Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) released the following statement after her vote to confirm Gina Raimondo as Secretary of Commerce:
“As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to present challenges to our struggling small businesses, hospitality, travel, and tourism industries, Nevada needs a partner in the fight to give these industries the support they need to recover. And as the census count continues, the Commerce Department must follow the Constitution and ensure that every person counts, regardless of their immigration status. I look forward to working with Secretary Raimondo on these and other issues important to the Silver State.”
BACKGROUND:
In addition to other issues, the U.S. Department of Commerce is responsible for promoting economic growth and the decennial census, issues most important to the Silver State. Senator Cortez Masto recently introduced bipartisan legislation, the Hospitality and Commerce Job Recovery Act of 2021, to stimulate the economy by creating new recovery incentives for hospitality and trade shows, enhance the employee retention tax credit to help maintain worker connections to their employer, and provide recovery incentives for middle class families to jumpstart travel when safe.
Last July, Senator Cortez Masto cosponsored the Fair and Accurate Census Act, legislation to address the significant challenges facing the Census Bureau as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. The bill would provide requested extensions of statutory deadlines and appropriate $400 million for the Census Bureau to address the impacts of the coronavirus on the 2020 Census.
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