Horsford optimistic about jobless pay bill, Titus skeptical

U.S. Rep. Steven Horsford, D-Nev., said this week that he’s optimistic Congress will extend federal unemployment benefits for several months and possibly a full year.

U.S. Rep. Dina Titus, D-Nev., was more skeptical as Republicans in Washington resist extending jobless benefits for 1.4 million Americans — or 17,000 Nevadans — who are still looking for work.

“I’m worried about it,” Titus said. “I was optimistic at first.”

Horsford said there’s some GOP resistance, especially in the House, “but this is not a partisan issue. It’s just a matter of getting something in place” and finding a way to pay for the extension.

Nevada has the highest unemployment rate in the nation at 9 percent. That’s one reason Nevada’s entire congressional delegation — both Democratic and Republican — favor extending unemployment benefits on an emergency basis since the economic recovery is still under way.

U.S. Sen. Dean Heller co-sponsored legislation to extend jobless benefits, but it didn’t pass the Senate because the legislation didn’t say how the government was going to pay for it. The Nevada Republican said he hasn’t given up and will pursue the matter after this week’s congressional break.

“I’m going to keep working on it,” Heller said after hosting a health care forum Tuesday.

Nevada’s members of Congress were making the rounds here at home during a week-long break. They’ve been meeting with officials and constituents alike. And most took part in Monday’s parade in Las Vegas honoring the late civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr.

Horsford held a public event Tuesday afternoon at the Doolittle Senior Center. Heller organized a round table to talk about implementation of President Barack Obama’s health care insurance law.

And Titus Wednesday afternoon hosted “office hours” at the East Las Vegas Community Center to talk with constituents about problems they have and about how her office can help. Titus’ staff holds office hours each Wednesday and helped several hundred constituents last year, she said.

On Wednesday, Titus’ office highlighted several cases where families were going to be separated because of immigration problems, including deportation of a spouse, and she was able to help them get a reprieve.

Titus, a former Nevada Senate minority leader, said working in Congress is frustrating because the partisan atmosphere interferes with getting much of anything done.

“That’s why I put so much emphasis on constituent services,” Titus said in an interview Monday.

Despite gridlock in Congress, Titus and Horsford said they expect there may be action this year on comprehensive immigration reform. House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio., is working on a reform package, although it’s not expected to have a pathway to U.S. citizenship for all 11 million undocumented immigrants living in the United States.

Under one GOP proposal that U.S. Rep. Joe Heck, R-Nev., backs, for example, young men and women brought here illegally by their parents — so-called DREAMers — could qualify for U.S. citizenship if they complete higher education or serve honorably in the U.S. military.

“People want something to happen,” Titus said. “I support citizenship over legalization. But some people will say if that’s all we can get, it’s something.”

On another touchy issue regarding U.S. collection of phone data, Titus and Horsford disagreed. Titus said she thinks Obama is striking the right balance between national security and protecting privacy rights.

Last week, Obama called for ending the National Security Agency’s control of phone data of millions of Americans, among other changes in how the spy agency operates. It’s still undecided who would keep the data in the future, whether the phone companies themselves or a third party.

Horsford said Obama didn’t go far enough and the NSA should stop collecting phone data of innocent Americans.

“I think we need to go toward eliminating the NSA collection of phone records,” Horsford, who is a member of the House Homeland Security Committee, said in an interview Tuesday. “This doesn’t feel right to collect millions upon millions of phone data from people who are not a threat.”

Titus said she holds out hope that Congress can deal with a minimum wage increase and marriage equality legislation this year, as well, although election year politics might get in the way.

Titus represents the 1st Congressional District, which is heavily Democratic. She’s considered a lock for re-election. For now, there’s no declared GOP candidate running for her seat.

Horsford, Nevada’s first African-American congressman, represents the 4th Congressional District, a vast urban-rural district that covers all or part of seven counties, including the northern part of Clark County. The district leans Democratic, giving the freshman incumbent the advantage over any GOP opponent.

Two Republicans have announced they’re in the race, civil rights advocate Niger Innis, an African-American Tea Party follower, and Assemblyman Cresent Hardy, R-Mesquite.

Horsford wouldn’t comment on his opponents. Instead, he said he’s busy “focusing on every corner of my district” and doing his job.

Contact reporter Laura Myers at lmyers@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2919. Follow her on Twitter @lmyerslvrj.