Technically, the 119th Congress does not start until 2025 — but you’d be forgiven for not realizing that after this week. President-elect Donald Trump is making last-minute demands of Republicans in Congress, a bipartisan deal got thrown out the window, a brief government shutdown and in the middle of it all is Elon Musk, threatening to fund primary challengers to uncooperative members of both parties.
But until the new Congress is sworn in after the start of the new year, we are still in the 118th Congress. And in the spirit of the holidays, the Nevada delegation did get some last-minute legislative gifts this season while also knowing they’ll need to punt a few of their big ticket priorities to next year’s wish list.
The News of the Week: Last-minute victories, final defeats
Several bills bearing Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto’s (D-NV), Sen. Jacky Rosen’s (D-NV) and Rep. Susie Lee’s (D-NV) name passed through Congress at the buzzer this week, either already signed into law by the president or in the queue for his signature.
Despite all the chaos in the House, it was a good week for Lee, who had four land-related bills signed into law or make it through both chambers of Congress. Those are:
- The AACE Act (allows land appraisers credentialed in one state to contract with the Department of the Interior in any state)
- The Good Samaritan Act (allows good samaritans to remediate abandoned hardrock mine sites)
- The BOLT Act (directs the Department of Interior to identify new long-distance bike trails and create more maps and signage for them)
- The PARC Act (allows climbing on wilderness lands)
These were all passed by voice vote unanimously — not a bad way to close out the session!
Meanwhile, two Rosen bills that had already passed the Senate received votes in the House. One, the No Corruption Act, passed unanimously by voice vote. That one (looking at you, former Sen. Bob Menendez (D-NJ)!) prevents members of Congress who have been convicted of a crime from collecting their pensions.
The second, the Never Again Education Act, reauthorizes a program Rosen initially wrote into law several years ago to provide training and resources to educators teaching students about the Holocaust. That one passed 402-12, with the opposition coming only from hardline Republicans.
And finally, Cortez Masto had two of her public lands bills pass the full Senate by unanimous consent. But they’ll likely die in the House, given the chaos consuming the lower chamber this week. Those are:
- A bill that would expand the boundary of Sloan Canyon National Conservation Area and permit the Southern Nevada Water Authority to construct a new water pipeline to serve Henderson, running through Sloan Canyon
- Changing the permitting process for businesses at North Las Vegas’ Apex Industrial Park
The Nevada Angle: Left on the cutting room floor
The big three Nevada lands bills — Clark, Washoe and the Northern Nevada bill — didn’t make it into the bipartisanly negotiated government funding bill even before Donald Trump and Elon Musk tanked its prospects. That means it’s better luck next year for those priorities, which are high up on Cortez Masto’s (Clark), Rosen’s (Washoe) and Amodei’s (Northern Nevada) priority lists.
All of the bills passed out of committee this Congress — a good sign — but starting over in the next Congress means re-introducing them, working with Republican majority staff on the Senate side rather than the Democratic staff they had been negotiating with this Congress and trying to get them back through committee. Amodei and the senators had spent years building equity and doing Nevada-specific education with the Democratic staff on the committee; now, Republicans will be running the show.
The X factor in the Senate will be Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT), the incoming chairman of the Energy & Natural Resources Committee. He voted against the Clark and Washoe bills in committee on the basis that they put too much land into permanent conservation protection.
Knowing the uphill battle ahead, Rosen took to the Senate floor Thursday afternoon to ask for unanimous consent to consider her Washoe County lands bill — a process that can be halted by the objection of any one senator. In this case, the senatorial grinch was Sen. John Barrasso (R-WY), the current ranking member of the Energy & Natural Resources Committee. Barrasso opposed Rosen’s effort on the same grounds that he opposed both bills earlier this year — that Nevada should have to wait its turn for a broader public lands package that also addresses other states.
“Former Majority Leader Harry Reid cut special deals in the past like this for Nevada,” Barrasso said on the floor. “Congress should not enact another special deal for Nevada when other Western states are seeking similar legislation.”
The Impact
In most jobs, if you don’t get something done by the end of the year, you can just pick it up in the New Year. (I’m sure a lot of you are planning to do just that as the holidays approach.)
In Congress, with the next iteration of the U.S. Senate to be sworn in come January, the whole process begins anew — and management changes.
Around the Capitol
🏗️Planned ICE expansion — One of the key elements of Trump’s mass deportation plan is capacity — of law enforcement, detention beds, immigration lawyers and other elements of the immigration system. Documents obtained by the American Civil Liberties Union of Nevada show that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has received proposals from private prison companies, upon request of contracting opportunities, to expand detention facilities in various geographic areas of interest. One of those, mentioned in the documents, is Nevada’s Southern Detention Center in Pahrump.
🤝To meet or not to meet? — Rosen is beginning to meet with some of Trump’s less controversial Cabinet nominees, whom she’ll have the opportunity to question publicly during committee hearings.
This week, she met with Transportation nominee Sean Duffy and Commerce nominee Howard Lutnick — and discussed Brightline West and Nevada’s solar industry, among other priorities, respectively.
Not on Rosen’s list at the moment? Defense nominee Pete Hegseth. Rosen, along with every Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Commitee, signed a letter saying his sexual assault allegation and disparaging coments about women in combat roles are disqualifying.
What I’m Reading
NPR: ‘Fake electors’ from 2020 are casting 2024 votes for Trump while facing felony charges
Nevada and Michigan — home to big intrastate university rivalries and fake-turned-real electors.
The Nevada Independent: Indy Explains: How might the Nevada National Guard help with mass deportation?
One area where Nevada’s divided government could make a big difference.
8 News Now: Nevada unemployment remains highest in the nation, leveling off at 5.7% in November
The key number the state has been unable to hit: 4 percent, the unemployment rate in February 2020.
Notable and Quotable
“I have a lot of respect for AOC.”
— Rep. Susie Lee (D-NV), on the contest within the Democratic caucus between Reps. Gerry Connolly (D-VA) and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) to lead Democrats on the Oversight Committee
Vote of the Week
H.R.10515 — On Passage: American Relief Act
The moment it became clear a government shutdown was imminent — House Republicans couldn’t pass the Trump/Musk-backed spending bill after abandoning a bipartisanly negotiated one. Thirty-eight House Republicans joined with nearly all Democrats — but Amodei stuck with Republican leadership.
AMODEI: Yes
HORSFORD: No
LEE: No
TITUS: No
