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Author: Elaine Hurd

Horsford, Nevada Dems to Trump Admin: Address Barriers to ‘No Tax on Tips’

This is a press release issued by Congressman Horsford on August 13, 2025

North Las Vegas – Congressman Steven Horsford (NV-04) today joined U.S. Senators Cortez Masto (D-NV) and Rosen (D-NV) and Representatives Titus (NV-01) and Lee (NV-03) in sending a letter to U.S. Treasury Secretary and Acting Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Commissioner Scott Bessent calling on the Trump Administration to address barriers in implementation of the ‘No Tax on Tips’ provisions that would hurt tipped workers in Nevada.

Horsford previously led Reps. Titus and Lee in a letter to Secretary Bessent on July 25 (attached) requesting that Treasury enact safeguards to prevent waste, fraud and abuse, and urging the list of eligible occupations include traditionally and customarily tipped industries like cosmetology, hospitality, food and beverage service, parking attendants, and custodial services.

In today’s letter, the lawmakers wrote, in part:

“As you know, H.R. 1, an Act to provide for reconciliation pursuant to title II of H. Con. Res. 14, provided that certain taxpayers may take a deduction of up to $25,000 annually to reduce or eliminate taxable income on tipped wages. This proposal closely models legislation introduced or cosponsored by Nevada lawmakers in both the House and Senate. As you know, Nevadans rely on tips more than any other state in the nation and tax relief has been a critical bipartisan priority. Given our work on proposals related to Section 70201, we would like to highlight the following issues for the Department of Treasury in order to ensure the successful implementation of this provision for our constituents and tipped workers across the country.”

Specifically, the Members call on the administration to:

  • Provide withholding as soon as practicable to ensure taxpayers feel tax relief this year
  • Maintain Gaming Industry Tip Compliance Agreements (GITCA) and related programs
  • Provide the ability for employees under a GITCA to take the tips deduction based on their tip rate if they choose
  • Include as eligible for the deduction tips from transactions with auto-gratuities or suggested tip amounts
  • Allow married individuals who file with a SSN on a joint return to be eligible for the deduction, regardless of the filing method of their spouse and allow up to $50,000 in deductions for married couples
  • Provide maximum clarity for filers regarding how to determine what occupation they serve in and how to determine eligibility for the deduction
  • Issue regulations that allow the ability of performing artists to use the deduction when their occupation otherwise has traditionally received tips

Read the full letter here.

Rep. Horsford is the author of the TIPS Act, which is the strongest proposal in Congress to protect tipped workers from taxes.

As the House of Representatives considered H.R. 1, Horsford repeatedly called for robust protections for tips, including a letter to Speaker Johnson urging him to make the proposal bipartisan.

Nevadans Losing Food Stamps

THIS IS A PRESS RELEASE FROM THE NEVADA DEMOCRATIC PARTY
Wednesday, Jul. 30, 2025
The Nevada Independent: 1 in 6 Nevadans Get Food Stamps. Many May Lose Benefits Under Trump’s ‘Big Beautiful Bill.’

“In a state with increasing food insecurity, more than 130,000 food stamp recipients will have their eligibility reevaluated”
Last week, reporting from the Nevada Independent showed how Trump and Republicans’ “Big Beautiful Bill” will result in hundreds of thousands of families in Nevada either losing SNAP food benefits or seeing cuts to them. According to the article, Republican cuts to the program, made in an effort to offset tax cuts that are “primarily for the highest earners”, will mean “more Nevadans are going hungry”. 

One in six Nevadans, roughly 500,000 people, rely on the SNAP program and an estimated “265,000 families could lose all or some of their benefits, with 85,000 families facing at least $25 in monthly benefit losses”. According to the chief operations and strategy officer for Three Square, Nevada’s largest food bank, this will result in “kids having fewer meals, seniors literally having to skip dinner and ration more than they already do and then families that are working so many jobs and can barely make ends meet already.” 

