Four members of the Nevada delegation sit on the appropriations or armed services committees in their respective chambers, giving them the opportunity to vote on critical spending bills — and get mixed up in fights over diversity initiatives through amendments to those bills.

Amodei, Lee vote on spending bill mired in culture war debates

It’s spending season on Capitol Hill.

House Republicans are aiming to pass all 12 annual appropriations bills separately through the chamber — a tall task given Congress has preferred omnibus spending packages in recent years. The last time all regular appropriations bills were approved before the start of the next fiscal year was in 1997.

To complicate matters further, House Freedom Caucus members are insisting that appropriators use fiscal year 2022 numbers as a topline, rather than the fiscal year 2023 budget that President Joe Biden and Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) just agreed to earlier this month to resolve the debt limit standoff — a budget cut given inflation and relative to Biden’s requested budget.

While that tension continues to build, the legislative branch funding bill that came out of Rep. Mark Amodei’s (R-NV) subcommittee passed out of the full committee on a party-line vote Wednesday. (For a summary of what’s in the bill, which funds the Capitol Police, the House of Representatives’ staff, and the Library of Congress, among other priorities, see a previous D.C. Download.) Amodei’s bill was already below the FY2023 level before the debt deal was agreed to — a 4.5 percent budgetary decrease from the prior year.

Nevada’s other appropriator, Rep. Susie Lee (D-NV), joined Democrats to vote against the bill.

Though the bill is the smallest one in the budget, it nonetheless involved several culture war battles. 

Amodei and Republicans voted down Democrat-backed amendments to restore funding for the House’s Office of Diversity and Inclusion, which he had cut at the subcommittee level.

Amodei said while he understood the intent behind the office’s creation, it proved wasteful, running down a list of spending he found inappropriate, including a staff retreat to a ritzy Virginia resort, custom windbreakers, “partisan diversity events” for Black History Month and Women’s History Month, gift cards to staff and racial equity group training.

“This is a function which should continue, but this particular function needs some supervision,” Amodei said, saying diversity programs can continue through the Capitol’s Chief Administrative Office.

Despite an impassioned speech from Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA), who described her experience as one of the first Black women to serve as a senior staffer in Congress, Republicans defeated the proposal. Amodei voted against it, while Susie Lee voted for it.

Amodei then offered an amendment to prohibit funding towards diversity, equity, and inclusion, prohibit religious discrimination or environmental initiatives in the legislative branch funding, and direct the Library of Congress to create an exhibit on American exceptionalism. The amendment passed 33-25, with the support of committee Republicans.

Rep. Mark Pocan (D-WI), who is gay, spoke out and said the religious discrimination language could permit a Capitol Police officer to deny his husband the right to join Pocan on the floor, a spousal privilege, or for congressional staff to deny his husband benefits if he were to die. He added that Republicans were fueling “the nutbags” by including such provisions.

While the meeting remained cordial — Amodei responded by joking about being a popular ex-husband and acknowledging Pocan’s point — he said religious people feel discriminated against given “the pendulum swung to the other side” on LGBTQ+ rights.

Amodei and Lee again split, with Lee and other Democrats voting against the amendment. The same process played out with another Democratic amendment to allow Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients to work as congressional employees, with Amodei and Republicans voting it down.

Rosen, Horsford get in on defense bill

Both Sen. Jacky Rosen (D-NV) and Rep. Steven Horsford (D-NV) sit on their respective chambers’ Armed Services committee, meaning they underwent marathon markup sessions this week to advance out of committee the National Defense Authorization Act, an annual bill (with a long history of bipartisanship) that authorizes military spending.

The Senate’s markup took place behind closed doors, but Rosen supported the $886.3 billion bill that emerged, joining her colleagues to advance the NDAA out of committee by a vote of 24-1.

