Sen. Jacky Rosen, D-Nev., responds to a question during an editorial board meeting at the Las Vegas Sun offices in Henderson Wednesday, Aug. 28, 2019.
Thursday, April 30, 2020 | 2 a.m.
One of 13 U.S. Senate Democrats appointed to the Congressional Task Force to Reopen America, Jacky Rosen says she is excited to be “Nevada’s voice” on a bipartisan task force providing recommendations to the White House on safely reopening the economy from the coronavirus shutdown.
“I asked myself, how can I spread myself out among all communities to bring together one kind of working document that I can take to the White House?,” she said.
In a phone interview with the Sun, Rosen spoke about the task force and more. The conversation is edited for brevity.
Congress is set to reconvene on May 4. What do you want to see in the next federal aid package? What are you planning on pushing?
We have to protect our testing, be sure that we have robust testing and that we can grow that testing. Not only to be sure that you have COVID-19, but also the antibody test to determine if people have the antibodies. We have to invest in the National Institutes of Health and other kinds of scientific research to work toward therapeutics and a vaccine.
People are putting their minds together on the best ways to protect workers and their families when we reopen so our economy can continue to grow and thrive. I’m going to be working on all of those plans, whether that’s unemployment insurance or partnering with businesses on Paycheck Protection Program loans or whatever it looks like to gradually reopen the country.
We have to increase health care workers across the spectrum, scientists across the spectrum. We’ve got to work on the digital divide. Broadband access is important for everyone, for telemedicine, for telehealth, for communicating.
A few weeks ago, you were named to the congressional task force to help reopen the economy. How are you using that to help Nevadans and what do you want to see come out of it?
To that end, we’re working with all six of our federal delegation members. I spoke with the governor, we’ve reached out to the League of Cities, to every mayor in Nevada, asking them what their challenges are, what they’re worried about and the same thing with our counties.
When I pull all of this together, I’m going to make a working document that will include some things very specific to Nevada like gaming and hospitality, maybe mining, but also more broad issues like a lack of testing, food insecurity and health care disparities.
I can take all those voices throughout all of Nevada and proudly put that together. I heard from the White House a couple of days ago, they asked for my input and I’m working on that document now. I’m not sure if the next call is scheduled, but it’s probably going to happen before the end of this week.
Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto, D-Nev, called Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s comments that the federal government should let states and local governments go bankrupt “absurd.” What is your response to the comments?
Our state and local communities are hurting all across this country through no fault of their own. We have to be sure that we can support our state and local communities the best that we can.
Without funding for our states and local communities, it could mean the cut of police officers, firefighters, hospitals and the like. Supporting all of our states the best way that we can is of utmost importance to our country.
It’s been reported that households in which an American citizen is married to an immigrant have had trouble receiving stimulus checks from the federal government. Have immigrants received enough help from during this pandemic?
If you pay taxes, you should be able to get those stimulus checks. We have legislation in place for that. We weren’t tracking to pick winners and losers in this pandemic. Congress was trying to get help out to every kitchen table across America so that people could be sure of the health and safety of their families.
We have to be sure, as a matter of public health and safety, that we protect everyone who is here regardless of status. It is the right thing to do.
A federal small-business loan program was recently extended to gaming businesses after sustained outcry from the Nevada delegation and others. You’ve called for this program to be extended to cannabis businesses. How do you feel that will go?
Many states in this country have legal recreational or medicinal marijuana in their state. These businesses are operating legally within their state, employing thousands of individuals and paying taxes. Again, we cannot pick winners and losers whether we like or dislike the business.
Does the impact Nevada has felt during this pandemic mean that the state should look more closely at diversifying its economy?
It’s an interesting question. Nevada is predicted to be one of the top states in economic hardships due to the pandemic because of our reliance on tourism and travel. Of course we have a booming outdoor tourism industry as well: biking, hiking, mountaineering, all of that.
I do think across the state of Nevada we have begun to diversify. If you look up in Northern Nevada, we have lots of high-tech coming in, such as blockchain, Google, Amazon, Tesla. We have the big Google center that broke ground last year in Henderson.
Nevada is a small state. I think we’re doing well trying to diversify and grow and understanding that it takes time. We’re going to have to continue to do that while continuing to support the thing that we’re most famous for, being the entertainment capital of the world. I don’t want to give up that, but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t try to expand.