Further, the article details how the Republicans’ “Big Beautiful Bill” will downshift tens of millions of dollars in additional costs to Nevada’s state budget. Under the bill, the state will have to cover between $50 million and $150 million of SNAP benefits costs annually, in addition to tens of millions of dollars more to cover the program’s administrative costs. According to one expert, that “will make it harder for the state to run the program effectively, which could result in higher error rates that will force Nevada to cover some of the benefit costs.”

Despite the immense harm the bill will do to Nevadans, Joe Lombardo has on multiple occasions praised the bill, saying both that Nevadans should be “excited” by it and thanking Speaker Mike Johnson for coming to Nevada to try to sell the bill. 

Read more below:

The Nevada Independent: 1 in 6 Nevadans get food stamps. Many may lose benefits under Trump’s ‘big beautiful bill.’
 The “One Big Beautiful Bill” signed by President Donald Trump earlier this month is likely to upend the food assistance program that serves 1 in 6 Nevadans, with expanded work requirements threatening thousands of recipients’ eligibility and the state expected to shoulder more of the program’s administrative costs.

The legislation cuts nationwide food stamp funding by about $186 billion through 2034, or a fifth of the total federal dollars allocated to the program. Its inclusion is an effort to offset some of the costs of extending tax cuts that will result in lower taxes across all income brackets, but primarily for the highest earners.

Food stamps, officially referred to as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), provide cash assistance for low-income individuals to buy food at certain retailers. Although the full impact of the cuts have yet to be fully assessed by the state, early indications are that the bill will result in hundreds of thousands of Nevada families losing or seeing a reduction in their benefits.

Changes made in the bill will have far-ranging results: The eligibility of more than 130,000 Nevadans could be in doubt because of changes to work requirements, benefit amounts are less likely to increase over time, and the state will have to cover more administrative costs, which researchers say will result in less attention directed toward rooting out errors in the program.

About 500,000 Nevadans participate in the program, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The average Nevada household on SNAP received $166 in monthly benefits, amounting to about $6 daily and $2,000 annually, according to an analysis from the left-leaning Center on Budget and Policy Priorities.

The Urban Institute, an economic think tank, estimated that 265,000 families in Nevada could lose all or some of their benefits, with 85,000 families facing at least $25 in monthly benefit losses.

The bill has resulted in significant angst from officials focused on eliminating hunger in the Silver State — and it’s come at potentially the worst possible time. Inflation remains stubbornly high, the Trump administration has already cut certain food programs, food banks across the state have reported increasing demand in recent months and a surge in federal pandemic aid that expanded SNAP and other food programs is drying up.

All of it means more Nevadans are going hungry.
 Segler from Three Square added that “this is taking [recipients’] livelihood away.” “The things I think about are kids having fewer meals, seniors literally having to skip dinner and ration more than they already do and then families that are working so many jobs and can barely make ends meet already,” she said.

The federal government has always fully funded SNAP benefits, leaving implementation to the states. But under the new law, states could have to shoulder some of the food costs.

States with a payment error rate above 6 percent — meaning there was either underpayment or overpayment on at least 6 percent of benefit payouts — would be required to cover between 5 percent and 15 percent of total benefit costs starting in 2028. In fiscal year 2024, Nevadans received about $1 billion in benefits, so Nevada would need to pay between $50 million and $150 million if the error rate is too high.

Still, no matter the error rates, Nevada and other states will have to foot more of the administrative costs.

Previously, the federal government reimbursed half of the dollars tied to food stamp administration, but beginning in fiscal year 2027, states will have to cover 75 percent of the costs.

In fiscal year 2025, the projected administrative cost to the state was about $83 million, which the state will pay half of, according to Muessle, the state spokesperson, but the state’s payment would have increased by about $20 million under the new model. Muessle said that the administrative cost for fiscal year 2026 is expected to be about $100 million.

Plata-Nino added that this will make it harder for the state to run the program effectively, which could result in higher error rates that will force Nevada to cover some of the benefit costs.

McDonough, the UNLV economist, added that the implications of the bill go beyond “whether people have empty stomachs.” “It’s really about potential rising health care costs stemming from these externalities, students struggling in school, lost productivity in the workplace, and then just putting sort of these community partnership programs, food banks under real financial strain,” he said.

