LETTER: Cortez Masto sides with the elite in government shutdown fight

Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto’s vote in favor of the continuing resolution reveals her alignment with political and financial elites rather than the people she represents. While Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer argued that the resolution was necessary to avoid government shutdown and protect federal workers, this ignores the broader impacts on everyday Americans, particularly working-class Nevadans.

By siding with Sen. Schumer, Sen. Cortez Masto helped secure a status quo that benefits the wealthy few while continuing harmful cuts to Medicaid, food assistance and health-care programs vital to Nevada’s most vulnerable. More than 440,000 Nevadans depend on Medicaid, and more than 300,000 rely on food assistance, but these programs face cuts.

The resolution also grants President Donald Trump more leeway to bypass Congress and make unilateral decisions that harm regular Americans. It undermines accountability, expands executive power and exacerbates cuts to vital services such as rural health care and water infrastructure in Nevada. Instead of forcing negotiations to protect these services, Sen. Cortez Masto’s vote ensured they would continue to be destabilized.

Nevadans deserve a senator who prioritizes their needs over the interests of the wealthy elite. It’s time to hold elected officials accountable and ensure future representatives work for the people, not the elite.