(August 25, 2023) Sharing the stage: U.S. Reps. Raúl Grijalva and Juan Ciscomani might not agree on everything, but they sometimes agree on issues, such as avoiding a government shutdown, during a forum on Wednesday hosted by the Tucson Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, the Arizona Luminaria’s Becky Pallack reports.
“It seems that the old saying never judge a book by its cover holds true with Latino congressmen in Southern Arizona, even when they sit on opposite sides of the political aisle. The pair found more common ground than their favored politico quotes first signaled,” Pallack reported.
(September 11, 2023) Preserving history: Congressman Juan Ciscomani was in Cochise County Thursday, announcing plans for $3.8 million in reconstruction to part of the Buffalo Soldier Trail, KGUN9’s Alexis Ramanjulu reports. Sierra Vista officials say there’s about $24 million worth of work to be done to three miles of the road, with the newly secured funding to be used for phase one of the project, which will cover half a mile in repairs and reconstruction.
(September 14, 2023) Processing delays: U.S. Reps. Raúl Grijalva and Ruben Gallego are among more than 100 lawmakers urging the Biden administration to make it faster and easier for asylum seekers to get U.S. work permits, KJZZ’s Alisa Reznick reports. They say asylum seekers are stuck in an immigration limbo, with a backlog of nearly 2 million cases at Citizen and Immigration Services contributing to processing delays for everything.
[(October 19, 2023) What he said: Arizona Rep. Juan Ciscomani voted twice to make Rep. Jim Jordan, one of the organizers of the coup attempt that involved throwing out Arizonans’ votes in the 2020 election, to be Speaker of the House, Sentinel columnist Blake Morlock writes. Ciscomani, the GOP lawmaker representing parts of Tucson and southeastern Arizona, gave his “tacit endorsement” to Jordan’s attempt to overthrow a duly elected president.](https://desert-sardine-9a8.notion.site/October-19-2023-What-he-said-Arizona-Rep-Juan-Ciscomani-voted-twice-to-make-Rep-Jim-Jordan-one-d96d5fde90574e67ad00ce2b0f3f03c8)
(February 2) Failure to yield: U.S. Rep. Juan Ciscomani got a bill through the House of Representatives that would crack down on drivers who flee law enforcement near the border, the Sentinel’s Paul Ingram and Jim Nintzel report. Those chases usually are prosecuted at the state level, but the bill would make it a federal crime with a life sentence in prison if somebody dies during the pursuit. (Tucson Agenda)
(April 2) Medical update: U.S. Democratic Rep. Raúl Grijalva said Tuesday that he’s being treated for cancer, after seeking treatment for a persistent cough that he initially believed was pneumonia, the Tucson Sentinel’s Dylan Smith reports. Grijalva, who has not cast a vote in Congress since February, did not release many details about his diagnosis, saying only that “after further testing and imaging, my physician discovered that I have cancer." Grijalva said in the news release that he’s confident in his “vigorous course of treatment.”
(October 4, 2023) Politicians are always hard to nail down, but figuring out where exactly Republican U.S. Rep. Juan Ciscomani draws the line on reproductive rights has become an increasingly difficult task lately. Abortion was one of the top concerns for voters in his Tucson and southeastern Arizona district during his inaugural run for Congress last year, and Democrats hammered Ciscomani over his refusal to say exactly what he believes should be legal and illegal in a post-Roe world. (Tucson Agenda)
(October 18, 2023) That didn’t age well: Arizona U.S. Rep. Juan Ciscomani joined Arizona’s Republican congressional delegation in supporting “America First” Republican Jim Jordan for speaker of the U.S. House. Jordan lost his first bid after receiving only 200 votes, short of the 217 needed, because 20 Republicans voted against him. The search for the next speaker continues.
(October 20, 2023) This one’s almost too on the nose. The co-chair of Congress’ Jan. 6 investigation came to Tucson last week to talk about the power of convictions and holding elected officials accountable. A few days later, a Tucson-area congressman voted to elevate a prominent target of that investigation to lead the House of Representatives. (Tucson Agenda)
(November 16, 2023) Shelter and services: Democratic Senate candidate and U.S. Rep. Ruben Gallego announced Monday a plan to reform the federal program that reimburses Arizona nonprofits and local governments for their efforts to help arriving migrants, the Arizona Republic’s José Ignacio Castañeda Perez writes. The proposal is asking for more oversight of the program to make sure the money is being spent the way it should be and seeks clarification about which federal agency is in charge of the program.
(November 20) Put on blast: U.S. Rep. Juan Ciscomani is featured on a new billboard on eastbound Interstate 10 near Benson, according to a news release from advocacy group Honest Arizona. The billboard alerts drivers that they’re entering Ciscomani’s district and that the first-term Republican congressman has voted to cut access to healthcare, Social Security and Medicare.
(January 29) Big-time stakes: The race for the seat held by Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, a Democrat-turned-independent, will have far-reaching consequences for the country and for Arizona, the Arizona Luminaria’s Yana Kunichoff reports. Sinema hasn’t said whether she’ll run for re-election, but the word is she’ll run as an independent. That would pit her against Democrat Ruben Gallego and Republicans Kari Lake and Mark Lamb. Whoever wins likely will join a divided Senate and their vote could decide the fate of legislation, including laws about abortion, defense, immigration, and presidential appointments.
(January 30) Dems focus on local race: A Tucson-area congressional district is a top target of national Democrats, the Tucson Sentinel’s Dylan Smith reports. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee highlighted the race in Congressional District 6, where Republican Rep. Juan Ciscomani narrowly beat Democrat Kirsten Engel in 2022. Engel is running again and she is one of 17 candidates nationwide the DCCC said they think can flip a district from Republican to Democrat.
(January 30) Big-time stakes: The race for the seat held by Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, a Democrat-turned-independent, will have far-reaching consequences for the country and for Arizona, the Arizona Luminaria’s Yana Kunichoff reports. Sinema hasn’t said whether she’ll run for re-election, but the word is she’ll run as an independent. That would pit her against Democrat Ruben Gallego and Republicans Kari Lake and Mark Lamb. Whoever wins likely will join a divided Senate and their vote could decide the fate of legislation, including laws about abortion, defense, immigration, and presidential appointments.
(February 2) Failure to yield: U.S. Rep. Juan Ciscomani got a bill through the House of Representatives that would crack down on drivers who flee law enforcement near the border, the Sentinel’s Paul Ingram and Jim Nintzel report. Those chases usually are prosecuted at the state level, but the bill would make it a federal crime with a life sentence in prison if somebody dies during the pursuit.