Aaron Ford For Governor

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, Jul. 29, 2025
Attorney General Aaron Ford Launches Campaign for Governor, Secures Key Endorsements
Politico: One of America’s most at-risk GOP governors gets a Democratic challenger
Yesterday, after receiving the endorsements of Nevada’s entire Democratic Congressional Delegation, Attorney General Aaron Ford launched his campaign for Governor to a crowd of more than 250 people alongside Congresswoman Dina Titus, Congressman Steven Horsford, Assemblywoman Cecelia González, and labor leaders. Ford started his morning with a prayer breakfast at his home church followed by a small business stop at Gritz Cafe. He ended his day in rural Nye County talking with Pahrump voters.

See more below:
WATCH ON KTNV HERE:
WATCH ON KSNV HERE:
WATCH ON KVVU HERE:

Nevada Independent: Aaron Ford, Nevada’s Democratic attorney general, officially jumps into governor’s raceFord has previously described his role as attorney general as focused on justice in all its forms — environmental, racial, housing, social — and on Monday, he touted suing both the Trump and Biden administrations, saying if someone hurts Nevada families, he’s “not backing down.”However, Geoff Garin, the president of Hart Research, who has conducted extensive polling for Democrats, told The Nevada Independent in a July interview that the polling reveals vulnerabilities and “there’s no real depth” to Lombardo’s support.During the 2023 legislative session, Ford’s office proposed laws addressing organized retail crime, making it easier for law enforcement to respond to domestic violence incidents and increasing penalties for fentanyl possession.In the 2025 legislative session, Ford spearheaded legislation banning price manipulation of essential goods and services. Lombardo vetoed it.
New York Times: Nevada Democrats Spot an Opportunity in a Vulnerable G.O.P. GovernorAfter months of anticipation, the 2026 race for Nevada governor came into focus on Monday, with the favorite for the Democratic nomination making his campaign official as he seeks to take down the Republican incumbent.The flurry of activity is all part of a growing effort among Democrats to take down one of the most vulnerable Republican incumbents: Gov. Joe Lombardo, who is running for re-election in a swing state that has not hesitated to oust its sitting officeholders in recent years.Democrats’ best shot is likely to be Aaron Ford, the state attorney general who announced his entrance into the Democratic primary on Monday after signaling his intention to run for months. Mr. Ford is widely viewed as the favorite to win the nomination, though he will have company in the primary next June.Mr. Ford pointed to Mr. Trump’s sweeping domestic policy bill, which could cause more than 100,000 people in Nevada to lose Medicaid coverage, and Mr. Lombardo’s veto of bills like one that would have provided meals to students.
Politico: One of America’s most at-risk GOP governors gets a Democratic challengerOnce a recipient of food stamps and Medicaid benefits, Ford now plans to run against Republicans’ cuts to those same programs, which he says will deeply impact Nevadans.“It was Medicaid that enabled my son and me to have the health care we needed in order to be able to survive. It was food stamps that kept us fed,” Ford said in an interview, explaining that he and his son used these programs for a year and a half when he was a single father attending college. “It hits me … particularly hard to know that people are about to be hit in those areas.”Medicaid has become a major campaign point for Democrats across the country, and Ford is already framing his race through that lens. In a conversation with POLITICO the week before announcing his campaign, Ford talked about the negative effects the megabill will have on Nevadans and criticized Lombardo’s response to the legislation — accusing him of being silent on cuts that would harm Nevadans.
Las Vegas Review Journal: AG Ford launches bid for Nevada governor“If you’re tired of the status quo, and you’re tired of people who won’t stand up for you, you want someone who’s going to fight for a Nevada that works for everyone, join us,” Ford said to a crowd of over 250 at the East Las Vegas Community Center.At his campaign launch, Nevada Democratic Reps. Steven Horsford and Dina Titus introduced Ford and commended his work as attorney general, such as clearing a backlog of rape kits, delivering settlements for Nevada and suing the Trump administration over what Titus described as an “executive overreach.”Ford went to college and in his junior year became a father, then a single father, needing Medicaid and food stamps to care for his son, he said. He later met his wife, Berna Rhodes-Ford, graduated from college, earned two master’s degrees and his law degree and became a public school math teacher.Ford said it is time to “stop sliding backwards” and to start “moving forward” — a slogan highlighted in his campaign video, with emphasis on the first and last two letters of ‘forward’. If elected, he promised to bring down prescription drug prices, stop corporations from buying up homes, guarantee breakfast and lunch for public school students and fund summer school.
The Hill: Nevada attorney general launches bid to unseat Lombardo“I’m running for Governor because Nevadans need a fighter in their corner,” Ford said in a statement released Monday. “I will work to lower the crushing cost of housing and prescription drugs, strengthen our public schools, and ensure every community in Nevada is safe.”Ford touted his background as a former math teacher who also served as majority leader of the state Senate. He argued that under the GOP governor, “Nevadans are suffering in an economy that is rigged against those trying their hardest to stay afloat” and hit him over issues such as the state’s high unemployment rate and homelessness.The Silver State, along with Georgia, are seen as Democrats’ best opportunities to flip governors’ mansions next year. The nonpartisan election analyst Cook Political Report rates the governor’s seat in Nevada and Georgia both as toss-ups.

