President Donald Trump signed a temporary federal funding measure Wednesday that finances government operations through Dec. 11 while Congress works on fiscal year 2027 appropriations.
The House approved the Senate-amended version of H.R. 6500 on Sept. 1 by a vote of 370-48, with 14 members absent. The supporting votes included 193 Republicans, 176 Democrats, and one independent.
Arizona’s House delegation divided 5-4 on the measure.
Republican Reps. Juan Ciscomani (R-AZ-06), Abe Hamadeh (R-AZ-08), and Paul Gosar (R-AZ-09) joined Democratic Reps. Greg Stanton (D-AZ-04) and Adelita Grijalva (D-AZ-07) in voting for the bill. Republican Reps. David Schweikert (R-AZ-01), Eli Crane (R-AZ-02), and Andy Biggs (R-AZ-05) joined Democratic Rep. Yassamin Ansari (D-AZ-03) in opposing it.
The Senate passed the measure Aug. 8 by a vote of 90-6. One senator voted present and three did not vote. Arizona Democratic Sens. Mark Kelly and Ruben Gallego both supported the bill.
The enrolled legislation generally continues programs covered by the 12 annual appropriations acts at rates derived from fiscal year 2026 funding. Those appropriations encompass defense, homeland security, veterans’ services, transportation, housing, health, education, federal land management, and other government operations.
The law directs agencies to take limited funding actions during the stopgap period and generally prevents projects that received no money or authority during fiscal year 2026 from being initiated. It also permits agencies to fund civilian compensation at rates needed to avoid furloughs after reducing or deferring eligible administrative expenses.
For Arizona, the measure maintains funding for federal personnel and operations along the international border, at military installations, in national forests and parks, and throughout the state’s federal health care and veterans’ systems.
Ciscomani said a shutdown would have disrupted military pay, required Customs and Border Protection personnel and other federal law enforcement officers to continue working without pay, and affected services for nearly 80,000 veterans in his southern Arizona district.
Today, I voted for a bipartisan, temporary Continuing Resolution (CR) to prevent another government shutdown. A government shutdown is not a political game; it has REAL consequences. It disrupts pay for our troops, leaves CBP agents and law enforcement working without pay, and…
“A government shutdown is not a political game; it has REAL consequences,” Ciscomani said. “It disrupts pay for our troops, leaves CBP agents and law enforcement working without pay, and disrupts services for the nearly 80,000 veterans I have the privilege of representing.”
The stopgap also keeps some new fiscal year 2027 spending from beginning until Congress enacts regular appropriations. Ciscomani said operating under a continuing resolution could postpone $42.7 million in proposed projects for Arizona’s Sixth Congressional District that had cleared initial appropriations hurdles.
He concluded, “I have NEVER supported a government shutdown—partial or full. Arizona families should not have to pay the price for Washington’s dysfunction. The House did the right thing today by coming together to keep the government open, keep essential services running, and continue delivering for Arizona.”
One provision with a direct Arizona connection authorizes the Interior Department to fund its assumption of the remaining responsibilities of the Office of Navajo and Hopi Indian Relocation.
The relocation office was created to administer benefits arising from the federal division of disputed Navajo and Hopi lands in northeastern Arizona. Its remaining work includes administrative appeals, fiduciary responsibilities, land management, and livestock obligations. Congress directed Interior Department to begin handling those outstanding responsibilities as part of the office’s closure, according to a Congressional Research Service report updated in February.
The law also provides additional funding authority for the Indian Health Service (IHS) at operating rates of $75.8 million for health services and $8.3 million for facilities. The money is intended to staff and operate facilities opened, expanded or renovated during fiscal years 2022, 2026 and 2027. The legislation states national account rates and leaves facility-level allocations to the agency.
The IHS maintains Phoenix, Navajo, and Tucson administrative areas with hospitals, clinics, and health centers located throughout Arizona. The Phoenix Area system provides health and community services to approximately 180,000 Native Americans in Arizona, Nevada, and Utah through service units and tribally operated facilities. The Phoenix Indian Medical Center alone provides direct services to more than 171,000 patients.
Wildfire and disaster operations also received special treatment in the stopgap.
The Interior Department and U.S. Forest Service may spend at rates needed for wildfire suppression during the approximately 10-week funding period. Arizona fire officials entered 2026 anticipating increased fire activity because of persistent dryness, fine fuels, drought-stressed vegetation, and tree mortality.
