Press Releases
Cortez Masto Legislation Protecting Lake Tahoe, Ruby Mountains Clear Key Committee Hurdle
Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) passed legislation to protect Lake Tahoe and Nevada’s Ruby Mountains through the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources today. Her bipartisan, bicameral legislation to extend the authorization of the Lake Tahoe Restoration Act will help deliver more federal funding to Lake Tahoe to support environmental protection and habitat restoration programs. Her Ruby Mountains Protection Act prohibits oil and … Continue Reading
May 17, 2023
Cortez Masto Leads Legislation to Increase Solar Manufacturing in the U.S.
Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senators Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.), Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), and Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.) re-introduced the Reclaiming the Solar Supply Chain Act to expand the solar manufacturing supply chain in the U.S. and enhance our global competitiveness. This legislation also supports good-paying union jobs by requiring solar manufacturing facilities to have strong labor protections to be eligible for this … Continue Reading
May 16, 2023
Cortez Masto Introduces Legislation to Limit Speculative Oil and Gas Leasing on Lands with Low Potential for Development
Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) re-introduced the End Speculative Oil and Gas Leasing Act to prohibit oil and gas leasing on public lands that have low or no potential for oil and gas development. The bill would update the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) administration of public lands, cut wasteful speculation, and allow lands with low or no potential to be reprioritized for more appropriate purposes, … Continue Reading
May 16, 2023
Cortez Masto Grills Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank Executives for Mismanagement, Harming Small Businesses
Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) confronted executives from Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank at a Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee hearing today, highlighting how their mismanagement led to the banks’ failures and the impact of those failures on small banks and businesses across the U.S. The Government Accountability Office (GAO) recently identified the root causes of both bank failures to be ineffective management, poor … Continue Reading
May 16, 2023
Cortez Masto Announces FCC’s New Broadband Funding Map She Created, Highlights Continued Push for Expanded Broadband Accessibility
Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) released the following statement after the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) rolled out its new interactive Broadband Funding Map. Senator Cortez Masto worked with Republican Senator Deb Fischer (R-Neb.) to create this tool in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and pushed the Administration to implement it to ensure that federal broadband funding is being distributed efficiently and is targeted to … Continue Reading
May 15, 2023
Cortez Masto, Rosen Join New Legislation to Respond to Immediate Needs at the Southern Border
Washington, D.C. – As Title 42 expires, U.S. Senators Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) and Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.) joined Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and Senator Gary Peters (D-MI), Chairman of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee (HSGAC), on legislation to respond to the immediate needs on our southern border by significantly increasing resources for frontline border personnel. The proposal provides immediate … Continue Reading
May 11, 2023
Cortez Masto, Daines Push Bipartisan Legislation to Support Rural Communities
Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senators Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) and Steve Daines (R-Mont.) re-introduced bipartisan legislation to help deliver more federal resources to rural communities in areas with large amounts of federal land. The U.S. government manages over 80% of the land in Nevada, and this limit rural localities’ ability to generate tax revenue. The More Opportunities for Rural Economies (MORE) Grants Package works to address this disparity by … Continue Reading
May 11, 2023
At Hearing, Cortez Masto Urges Colleagues to Pass the SAFE Banking Act and Protect Legitimate Cannabis Businesses
Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) urged her colleagues to pass the SAFE Banking Act and finally allow cannabis businesses full access to the U.S. banking sector at a Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee hearing today. At the hearing, Cortez Masto outlined the challenges and dangers that cannabis businesses in Nevada face because they can’t access traditional banking: “My office heard from one business owner in Las Vegas who said … Continue Reading
May 11, 2023
Cortez Masto Announces UNR Selected for National Research Program and Awarded Nearly $1 Million to Support Clean Energy and Battery Manufacturing
Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) announced the University of Nevada, Reno (UNR) has been accepted into the National Science Foundation’s (NSF) Regional Innovations Program and will receive an initial $999,905 to conduct critical lithium-battery research, supporting Nevada’s growing clean energy economy. Through her championing of Nevada’s battery industry and her greater support for the state’s research … Continue Reading
May 10, 2023
Cortez Masto Cosponsors Bicameral Resolution Recognizing National Day Of AANHPI Mental Health
Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.), a member of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus, joined Senator Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii) in cosponsoring a resolution recognizing May 10, 2023 as National Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) Mental Health Day. The resolution aims to bring awareness to mental health challenges unique to the AANHPI community and celebrate efforts to improve access to mental health care. … Continue Reading
May 08, 2023
Cortez Masto Highlights Clean Energy Jobs in Southern Nevada at New Battery Manufacturing Facility