Nevada Current: Ford promises ‘you matter’ state government if elected to top spot“I know what it’s like to feel like you’re pushing a rock up a hill in the fight for a better life. And families all across Nevada are feeling it, too,” he said. “It feels like the deck is stacked against them. And you know what? It is. I’m fighting for the kind of government that sees people like I was and says, ‘you matter.’”Ford noted that Lombardo, when asked by a reporter about the impact of Trump’s tariffs, said Nevadans “‘may have to feel a little pain.’ Can you believe that our governor wants families to feel pain while he caters to the powerful? Well, thanks to Joe Lombardo and Donald Trump, there’s plenty of pain to go around.”Ford criticized Lombardo for enlisting a Republican lawmaker to kill legislation that would have limited home buying by out-of-state corporations, whose purchases jack up the prices in Nevada neighborhoods. Under Lombardo’s watch, he added, Nevada has had the highest unemployment rate in the nation while job growth lags other states.  NBC News has labeled Lombardo as the most vulnerable Republican governor seeking reelection next year. The governor’s support for Trump’s deportation policies could erode his support among Latino voters, an essential voting bloc in the state.
NBC: Nevada’s Democratic attorney general launches campaign for governorNevada state Attorney General Aaron Ford announced a run for governor today, challenging Republican incumbent Joe Lombardo — seen as the most vulnerable Republican governor up for re-election next year.“The bottom line is, I think the Nevadans deserve a governor who’s going to solve problems, not one who blocks progress,” Ford said in an interview with NBC News.“When I’m governor, I’ll invest in strong public schools and creating good paying jobs, including in the clean energy and tech sectors, and I’ll work to ensure that every family can afford to live and to thrive here,  which is the opposite what we see Joe Lombardo doing,” Ford said.Nevada Democrats have already sought to tie Lombardo to the law, though the Republican has walked a fine line between offering praise for certain aspects of the megabill while pushing back against others.
Washington Post: The one state that could determine House control next yearAaron Ford, Nevada’s Democratic attorney general, formally announced his campaign for governor today, setting up his expected, but closely watched, 2026 campaign.“Nevadans have a history of holding their elected officials accountable, as they did when Senator Jacky Rosen defeated Dean Heller. Voters are looking for a leader who understands their challenges, has lived through them, and is ready to fight for real results,” Ford told us in a statement, before referring to his likely opponent, Nevada Gov. Joe Lombardo as “the most vulnerable Republican governor up for reelection next year.”Ford has a unique personal story — growing up in poverty, surviving on many of the same programs cut in Trump’s recently signed mega-bill and eventually earning five degrees and rising to become the top law enforcement official in his state.
Las Vegas Sun: Democrats rally around Ford’s bid to become Nevada governorMonday’s event offered a better idea of Ford’s line of attack against current Republican Gov. Joe Lombardo: tying the former sheriff to President Donald Trump’s policies such as the One Big Beautiful Bill and a growing list of executive orders reshaping the federal government.He connected those policies to his upbringing, telling the story of once eating stale candy bars his father found next to a dumpster for dinner. It was food stamps that prevented him from going hungry and Medicaid that ensured he could see a doctor, Ford said.Despite the attacks on Lombardo and Trump, Ford emphasized his commitment to bipartisanship. The attorney general noted that he had also sued President Joe Biden’s administration while it was in office.“Finally, a candidate for governor in Nevada who speaks our language, understands our struggles, and will fight for our families,” Doñate wrote in Spanish.
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Da Plane! Da Plane!

