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TPS decision, marijuana uncertainty and Pence's Nevada visit top of mind for Nevada's delegates

Jackie Valley
Jackie Valley
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The new year isn’t starting off any less hectic than 2017.

President Donald Trump gave the media no shortage of news last year, and the trend seems here to stay. What that means for Nevada’s delegates: They’re constantly reacting to the White House’s latest announcement, buzz-worthy comment or unpredictable activity.

Nevada’s four Democratic delegates this week focused on the Trump administration’s decision to end the Temporary Protected Status (TPS) program for people from El Salvador. The TPS program had offered Salvadorans legal status and work permits since 2001, when a devastating earthquake wreaked havoc on the Central American country.

As local TPS recipients lamented the decision and feared the worst, Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto and Reps. Dina Titus, Jacky Rosen and Ruben Kihuen sharply criticized the policy decision in media releases. Sen. Dean Heller and Rep. Mark Amodei, both Republicans, avoided the subject in mass mailings to the media, however, Heller sent a statement to the Reno Gazette-Journal that appeared to advocate for an immigration compromise.

But it was a big week for Heller in other ways: The senator, who’s facing re-election, joined Vice President Mike Pence on a Las Vegas visit Thursday. The nation’s second-in-command offered a hefty dose of praise to Heller along the way.

What else were the delegates all abuzz about this week? Take a gander below to get up to speed. As always, we’ve kept the actual grammar and capitalization found in the subject lines of the delegates’ communiques to the media.

CATHERINE CORTEZ MASTO

Number of press releases issued this week: 12

The details: In what’s no longer a surprise, Democratic Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto unleashed the most communications to the media this week.

She sent a dozen releases ranging from the Trump administration’s offshore drilling reversal to the controversial TPS decision. On Friday, Cortez Masto met with Nevada families affected by the end of the TPS program.

And, unlike the rest of Nevada’s delegates, the senator gave a nod to CES, the world’s largest consumer technology show happening in Las Vegas this week. The annual event draws thousands of visitors to the city, making it a vital revenue generator for the tourism-dependent region. Cortez Masto attended CES on Friday and toured exhibits.

“CES is not only a platform for companies to introduce what’s new and next, but also a place where some of the best minds in the industry come together to discuss solutions for the twenty-first century,” she said in a statement afterward. “Big ideas that enhance our way of life are a driving force for economic growth and innovation. It’s exciting to see so much of it happening right here in Nevada. We must use the emergence of these new ideas and concepts as a way to help our communities thrive. This means using innovative technologies to improve our transportation systems, to ensure a diverse and educated workforce STEM education and investing in our communities, both big and small, by ensuring access to broadband and connecting every Nevadan to our growing digital world.”

The senator has events planned Sunday and Monday in Las Vegas and Reno to honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Press release subject lines:

  • 1/8 : Cortez Masto Condemns Trump Administration Decision to Revoke TPS for Salvadorans
  • 1/8 : Cortez Masto, Senators Urge Commerce Secretary to Reject DOJ Request to Include Citizenship Question in 2020 Census
  • 1/9 : Cortez Masto, Democratic Senators Condemn Trump Administration Offshore Drilling Reversal
  • 1/9: Cortez Masto to Co-Sponsor Net Neutrality Resolution
  • 1/11: Cortez Masto Calls for Hearing on Addressing Country’s Transportation, Infrastructure Challenges
  • 1/11: ***MEDIA ADVISORY*** FRIDAY, JANUARY 12 AT 2 PM PT IN LAS VEGAS - Cortez Masto to Meet with Nevada Families Impacted by Trump TPS Decision
  • 1/12: Cortez Masto Urges DHS to Reverse Decision to End TPS for El Salvador
  • 1/12: Cortez Masto Touts SMART Communities, Tech and Innovation Legislation at Consumer Electronics Show
  • 1/12: ***MEDIA ADVISORY*** HAPPENING SOON TODAY, FRIDAY, JANUARY 12 AT 2 PM PT IN LAS VEGAS - Cortez Masto to Meet with Nevada Families Impacted by Trump TPS Decision
  • 1/12: Cortez Masto Announces First-Generation Intern Scholarship Recipient for Spring 2018
  • 1/12: Cortez Masto Meets with Nevada Families Impacted by Trump TPS Decision
  • 1/12: ***MEDIA ADVISORY*** SUNDAY & MONDAY IN LAS VEGAS, NORTH LAS VEGAS & RENO -Cortez Masto to Celebrate Martin Luther King, Jr. Day

JACKY ROSEN

Number of press releases issued this week: 9

The details: If Democratic Rep. Jacky Rosen is trying to appeal to a wide swath of voters, her media missives certainly succeeded in that regard this week.

