As the House was again on recess this week, the Senate turned to yet another round of health-care debates, with new life breathed into a proposal to block grant existing dollars allocated through the Affordable Care Act and give them to the states.

Democratic members of Nevada’s congressional delegation were united in their opposition to the so-called Graham-Cassidy proposal, named for the bill’s original two sponsors, South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham and Louisiana Sen. Bill Cassidy, but which Nevada Sen. Dean Heller is also sponsoring. Heller, however, touted how the legislation would be a “win” for Nevada and give the state the flexibility it needs to make its own health-care decisions.

Members of the congressional delegation either praised or criticized Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke’s recommendations, leaked to the Washington Post, to reduce the size of Nevada’s Gold Butte National Monument. In a moment of bipartisan agreement, Heller and Democratic Sen. Cortez Masto joined a letter urging Congress to fund the continued operation of the nation’s federally qualified health centers, which play a critical role in Nevada’s health-care safety net.

Here’s a rundown of the congressional delegation’s activities this past week, as told through their media releases. As always, we kept the actual punctuation and capitalizations within the news release subject lines.

CATHERINE CORTEZ MASTO

Number of press releases issued this week: 14

The details: It was a busy week for Democratic Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto’s press team, which put out a number of releases on everything from additional funding for defense-related projects in Nevada to celebrating the U.S. Air Force’s 70th anniversary.

The Democratic senator also detailed how the latest Republican health-care proposal would be bad for Nevada in multiple press releases. Echoing language from a statement put out by Republican Gov. Brian Sandoval Thursday night, Cortez Masto said that Graham-Cassidy “presents Nevada with a false choice” and would leave 243,000 Nevadans without health care.

“The Graham-Cassidy bill is the worst version of Trumpcare we’ve seen yet and pits the most vulnerable in our state against one another,” Cortez Masto said. “In attempting to pass it without the support of a single Democrat, Republicans have derailed bipartisan efforts to improve our health-care system. Graham-Cassidy would not only reverse Governor Sandoval’s expansion of Medicaid, it would bankrupt our state government.”

She also signed a letter along with Republican Sen. Dean Heller supporting efforts to extend funding for federally qualified health centers before the Sept. 30 deadline, announced an intern program for first-generation college students and advocated for legislation that would give state and local officials the ability to shut down sex-trafficking websites.

Press release subject lines:

• 9/18: Cortez Masto Celebrates Hispanic-Serving Institutions Week / Cortez Masto celebra la Semana de las Instituciones al Servicio de los Hispanos
• 9/18: Cortez Masto: Graham-Cassidy Threatens Nevada
• 9/18: Cortez Masto Commemorates U.S. Air Force’s 70th Anniversary
• 9/18: Cortez Masto Touts Support for Nevada’s Service Members, Applauds Passage of National Defense Authorization Act
• 9/18: ***MEDIA ADVISORY*** TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 19 AT 1:15 P.M. PT/4:15 P.M. ET - PRESS CALL:Cortez Masto, Nevada DREAMers and Civil Rights Leader To Urge Congress to Pass the DREAM Act
• 9/19: Cortez Masto & Heller Announce Over $190 Million for Defense-Related Projects in Nevada
• 9/19: ***MEDIA ADVISORY*** TODAY, TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 19 AT 1:15 P.M. PT / 4:15 P.M. ET - PRESS CALL: Cortez Masto, Nevada DREAMers and Civil Rights Leader To Urge Congress to Pass the DREAM Act
• 9/19: Amendment Cosponsored by Cortez Masto to Prevent Discharge of Non-Citizen Military Personnel Passes with Defense Authorization Act
• 9/19: Cortez Masto Joins Bipartisan Effort to Extend Critical Funding for Community Health Centers Before End of Month Deadline
• 9/19: VIDEO: Cortez Masto Advocates for Bill to Grant State and Local Officials Power to Shut Down Sex Trafficking Websites
• 9/21: Cortez Masto Joins Senate & House Democrats in Calling on FEC to Prevent Foreign Governments from Using Social Media Ads to Influence U.S. Elections
• 9/22: Cortez Masto on Graham-Cassidy: False Choice that Takes Nevada Backwards
• 9/22: Cortez Masto Condemns Education Department Decision to Rescind Obama-Era Policy to Combat Campus Sexual Assault
• 9/22: Cortez Masto Announces Intern Scholarship for First-Generation College Students

