SECURED: $3.74 Million in Funding for Preparedness Against New World Screwworm.

I am proud to announce that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has awarded a $3.74 million grant to the University of Arizona, to strengthen our state’s preparedness for an emerging biological threat. The New World screwworm is a parasitic fly that can be deadly to warm-blooded animals like horses and cattle, posing a great threat to our state’s agricultural industry and rural communities.

In a letter to USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins requesting this grant, I explained that investment in Arizona’s agricultural economy and our rural communities is essential to combat emerging threats like the New World screwworm. This grant specifically will fund research to create a statewide preparedness network which will in turn help prepare for the challenges that will inevitably come with the threat of the New World screwworm.

Although the grant is secured, our work is far from over. I remain committed to ensuring Arizona’s farmers, ranchers, and veterinarians have the tools they need to protect their livestock from the dangers of screwworm and look forward to how this grant will aid in preparing for and preventing the issue.

You can read more about this win HERE.

WIN for Veterans: Over $1 Billion Paid to Improve AZ Veteran Healthcare in 2025.

As part of the bipartisan VA MISSION Act that passed Congress and was signed into law in 2018, the Department of Veteran Affairs (VA) paid more than $36 billion to veteran healthcare providers across the nation for Fiscal Year 2025. Arizona ranked the tenth-highest payment, with a total of $1 billion.

Funding from the MISSION Act directly supports veteran healthcare access, especially for veterans who reside in rural communities. Additionally, the Senator Elizabeth Dole 21st Century Veterans Healthcare and Benefits Improvement Act of 2025 which I introduced to ensure veterans can use community care when it’s in their best medical interest. Both the MISSION Act and Senator Elizabeth Dole Act benefit local veterans, especially those who live in rural areas of AZ-06. It’s our duty to protect and enhance their access to healthcare, and these pieces of legislation have done just that.

Read more about the benefits of this legislation HERE and read a statement from me below.

Modernize the DeConcini Port of Entry.

While continuing my efforts to modernize the Dennis DeConcini Land Port of Entry (LPOE) in Nogales, I am proud to have received critical support from local leadership.

Most recently, Olivia Ainza-Kramer, the President & CEO of the Nogales-Santa Cruz County Chamber of Commerce, voiced support of my efforts in an op-ed published in the Arizona Daily Star.

She expressed gratitude for my commitment to ensuring our border remains secure and trade between the United States and Mexico is no longer inhibited by the facility’s outdated infrastructure.

I am grateful for Olivia’s support and remain dedicated to the effort of making necessary and long-overdue modernizations to the Port.

You can read more HERE.

How My Office Serves Constituents Across AZ06 – By the Numbers.

Our team is dedicated to helping AZ-06, working directly with federal agencies to bring real dollars back to Arizonans. We recently announced that since I took office in January 2023, our team has returned more than $20 million back to constituents through casework.

Since January 2023, our office has closed a total of 3,070 cases. This means 3,070 constituents who asked for our help and received real results.

We have worked with a variety of federal agencies. Below is a breakdown showing the federal agencies we have worked with most frequently and how many of our closed cases they make up:

• Department of Veterans Affairs: 468 cases
• Department of State: 428 cases
• U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services: 361 cases
• Social Security Administration: 329 cases
• Internal Revenue Service (IRS): 184 cases
• Department of Defense - Army: 110 cases
• Office of Personnel Management (OPM): 105 cases
• Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE): 58 cases
• United States Postal Service: 57 cases

Our office works day in and day out to assist constituents who have an issue with a federal agency and look forward to continuing to deliver life-changing results. If you need assistance with a federal agency, please visit the Help with a Federal Agency tab on our website or call our District Office at (520) 881-3588.

In the News.

Buena High School Student Wins CD6 Art Competition 
Arizona Daily Independent 
"Eyah Prior, winner of the 2026 Congressional Art Competition for Arizona’s Sixth Congressional District, was honored by Congressman Juan Ciscomni in his D.C. office during this year’s National Awards Reception and Winners’ Celebration. Eyah, an upcoming senior at Buena High School in Sierra Vista, won the 2026 Congressional Art Competition for AZ-06 with her pastel oil painting titled 'The Feeling of Sunshine.' Eyah’s artwork is now displayed in the United States Capitol where it will remain for the next year. Ciscomani said he was proud to join Eyah and her family for the celebration. 'Each year, I am pleased to celebrate the talented winner of our District’s Congressional Art Competition and see their artwork hung in our nation’s Capitol,' said Ciscomani. 'It was a great honor to host this year’s winner, Eyah Prior, and her family to D.C. to celebrate her significant accomplishment and talent. I want to thank Eyah and all those who participated in this year’s art competition. I am always impressed by the amount of skill showcased by students in our District and am grateful for the students who take the time to share their gifts with our office and community. Congratulations Eyah.'"

University of Arizona receives $3.74M to fight screwworm threat 
KVOA 
"The University of Arizona will receive more than $3.7 million in federal funding to help protect the state's livestock industry from a dangerous parasitic pest, according to Rep. Juan Ciscomani. The Grand Challenge Grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture will support efforts to prepare Arizona for potential outbreaks of New World screwworm, a parasitic fly whose larvae feed on living tissue in warm-blooded animals. The pest can cause severe wounds in livestock, wildlife and companion animals that may become life-threatening without quick detection and treatment. The funding will support research, surveillance, education, and outreach across Arizona while advancing detection and monitoring tools for early identification and rapid response, according to the announcement. The project will bring together producers, veterinarians, researchers, and state and federal partners to strengthen statewide readiness, with support from groups like the Arizona Cattle Growers Association."

Profiles of the American Dream.

File this American Dream story under Teachable Moments.

Members of the Sahuarita High School marching band were flying high a couple of years ago when word came that they’d been tapped for a primo gig: the Salute to Independence Parade in Philadelphia marking our nation’s 250th birthday.

A band really needs to be on top of their game to get selected for a prestigious honor like this. Only a handful of high schools from across the country made the cut. All those hours of practice, the drills, the teamwork, the physical stamina required to be a successful marching band – it was paying off big time. The kids from Sahuarita would be among the best of the best.

To make this dream a reality, the Sahuarita community sprang into action to help raise the funds needed for the cross-country trip. Airfare, hotels and meals for 85 kids and the adults accompanying them wasn’t going to be cheap.

The stars were aligning nicely when the band and their chaperones took off last week for their once-in-a-lifetime performance in the very city when our Founding Fathers signed the Declaration of Independence. You can only imagine the pride and sense of accomplishment.

Then Mother Nature decided to crank up the heat.

It got so blistering hot leading up to the big day – 100 degrees with the heat index hitting well into the red zone – that event organizers made the tough call to pull the plug and cancel the parade. Philly’s sticky humid summers are very different than summers in the dry Arizona desert, but disappointment is the same everywhere.

This is when the teachable moment comes in.

The band received an unexpected invitation from a local television station to come to its studio where they could showcase some of the tunes they’d been perfecting for the past two years. Talk about a sweet example of making lemonade out of life’s lemons. Check out local coverage of what happened here and here.

"It’s all about how you cope with adversity and frustration," said Sahuarita Unified School District Superintendent Manuel Valenzuela. "Things like that will happen. It’s what you do with it."

Share Your Story.

Our district encompasses so many incredible people and stories that I want to share both with my colleagues in Washington and through the platforms I have as your Member of Congress, such as speaking on the House floor. You can visit my website and share your story with me and my team. I look forward to hearing from you!

As always, my office and I are here to assist you. If you would like to share a comment or tell us your story, please don't hesitate to reach out. We look forward to serving you!

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