I bet you forgot about that Qatar plane that was gifted (?) to Donald Trump to use as his new Air Force One, that he will take personal possession of after leaving office through his presidential library. Lots of other stories have been taking up our space, but this one is now back in the news.

New reporting shows what that “free” jet will cost the taxpayer to retrofit.

The New York Times (David Sanger) reported that there has been a mysterious, $934 million transfer of funds from a Pentagon project that is designated to modernize our nation’s ground-based nuclear missiles. This price tag is in addition to the $4 billion already being spent for Boeing to deliver new Air Force One planes, but Trump doesn’t want to wait for those new planes. The Qatar jet will become his — not the new Boeing jets.

The gold-adored plane will need to be retrofitted with communications and safety systems. Some experts believe the price tag will exceed $1 billion.

This, of course, is a bigger priority of the Trump Administration than feeding starving children around the world, providing Meals on Wheels to elderly residents, medical care for the poor that would stop infectious diseases from spreading, food stamps for single mothers with children, Head Start to give poor children basic skills before starting school, and adequate Medicaid funds to facilitate end-of-life care for those who cannot afford to pay for a nursing home. This is the United States of America now.

Here is a YouTube video from The Bulwark which further details this story. It is about seven minutes.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GbnzkDSfMsY&t=315s

Horsford on GOP’s Hearing in Las Vegas: Selling Lies Nevadans Won’t Buy

NORTH LAS VEGAS – Congressman Steven Horsford [on Friday] organized and led public opposition to a Republican field hearing of the House Ways and Means Committee in his Las Vegas Congressional District.

Horsford led a joint press conference, delivered remarks at the GOP field hearing, and coordinated real-time counterprogramming to elevate local voices during the hearing.

The Republican field hearing, which was billed as an event to “highlight the One, Big, Beautiful Bill’s benefits for American families and workers,” came as report after report and article after article highlight the ways Nevadans will actually be harmed by the new law. Three weeks after President Trump signed it into effect, public sentiment remains staunchly against it. The field hearing was further hamstrung by news this morning of focus groups showing Nevada swing voters turning against President Trump.

“Congressional Republicans came to Las Vegas this week to sell a lie that my constituents are way too savvy to buy,” Rep. Horsford said. “Their tax law strips healthcare from more than 110,000 Nevadans, eliminates 8,300 clean energy and manufacturing jobs from our state, and increases our average energy costs by $500 per year. Any money saved from taxes will be squandered on Trump’s tariffs and the economic turmoil they continue to cause. We should be rewarding work over wealth, and creating the economic opportunities for families to thrive – not just survive.”

More information about how the Republican Tax Law impacts Nevada is available here.

Video of Rep. Horsford’s press conference is available here.

The Big Ugly Bill

Last week, Congress betrayed the American people by passing one of the worst pieces of legislation in history which hurts the most vulnerable to the benefit of the wealthiest.

It was signed into law on July 4 — an ironic date chosen to send a message.

We will be covering details and how the various provisions will affect you, your friends, family and neighbors. Follow us.

Read about The Big Ugly Bill. Tell everyone you know how this bill is affecting them. This is how we fight back — with facts. This is how we change minds — one at a time. This is how we encourage civic engagement like voting. This is how we will win the next election.

