In The News
Cortez Masto Calls for More Support for Schools, Broadband During Pandemic
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) spoke today on the Senate floor about the need to support schools in upcoming coronavirus legislation. She also emphasized the importance of funding critical broadband access at a time of social distancing. Senator Cortez Masto's remarks are available in VIDEO FORMAT. Below are her remarks as prepared for delivery: In a couple of weeks, students in Nevada and around the country are going to begin their studies again. I want … Continue Reading
August 05, 2020
Cortez Masto Introduces Legislation to Help School Nutrition Programs Best Serve Students through Upcoming School Year
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) introduced the Child Nutrition Relief Act to extend waiver authorities for school nutrition rules granted to the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) through the upcoming school year. These waivers for school nutrition programs, originally granted in the Families First Coronavirus Response Act, have provided school districts in Nevada and across the country with the flexibility to deliver meal services to kids even when schools are … Continue Reading
August 04, 2020
Cortez Masto Highlights Urgent Need for More Funding for States, Cities, and Tribes During Coronavirus Pandemic
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) spoke today on the Senate floor about the need for funding to address critical shortfalls in state, local, and tribal government budgets. She called on Senate colleagues to pass additional coronavirus legislation to help governments pay for essential first responders, health care, education, and other critical services. Senator Cortez Masto's remarks are available in VIDEO FORMAT. Below are her remarks as prepared for … Continue Reading
August 04, 2020
Cortez Masto Introduces Legislation to Fund Virtual Peer Support Behavioral Health Programs
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) introduced the Virtual Peer Support Act to help boost the capacity of peer behavioral health support programs by transitioning them to an online setting. Specifically, this bill would provide $50 million in grants through the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) to eligible organizations to fund the implementation of new virtual peer support programs and the expansion of existing online services to … Continue Reading
August 03, 2020
Cortez Masto Urges Coronavirus Relief Package Negotiators to Ensure Arbitration Clauses are Not Attached to Needed Relief Payments for Americans
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) joined U.S. Senator Bob Menendez and fellow Democratic Banking and Finance Committee members in a letter to Senate Leadership urging for the next COVID-19 stimulus package to prohibit the Federal Government from attaching forced arbitration agreements to any form of benefit payments to Americans. Last March, the pre-paid debit cards IRS sent to four million Americans, loaded with CARES Act stimulus payments, also contained a … Continue Reading
August 03, 2020
Cortez Masto Applauds $300,000 to Support Nevada Businesses
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) today announced that the Economic Development Administration (EDA) has awarded $300,000 to the Nevada System of Higher Education in Reno to fund a response to the economic consequences of the coronavirus pandemic. "These funds will go to help Nevada businesses respond to the COVID-19 pandemic by providing technology, training, and research to retrain workers, adapt business plans, and develop new … Continue Reading
August 03, 2020
Cortez Masto Introduces Bill to Address Mental Health Equity and Access for Communities of Color
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.), Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) and Cory Booker (D-N.J.) led a group of Senate colleagues in introducing the Mental Health Equity Act of 2020 to address the issues of suicide and mental health in youth with a focus on those in socially and economically disadvantaged communities. Senator Cortez Masto recently introduced a bicameral resolution to designate July as BIPOC Mental Health Awareness Month. The legislation is cosponsored by Sens. … Continue Reading
August 03, 2020
Cortez Masto, Colleagues to McConnell: Immigrants Are Essential and Deserve Support in Coronavirus Legislation
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) joined Senators Mazie K. Hirono (D-Hawaii), Patty Murray (D-Wash.) and 24 of their colleagues in a letter urging Majority Leader McConnell to support tax-paying immigrant families who have Individual Tax Identification Numbers (ITIN) by ensuring they have access to economic relief payments provided in the CARES Act and any future coronavirus relief package. An estimated 20 million immigrants work in essential industries. These … Continue Reading
July 31, 2020
Cortez Masto Urges Senate to Reject Conditioning Federal Funds to Schools on Reopening In-Person
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) joined Senator Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), along with 28 of her Senate colleagues, in urging Senate leadership to reject the Trump Administration's desire to condition education funds in the next coronavirus relief package on the reopening of elementary and secondary schools for in-person instruction. In a letter to Senate leadership, the Senators said that the Senate should not be complicit in President Trump's demands that would risk … Continue Reading
July 31, 2020
Cortez Masto Applauds More Than $6 Million to Fight Substance Use Disorders in Nevada
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) announced that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has awarded $6,731,119 to help fund Nevada's Overdose Data to Action programs, which conduct data-driven research into substance use disorders. "I'm glad to see these funds get to the state of Nevada to help us learn more about substance use disorders in our state. With this data, we can improve treatments and … Continue Reading
July 31, 2020
Cortez Masto Joins Bipartisan Effort to Support Physician Training Programs in Rural Communities