DEAN HELLER

Number of press releases issued this week: 9

The details: Amid a renewed discussion over health care in Washington, Republican Sen. Dean Heller defended in a press release a health-care proposal he is backing that would turn the federal dollars spent on the Affordable Care Act into a block grant to be divided up among the states. He called the proposal the “best solution to repeal and replace Obamacare” and said that “Nevada wins” under the measure because it would receive more federal funding under the proposal. (The governor pushed back on that assertion in a statement Thursday night.)

Heller also lauded Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke’s recommendations to the president — leaked to the Washington Post Sunday night — on Nevada’s Gold Butte National Monument. He called the Obama Administration’s decision to designate the monument as an effort to bypass Congress in an “extreme overreach” and indicative of the “failed Washington-knows-best mentality.”

He joined Cortez Masto in calling for the federal government to fund the continued operation of federally qualified health centers before the Sept. 30 deadline. Other issues he touched on in his press releases include tax reform, a federal grant to combat youth drug abuse and $5.5 million in Housing and Urban Development grant funds for the state.

Press release subject lines:

• 9/18: Heller Statement on DOI Recommendations Related to Gold Butte
• 9/18: Heller Announces $5.5 Million in HUD Grant Funds for Nevada
• 9/19: What They’re Saying: Heller-Sponsored Health-Care Reform Bill “A Triumph of Federalism”
• 9/19: In Case You Missed It: Heller Questions Witnesses on Tax Relief for Nevada’s Small Businesses, Workers
• 9/19: Graham-Cassidy-Heller-Johnson Plan Best Solution to Repeal and Replace Obamacare
• 9/20: Heller, Bipartisan Group of Senators Push for Community Health Centers
• 9/20: Heller, Donnelly Call on Equifax to Detail Actions Being Taken to Protect Servicemembers
• 9/20: Heller Announces $125,000 Federal Grant to Combat Youth Drug Abuse in Nevada
• 9/21: Heller, Heitkamp Welcome SEC Efforts to Implement Their Bipartisan Bill to Make Sure Small Businesses & Startups have Seat at the Table

RUBEN KIHUEN

Number of press releases issued this week: 7

The details: While home in the district this week, Democratic Rep. Ruben Kihuen held a press conference to urge Congress to reauthorize the Children’s Health Insurance Program, set to expire on Sept. 30. More unusually, Kihuen also spent some time delivering packages with a UPS driver, and his press team sent out links to several video updates from his day.

“I didn’t break anything. We found every building. I learned how to use this thing right here. What is it called? A diad. And we are here at Summerlin Medical Center and so we are very excited to be here with the entire UPS team and so we are grateful for this opportunity,” Kihuen said in his final video of the morning. “At one point UPS hired my father, and so I’m very grateful to every single driver who’s out there working for us tirelessly.”

In non-UPS related news, Kihuen also called Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke’s national monument review “rigged,” said that the Graham-Cassidy bill would “strip away billions” of dollars of federal funds for Nevada and announced a USDA rural development grant for rural housing in White Pine County.

Press release subject lines:

• 9/18: REP. KIHUEN: SECRETARY ZINKE’S MONUMENT REVIEW PROCESS WAS RIGGED FROM THE BEGINNING
• 9/18: MEDIA ADVISORY: REP. KIHUEN TO HOLD PRESS CONFERENCE URGING CONGRESS TO REAUTHORIZE THE CHILDREN’S HEALTH INSURANCE PROGRAM (CHIP) BY SEPTEMBER 30TH DEADLINE
• 9/19: REP. KIHUEN: GRAHAM-CASSIDY-HELLER-JOHNSON BILL WOULD STRIP AWAY BILLIONS IN FEDERAL FUNDING FOR NEVADA
• 9/19: VIDEO: REP. KIHUEN DELIVERS PACKAGES WITH UPS
• 9/20: MEDIA ADVISORY: TODAY 10AM PST - REP. KIHUEN URGES CONGRESS TO REAUTHORIZE CHIP
• 9/20: REP. KIHUEN HOLDS PRESS CONFERENCE URGING CONGRESS TO REAUTHORIZE THE CHILDREN’S HEALTH INSURANCE PROGRAM (CHIP) BY SEPTEMBER 30TH DEADLINE
• 9/22: REP. KIHUEN ANNOUNCES USDA RURAL DEVELOPMENT GRANT FOR RURAL HOUSING IN WHITE PINE COUNTY