Rosen, who is running for Senate, sent nine media releases that hit on: immigration, marijuana, public land, infrastructure needs, census reform, veterans and Clark County’s homeless population.

She devoted two of those communications to the Trump administration’s decisions to end the TPS program, which affects thousands of El Salvadoran immigrants living in Nevada. The congresswoman highlighted the fact that she’s co-sponsoring the American Promise Act — a bill that would give law-abiding TPS recipients a pathway to permanent residency and citizenship.

“This legislation will bring immediate relief to the thousands of TPS holders in Nevada and across the country who are worried they will lose the life that they have spent years and even decades building here,” Rosen said in a statement. “TPS holders are law-abiding legal residents who undergo a strict vetting process and thorough background checks each time they reapply for their status.”

Press release subject lines:

  • 1/8 : ROSEN STATEMENT ON TRUMP ADMINISTRATION’S DECISION TO END TEMPORARY PROTECTED STATUS FOR THOUSANDS OF SALVADORANS IN NEVADA
  • 1/8 : ROSEN CO-SPONSORS BIPARTISAN BILL THAT WOULD PROHIBIT FEDERAL PROSECUTION OF INDIVIDUALS FOR POSSESSION OF MARIJUANA
  • 1/9: ROSEN STATEMENT ON REPUBLICANS’ CONTINUED ATTACKS ON NATIONAL MONUMENTS
  • 1/9: ROSEN URGES SESSIONS TO REVERSE COURSE ON MISGUIDED DECISION REGARDING MARIJUANA LEGALIZATION
  • 1/10: ROSEN HELPS UNVEIL BIPARTISAN INFRASTRUCTURE REPORT WITH MEMBERS OF THE PROBLEM SOLVERS CAUCUS
  • 1/10: ROSEN CO-SPONSORS AMERICAN PROMISE ACT TO PROTECT THOUSANDS OF TPS HOLDERS IN NEVADA AT RISK OF DEPORTATION
  • 1/11: REP. ROSEN SENDS LETTER TO WHITE HOUSE URGING CENSUS REFORM
  • 1/11: ROSEN INTRODUCES BIPARTISAN LEGISLATION TO IMPROVE VETERANS CHOICE PROGRAM
  • 1/11: ROSEN APPLAUDS HOMELESS ASSISTANCE GRANT TO CLARK COUNTY

DINA TITUS

Number of press releases issued this week: 6

The details: There was no common thread to the six media bulletins Democratic Rep. Dina Titus issued this week.

The congresswoman started the week by criticizing President Donald Trump’s decision to end the TPS program for El Salvadoran immigrants. And she ended the week by inviting community members — and the media — to join her Friday at a news conference, where marijuana business owners would commemorate Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Confused about the connection there? The idea, according to her media release, was that local business leaders would “demand action to pass laws that protect legal marijuana businesses and empower minority entrepreneurs across the nation.”

On the topic of weed, Titus also sent a letter to House leadership this week, urging Reps. Paul Ryan and Nancy Pelosi to protect state and territorial marijuana laws in the fiscal year 2018 spending package. Last week, U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions rescinded an Obama-era directive that gave states with legalized marijuana some certainty that the federal government wouldn’t get too involved enforcement-wise.

We must, at minimum, preserve current protections, and turn our attention to the other related legislative proposals, giving them full and fair consideration,” she wrote in her letter.

