Las Vegas, Nev. – U.S. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) hosted a phone conversation with mayors, city managers and other members of the Nevada League of Cities to discuss Nevada’s ongoing needs in response to COVID-19. The Senator also shared what she’s working on in the Senate to provide more direct federal funding to municipalities across Nevada to ensure our cities, towns and counties have the resources they need to support their economies and keep Nevadans safe.
“Nevada’s counties, cities and towns are on the front lines of the coronavirus pandemic, working hard to keep their residents safe and healthy while dealing with devastating revenue losses and budget shortfalls. It’s my top priority in the Senate to ensure that our municipalities have the flexibility and federal funding they need to balance their budgets, pay for important safety programs and support their local economies. Nevada’s small towns are the lifeblood of our state, and I’m fighting every day in Congress to ensure they can respond to this crisis and emerge as strong as possible.”
BACKGROUND:
Senator Cortez Masto has continually called for more funding to help state and local governments respond to the coronavirus crisis, including in a hearing last week with Chairman of the Federal Reserve Jerome Powell. She is a cosponsor, along with Senator Rosen, of the Coronavirus Community Relief Act that would provide $250 billion in new stabilization funds provided directly to cities and counties with populations under 500,000 that are struggling to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Senator also wrote a letter responding to the Trump Administration’s needless bureaucratic restrictions on how governors can distribute Coronavirus Relief Funds, calling on Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin to revise initial CARES Act guidelines so that states and local governments can provide essential public services amidst the COVID-19 global pandemic, as the law intends.
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