy have sparked criticism from Democrats and Republicans who are concerned about their financial and political repercussions. Many fear that McCarthy’s concessions to the House rules will allow hardliners in the Republican party to send the House into political chaos at any point if they are not happy with his performance as speaker.
Many of McCarthy’s concessions were centered around the fiscal responsibility and the workings of the House Appropriations Committee. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., stated McCarthy’s concessions were paving the way for a government shutdown or default at the hands of hardline conservative Republicans.
As part of his agreement, McCarthy agreed to present a budget that balances over 10 years and caps discretionary spending at fiscal year 2022 levels or lower. This proposed budget would result in a $75 billion cut to defense spending — putting it on a collision course with the House Appropriations Committee that wants to secure billions more for defense and the Democratically controlled Senate.
Rep. Mike Waltz, R-Fla., criticized the proposed $75 billion automatic cut to defense spending, saying that it could potentially back the federal government into sequestration measures similar to those of the Obama era recession.
McCarthy’s agreement to present a budget that balances over 10 years will likely put the House on a collision course with the Senate. If the two branches of Congress cannot agree on an Appropriations Bill before the old one expires, a government shutdown could be the consequence.
McCarthy agreed that any efforts to raise the nation’s debt ceiling must be paired with spending cuts. This will also likely put the House in conflict with the Senate. Democrats in the Senate are likely to oppose House demands for spending cuts.
McCarthy also agreed to move 12 appropriations bills to a vote individually rather than passing a massive year-end spending bill commonly known as an omnibus bill. In previous years, many Congressional Republicans have pushed back against the passage of omnibus bills due to their lack of oversight.
Ciscomani did not respond to the Herald/Review’s question on how he thought this would impact his job on the committee and whether it would promote fiscal responsibility or political chaos.
However, the change in how the House votes on appropriations will give Ciscomani the opportunity to make good on his campaign promise and push for funding for the completion of the border wall.
On Friday, Ciscomani announced he will be establishing a 40-member Citizen Advisory Council to help guide him as he serves Arizona’s 6th District. Cochise County Sheriff Mark Dannels will serve as co-chair of the advisory council.
Other council members from Cochise County are Cochise County Supervisor Ann English, state Rep. Gail Griffin, cattle rancher John Ladd, CEO of the Sierra Vista Area Chamber of Commerce Melany Edwards-Barton and Huachuca 50 President Dr. Randy Groth.