LAS VEGAS, NV – Stakeholders gathered today to express their anger and frustration over the current government shutdown. Congressional Republicans and the Trump White House have held hostage ACA subsidies that could force health insurance costs to skyrocket for millions. Republicans control the House, the Senate, and the Presidency, and yet they have chosen to shut the government down so they can take away healthcare from millions of children, seniors, and people with disabilities and protect tax giveaways to corporations and billionaires.
Terra Carter, member of AFSCME Local 4041, issued the following statement:
“Without action, health care will be in crisis, and it will impact everyone as emergency wait times get longer, health care workers face layoffs, and health care facilities close their doors. As an AFSCME member, I join our other community partners here today to call on Congress to fund the important public services that our most vulnerable communities need.”
Linda Ward Smith, President of the American Federation of Government Employees and the AFL-CIO Vice President for federal workers in Nevada, issued the following statement:
“Here in Nevada, our veterans already look to the communities for healthcare. If doors are closing because we don’t have funding, we don’t have Medicaid, we don’t have any of those things that will affect and impact my workers. I’m here today to speak on behalf of not only veterans but also our workers. We have cooks, we have clerical workers, we have all of that, which makes up the federal government. People often say that federal workers make so much money or that they work in D.C., but that is not true. Meaning my employees work here, in Nevada, and they are tired of being political pawns for this administration. Since April, we know that federal workers have been threatened with being fired, laid off, and now the threat is still here.”
Camalot Todd, Communications Director with Nevada Conservation League, issued the following statement:
“We have seen how decisions made in DC impact our local economy. How they hurt the very people tasked with protecting treasured outdoor spaces and ensuring our children can drink clean water and breathe clean air. The budget proposal slashed 86% of the EPA’s funds that provide safe drinking water to Nevadans. It eliminates funding for the state and local air quality management grant. A program that is vital for the one in twelve Nevadans who have asthma. The shutdown is another example of a pattern by this administration and its allies to dismantle a government that serves Nevadans and instead props up billionaires.”
Mathilda Miller, Government Relations Director of Native Voters Alliance of Nevada, issued the following statement:
“Today, Nevadans woke up facing higher costs, weaker protections, and a government that just turned off the lights. This shutdown isn’t some abstract fight in Washington. It is a direct hit on families who are already stretched to the breaking point. Prices were already cruising us, protections were already thin, and this shutdown doesn’t just add a new pain. It makes every existing struggle worse. I know how high the stakes are because my Dad has lived through it. My Dad is finally in remission after a brutal fight with an aggressive, fast-growing cancer. The reason he got the treatment he needed was that Medicare and the Affordable Care Act were there when we needed them the most. No family should ever have to sit at the kitchen table and wonder if a politician’s stunt will decide whether or not they will get the life-saving treatment that they need. That is exactly the fear this shutdown creates.”
Elisa Cafferata, Executive Director of Children’s Advocacy Alliance, issued the following statement:
“One of the most alarming outcomes of this shutdown is the potential disruption of critical nutrition assistance programs — particularly WIC (the Women, Infants, and Children program) and SNAP (the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program). These programs are vital lifelines for millions of families, including those in Nevada, with over 500,000 people benefiting from SNAP and approximately 57,000 people benefiting from WIC in fiscal year 2024. They help working parents keep food on the table when paychecks don’t stretch far enough. While Medicaid may not feel the immediate effects of a government shutdown in the same way as some other programs, it is by no means immune. The longer a shutdown persists, the more likely it is that serious issues will arise — especially due to the impact on the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), which oversees Medicaid at the federal level. Our position is clear: children and families should not bear the brunt of political fights and disagreements. No Nevada child should go without bread or eggs because WIC funding is being held hostage.”
Manuel Santamaria, Veteran and Campaign Director of Battle Born Progress, issued the following statement:
“Inside of every Department of Veterans Affairs building, you will find the same quote: ‘To care for him who shall have borne the battle and for his widow, and his orphan.’ These words by Abraham Lincoln represent the ironclad promise the United States made to those who served so that the nation could pursue its destiny. Thanks to the Republican Party, this promise is being broken and trashed.
I am a disabled veteran, and I depend on the federal government to help me with my disability, my healthcare, and even my mortgage. These aren’t benefits given; they were earned. Now, millions of veterans across the country, spanning multiple wars and generations, are at risk of having a lapse in the aid they have been promised for their sacrifice. Republicans keep choosing to play culture war politics by marginalizing the very people they owe their very freedoms to. This insult to veterans and the needy is compounded in a state like Nevada, where the governor is more than happy to support the administration in its trampling of our freedoms and attempts to roll back earned benefits. I hope that my voice adds amplification to other veterans around Nevada who find themselves frustrated and angry about a federal government shutdown that many have sacrificed so much to prop up.”
Barbara Hartzell, Executive Director of Native Voters Alliance Nevada, issued the following statement:
“A government shutdown isn’t some abstract fight in Washington. It’s Nevadans watching grocery bills climb, elders struggling to afford prescriptions, and families already living on the edge with protections stretched too thin. A shutdown doesn’t just create new problems; it takes every existing hardship and makes it worse. We’ve seen this before: food inspections halted, immigration courts frozen, and national parks closed while local economies paid the price. That’s not governing, that’s sabotage.
“Instead of working on solutions that protect families, Congressional Republicans would rather hold the entire country hostage to score political points. And Governor Lombardo has shown us exactly where he stands. He vetoed free school lunches, turned his back on struggling families, and now he’s siding with his political allies while Nevadans are left to suffer. Families can’t afford higher costs, fewer protections, and a governor who puts politics over people.”
Kristee Watson, Executive Director of Nevada Conservation League, issued the following statement:
“Every day, we witness firsthand that Nevadans love our public lands and the outdoor recreation economy that stems from them. Decisions made in D.C. impact our local economy and the very people tasked with protecting our treasured outdoor spaces. Previous shutdowns have hurt the National Park Service due to delays in trash collection and road repairs, which allowed unsanitary conditions to fester and dangerous roads to remain in use. Park closures will disrupt families’ travel plans and result in lost revenue. A shutdown is a bad deal for Nevada’s public lands, our people, and our outdoor economy.”
Leo Murrieta, Executive Director with Make the Road Action Nevada, shared the following statement:
“The MAGA Republicans and the Trump Administration are entirely responsible for this disastrous government shutdown—an unforgivable act of cruelty and recklessness that exposes their complete disregard for the American people. While working families are crushed under the weight of rising costs, these so-called leaders waste time and resources targeting vital benefits that millions rely on—benefits that sustain hardworking Americans, including the hardworking people who fuel our nation’s growth. Their selfish, destructive politics have run out of control, and enough is enough. It’s time to hold them accountable.
“In Nevada, Governor Lombardo’s inaction has shown he only cares about re-election, not the urgent needs of the people. While the nation suffers, he has been nowhere to be seen—more interested in politics than solving real problems. Nevada families can’t afford to wait any longer. Our leaders must put aside their politics, end this crisis, and stand up for the hardworking families they serve.”
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