Press release subject lines:

  • 1/8 : TITUS STATEMENT ON TPS
  • 1/9: TITUS DEMANDS MARIJUANA PROTECTIONS IN FY18 SPENDING DEAL
  • 1/11: Titus Statement on National Human Trafficking Awareness Day
  • 1/11: TITUS STATEMENT ON FISA
  • 1/11: MEDIA ADVISORY: TOMORROW 10 AM: TITUS JOINS LAS VEGAS MEDICAL MARIJUANA ASSOC MEMBERS TO HONOR DR. KING, DEMAND CRIMINAL/ECONOMIC JUSTICE
  • 1/12: MEDIA ADVISORY: TODAY 10 AM: TITUS JOINS LAS VEGAS MEDICAL MARIJUANA ASSOC MEMBERS TO HONOR DR. KING, DEMAND CRIMINAL/ECONOMIC JUSTICE

DEAN HELLER

Number of press releases issued this week: 6

The details: Half of Republican Sen. Dean Heller’s media missives this week pertained to his whirlwind tour through Las Vegas alongside Vice President MIke Pence on Thursday.

The pair, joined by Attorney General Adam Laxalt, celebrated the launch of a new military program focused on harnessing technology and innovation and visited service members at Nellis Air Force Base. The military-focused visit served as a campaign opportunity for Heller, who received praise from Pence at both stops.

Pence called Heller, who is considered the Senate’s most-vulnerable Republican up for re-election, a “great, great champion of our Armed Forces, a great friend of mine from our days in Congress and a tenacious advocate for everything about Nevada.”

The senator’s other media releases this week touched on high-speed Internet access in rural communities, veterans’ access to mental health services and a bill-related to human trafficking, which Heller co-sponsored and President Donald Trump signed into law this week.

“I applaud President Trump for signing into law a bipartisan bill that will stop human traffickers from obtaining a commercial driver’s license. All too often this heinous crime – a multi-billion dollar industry – is concealed in the shadows,” he said in a statement.

Press release subject lines:

  • 1/9: HELLER NEWS: Heller Applauds President’s Push to Expand Access to High-Speed Internet in Rural Communities
  • 1/9: HELLER NEWS: Heller Backs President’s Fight to Streamline Veterans’ Access to Mental Health Services
  • 1/11: HELLER NEWS: Heller, Vice President Pence Speak to Airmen at Nellis Air Force Base
  • 1/12: HELLER NEWS: Heller-Backed Bill to Help Stop Human Traffickers Now Law
  • 1/12: PHOTOS: In Case You Missed It: Heller Joins Vice President Pence in Rallying Troops at Nellis Air Force Base
  • 1/12: What They Are Saying: NV Media Highlights Vice President Pence, Heller Stops

RUBEN KIHUEN

Number of press releases issued this week: 3

The details: Democratic Rep. Ruben Kihuen kept his media releases to a minimum this week. He only issued three, two of which focused on immigration-related issues making headlines the last few days.

Kihuen, who has called himself the first “DREAMer” elected to Congress, took aim at the Trump administration’s decision to end the TPS program for people from El Salvador.

“Nearly 6,000 Salvadorans currently benefit from TPS in Nevada, where they contribute an estimated $255 million to the state’s economy,” Kihuen said in a statement. “These figures are but a fraction of the economic benefit provided by all TPS recipients, not to mention the immeasurable familial and cultural ties these immigrants have to our country. Congress must find a long-term solution for these individuals in order to continue our long national tradition of providing safety to people in need.”

Kihuen also chastised Republicans for delaying a vote on a measure that would grant permanent legal status to DREAMers — young immigrants brought to the United States illegally as children — as negotiations continue ahead of the Jan. 19 government funding deadline.

Press release subject lines:

  • 1/8 : REP. KIHUEN: REVOKING TPS IS SHORT-SIGHTED AND CRUEL
  • 1/11: REP. KIHUEN RETURNS MORE THAN $1.2 MILLION TO CONSITUENTS IN THE FOURTH CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT IN 2017
  • 1/11: REP. KIHUEN STATEMENT ON DACA NEGOTIATIONS

MARK AMODEI

Number of press releases issued this week: 0

The details: Republican Rep. Mark Amodei kept his usual low-profile — at least in terms of formal media bulletins — but he didn’t hold back when asked about marijuana earlier this week.

During a phone call with reporters on Tuesday, the congressman said Nevada’s burgeoning marijuana industry shouldn’t panic about Attorney General Jeff Sessions’ decision to overturn a Justice Department policy that protected states from federal prosecution. Instead, Amodei called on his congressional peers to sort out the marijuana-related issues.

“If we want some predictability and stability…it’s probably time…that Congress get off its butt and start dealing with the issues,” Amodei said.

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