Here is an 8 minute description by Steve Schmidt.

Horsford Votes NO – Medicaid, Food & Housing Assistance Slashed by Republicans

For Immediate Release – May 22, 2025

GOP Bill Squeezes Working and Poor Americans to Fund Billionaire Tax Cuts

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman Steven Horsford (NV-04) today voted against the Republican budget reconciliation bill that cuts deeply from programs working Americans rely on in order to fund tax giveaways to the billionaires and corporations. The bill, which adds nearly $4 trillion to the national debt, passed by a narrow party line margin. It now goes to the U.S. Senate where Republicans have already expressed opposition.

“The way Congressional Republicans conduct business in the dead of night matches the way they approach policy that harms their own constituents – it’s absolutely asinine,” Rep. Horsford said. “Nevadans deserve a government that prioritizes public health, food security, community safety, education and a dignified retirement for all who earn it. Instead, Republicans just stiffed the Silver State, and every state, with a bill to pay off their billionaire campaign donors and corporate backers.”

Nevada will be hit particularly hard if the Republican bill becomes law. Medicaid cuts alone could impact 811,000 residents in the Silver State, which will have to either add $6.7 billion to the state budget, or kick hundreds of thousands of people off their coverage.

In Nevada’s 4th Congressional District alone, 241,668 people receive medical coverage through Medicaid. The latest estimates are that more than 21,000 of them will lose coverage, along with more than 5,000 who will lose the coverage they now have from the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Horsford offered an amendment to extend a tax credit to lower ACA healthcare premiums across America, including nearly 100,000 Nevadans. House Republicans rejected the amendment on a party-line vote.

Additionally, SNAP food assistance cuts could impact 109,000 Nevadans, including 33,000 people in the 4th Congressional District.

The bill adds nearly $4 trillion to the national debt to help pay for tax cuts to the ultra-wealthy: 60 percent of the tax benefits will go to the top 20 percent of households. Meanwhile, due to Trump’s blanket tariffs, households will lose $2,800.

“The cruelty of this bill is spelled out in staggering numbers, but it isn’t law yet,” Rep. Horsford continued. “The power in American democracy has always been with the people, and now more than ever, lawmakers need a reminder of who they work for.”

Rep. Horsford raised alarms early about Republican budget plans, devoting his annual address to the Nevada State Legislature on February 19, 2025 to the threat of Medicaid cuts as the Republican budget took shape.

Over the past three months, he has worked with constituents, advocates, and lawmakers to elevate the real-world harm the cuts would inflict on Nevadans, and published an op-ed warning that Republicans were closer than ever to making the cuts a reality.

When the bill came up for consideration in the Ways and Means Committee that Horsford serves on, he led committee Democrats in submitting amendments that would benefit working class Americans. During the nearly 18-hour meeting that lasted through the night on May 13, 2025, Republicans voted down every single one of the 38 amendments offered.

Horsford continued his opposition in the House Rules Committee, testifying during a middle-of-the-night hearing about the bill’s failure to address key issues affecting Nevadans, including housing and veterans support.

Editorial Note – The proposed amendment by Rep Mark Amodei of Nevada to sell 500,000 acres of public lands in Utah and Nevada was removed from the bill before passage at the behest of Rep Ryan Zinke of Montana. This proposed land sale was impactful to the Virgin and Moapa Valleys and opposed by the Nevada Democratic Congressional delegation.

Horsford on Biden Diagnosis: He Will Fight with Grit & Grace

This is a press release dated May 19, 2025

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman Steven Horsford (NV-04) released the following statement after news broke Sunday that former President Joe Biden was diagnosed with an aggressive form of prostate cancer.

“My thoughts are with President Biden and his entire family during this very difficult time,” Rep. Horsford said. “Through nearly 55 years of public service, the former President has shown every American what perseverance over adversity looks like. We know the grit that Joe Biden is made of, and we know he will fight this diagnosis with the grace he has brought to every challenge in his life.”

