Rep. Juan Ciscomani (R-AZ) delivers remarks in the House Chamber during the third day of elections for Speaker of the House at the U.S. Capitol Building on Jan. 5, 2023, in Washington, D.C. (Photo by Win McNamee ||Getty Images)
Allie Feinberg
Arizona Republic
Rep. Juan Ciscomani has long been adamant that abortion is a state’s rights issue, rather than a federal issue. Now, he’s changing his stance in what he’s touting as an effort to avoid a government shutdown.
Ciscomani, R-Ariz., is Arizona’s only member of Congress who sits on the House Appropriations Committee. Every year, Congress is tasked with passing 12 appropriation bills that outline how much money the government can spend on nonessential functions. If they fail, federal agencies must cease all nonessential functions in what’s known as a government shutdown.
While the Senate Appropriations Committee has passed the 12 bills, the House Appropriations Committee has only passed one. One bill that is still on the floor appropriates funding for the Department of Agriculture, the Department of Rural Development, the Food and Drug Administration and related agencies.
As with other appropriation bills, the Republican majority has taken opportunities to slide social priorities into the bill, including one that limits abortion access.
Located on page 107 of the 113-page bill, the provision nullifies a previous FDA ruling that allowed for the by-mail distribution of mifepristone, a medication used for abortions.
Politico reported last week that a group of 12 “moderate Republicans” are refusing to support the bill unless the provision is removed, and Ciscomani isn’t one of them. Ciscomani voted to pass the bill out of committee because of how much the overall package could help his district, despite it contradicting his ideal that abortion is a state issue, a House GOP staff member said.
In addition to the anti-abortion item, the bill contains provisions that support agriculture and rural communities. Some highlights include:
