Nevada Democratic Sen. Jacky Rosen continues to support Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer's shutdown strategy, even as major tourism businesses and hotels in her state ask for help.
Rosen blamed Republicans for the 34-day shutdown as he pressured nearly 500 groups associated with the tourism industry, including 12 from Nevada, to urge Congress to pass a clean continuing resolution (CR) to reopen the government. Nevada Democrat voted against the bipartisan net CR on government funding 13 times since the end of September. (RELATED: Major Industry CEO, Union Boss Demands Democrats Throw in the Towel and End the Government Shutdown)
“They need to call [Senate Majority Leader] John Thune and tell him to come talk to us because the President, [Speaker] Mike Johnson and Senator Thune are shutting down this government,” Rosen told DCNF on Monday. “They refuse to work with us to get him back to work.” This is their closure.”
Rosen's continued support for Schumer's hard-line tactics comes as federal workers, including air traffic controllers and Transportation Security Administration (TSA) agents, are going without pay during the shutdown and flight delays are becoming common at U.S. airports due to staffing shortages.
On Sunday alone, more than 5,000 domestic flights were delayed according to Transport Minister Sean Duffy. forecasting challenging travel conditions this week as the lockdown drags on.
Travel giants including MGM Resorts International, Caesars Entertainment, The Venetian and the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority were among those who signed the agreement in Nevada, warning of “devastating” economic consequences if the shutdown continues into the holiday travel season.
The tourism and hospitality industry is the largest employer in Nevada, given the huge Las Vegas entertainment market.
“With Thanksgiving, the busiest travel period of the year, approaching, the impact of the ongoing shutdown will be immediate, deeply felt by millions of American travelers and economically devastating for communities in every state,” the spokesperson said. letter speaks partially.
The US Travel Association estimates that economic losses to the domestic tourism industry have averaged $1 billion per week since the start of quarantine.
The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) also projected that the US economy as a whole will lose between 7 and 14 billion dollars due to the ongoing quarantine.
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – APRIL 22: U.S. Senators Jacky Rosen (D-NV) (L) and Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV) attend the groundbreaking ceremony for the Brightline West Las Vegas Station on April 22, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
Rosen's votes against clean CR stand in stark contrast to the approach that Nevada's other senator, Democratic Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto, took during the month-long shutdown.
Cortez Masto has consistently supported the bipartisan CR that Republicans prefer to reopen the government. She has argued that a government shutdown would hurt her constituents in Nevada.
While the U.S. Travel Association letter does not mention either party by name, the letter expresses support for the Republican approach to funding the government through a pure CR. Major airlines, public sector unions and countless industry groups have also called for swift passage of a clean, stopgap funding bill to end the lockdown.
However, most Senate Democrats refused to reopen the government until Republicans agreed to add various health care provisions to the government funding package. Thune countered that Republicans would not allow the government to be held hostage to the demands of Democratic party politics.
“As I have said more times than I can count, Republicans are more than willing to have a debate on health care with Democrats,” Thune said on the Senate floor Monday. “But first, Democrats need to stop playing politics with people's lives and reopen the government.”
Andie Shae Napier contributed to this report.
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