In The News
Cortez Masto Cosponsors Legislation to Ensure Federal Workers Impacted by Government Shutdown Obtain Security Clearances
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) cosponsored legislation to prevent the denial or revocation of security clearances for workers whose financial status deteriorated during the government shutdown. Introduced by Senator Ben Cardin (D-Md.), the Protecting Employees' Security Clearances Act of 2019 prohibits factoring short-term financial issues as grounds for denial of security clearances. "Federal workers in Nevada and across the country are reeling from the … Continue Reading
February 14, 2019
Cortez Masto, Colleagues Renew Effort to Pass Landmark Legislation to Support Women Veterans
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) joined Senators Jon Tester (D-Mont.), John Boozman (R-Ark.) and Democratic Senate colleagues to introduce the bipartisan Deborah Sampson Act to support women veterans. "Women are the fastest growing veteran population, yet they still face unique challenges when transitioning out of the military, accessing medical care from the VA and receiving support services," said Senator Cortez Masto. "The Deborah Sampson Act, named after a … Continue Reading
February 14, 2019
Cortez Masto Statement on Border Security Deal
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) released the following statement after the Senate passed a bipartisan agreement to fund border security and in response to reports that President Trump is planning to declare a national emergency and redirect critical funds to build his ineffective and expensive border wall. "I'm disappointed that the President is considering turning his back on this bipartisan agreement by declaring a national emergency of his own making. This … Continue Reading
February 14, 2019
Cortez Masto Statement on Barr Confirmation
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) released the following statement after she voted against the confirmation of William Barr as U.S. Attorney General. "An essential quality for an Attorney General is the ability to remain independent and impartial. Mr. Barr's decision to write an unsolicited memo criticizing the Mueller investigation, in what appears to be an effort to curry favor with this President, shows he cannot be the guarantor of justice. And his concerning … Continue Reading
February 14, 2019
Cortez Masto, Colleagues Introduce Legislation to Create Public Health Care Option
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) joined Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii) and Senate Democratic colleagues to introduce the State Public Option Act to create a Medicaid-based public health care option to strengthen the Affordable Care Act by providing Americans with a new high-quality, low-cost choice when purchasing health insurance. Congressman Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.) introduced the companion bill in the U.S. House of Representatives. "Every American … Continue Reading
February 14, 2019
Cortez Masto, Senate Democrats Demand Answers About CFPB Decision to Eliminate Payday Lending Protections
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) joined Senator Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) and the entire Senate Democratic Caucus in opposing the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's (CFPB) new attempt to gut its own payday protection rule. "Repealing this rule provides a green light to the payday lending industry to prey on vulnerable American consumers," wrote the senators in a letter to Trump-appointed CFPB Director Kathy Kraninger. "In drafting these devastating changes to … Continue Reading
February 13, 2019
Cortez Masto, Rubio Introduce Bill to Combat Chinese Government Interference Globally
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) and Senator Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) introduced the Countering the Chinese Government and Communist Party's Influence Operations Act, bipartisan legislation that aims to combat the Chinese government's foreign interference in the United States and elsewhere globally. "Our democratic processes are increasingly under attack from authoritarian governments. We must fully understand those threats to effectively combat them. This … Continue Reading
February 13, 2019
Cortez Masto Introduces Legislation to Prevent Misuse of Inaugural Committee Funds
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) introduced the Inaugural Committee Transparency Act of 2019, legislation to increase oversight and public disclosure of how presidential inaugural committees spend the millions of dollars they raise and to help prevent the misuse of committee funds. "The public has a right to know how inaugural committees are spending the millions of dollars they receive from big corporations and dark money donors. Presidential inaugural … Continue Reading
February 13, 2019
Cortez Masto, Rosen Applaud Grants Awarded to Fallon Paiute-Shoshone Tribe
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, U.S. Senators Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) and Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.) released the following statement applauding news of a Department of Transportation (DOT) grant totaling over $115,000 awarded by the Federal Transit Administration to the Fallon Paiute-Shoshone Tribe of Fallon, Nevada. "This Department of Transportation grant will give the Fallon Paiute-Shoshone Tribe funding for tribal public transit services, providing access to work, health care, and other … Continue Reading
February 13, 2019
Cortez Masto, Wyden, Murray Introduce Bill to Protect Government Contractors During Shutdowns
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.), Senate Finance Committee Ranking Member Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), and Senate HELP Committee Ranking Member Patty Murray (D-Wash.) today introduced the Emergency Relief for Federal Contractors Act of 2019, which ensures that federal contractors affected by a government shutdown can withdraw funds from their retirement savings without being penalized. "The last government shutdown lasted 35 days and brought stress and uncertainty to … Continue Reading
