Nevada’s Democratic senators are split on how they’ll vote on a funding proposal that would avert a government shutdown, with one planning to vote against the resolution and the other saying she’s in favor.
The Senate has until Friday night to vote on a six-month funding measure to avoid a shutdown that would impact airport travel and close Nevada’s national parks. In order for the resolution to be sent to President Donald Trump’s desk, at least eight Democratic senators would have to support the bill, and it’s unclear whether Republicans will be able to convince enough senators to support the measure.
Sen. Jacky Rosen will not be one of those Democrats. She announced she will vote against the continuing resolution that passed the Republican-led House earlier this week in a 217-213 party line vote.
Nevada’s Democratic House members voted against the resolution, with Rep. Mark Amodei, the state’s only Republican House member, voting for it.
In a Friday statement, Rosen called the continuing resolution “irresponsible” and “hyper-partisan,” arguing that President Donald Trump and Republicans in Congress are using their power to “help Elon Musk continue to systematically dismantle basic government functions,” such as veterans’ health care and aviation safety.
“Funding the government requires actually working together across party lines to find common ground, and the Republicans in power failed to do so,” she said in a statement.
Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto, on the other hand, announced she will vote for the continuing resolution to avoid a government shutdown.
“A government shutdown would be devastating for the American people,” she said in a Friday statement. “It would force tens of thousands of Nevada military personnel, union members, law enforcement agents and nurses to work without pay.”
The last government shutdown cost the American economy $11 billion and harmed workers, she said, and a shutdown would give Trump and Musk “more power to cherry-pick who is an essential employee, who they want to fire, and what agencies they want to shutter.”
Nevada’s senior senator noted her decision was not easy, saying she is outraged by Trump’s, Musk’s and congressional Republicans’ actions, which she called reckless.
“I refuse to hand them a shutdown where they would have free reign to cause more chaos and harm,” Cortez Masto said in the statement.
Contact Jessica Hill at jehill@reviewjournal.com. Follow @jess_hillyeah on X.