Washington, D.C. - As COVID-19 cases continue to rise throughout the nation, U.S. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) joined Senators Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), Michael Bennet (D-Colo.), Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), Cory Gardner (R-Colo.), Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.), Michael Rounds (R-S.D.) and Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.), in calling on the Trump administration to support physician training programs in rural communities to strengthen and maintain a physician workforce for the … Continue Reading
July 31, 2020
Cortez Masto: Congress is Failing Struggling Nevada Workers & Families As $600 Pandemic Unemployment Compensation Program Lapses
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) today released the following statement urging Congress to immediately pass legislation to continue the enhanced unemployment insurance programs established in the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act. The Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation, which has provided an extra $600 in monthly unemployment benefits to struggling Nevadans, expires today. Yesterday, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell brought … Continue Reading
July 30, 2020
Cortez Masto Statement on the Anniversary of Medicare and Medicaid
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) today released the following statement on the 55th anniversary of the day President Lyndon Johnson signed Medicare and Medicaid into law in 1965. "Although Medicare and Medicaid were established in 1965, calls to create a program to protect Americans' health go back over a century. From Teddy Roosevelt to Harry Truman, Lyndon Johnson to Richard Nixon, American presidents have long understood that we have an essential obligation … Continue Reading
July 30, 2020
Cortez Masto Stresses Importance of Increased Production of PPE, More Mental Health Support for Frontline Workers in Senate Finance Committee Hearing
Washington, D.C. - During this week's Senate Finance Committee hearing on the reliability of the U.S. medical supply chain during the COVID-19 pandemic, U.S. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) questioned panelists about why the Administration has not fully invoked the Defense Production Act to ensure the United States has adequate personal protective equipment and medical supplies, and stressed the importance of more funding for mental health support for frontline health care workers. "I … Continue Reading
July 30, 2020
Cortez Masto Hosts Small Business Workshop
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) today joined the Nevada Small Business Development Center (SBDC), Grow With Google, and the Connected Commerce Council to co-host a workshop to help small businesses use Google tools to connect with customers and manage their businesses during this time of uncertainty. "Nevada in particular has been hit hard by the economic impact of this pandemic, because of our hospitality and travel … Continue Reading
July 30, 2020
Cortez Masto Highlights Existing Inequities in Indian Country
Washington, D.C. - During this week's Indian Affairs Committee oversight hearing, U.S. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) questioned Director Tony Dearman of the Bureau of Indian Education (BIE) about the bureau's plan to provide resources to help tribal schools with providing reliable broadband for students learning from home and helping educators with planning to safely reopen. In Nevada, Duckwater Shoshone Elementary and Pyramid Lake Schools are Bureau of Indian Education … Continue Reading
July 30, 2020
Cortez Masto Leads Nevada Delegation in Sending Letter to DoEd and USDA Addressing Digital Divide for Nevada Students
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) led Nevada's Congressional delegation, including Senator Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.), Congresswoman Dina Titus (D-Nev.-01), Congressman Mark Amodei (R-Nev.-02), Congressman Steven Horsford (D-Nev.-04), and Congresswoman Susie Lee (D-Nev.-03), in a bipartisan, bicameral letter to the U.S. Departments of Education and Agriculture asking for guidance on how best to connect low-income families with low-cost programs offered by internet … Continue Reading
July 30, 2020
Cortez Masto Leads Nevada Democratic Delegation Ask for the DOL’s Assistance in Combatting Unemployment Fraud to Reduce Claims Backlog
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) led fellow Nevada Senator Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.) and Representatives Dina Titus (D-Nev.-01), Steven Horsford (D-Nev.-04) and Susie Lee (D-Nev.-03) in a letter to Secretary Scalia asking the Department of Labor (DOL) to acknowledge and take action to assist states in combatting coordinated and intentional organized unemployment insurance fraud, which is spreading thin state resources that could otherwise be used to more quickly … Continue Reading
July 29, 2020
Cortez Masto, Blackburn Introduce Legislation to Spur 21st Century Entrepreneurship
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) and Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) introduced legislation to connect students from underprivileged backgrounds with mentors in entrepreneurship and innovation. The 21st Century Entrepreneurship Act would connect students enrolled in 21st Century Community Learning Centers (CCLC) with mentors from the Service Corps of Retired Executives (SCORE) to introduce students to entrepreneurship and help them develop professional skills. … Continue Reading
July 29, 2020
Cortez Masto Shines Spotlight on Predatory Lenders
Washington, D.C. - During today's Banking Committee hearing, U.S. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) questioned Director Kathleen Kraninger of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) about predatory lending practices. Senator Cortez Masto noted, "I've noticed a number of these cases resulted in suspended judgments. Meaning that-and particularly as I look at the debt collection companies, along with auto title companies and travel companies-they paid much … Continue Reading