Beginning in 2016, then-Vice President Joe Biden spearheaded a Cancer Moonshot “to eliminate cancer as we know it”. The initiative, which came one year after the loss of Biden’s son Beau to brain cancer, brought together patients, advocates, researchers, and clinicians to address cancer with the resources available across government, academia, and the private sector. President Biden’s Cancer Moonshot is credited with expanding prevention drives, developing new technologies to characterize tumors and test treatments, and redoubling efforts to understand the leading causes of childhood cancers, and much more.

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NV Dems Slam Mark Amodei For Pushing House Republicans To Sell Pieces of Nevada to Fund Tax Breaks For Billionaires
This is a press release issued on May 8, 2025 by the Nevada Democratic Party.

Nevada Democrats slammed Mark Amodei after he pushed House Republicans to change federal law that ensures that proceeds from federal land sales in Southern Nevada stay in Nevada. As another part of his scheme to cut taxes for billionaires by screwing over working Nevadans, in the dead of the night, Amodei sold out working families and voted to take even more money out of Nevada’s pocket.

Senator Catherine Cortez Masto and Congresswoman Susie Lee introduced the Southern Nevada Economic Development and Conservation Act — a balanced lands solution, meticulously negotiated with and supported by Nevadan local stakeholders, that would enable Clark County to pursue new development responsibly while safeguarding our most precious public lands for conservation and recreation – all while ensuring that proceeds from land sales in Nevada stay in Nevada.

Read more below: 

Las Vegas Sun: Amodei’s public land sale amendment sparks backlash from Nevada Democrats and tribal advocates

Key points:

Nevada’s vast public lands, long a flashpoint in state-federal tensions, could be used to generate federal revenue under an amendment to the GOP’s comprehensive spending package.

The provision put forward by Republican Reps. Mark Amodei of Nevada and Celeste Maloy of Utah would allow the sale of thousands of acres of public lands in the two states. The plan is raising concerns with advocates and Democrats who worry it will disrupt tribal lands, historic monuments and local projects funded through state land purchases.

 The amendment would affect Clark, Washoe, Lyon, and Pershing counties.

His congressional colleagues don’t agree that it’s a “Nevada-centric” pitch. The worry from Nevada Democrats isn’t new; its three House representatives and two senators have been rallying against the budget reconciliation efforts since February for its potential cuts to Medicaid. Now, Amodei’s 33-page amendment builds on those preexisting woes, with the members of Congress’ minority party warning it would disturb the status-quo of land sale money going directly towards Nevada.

“For decades, federal law has ensured that proceeds from land sales in southern Nevada stay in Nevada,” said Rep. Susie Lee, D-Nev, in a statement. “Last night’s traitorous maneuver instead would send Nevada’s land proceeds to Washington to pay for tax cuts for billionaires.
 
Lee’s mention of the decades-old practice is about the Southern Nevada Public Land Management Act, which enables a bargaining process with the Bureau of Land Management and use of that revenue to fund some conservation projects. Use of the act and other land-release initiatives are generally bipartisan issues — with Gov. Joe Lombardo, a Republican, working to release some of over 80% of federally-owned land for the purpose of building affordable housing.

Amodei’s amendment progressed with a 24-19 vote, with Colorado’s Jeff Hurd as the only Republican to join the Democrats in opposition. The measure now faces a full House vote.

Amodei’s office shared maps of federal lands in areas this measure could impact, including one with public land surrounding the Pyramid Lake Paiute Reservation in northwestern Nevada. For the Native Voters Alliance of Nevada, a nonprofit advancing Native American political interests, Amodei’s amendment would complicate already-difficult land recovery efforts for the tribe. 

“You don’t accidentally mark land for disposal right next to a sovereign nation,” said the organization communications’ associate Jonnette Paddy. “You do that when they’re politically convenient to ignore.”
 
When Rep. Joe Neguse, D-Colo., asked if any of the House members from Clark County — Lee and fellow Democratic Nevada Reps. Dina Titus and Steven Horsford — had been consulted for the legislation, Amodei said no. 

