To confirm, or not to confirm?

That is the question that Nevada’s two Democratic senators are facing as they grilled Donald Trump’s Cabinet nominees during confirmation hearings this week. Both senators spent much of their time educating nominees about specific programs and realities in Nevada and then asking them if they would commit to supporting them, or stand up to Trump if he tries to cut them. 

Below, we’ll go hearing by hearing to drill down on what was said — with a ranking from one to three fire emojis based on how spicy it got.

The News of the Week: Confirmation hearings

Instead of breaking out the Nevada Angle, this week I’m going to include the Nevada-specific context throughout as I go through the nomination hearings, in chronological order as they happened. Each Cabinet-level nominee must go through a public hearing in the relevant Senate committee and then be confirmed by the Senate as part of the upper chamber’s “advise and consent” duty. A simple majority is good enough for passage — meaning that if Republicans stick together, they will be able to confirm all of Trump’s picks.

Defense: Pete Hegseth 🔥🔥🔥

This was a fiery hearing from the jump. Democrats questioned Hegseth, who has been accused of sexual assault and alcoholism and had maintained for years that women should not serve in combat, on a variety of his prior statements.

In her five-minute questioning period Tuesday, Sen. Jacky Rosen (D-NV) chose to focus on his past statements about veterans. In his role as a Fox News host, Hegseth implied that veterans’ service organizations encourage veterans to be dependent on government benefits. Rosen asked Hegseth a series of “yes or no” questions about his beliefs in veterans’ benefits, getting increasingly agitated at his broad answers.

“Do you believe that veterans should be ashamed for having sought and obtained the benefits that they have earned?” Rosen asked. “Do you think veterans should be ashamed to seek out benefits?”

Hegseth eventually said that veterans had earned the benefits they are eligible to claim.

And she dressed Hegseth down for not meeting with her before the hearing, saying she would have discussed Nevada’s expansive military installations, including its air bases and the Nevada National Test Site.

Transportation: Sean Duffy 🔥

This hearing Wednesday was a lot friendlier. Rosen asked Duffy about how he plans to use his position to improve transportation access to areas that experience heavy tourism, namely Las Vegas.

“Nevada seems to be a perfect example of rail projects that can make commutes better,” Duffy said, expressing his support for the Brightline West high-speed rail project between Las Vegas and Southern California. 

Energy: Chris Wright 🔥🔥

Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV) has in the past used her opportunity to question Energy secretary nominees about nuclear waste storage at Yucca Mountain, and Wednesday’s hearing was no exception. Wright expressed a belief in consent-based siting — the favored approach of Nevadans and Democrats — but did not go far enough for Cortez Masto in saying that the Yucca Mountain project is unworkable.

“If you’re going to build large infrastructure — and nuclear waste disposal would certainly fall in that category that has concerns — you need to have on board the local community as well,” Wright said. “And I think Nevadans, as you’ve expressed clearly, have deep concerns about seeing that facility go ahead. And I think that’s your answer.”

Cortez Masto then restated her question, asking if Yucca is unworkable — but Wright didn’t answer directly.

The two then discussed energy funding to Nevada through laws passed during the Biden era, especially for the Nevada National Security Site. Cortez Masto asked if Wright would push back on any attempts by Trump to claw back that funding; Wright demurred.

Finally, Cortez Masto asked which energy sources Wright is interested in growing — he specifically called out the potential for the emerging geothermal industry in Nevada. 

“The conversation we’re going to have, and continue to have, around energy, is important,” she finished, drawing the energy battle lines that members will be fighting along for the next four years. “And it should be balanced. And it’s not just focused on fossil fuels.”

Foreign Relations: Marco Rubio 🔥

Rosen and Rubio have partnered numerous times on Israel-related legislation and domestic antisemitism initiatives, so it was no surprise that the two were collegial and that her questions focused on Israel. 

Rosen has said she plans to vote for Rubio; in the Wednesday hearing, she said she plans to work with him to ensure the U.S.-Israel “friendship remains unconditional.”

Interior: Doug Burgum 🔥🔥

This is a critical appointment for Nevada, given that the federal government is in charge of more than 80 percent of the land in the state. Cortez Masto began her questioning Thursday by asking for Burgum’s support on the Clark County lands bill, which would expand the boundary of available land for development in the Las Vegas Valley.

Burgum was enthusiastic about the bill, saying it had “creative ideas about land exchanges” and that its thoughtfulness was evident.

The two tangled a bit about the right mix of incentivization for renewable energy and battery production in particular, much of which occurs on public lands in Nevada. 

Burgum said that current energy policy was contributing to unaffordable prices, and that certain incentives, such as an electric vehicle consumer tax credit created by Democrats, only stand to benefit China, where much of the electric vehicle supply chain is.