The law gives the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) similar flexibility to fund disaster response and recovery. It also extends the National Flood Insurance Program through Dec. 11.
Transportation programs that were scheduled to expire Sept. 30 will continue through Dec. 11 under a separate division of the legislation. The extension provides a proportional share of fiscal year 2026 highway and mass transit funding and extends the federal government’s authority to spend from the Highway Trust Fund.
Federal funding accounts for most of the money used in Arizona’s highway construction program. ADOT’s 2026-2030 program includes $2.77 billion for pavement and bridge preservation, $742.9 million for highway expansion, and $603.6 million for modernization.
The law also authorizes the Transportation Department to spend at the rate needed to maintain Essential Air Service. The program subsidizes commercial flights connecting Page and Show Low with Phoenix and Prescott with Denver and Los Angeles.
The Transportation Department’s May 2026 program report listed annual subsidies of approximately $4.4 million for Page, $5.9 million for Show Low, and $6.3 million for Prescott, totaling about $16.6 million.
Federal nutrition and housing programs serving Arizona residents will also continue.
The law maintains mandatory payments and activities under the Food and Nutrition Act, which covers the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). Arizona reported that 451,762 people received SNAP benefits in May 2026.
The measure allows the Department of Agriculture to spend at rates needed to maintain participation in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) and the existing caseload for the Commodity Supplemental Food Program (CSFP). Arizona administers the latter program as the Commodity Senior Food Program, providing monthly USDA food packages to qualifying residents who are at least 60 years old. The state projected an average monthly caseload of 29,931 people during fiscal year 2026 in its budget materials.
The Department of Housing and Urban Development may use prior-year balances to prevent families from losing tenant-based rental assistance because of insufficient funding during the 2026 calendar-year cycle. The City of Phoenix’s Housing Choice Voucher program alone assists more than 7,000 households.
H.R. 6500 also extends a series of veterans’ programs through Dec. 11. Those provisions cover rural mental-health services, suicide-prevention grants, assistance for family caregivers, ambulance reimbursement for qualifying rural veterans, housing support for homeless veterans, transportation to VA facilities, and adaptive sports programs for disabled veterans and service members.
The Department of Veterans Affairs estimated Arizona’s veteran population at 467,010 in fiscal year 2025. Nearly 160,000 Arizona veterans received disability compensation totaling an estimated $4.24 billion annually, while more than 53,000 participated in VA education programs.
The law also permits the Small Business Administration to adjust spending to meet demand for 7(a), 504 and Small Business Investment Company financing. The 7(a) program is the agency’s primary lending program and guarantees qualifying loans for real estate, equipment, working capital, business acquisitions, and other expenses.
H.R. 6500 keeps those operations and programs funded until Congress enacts the applicable fiscal year 2027 appropriations bill or the stopgap expires on Dec. 11.
The U.S. House passed legislation mandating victims of certain sexual or violent crimes have lifetime protections against their abusers.
Rep. Abe Hamadeh (R-AZ-08) sponsored the Kayleigh’s Law Act of 2026, or Kayleigh’s Law, named after Arizona native and survivor advocate Kayleigh Kozak. Reps. Andy Biggs (R-AZ-05), Eli Crane (R-AZ-02), Paul Gosar (R-AZ-09), Juan Ciscomani (R-AZ-06), and David Schweikert (R-AZ-01) were among the bill’s original cosponsors.
The legislation passed via unanimous voice vote on Monday.
In an address on the House floor, Hamadeh said that the bill would ensure that the criminal justice system would no longer prioritize the desires of abusers over the safety of victims.
In a press release, Hamadeh stated that Kayleigh’s Law would “eliminate the ‘legal tug-of-war’” requiring survivors to face their abusers in court.
“This bill is simple. When a predator is convicted, federal courts must issue a lifelong no-contact injunction. Not until probation ends. Not until some judge decides the offender has ‘moved on.’ For life,” said Hamadeh. “Victims should never again have to fill out another form, sit across from their abuser, or look over their shoulder because the sentence ran out and the system shrugged.”
Kozak has attested in many interviews in recent years that she was victimized by her middle school P.E. teacher who was also her soccer coach. Her abuser requested an end to probation in 2020, 13 years after his conviction, and Kozak was given three weeks’ notice.
“Two times as an adult she was hauled back to look at the man who destroyed her childhood just to keep him away. No victim should ever have to do that,” said Hamadeh.
🇺🇸WATCH🇺🇸
"Mr. Speaker, I rise today as a former prosecutor and as an Arizonan who has seen what happens when the system prioritizes a criminal over the victim."