Washington, D.C. – On Friday, U.S. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) highlighted Nevada’s growing clean energy economy at a tour of Lithion’s brand-new battery manufacturing facility. Lithion’s new facility is the first manufacturing plant in the world outside China making cylindrical cell lithium-ion batteries, which are critical for everything from electric cars and e-bikes to medical instruments to laptops. They’ve been able to expand operations, open a … Continue Reading
May 05, 2023
Cortez Masto and Grassley Reintroduce Legislation to Boost Investments in Local Police Departments
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) and Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) reintroduced bipartisan legislation to increase access to funding for small law enforcement agencies in Nevada and across the country. The Invest to Protect Act would set aside $250 million to help local police invest in training, mental health support, and recruitment and retention. "Our law enforcement agencies keep Nevadans safe, and I've always fought to deliver the resources they need," said … Continue Reading
May 03, 2023
On Senate Floor, Cortez Masto Slams Misguided Solar Tariffs Resolution That Would Kill American Jobs
“If we implement these tariffs, three-quarters of our solar deployment would stop. That would cede our leadership to the Chinese government, it would hurt our domestic manufacturing, and our working families would pay the price. We can’t let that happen.” Washington, D.C. – On the Senate floor, U.S. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) condemned a resolution to reinstate solar tariffs that would kill clean energy jobs in Nevada and across the country. Cortez Masto … Continue Reading
May 03, 2023
Cortez Masto Cosponsors Bipartisan Legislation to Crack Down on Illegal Fentanyl Supply Chains
Washington, D.C. - Today, U.S. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) cosponsored the bipartisan Fentanyl Eradication and Narcotics Deterrence (FEND) Off Fentanyl Act, along with Senators Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) and Tim Scott (S.C.), to tackle the country's fentanyl epidemic by cracking down on transnational drug trafficking schemes. This bipartisan bill would strengthen current law by directing the Treasury Department to target, sanction, and block the financial assets of transnational … Continue Reading
May 03, 2023
Cortez Masto, Cantwell Introduce Legislation to Hold Bad Actors Accountable for Energy Market Manipulation
Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senators Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) and Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) re-introduced bicameral legislation to protect consumers from energy market manipulation. The Energy Consumer Protection Act would provide the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) with additional authority to go after traders that repeatedly manipulate electricity and natural gas markets. Companion legislation is being introduced in the House of Representatives by Representatives Jan … Continue Reading
May 02, 2023
Cortez Masto to Sec. Haaland: Join Me in Supporting Bahsahwahbee National Monument
Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) urged Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland to support the creation of the Bahsahwahbee (or Swamp Cedars) National Monument in Eastern Nevada at a Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee hearing today. Bahsahwahbee is a site of extreme cultural and historical significance of Tribes in Nevada and is home to a sacred and ecologically-unique grove of juniper trees. Senator Cortez Masto called on the Biden administration … Continue Reading
May 02, 2023
Cortez Masto Joins Amicus Brief Urging Fifth Circuit to Reverse Texas District Court Ruling Restricting Access to Abortion Pill
Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) joined Senators Schumer, Murray, Sanders, Durbin, Blumenthal, and a total of 253 members of Congress on an amicus brief to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit in the case of Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine v. FDA, urging the Court to reverse the district court’s stay on the FDA’s more than 20-year-old approval of the abortion pill, mifepristone. In April, the Supreme Court issued a stay of the … Continue Reading
May 01, 2023
Following Push by Cortez Masto, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Proposes New Consumer Protections for Homeowners Receiving PACE Loans
Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) announced that the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (Consumer Bureau) will heed her call and propose new consumer protections for homeowners who apply for Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) loans to help them make energy-efficient upgrades to their homes. While these loans can finance home-improvement projects, Senator Cortez Masto raised the alarm about the lack of oversight and accessible information about … Continue Reading
May 01, 2023
Cortez Masto Announces Nearly $2.5 Million in Head Start Funds for Inter-Tribal Council Of Nevada
Washington D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.), a member of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, announced $2,470,439 in Head Start funding that she secured in the bipartisan government funding law for the Inter-Tribal Council of Nevada (ITNC). These funds, made available through the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) Head Start Indian Grants Program, will provide critical services to eligible Native American families and … Continue Reading
May 01, 2023
Cortez Masto Announces Nearly $2.5 Million in Head Start Funds for Inter-Tribal Council Of Nevada
Washington D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.), a member of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, announced $2,470,439 in Head Start funding that she secured in the bipartisan government funding law for the Inter-Tribal Council of Nevada (ITNC). These funds, made available through the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) Head Start Indian Grants Program, will provide critical services to eligible Native American families and … Continue Reading