Treasury: Scott Bessent 🔥🔥

Democrats sought to use Bessent’s hearing Thursday to criticize Trump’s proposed tariff policy and plans to extend his 2017 tax cuts. Cortez Masto used her time to ask about tax credits in the health care and renewable energy realms — but she didn’t get much of an answer.

She first asked about the enhanced premium tax credit, passed in 2021 to lower the cap on how much individuals of all income levels must pay into their health care premiums if purchased through the Affordable Care Act marketplace. She then went on to ask about a Biden-era tax credit that helps subsidize production costs for critical minerals, battery components and solar parts — and which congressional Republicans could target for elimination. 

Bessent said he would need additional research to respond to Cortez Masto’s questions.

Housing: Scott Turner 🔥🔥

Cortez Masto got in the Nevada weeds (tumbleweeds?) on housing policy in this hearing, an issue she referred to as the “number one issue in my state.”

She discussed the successful construction of the Patriot Place apartment complex for low-income veterans in Las Vegas through federal programs and vouchers. The Department of Housing & Urban Development (HUD), she noted, was a frequent target for cuts throughout Trump’s first term. She asked Turner to commit to maintaining HUD programs, including housing vouchers.

Turner said he was “learning a lot about housing vouchers”; in general, he remained vague, saying he wanted to make various HUD programs more efficient. 

Around the Capitol

🚓Dems vote to advance Laken Riley bill — In the latest test of Democrats’ evolution on immigration policy, eight Senate Democrats voted with all Republicans to end debate on the Laken Riley Act on Thursday. The bill would mandate the detention of undocumented immigrants charged with nonviolent crimes — whether or not they were convicted. Cortez Masto and Rosen voted “yes.”

Immigrants rights groups and progressive organizations in Nevada blasted the senators. Battle Born Progress Director Shelbie Swartz said the two “turned their back on immigrants.” Make the Road Nevada Executive Director Leo Murietta said the senators had “aligned with racism instead of meaningful solutions.”

🌳Amodei introduces monumental legislation — Reps. Mark Amodei (R-NV) and Celeste Maloy (R-UT) introduced a bill that would fundamentally change public lands policy. Their legislation would change the Antiquities Act of 1906, which allows presidents to unilaterally create national monuments. Presidents of both parties have used this power; most recently, President Joe Biden created Avi Kwa Ame National Monument in Southern Nevada at the request of tribal nations in 2023.

Amodei’s bill would remove that power from the president, instead giving it to Congress.

💸Tip policy battle tips off — As Republicans negotiate a major tax package, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) reintroduced his No Tax on Tips Act, legislation that would fulfill a  Trump campaign promise made in Las Vegas. Cortez Masto and Rosen rejoined as cosponsors; in the House, Rep. Steven Horsford (D-NV) signed on to a House version, saying he appreciated the addition of guardrails but would continue to advocate for his own proposal.

Cruz’s bill would allow tipped wage earners to deduct as much as $25,000 from their taxes in cash tip earnings, provided that they work in traditionally tipped industries. The secretary of the treasury would be required to create a list of jobs that fall into that category no later than 90 days after the law’s passage.

⚽Controversial vote on trans girls in sports bill — None of Nevada’s House Democrats voted for a bill that would ban transgender athletes from competing in women’s sports, citing concerns about its enforceability and a belief that the issue should be dictated by athletic governing bodies rather than Congress. Amodei, like all of his Republican colleagues, voted yes.

But Rep. Susie Lee (D-NV), in a statement after the vote, said she does not believe that transgender athletes should compete in girls’ and women’s sports. 

What I’m Reading

8 News Now: Cortez Masto leads Nevada Democrats in renewed effort against nuclear waste dump

New Congress, new go-around at the Nuclear Waste Informed Consent Act!

The Nevada Independent: Amazon tops list of companies tapping into taxpayer-funded Nevada Medicaid

Coming in at #11? Elon Musk’s Tesla.

Las Vegas Review-Journal: State, local officials weigh options in face of promised Trump deportations

Numerous Nevada politicians — including local law enforcement officers — will have some impact on how the mass deportation effort goes.

Notable and Quotable

“I do not feel that he is qualified to do this job.” 

— Sen. Jacky Rosen (D-NV), on Trump’s Defense secretary pick Pete Hegseth, to CNN

Vote of the Week

H.R.28— On Passage: Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act

Republicans spent millions of dollars on ads about trans women and girls participating in sports during the election. But despite some Democrats believing transgender athletes should not participate in women’s sports, only two Democrats voted with Republicans.

AMODEI: Yes

HORSFORD: No

LEE: No

TITUS: No