Congressman Hamadeh takes the House floor to champion his bill, H.R. 8481, the Kayleigh’s Law Act of 2026. pic.twitter.com/Yq4fy8PuHH
— Office of Congressman Abe Hamadeh (@RepAbeHamadeh) August 31, 2026
Arizona law already requires courts to issue a lifelong no-contact injunction for sex offenders. This federal version would expand that no-contact mandate to certain violent felons.
“Contact” was defined to mean all direct or indirect communication, transmission, or physical interaction, including written, oral, electronic, digital, or physical means and communications executed through an intermediary or technological systems.
The Arizona version of this legislation was enacted in 2022, and is also named Kayleigh’s Law.
Biggs’ running mate for Arizona Governor, Sine Kerr, was the sponsor that led passage of the Arizona version of Kayleigh’s Law.
Today, the U.S. House unanimously passed Kayleigh’s Law by voice vote.
This victim-centered, public safety-focused legislation ensures that victims of violent crime have meaningful protections at the federal level while also serving as a model for states seeking to better… pic.twitter.com/XgJyXsdM8B
According to Hamadeh’s office, more than 1,000 child sex abuse survivors in Arizona benefited from the state’s lifetime no-contact protections within the first year of the law’s enactment.
“Kayleigh’s Law would give every American victim of a federal sex crime or a violent felony that same shield,” said Hamadeh. “Healing cannot begin if the abuser can show up again the day after release. Justice is not complete if the victim still lives in fear. Arizona already closed that gap; it is time the federal government did the same, so no American, no matter which state they live in, is left unprotected after a federal conviction.”
Three of Kozak’s five children were present with her for the passage of the bill.
A related bill, also titled Kayleigh’s Law Act of 2026, is making its way through the Senate under sponsorship from Utah Sen. Mike Lee. It was read twice and referred to the Senate Judiciary Committee last month.
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Arizona will be home to a new facility to combat screwworms following intervention by Republican Rep. Andy Biggs (AZ-05).
Brooke Rollins, the secretary of the Department of Agriculture (USDA), announced the new sterile fly dispersal facility at the Douglas Port of Entry last week. The facility will target the burgeoning threat of the New World screwworm, which feed on the living tissue of warm-blooded animals.
The USDA pledged a $25 million investment toward the new facility as part of preparedness measures to reopen the port to livestock trade later this month. The facility will also benefit from existing investments from Texas, Mexico, and Panama.
Biggs predicted in a press release that the new facility would further improve the already significant decline in New World screwworm cases over the past year.
“Arizona is leading the way in prevention efforts, and I am grateful that this administration answered my call for assistance,” said Biggs. “I know how hard our state’s ranchers and farmers work for America’s economy and supply chain, which is why I’m doing all I can to protect their cattle.”
The USDA and the Arizona Department of Agriculture will determine the location and operational plan for the facility. The USDA estimated that construction of the facility “could be completed in as little as several months.”
According to the USDA, over the last year its Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service has worked alongside Arizona officials to trap and submit approximately 1,000 flies for testing — none of which were identified as the New World screwworm.
The southern livestock ports are slated for coordinated, phased reopening contingent upon Mexico’s continued adherence to the administration’s Joint Action Plan to combat the New World screwworm. The USDA selected the Douglas Port of Entry as the first to reopen due to the reported strength of livestock in adjacent Sonora, Mexico, and the port’s ability to implement enhanced inspection protocols.
The USDA announced the first confirmed case of New World screwworm in early June. Days afterwards, Biggs led fellow congressmen Abraham Hamadeh (AZ-08), Eli Crane (AZ-02), Paul Gosar (AZ-09), and Juan Ciscomani (AZ-04) in a letter advising Rollins that Arizona was uniquely positioned to assist USDA response efforts in combatting the burgeoning screwworm threat.
In that letter, the congressmen identified the state’s historic Douglas sterile fly facility site and scientific capabilities within the University of Arizona and the Arizona Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory.
“[The site] remains a strategically valuable location for future production capacity and strengthens Arizona’s ability to support national containment efforts,” stated the congressmen. “The state’s border access, transportation networks, livestock expertise, and university-led research efforts position Arizona to complement USDA’s ongoing investments and make our state an essential partner in preventing an outbreak, safeguarding producers, and strengthening long-term regional stability before this pest can take hold on American soil.”