Rosen’s office said four bills she had sponsored, and a host of Nevada priorities, made it into the final text. Her two bills on cybersecurity — one to improve cyber cooperation with Taiwan, and one to create a civilian cybersecurity reserve program — were both included in the bill. Rosen-led initiatives to create a public-private partnership program to invest in American small businesses that produce defense technology and another to create a joint strategy between the Abraham Accords countries to counteract naval threats from Iran and throughout the Middle East were also included.

The NDAA also authorizes a new data lab facility and hangar at Nellis Air Force Base, makes mental health support and travel reimbursement more accessible at Creech Air Force Base, commissions studies on child care and housing challenges at Creech, and makes infrastructure upgrades at Hawthorne Army Depot.

“I worked with my colleagues across the aisle to ensure this package authorizes critical resources for Nevada’s bases and military construction projects, invests in our nation’s cybersecurity, and provides a well-deserved pay raise for our troops,” Rosen said in a statement.

In the House, Horsford joined the vast majority of his colleagues to advance the NDAA out of committee by a 58-1 vote. But it took 17 hours and debate on over 800 amendments to get there, several of which involved contentious debates over culture war issues.

Both bills authorize a 5.2 percent base pay raise for all servicemembers, the biggest raise in 20 years.

Republicans on the panel passed amendments banning the use of critical race theory in the military, military-funded drag shows, and eliminating the military’s chief diversity officer, a position created in 2020 on a bipartisan basis.

But a few Republicans crossed over to join Horsford and Democrats in rejecting an amendment to end diversity training in the military. 

The fights over diversity — which come amid Biden administration efforts to root out extremism in the military — spilled into a clash between Horsford and Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL), who offered many of the amendments targeting anti-extremism initiatives.

Horsford accused Gaetz of trying to “create divisions in the military”, which set the far-right lawmaker off and forced Horsford to reword.

“The military knows that diversity of our soldiers is actually our strength,” Horsford said during the markup. “So why wouldn’t we include diversity, equity and inclusion? But this is not about that — this is about a wedge issue.”

Horsford also offered an amendment boosting military research funding to Historically Black Colleges and Universities by $20 million, which passed.

Ultimately, he joined all but one Democrat in passing the bill, in keeping with bipartisan tradition. Many of the controversial amendments will likely be debated again when the NDAA comes before the whole House, and then in conference with the Senate to merge the two bills.

Around the Capitol

• The Fend Off Fentanyl Act, a bill sponsored by Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV) to enhance drug trafficking enforcement and clamp down on the fentanyl supply chain, passed out of committee.
• Titus introduced legislation to boost funding for family planning services for low-income people, including pregnancy testing, counseling, and prevention services, infertility help and sexually transmitted infection services.
• The Lake Tahoe Aquatic Invasive Species Program is receiving $3.1 million in funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
• Several transportation grants were awarded to Nevada through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law: $5.86 million to build a transit line in East Las Vegas, more than $12 million for Washoe County and to purchase hydrogen fuel buses for Lake Tahoe and $24 million to improve Ely streets.
• After the Senate adjourned yesterday, Cortez Masto headed to Northern Europe with three of her colleagues to discuss the NATO alliance and economic cooperation between the U.S. and the host nations. She will visit Lithuania, Norway and Belgium.

Notable and Quotable

“It’s always fascinating to me that I hear on the far-right, my colleagues say, it’s always about states’ rights. Dobbs basically said in its decision, this is a states’ rights issue. But then when it doesn't suit what they care about, the far-right says well, forget those states’ rights — only listen to what we as elected officials determine you should have. Ignore what Nevada has done.”

• Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV), on Republican opposition to her bill codifying the right to travel to another state for an abortion

Legislative Tracker

CATHERINE CORTEZ MASTO

Legislation sponsored:

S.2053 — A bill to protect freedom of travel and reproductive rights.

S.Res.261 — A resolution commending and congratulating the Vegas Golden Knights on winning the 2023 Stanley Cup Final.

