Cortez Masto silent as mentor blocks more than $200 million for Nevada’s military and veterans

Nevadans and viewers around the nation will watch today as Senator Harry Reid speaks to the Democrat National Convention (DNC) in Philadelphia. And while it is expected he will attempt to spin his poisonous record of divisive partisanship into a legacy, including ramming through Obamacare with a procedural trick and straight party line vote, the more interesting story will be what Reid won’t say.

Senator Reid won’t say that before leaving for Philadelphia, he led Senate Democrats in blocking passage of the Department of Defense and the Military Construction and Veterans Affairs spending bills, both of which provide the critical resources necessary for the military to keep Americans safe. In fact, the Military Construction and Veterans Affairs bill contains more than $200 million for military and VA facilities around Nevada.

Senator Reid won’t say the Iran nuclear deal, which he and his protégé Catherine Cortez Masto support, is a disaster that threatens regional stability and our ally, Israel.

Senator Reid won’t say that amid terrorist attacks perpetrated by Syrian and Afghan nationals posing as asylum seekers, it is not in our best interest to “open ourselves up” to such refugees until we can adequately vet those individuals.

Meanwhile, Reid’s handpicked successor, Catherine Cortez Masto, has been silent on these critical matters in recent days. Her support for the Iran deal and her desire for America to “open itself up” to refugees now carrying out terrorist attacks in Western Europe shows she will blindly follow the lead of her mentor, Senator Reid, who puts partisan interests ahead of Nevada and our national security.

“Nevadans deserve a senator who will make the safety and security of the American people their top priority,” said Brian Baluta, spokesman for the Dr. Joe Heck for U.S. Senate campaign. “On issue after issue, Catherine Cortez Masto has shown her loyalties lie not with the safety of Nevadans, but with her own political interests. Now she is refusing to say whether blocking military funding is a good idea given the threats we face both at home and abroad. Dr. Joe Heck has been on the battlefield, he knows the threats we face and what it takes to keep Nevada safe.”

Nevadans want to know: Does Catherine Cortez Masto think that blocking critical funding for our military, continuing to blindly support the Iran nuclear deal, and “opening ourselves up” to asylum seekers from the Middle East with no effective way to vet them is in the best interest of our national security?

Unfortunately, Nevadans already have her answer: “Senator Reid is going to leave an incredible legacy for the state of Nevada, and I’m honored to have his support,” said Cortez Masto to The Washington Post, July 16, 2016.

BACKGROUND:

Funding for Nevada projects in the Fiscal Year 2017 Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Appropriations Bill.

Fallon Naval Air Station Air wing simulator: $13,523,000

Nellis Air Force Base F-35 Fuel Station: $10,600,000

Reno VA Factility upgrades and expanded clinical services: $192,420,000

Total NV facility upgrades: $216,543,000

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