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Cortez Masto, Rosen Announce Nearly $30 Million for Airports Across Nevada

This is a press release dated July 9, 2026.

Please note Mesquite Airport is included in this funding.

Las Vegas, Nev. – Today, U.S. Senators Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) and Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.) announced a $29,974,140 investment into Nevada’s airports from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), ensuring that these twelve airports will continue to serve communities throughout the Silver State. This funding will be used for pavement and utility upgrades, runway and taxiway modernizations, improvements to weather observation systems, and hangar updates.

“Nevada’s airports are the gateway to our state – for visitors, for emergency services, and for Nevadans traveling throughout the Silver State and across America,” said Senator Cortez Masto. “It’s critical that all the airports across Nevada continue to have world-class facilities and infrastructure. Nevada’s Congressional delegation will never stop fighting to deliver for our state’s aviation infrastructure.”

“Nevada’s airports see millions of travelers every year, domestic and international, who come to our state and contribute to Nevada’s economy,” said Senator Rosen. “This funding will help keep the infrastructure of our airports up to date, allowing them to keep up with Nevada’s demands as a top travel destination. I’ll continue supporting our state’s tourism and travel economy at the federal level.”

The Senators helped secure the following grants for twelve airports across the state:

  • $13,695,039 for Reno-Tahoe International Airport to reconstruct the existing airport terminal, including upgrades to pavement and utilities that have reached the end of their useful lives.
  • $5,094,412 for Reno-Stead Airport to reconstruct 24,800 square yards of the existing main apron pavement that has reached the end of its useful life. An airport apron is the area of an airport in which aircraft are parked, unloaded or loaded, refueled, boarded, or maintained.
  • $3,564,630 for Harry Reid International Airport to rehabilitate pavement across its airport apron and plan for future improvements.
  • $2,947,000 for Austin Airport to realign, rehabilitate, and reconstruct the airport’s taxiways, modernizing the airport and bringing them up to modern standards. The airport will also acquire and install a new automated weather observing system to gather more accurate local weather information.
  • $1,667,000 for Tonopah Airport to reconstruct 21,000 square yards of the existing aircraft apron pavement that has reached the end of its useful life.
  • $1,092,652 for Fallon Municipal Airport to construct a new 300-foot taxi-lane to provide airfield access to the site of future airport hangars, as well as update existing taxiways.
  • $769,028 for Mesquite Airport to reconstruct 25,000 square yards of the existing aircraft apron pavement that has reached the end of its useful life. The airport will also reconstruct a gravel road used by airport vehicles, FAA vehicles, and ground service equipment.
  • $387,448 for Silver Springs Airport to acquire and install a new automated weather observing system to gather more accurate local weather information.
  • $282,000 for Minden-Tahoe Airport to rehabilitate taxi-lanes that have reached the end of their useful lives.
  • $187,500 for Carson City Airport to reconstruct the pavement on airport taxiways to extend their useful lives.
  • $160,901 for Lincoln County Airport to construct a new 1,500 square foot building to house snow removal equipment.
  • $126,530 for Wells Municipal Airport Harriet Field to construct a new 200-foot taxi-lane to provide airfield access to the site of future airport hangars.

Senators Cortez Masto and Rosen have consistently fought to ensure Nevada’s transportation infrastructure has the funding it needs through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, FAA reauthorizations legislation, and annual budget bills. The Senators recently secured $33,746,000 from the FAA for airports throughout Nevada, including $20 million for the Reno-Tahoe International Airport. These investments help support the Silver State’s vital manufacturing and hospitality sectors while ensuring that Nevadans have the safe and efficient transportation network they require.

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LINK: https://www.cortezmasto.senate.gov/news/press-releases/cortez-masto-rosen-announce-nearly-30-million-for-airports-across-nevada/

Might Makes Right

Opinion

Donald Trump and Republicans have proven – yet again — that they can bludgeon the (air) safety and (food) security and (financial) stability of the American people and win. That’s right – win.

Thanks to eight Democrats in the U.S. Senate, Republicans today can celebrate that they rolled the Democrats who won bigly in this past Tuesday’s elections. Republicans were being blamed by the American people for the federal shutdown, since they control every lever of the federal government.

Senator Jacky Rosen, who had voted against ending the shutdown all along, joined fellow Senator Catherine Cortez Masto who didn’t vote for the shutdown once. Eight Democrats were required to cross over to the other side — Nevada provided 25% of those votes. Nevada and New Hampshire are the only states whose Democratic Senators, all women, had both to vote to throw in the towel and give the Republicans the win. These are two of the smallest states in the country and together they provided 50% of the votes needed for the great cave.

What did the Democrats get? A promise to have a vote in the Senate (only) on extending tax subsidies for the Affordable Care Act, which will fail because the Republicans will vote against that. So, those who now can’t afford the huge premium increases in the ACA will presumably do without health insurance. (There were some other concessions Republicans made about ensuring government workers get back pay and would not be furloughed).

The Republicans in the House and Senate have voted more than 40 times to kill the Affordable Care Act since Democrats pushed this through under the leadership of Barack Obama, Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi more than 10 years ago — saving countless lives of Americans who could afford health care for the first time. Republicans could not win that vote to end it — but they did win de-funding much of it this year and eventually drowning it in the bathtub.

I have no doubt that Cortez Masto and Rosen were under enormous pressure from the Tourism Industrial Complex in Nevada who are being impacted by the air travel snarling orchestrated by Trump’s Transportation Department, thereby depressing visitors to Las Vegas and Reno. That affects jobs for Nevadans. There is the matter of air safety to consider — would you feel safe flying today with this mess in the sky created by Republicans? And food insecurity is a real issue. I’m sure neither could bear that children in Nevada were going hungry despite the best efforts — including our club’s — in stepping in to support food banks which has volunteers who work very hard feeding the vulnerable. The Republicans came off downright ghoulish fighting in the courts to stop SNAP benefits from being distributed.

So what do you think? There is a comments section below. Did Jacky Rosen and Catherine Cortez Masto do the right thing in voting to open the government without winning any health care concessions for the millions of people who will now go without health insurance? Was it time to give up the fight? Was the pain worth it? How do you think Democrats look today — like the adults in the room?

If you have an opinion, I welcome you to express it here on our website blog. (click on “leave a comment” on the left). We also have a Facebook where you can comment.