Purple Politics Nevada with Lucia Starbuck is KUNR’s monthly show about Nevada politics and the 2024 election. This episode features Nevada Democratic U.S. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto and her health care accomplishments, thoughts on the clean energy debate, and how she says the party can re-energize the Latino vote.
Click here for a transcript of the audio story.
Web Overview
The senator highlighted three main issues she tackled this year: lowering health care costs for seniors, clean energy mining and manufacturing, and increasing veterans’ access to health care after exposure to toxic chemicals while serving.
“I fought in the Inflation Reduction Act to ensure that many of our seniors have the ability now to have lower costs through capping the cost of insulin at $35, capping really the cost of other drugs that are now being able to be negotiated on Medicare,” she said. “It’s the first time that we’ve been able to take on Big Pharma.”
As for next year, Cortez Masto wants to address mental health challenges faced by all ages through care catered to an individual’s recovery and integrating mental health care with primary health care.
The country is also gearing up for the 2024 presidential election. Nevada has several voting blocs that can determine the outcomes of elections. In past elections, Democrats have counted on Latinos; however, that’s no longer the case, as they are not a monolith and are shifting away from the party.
“I can tell you what I know of Latinos in Nevada and just really any voters is you got to show up. And it’s not two months before an election to say, ‘I’m running, and will you vote for me.’ It is all the time,” Cortez Masto said. “Our Latinos are incredible entrepreneurs; they’re business owners; they’re health care providers; they’re our brilliant students.”
Listen to this month’s episode of Purple Politics Nevada to hear more of the senator’s proudest moments and biggest goals, as well as how she’s going to accomplish them while chaos ensues among her colleagues in the House of Representatives.
Transcript
(UPBEAT JAZZ MUSIC BEGINS)
LUCIA STARBUCK: Welcome to Purple Politics Nevada. I’m your host, Lucia Starbuck. The name reflects the fact that Nevada isn’t red or blue – it’s both. Today, I’m joined by U.S. Democratic Senator Catherine Cortez Masto of Nevada to chat about her accomplishments this year and goals for next. Thanks so much for joining me, Senator.
CATHERINE CORTEZ MASTO: Oh Lucia, I’m always happy to join you. Thanks for doing this.
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STARBUCK: As 2023 comes to a close, what would you say your proudest moments are this year? And what is some of your legislation that will have the greatest impact in Northern Nevada?
CORTEZ MASTO: When I’m home, and I know talking to Nevadans, probably the three areas that I hear the most about is really lowering costs for families, working on how we create jobs, and then just making sure Nevadans feel healthy and safe.
I fought in the Inflation Reduction Act to ensure that many of our seniors have the ability now to have lower costs through capping the cost of insulin at $35, capping really the cost of other drugs that are now being able to be negotiated by Medicare. It’s the first time that we’ve been able to take on Big Pharma.
And then creating jobs, you know, it’s good for our economy, and it puts Nevada in the forefront of leading in this clean energy economy.
And then, finally, one of the big things that I heard from our veterans is the fact that many veterans who were exposed to toxic chemicals during their years of service could not access the health care that they needed. Well, then we passed the PACT Act that now provides them essential health care.
STARBUCK: You mentioned clean energy. Last month, a federal judge dismissed a lawsuit by the Reno-Sparks Indian Colony that would have halted construction at the lithium mine at Thacker Pass. How do you balance tribal concerns and the beginning of this lithium and energy boom in Nevada?
CORTEZ MASTO: To me, this is about our clean energy future, lowering that carbon footprint we see in Nevada, the implications of extreme weather and the climate change. We see it in the drought; we see it in the hot and longer wildfire seasons. And that requires us to look at so many areas where we can utilize, but we can’t do the batteries and clean energy technology that we need unless we have the critical minerals, and Nevada is key for those critical minerals when it comes to lithium mining.
So the supply chain for that clean energy starts with the mining and then everything in between, from the manufacturing to the processing. That, to me, is the balance: how we manage all of that and still address the needs when we’re doing responsible mining to protect the environment, utilizing this technology in a responsible way.
STARBUCK: And what are your goals for next year?
CORTEZ MASTO: One of the things that we’re still addressing and more work needs to be done is around mental health. It is still one of the main issues that we see impacting so many Nevadans, from our youth to our young adults to adults and seniors.
A lot of the work I’ve done is to focus on the crisis side of mental health and how we bring essential services around the crisis mode. And so we need more programs that are focused on the individual. I’m also leading legislation that really focuses on how we get mental health care integrated with primary care providers.
STARBUCK: Let’s talk 2024. We’re gearing up for a presidential election. Nevada is a really cool place; it has many different voting blocs that can really shift the outcomes of elections. In prior elections, Democrats have counted on Latinos. However, that’s no longer the case. Latinos have felt disconnected from Dems. What can the party do to keep these voters blue?
CORTEZ MASTO: Well, I can tell you what I know of Latinos in Nevada and just really any voters is you got to show up. And it’s not two months before an election to say, ‘I’m running, and will you vote for me.’ It is all the time. Particularly, if we’re talking about Latinos, talking to them often, listening to them, learning about what their issues are and focusing on those issues to address their concerns. If anybody wants to come into Nevada at a presidential year, that needs to happen all the time.
Our Latinos are incredible entrepreneurs; they’re business owners; they’re health care providers; they’re our brilliant students that want a future that they don’t have to mortgage with a loan.
STARBUCK: Americans’ faith in U.S. institutions has been falling. The chaos among your colleagues in the House of Representatives isn’t helping. George Santos was expelled. Kevin McCarthy is resigning. A number of lawmakers have said they’re not going to run again. How can you regain trust?
CORTEZ MASTO: Let me just say this. I do think and understand the frustration, and I hear it in my own family, and I see it. This is about how we lean across the aisle. We may not agree on everything, but we’re civil to one another, and we figure out, working together, including compromising, how we solve the problems that Americans are facing.
That’s what I hear from Nevadans. They don’t want somebody who’s going to undermine their election. They don’t want somebody who is inciting a mob on January 6 and an insurrection. They don’t want Congress to focus on taking the rights away of women, reproductive rights.
What they want Congress to do is work together. And that’s what I’ve always tried to do. And I’ve promised to Nevadans that this is about how we solve problems, not create them.
STARBUCK: Thank you so much for taking the time to speak with me, Senator.
CORTEZ MASTO: Lucia it’s always great to talk with you. Thank you again, and have a wonderful holiday.
(UPBEAT JAZZ MUSIC BEGINS)
STARBUCK That was U.S. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto. I’m Lucia Starbuck, and you’re listening to Purple Politics Nevada.
(UPBEAT JAZZ MUSIC ENDS)
The theme song, “Vibe Ace” by Kevin MacLeod, is licensed under Creative Commons and was edited for this episode.