JACKY ROSEN

Number of press releases issued this week: 6

The details: Democratic Rep. Jacky Rosen, like her Democratic colleagues, focused on some of the big Nevada news of the week, criticizing Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke’s recommendation to reduce the size of Gold Butte National Monument and calling Graham-Cassidy, co-sponsored by her opponent in the U.S. Senate race, “merciless.” She also said she was “deeply troubled” by Education Secretary Betsy DeVos’ decision to rescind an Obama-era policy on campus sexual assault investigations.

“The misguided decision to revoke these protections is a step backwards for victims of sexual assault and violence,” Rosen said in a statement. “President Trump and Secretary DeVos are failing to provide a safe, transparent, and fair environment for survivors to seek justice on school campuses in Nevada and across the country.”

She also revealed a new award program through her office to highlight Nevada women who are studying or working in STEM fields on a monthly basis.

Press release subject lines:

• 9/18: ROSEN STATEMENT ON TRUMP ADMINISTRATION’S EFFORT TO DOWNSIZE GOLD BUTTE
• 9/19: ROSEN: LATEST SENATE GOP VERSION OF TRUMPCARE WILL ROB NEVADA OF $2.7 BILLION, EFFECTIVELY ENDING MEDICAID IN NEVADA
• 9/20: ROSEN UNVEILS 'NEVADA WOMEN IN STEM' AWARD TO HIGHLIGHT FEMALE ROLE-MODELS, CLOSE GENDER GAP
• 9/21: ICYMI -- Las Vegas Sun: Inclusive STEM workforce key to state’s economic health
• 9/22: ROSEN STATEMENT ON TRUMP ADMINISTRATION’S IMMORAL DECISION TO RESCIND OBAMA-ERA SCHOOL SEXUAL ASSAULT POLICY
• 9/22: ROSEN APPLAUDS DOJ FEDERAL GRANTS AWARDED TO STRENGTHEN NEVADA DRUG COURT PROGRAMS, URGES PRESIDENT TO TAKE STRONGER ACTIONS TO COMBAT OPIOID CRISIS

DINA TITUS

Number of press releases issued this week: 3

The details: In contrast to Heller, Democratic Rep. Dina Titus said that Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke’s recommendations to the president revealed his plans to “hack away at monuments like Gold Butte,” which she described as an “overreach opposed by the majority of Americans.”

“Gold Butte’s opponents have created a straw man argument about water rights without mentioning that the monument’s proclamation includes language to protect them,” said Titus, who has long supported the monument’s designation. “Now we must recommit our effort to protect these precious public lands in the courts and send a strong message to Zinke and Trump to keep their hands off our monuments.”

She also highlighted a report showing that the Graham-Cassidy health-care proposal will eliminate coverage for a quarter million Nevadans and 32 million nationwide by 2027, and announced a juvenile justice grant from the Department of Justice.

Press release subject lines:

• 9/18: Titus Statement on Zinke's Leaked Memo, Plans to Hack Away at Gold Butte
• 9/21: New Report: Graham-Cassidy-Heller Bill Will Result in 243k Uninsured in NV
• 9/22: TITUS ANNOUNCES DOJ JUVENILE JUSTICE GRANT

MARK AMODEI

Number of press releases issued this week: 0

The details: It was another quiet week for Republican Rep. Mark Amodei, whose office didn’t put out any press releases. However, a spokeswoman from his office did tell The Nevada Independent this week that Amodei is “currently reviewing (Graham-Cassidy-Heller) and determining what this means for Nevadans should the Senate successfully pass it.”