According to Cochise County officials, a city librarian with the Douglas Public Library, Margaret White, uncovered records earlier this year revealing that Cochise County had helped uncover the sterile insect technique that ultimately eradicated the New World screwworm from the 1960s through the 1980s.
AZ Free News is your #1 source for Arizona news and politics. You can send us news tips using this link.
U.S. Representative Eli Crane (R-AZ-02) spent the last week of July traveling across Arizona’s Second Congressional District, meeting with constituents, educators, ranchers, business leaders, and local officials while highlighting legislative priorities ranging from agriculture and energy to education and public lands.
The weeklong tour included stops in Douglas, Show Low, Holbrook, Williams, Camp Verde, and other communities where Crane promoted recent federal investments, discussed ongoing policy initiatives, and gathered feedback from residents on issues affecting rural Arizona.
One of the week’s most significant announcements came Wednesday, July 29 in Douglas, where Crane joined fellow Republican Representatives Andy Biggs (AZ-05) and Juan Ciscomani (AZ-06) alongside Secretary Brooke Rollins as the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) unveiled a $25 million investment to construct a new sterile fly production facility in Douglas.
The project is intended to strengthen the nation’s defenses against the New World screwworm, a destructive livestock pest that has prompted growing concern among ranchers across the Southwest.
The announcement followed a letter signed by Crane, Biggs, and Ciscomani along with Rep. David Schweikert (R-AZ01) and Rep. Paul Gosar (R-AZ09), urging the USDA to modernize the Douglas facility to improve the nation’s long-term response capabilities.
Following the announcement, the congressmen toured livestock inspection facilities at the Douglas Port of Entry, which is scheduled to re-open to livestock trade on August 24th after preparations aimed at safeguarding American agriculture.
Crane later traveled to Show Low, where he visited Linden Valley Arena, a well known destination within Arizona’s roping community that has been owned and operated by the Perkins family since 2010.
The following morning, Crane addressed teachers and staff with the Show Low Unified School District ahead of the upcoming school year, sharing lessons on leadership and teamwork drawn from his experience as a Navy SEAL and small business owners.
He also thanked educators for their commitment to students while highlighting what he described as a recent legislative victory for rural schools.
Last year, Crane helped build congressional support for a three-year reauthorization of the Secure Rural Schools program, legislation that was ultimately signed into law and continues funding for education and essential county services in communities located near national forests throughout Arizona’s Second Congressional District.
After leaving Show Low, Crane visited Northland Pioneer College in Holbrook, where he met with administrators to discuss the college’s Commercial Driver’s License (CDL) program.
The visit coincided with the Trump administration’s recently announced Freedom Haulers Initiative, a federal effort designed to expand career opportunities for veterans entering the trucking industry.
Crane praised the initiative while recognizing the college’s work to strengthen workforce development through its CDL program.
Later that day, Crane met with the Murph family at H Bar and Y Ranch in Holbrook. The Murph family, whose cattle operation pre-dates Arizona statehood, faces uncertainty over long-held Arizona State Land Department grazing leases because of a proposed solar development by a foreign company.
Crane said he has been working behind the scenes to help resolve the dispute. The meeting also followed last month’s signing of a memorandum of understanding between the USDA and the Small Business Administration (SBA) establishing cooperation between the USDA Lawfare Portal and the SBA’s Office of National Ombudsman.
The agreement is intended to ensure complaints from farmers, ranchers, and agricultural producers alleging legal harassment are investigated and resolved.
According to the USDA, the Lawfare Portal has received more than 400 complaints from 47 states over the past two years.
Crane also toured the Cholla Power Plant, which stopped burning coal in March 2025 after more than six decades of operation. Arizona Public Service is pursuing plans to convert the facility to natural gas, a transition expected to generate approximately 380 megawatts of capacity while preserving jobs and maintaining reliable power generation for the region.
On Saturday, August 1, Crane attended the annual Coconino County Farm Bureau and Cattle Growers Association banquet in Williams, where he updated attendees on several legislative priorities pending before Congress.
Among the measures discussed was the House-passed Farm Bill which includes Buy American requirements for school meal programs, increased reporting requirements for agricultural land purchases by foreign adversaries, and strengthened farm credit and crop insurance programs.
Crane also highlighted his amendment intended to accelerate recovery efforts following the White Sage Fire, while noting his support for proposals removing pesticide liability protections and ensuring compensation for livestock losses caused by Mexican wolves.