Legislation co-sponsored:

S.Res.263 — A resolution commemorating June 19, 2023, as "Juneteenth National Independence Day" in recognition of June 19, 1865, the date on which news of the end of slavery reached the slaves in the Southwestern States.

S.5 — Equality Act

S.Res.280 — A resolution recognizing National Foster Care Month as an opportunity to raise awareness about the challenges of children in the foster care system, and encouraging Congress to implement policies to improve the lives of children in the foster care system.

S.Res.282 — A resolution recognizing June 2023 as "LGBTQ Pride Month".

S.2171 — A bill to permit legally married same-sex couples to amend their filing status for tax returns outside the statute of limitations.

S.2176 — A bill to prohibit commercial sexual orientation conversion therapy, and for other purposes.

S.2207 — A bill to provide enhanced funding for family planning services.

JACKY ROSEN

Legislation sponsored:

S.2117 — A bill to allow participants in the National Health Service Corps to defer their obligated service in order to receive training in palliative care services.

S.2186 — A bill to require the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation to test allowing blood transfusions to be paid separately from the Medicare hospice all-inclusive per diem payment.

Legislation co-sponsored:

S.2053 — A bill to protect freedom of travel and reproductive rights.

S.Res.261 — A resolution commending and congratulating the Vegas Golden Knights on winning the 2023 Stanley Cup Final.

S.Res.263 — A resolution commemorating June 19, 2023, as "Juneteenth National Independence Day" in recognition of June 19, 1865, the date on which news of the end of slavery reached the slaves in the Southwestern States.

S.5 — Equality Act

S.2171 — A bill to permit legally married same-sex couples to amend their filing status for tax returns outside the statute of limitations.

DINA TITUS

Legislation co-sponsored:

H.R.15 — Equality Act

H.R.4241 — To amend the Horse Protection Act, to prohibit the transportation of horses in interstate transportation in a motor vehicle containing 2 or more levels stacked on top of one another, and for other purposes.

H.R.4249 — To amend title 38, United States Code, to furnish hospital care and medical services to veterans and dependents who were stationed at military installations at which the veterans and dependents were exposed to perfluorooctanoic acid or other per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, to provide for a presumption of service connection for certain veterans who were stationed at military installations at which the veterans were exposed to such substances, and for other purposes.

H.R.4260 — To amend title II of the Social Security Act to provide an equitable Social Security formula for individuals with noncovered employment and to provide relief for individuals currently affected by the Windfall Elimination Provision.

H.R.4268 — To authorize grants to eligible entities to pay for travel-related expenses and logistical support for individuals with respect to accessing abortion services, and for other purposes.

H.Res.545 — Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives to reduce traffic fatalities to zero by 2050.

H.R.4274 — To require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to improve the detection, prevention, and treatment of mental health issues among public safety officers, and for other purposes.

H.R.4306 — To amend title 38, United States Code, to establish presumptions of service connection for diseases associated with firefighting.

SUSIE LEE

Legislation co-sponsored:

H.R.15 — Equality Act

STEVEN HORSFORD

H.R.4208 — To provide Federal financial regulators with clawback authority over executive compensation and additional industry prohibition and civil money penalty authority with respect to executives whose negligence caused financial loss to the applicable financial institution, and for other purposes.

H.R.4209 — To prohibit stock sales by senior bank executives in certain circumstances.

H.R.15 — Equality Act

H.R.4241 — To amend the Horse Protection Act, to prohibit the transportation of horses in interstate transportation in a motor vehicle containing 2 or more levels stacked on top of one another, and for other purposes.

H.R.4260 — To amend title II of the Social Security Act to provide an equitable Social Security formula for individuals with noncovered employment and to provide relief for individuals currently affected by the Windfall Elimination Provision.

H.R.4272 — To provide public awareness and outreach regarding the dangers of fentanyl, to expand the grants authorized under the Comprehensive Opioid Abuse Grant Program, to expand treatment and recovery services for people with opioid addictions, and to increase and to provide enhanced penalties for certain offenses involving counterfeit pills.