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Bill would expand military authority to surrounding land. Arizona's Ciscomani introduced it

U.S. Congressman Juan Ciscomani speaking with attendees at a business roundtable hosted by The Libre Initiative at Union Public House in Tucson on May 9, 2025.
Gage Skidmore/CC by 2.0
U.S. Congressman Juan Ciscomani speaking with attendees at a business roundtable hosted by The Libre Initiative at Union Public House in Tucson on May 9, 2025.

A bill introduced by Republican Congressman Juan Ciscomani of Arizona would expand military authority at Fort Huachuca and other installations to include surrounding land.

The legislation would amend the Sikes Act — a 1960s law that allows collaboration between the military and other agencies to protect wildlife and other natural resources on military land.

Ciscomani’s bill would expand that law to allow for inter-agency partnerships in broader military and National Guard operations near places like Fort Huachuca. The bill is supported by Mayor Clea McCaa in nearby Sierra Vista, who says it will protect his city’s economic plans against legal actions over potential environmental harm.

Since April, the Trump administration has been expanding military authority across hundreds of miles of public land along the border in Arizona, New Mexico and Texas.

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Alisa Reznick is a senior field correspondent covering stories across southern Arizona and the borderlands for the Tucson bureau of KJZZ's Fronteras Desk.