The measures seek to improve forest management through expanded technology and reduced litigation while accelerating reconstruction efforts at the Grand Canyon’s North Rim following the Dragon Bravo Fire. Both bills have passed the House but remain pending in the Senate.
The congressman’s final stop took him to Camp Verde, where he met with ranchers to discuss ongoing concerns involving the U.S. Forest Service.
Crane said he is developing legislation aimed at simplifying fence repairs following natural disasters while also addressing what he characterized as abuses of the Equal Access to Justice Act.
The district also received additional federal infrastructure support during the week as the U.S. Department of Transportation awarded more than $5 million in airport improvement grants throughout Arizona’s Second Congressional District.
The funding Includes:
Bagdad: $90,389 for design work to expand terminal parking.
Chinle: $339,000 to reconstruct aircraft apron pavement.
Cottonwood: $536,876 to reconstruct portions of Taxiway A.
Page: $679.031 for design of a new aircraft rescue and firefighting facility.
Springerville: $443,000 to construct a new taxilane serving future hanger development.
Prescott: $2.97 million to construct a new aircraft storage hanger designed to improve airport self-sufficiency.
ICYMI – The @USDOT awarded more than $5 million to improve airport infrastructure in #AZ02.
The latest awards follow additional federal grants announced last month totaling approximately $10 million for improvements at Polacca Airport and Coolidge Municipal Airport.
Reflecting on the week’s events, Crane emphasized the importance of maintaining close ties with constituents while Congress remains out of session.
“Last week, I had the privilege of visiting with constituents, industry leaders, and remarkable institutions within Arizona’s Second Congressional District,” said Rep. Crane. “While there is much work to be done in Washington, D.C., it’s refreshing to get back home and meet face to face with the people I’m honored to represent. I look forward to building on these relationships and delivering principled and effective solutions for all Arizonans.”
Ethan Faverino is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
Congressman Paul Gosar (R-AZ-09) is calling on the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to implement recommendations from a recent Office of Inspector General (OIG) audit that found widespread failures in the administration of the Veterans Community Care Program (VCCP), including improper eligibility determinations, inadequate documentation, and hundreds of millions of dollars in unnecessary spending.
In a letter to VA Secretary Doug Collins and Acting Under Secretary John Figueroa, Gosar urged the department to fully implement the OIG’s recommendations to improve accountability and ensure veterans receive the care they are entitled to under federal law.
The audit, released by the VA Office of Inspector General on June 17, was mandated by the Senator Elizabeth Dole 21st Century Veterans Healthcare and Benefits Improvement Act.
It examined whether the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) accurately identified veterans eligible for community care and properly informed them of their options under the VA MISSION Act.
The OIG concluded that the VA was “not effectively identifying and informing all eligible veterans about all their care options within and outside VA.”
Investigators found that some veterans who qualified for community care were never informed of their eligibility, while others who did not qualify were improperly referred to outside providers.
According to the audit, nearly one in four community care referrals—approximately 340,000 of 1.4 million consults reviewed during the first quarter of FY25—were made even though veterans did not meet eligibility requirements.
At the same time, an estimated 1.8 million veterans who received care through VA facilities lacked documentation showing they had been evaluated for community care eligibility, with more than one million cases containing no evidence that veterans had voluntarily declined the option.
The OIG estimated that inaccurate eligibility determinations resulted in approximately $440 million in unnecessary spending during the first quarter of FY25 alone. If those issues continue unaddressed, the agency estimated the cost could reach $1.7 billion annually.
The audit attributed many of the problems to inconsistent guidance from the VA’s Office of Integrated Veteran Care, scheduling system limitations that prevented staff from viewing appointment availability across all VA facilities, and a lack of access to community care scheduling data needed to help veterans make informed decisions.
Investigators also found that some veterans referred to community care could have received treatment sooner through VA facilities, while others who qualified for community care were never informed of that option.
The report warned that these shortcomings not only waste taxpayer dollars but also risk delaying medical treatment for veterans by preventing them from accessing the care options that best meet their needs.
The Office of Inspector General issued six recommendations aimed at improving the effectiveness of the Veterans Community Care Program.
The Veterans Health Administration concurred with five recommendations and concurred in principle with the sixth, submitting corrective action plans intended to address the findings.
In his letter, Gosar encouraged Secretary Collins to work with Congress to fully implement the OIG’s recommendations, strengthen oversight of the Veterans Community Care Program, and ensure it is administered with the diligence and integrity America’s veterans deserve.
Ethan Faverino is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