February 13, 2019
Cortez Masto, Colleagues Introduce Bipartisan Bill to Address Suicide Crisis in Native Communities
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) joined Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) and 13 Senate colleagues to introduce the bipartisan Native American Suicide Prevention Act. This legislation would help address the alarming suicide rate in Native communities by requiring collaboration among states and tribal nations in the design and implementation of statewide suicide intervention and prevention strategies. Representatives Raúl M. … Continue Reading
February 13, 2019
Cortez Masto, Democratic Senators Request Information on Shutdown’s Impacts on Wildfires and Hazardous Fuels
Washington, D.C. - Today, U.S. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) joined Senators Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), Jeffrey Merkley (D-Ore.) and eight others on a letter requesting details from the U.S. Forest Service on the impacts of the recent government shutdown on wildfire and hazardous fuels management. "We write regarding the recent government shutdown and the impact it had on the United States Forest Service, specifically the Service's hazardous fuels work and … Continue Reading
February 12, 2019
Cortez Masto Applauds Over $770,000 in Grant Funds Awarded to UNR Research Programs
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) applauded the National Science Foundation (NSF) for awarding over $700,000 to the University of Nevada Reno to fund STEM research and training programs. "The National Science Foundation (NSF) is encouraging innovation in Nevada by investing in one of our state's premier, tier one research universities. The University of Nevada Reno continues to be at the forefront of pioneering research and technological development in Nevada … Continue Reading
February 12, 2019
Cortez Masto Applauds Passage of Bipartisan Natural Resources Management Act
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) released the following statement after the Senate passed the Natural Resources Management Act, bipartisan legislation that sets guidelines for the management and conservation of natural resources on federal lands. This package of public lands bills includes three bills that will help jumpstart economic development in Nevada, while continuing to preserve our public lands and natural resources. "Nevada's public lands and natural … Continue Reading
February 12, 2019
Cortez Masto Cosponsors Bill to Ban High-Capacity Gun Magazines
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) today joined Senator Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) in introducing the Keep Americans Safe Act, common sense public safety legislation that would ban the importation, sale, manufacture, transfer, or possession of gun magazines that hold more than ten rounds of ammunition. "On 1October, 58 families were forever changed by senseless gun violence in America. They joined what one mother who lost a child at Sandy Hook has called an 'expanding … Continue Reading
February 07, 2019
Cortez Masto, Toomey Introduce Legislation to Combat Online Trafficking
Washington, D.C. - Today, U.S. Senators Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) and Pat Toomey (R-Pa.) introduced the Fight Illicit Networks and Detect (FIND) Trafficking Act of 2019. The FIND Trafficking Act would require the Government Accountability Office to conduct a study on how virtual currencies and online marketplaces are used to facilitate sex and drug trafficking and make recommendations on how to fight, detect and deter these illegal activities. "Far too many illegal enterprises are using … Continue Reading
February 07, 2019
Cortez Masto, Colleagues Introduce Legislation to Improve Resettlement Process for Unaccompanied Children, Protect Sponsors
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) joined Senators Kamala D. Harris (D-Calif.) and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), along with Senators Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Edward Markey (D-Mass.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), and Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), in re-introducing the Families Not Facilities Act, legislation that would prohibit U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) from … Continue Reading
February 07, 2019
Cortez Masto Cosponsors ANTIQUITIES Act to Combat Executive Threats to Public Lands
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) joined 23 Democratic senators in re-introducing the ANTIQUITIES Act of 2019, which protects national monuments and establishes new wilderness areas in Nevada. "Nevadans take great pride in our national monuments, Gold Butte and Basin and Range, as well as the Silver State's many other natural treasures. Our public lands are an essential part of our outdoor economy, sustain thousands of good-paying jobs, and have deep cultural and … Continue Reading
February 06, 2019
Cortez Masto Cosponsors Legislation to Prohibit Separation of Migrant Families
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) joined Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) in reintroducing the Keep Families Together Act, legislation that would prohibit the separation of migrant children from their parents or legal guardians by immigration officials at ports of entry or within 100 miles of the border. "Despite the Trump administration's reversal of their inhumane family separation policy, they have recently admitted that more children have been separated … Continue Reading
February 06, 2019
Cortez Masto Applauds $1 Million to Invest in Engineering Students and Diversify STEM Workforce
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) welcomed a $1 million grant from the National Science Foundation to support 32 high-achieving students from low-income families pursuing engineering degrees at the University of Nevada, Reno. The Scholarships in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (S-STEM) program aims to expand access to engineering education and diversify the STEM workforce. "Future leaders in science, technology, engineering and mathematics should … Continue Reading