“To basically say to them that they have no say as to what happens with respect to land conveyances in their congressional districts,” Neguse said to Amodei. “I think it is a slippery slope.”

Sen. Jacky Rosen, D-Nev., who also condemned the amendment and Amodei’s lack of consultation, said the proposal overrides the agreements from her previous bills, including her Pershing County Economic Development and Conservation Act. 

The legislation supports the Lovelock Paiute Tribe’s expansion of their Tribal cemetery alongside other protections for management of public lands and ensuring the revenue from land sales stay in Pershing County. 

It hasn’t been heard during this session of Congress, though it’s garnered support from local leaders like Chairman of the Pershing County Commission Joe Crim Jr.

“I am outraged that Congressman Amodei sold out Nevadans in the dead of night by passing a flawed, hastily-drafted proposal,” Rosen said in a statement. “…. I will not support a Washington-drafted proposal that will lead to Nevada losing out on millions of dollars in funding for our local priorities like education and restoration around the Truckee River.” 

While there wasn’t consultation with the Southern Nevada representatives, Amodei said he had been urged to put the amendment forward by the Clark County Commission “on their behalf as a member of the majority in the House.” Clark County said in a statement that it did not support the proposal.  

Tribal Lands Marked for Sale Near Gold Butte & Other Areas

This is a press release issued by Native Voters Alliance Nevada on May 7, 2025

THIS PROPOSED LAND GRAB INTRODUCED INTO THE RECONCILIATION BILL AFFECTS THE VIRGIN AND MOAPA VALLEYS

Tens of thousands of Acres in Clark, Washoe, and Fernley Targeted in Last-Minute Federal Amendment

**CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE FEDERAL LAND DISPOSAL MAPS REQUESTED BY REPRESENTATIVES AMODEI AND MALLOY***

NEVADA — Just before midnight, Reps. Amodei (NV) and Malloy (UT) introduced a surprise amendment to a sweeping budget reconciliation bill mandating the sell-off of public lands. The move bypassed standard procedures, limited debate, and appeared timed to avoid public scrutiny. Newly released maps confirm the proposal targets areas near Avi Kwa Ame and Gold Butte, an estimated 12,000 acres in Fernley—including land that borders the Pyramid Lake Paiute Reservation—and an estimated 15,000 acres in Washoe County. Even more land is flagged as “eligible for disposal” in future federal land management plans.

Taylor Patterson, Executive Director of Native Voters Alliance Nevada, issued the following statement:

“Let’s call this what it is: a coordinated land grab. It was planned behind closed doors, dropped at midnight, and aimed directly at Tribal homelands.

“We’ve seen the maps. This isn’t theoretical. It is targeted. Lands near Avi Kwa Ame and Gold Butte are in the crosshairs. So are scattered parcels across Clark County. In Fernley, the disposal zone pushes right up against the boundary of the Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe, a calculated move that shows how close they’re willing to get.

“These are not excess acres. These are Native lands. And the people advancing this know exactly what they are doing. This is the same story our people have lived through for generations. Erase us, sell what is left, and pretend it was never ours. But it was. And it still is.

“Every inch being sold off was cared for by our people long before this government existed. These lands do not belong to Congress. They belong to the generations who bled, prayed, and survived on them.

“Once land is gone, it is gone. Fences go up. Access disappears. The connection between people and place is severed.

“If you are Indigenous, this is your fight. If you care about public land, clean water, access, or cultural survival, this is your fight too. Because this amendment is not a policy tweak. It is a warning shot. If they can carve up our homelands in silence, they will do it again. And again. Unless we stop them.”

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About Native Voters Alliance Nevada: A rising powerhouse in the Nevada political landscape, Native Voters Alliance Nevada (NVAN) is dedicated to forging a dynamic Native ecosystem and fostering political strength within Indigenous communities. We serve as a resonating platform for urban and Tribal Nation voices, guiding elections, molding legislation, and championing Tribal sovereignty. Join us in our empowering journey and learn more at https://nativevotesnv.org/.