LAS VEGAS – Nevada Senator Catherine Cortez Masto is navigating a delicate political line, publicly acknowledging a strategic difference with fellow Nevada Senator Jacky Rosen regarding the ongoing government shutdown. While Rosen has consistently voted with nearly all other Democrats to maintain the shutdown until republican concessions are made, Cortez Masto is prioritizing mitigating the economic impact on nevada, especially its tourism-dependent las Vegas economy.
Cortez Masto, who narrowly won reelection in 2022 by fewer than 10,000 votes, faces a state still recovering from the economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and grappling with inflation. She points to a recent slump in Las Vegas tourism as evidence of the negative consequences of both former President Trump’s trade and immigration policies and the current shutdown.
“Nevadans sent me here to fight for them,” Rosen stated on the Senate floor, “Not to cave.”
Cortez Masto responded to the apparent fissure with diplomacy, stating, “She’s a good friend… our goal is to fight for Nevada and we are doing it. We both are doing it in different ways.”
Despite her willingness to negotiate, Cortez Masto expressed deep skepticism about the possibility of reaching a trustworthy agreement with the Trump governance, citing a pattern of the President “flouting the law” and unilaterally ”appropriating funds at his own whim.” However, she emphasized the necessity of working with Republican colleagues to find solutions.
“We’ve got to govern,” Cortez Masto said. “We’ve got to work together.” She added that Republicans need to “come out and do bipartisan legislation to push back on this administration” if they intend to address the issues facing the country beyond simply following the President’s directives, noting Congress’s constitutional authority as a separate branch of government.
Cortez Masto’s opponent in the 2022 election, Adam Laxalt, was a proponent of Trump’s claims of a stolen 2020 election and appeared sympathetic to those involved in the January 6, 2021, Capitol insurrection.Cortez Masto is next up for reelection in 2028.
