Business Leaders Pick Trump’s Position Over Democrats’ Healthcare Fight
Nevada’s biggest tourism companies chose their side in the government shutdown battle. And it wasn’t with our Democratic senators fighting for healthcare subsidies.
The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, MGM Resorts, Caesars Entertainment, and the Venetian Casino Resort sent a clear message to Congress last week. They wanted the government reopened immediately with a “clean continuing resolution.”
That is exactly what President Trump and Republicans had been demanding all along.
Think about that for a moment. Nevada’s resort and tourism officials sided with the White House position on reopening the government, just days before Senators Jacky Rosen and Catherine Cortez Masto gave up their fight for affordable healthcare.
The Money Talks
Here’s what made our senators cave after 40 days of standing firm.
The LVCVA told Senator Rosen they were signing onto the U.S. Travel Association’s letter demanding an immediate end to the shutdown. They shared the letter’s content with her in advance, essentially giving her a heads-up that the pressure was coming.
Molly Castano from the LVCVA pointed to the approaching “peak travel season,” including the Formula 1 race, National Finals Rodeo, and New Year’s Eve.
The message was crystal clear: tourism dollars matter more.
The U.S. Travel Association estimated that the government shutdown was costing the travel industry more than $1 billion a week.
The tourism groups wrote in their letter to Trump’s new Travel Secretary Sean Duffy.:
“No other state in the country is as dependent on the travel and tourism industry as Nevada.”
Democrats Used Shutdown as Political Weapon
For 40 days, Democrats tried to force Republicans to expand Affordable Care Act subsidies by refusing to fund the government. Think about that strategy for a minute. They were willing to leave 14,000 Nevada federal workers without paychecks just to score political points on healthcare.
Republicans consistently offered to reopen the government and discuss healthcare separately. That’s how normal negotiations work – you don’t burn down the house to get new furniture.
But Democrats wanted to use the shutdown as leverage, hoping the pain would force Republicans to cave on expanding government healthcare spending.
Business Community Shows Real Leadership
While politicians played their games, real businesses faced real consequences. The shutdown meant TSA agents and air traffic controllers were working without pay. It meant flight delays and cancellations. It meant tourists thinking twice about visiting Las Vegas.
Nevada Resort Association members, the Las Vegas Chamber, and the LVCVA didn’t care about political talking points. They cared about their workers, their customers, and their state’s economy.
So they backed President Trump’s position: reopen the government with a clean resolution, then discuss other issues like adults.
Democrats Fold Under Pressure
Senator Rosen had been holding out since October 1st for a simple promise – that Republicans would extend Affordable Care Act premium subsidies.
But after the tourism industry made its position known, everything changed. American Airlines even put out a news release expressing gratitude to Cortez Masto and Rosen “for their leadership” in ending the shutdown.
But the Democratic delegation is not all in agreement. Nevada Rep. Dina Titus slammed the deal, saying she would:
“Oppose the continuing resolution again for the same reasons I did earlier. Senate passage of the continuing resolution without extending Affordable Care Act premium subsidies means thousands of Nevadans will lose their health insurance because they won’t be able to afford it.”
The Real Cost to Working Families
Make the Road Nevada said they were :
“deeply disappointed in Senators Catherine Cortez Masto and Jacky Rosen for supporting the continuing resolution that fails to meet the real needs of working families.”
Battle Born Progress executive director Shelbie Swartz criticized the decision to reopen:
“The government without a concrete fix for expiring ACA premium subsidies.”
But maybe that’s because the Affordable Care Act itself is the problem. Government intervention in healthcare has driven up costs for everyone. More subsidies just mean more government control and higher costs down the road.
Battle Born Progress claimed Nevada’s senators were in a “difficult position.” They were only in a difficult position because they created it themselves by trying to use the shutdown as leverage for expanding the welfare state.
The Conservative Path Forward
This shutdown proved something important: the business community won’t stand by while politicians play games with our economy. When push came to shove, practical business sense won over political theatrics.
Limited government means not needing massive subsidies to afford healthcare. It means not having politicians who can shut down vital services to score political points. It means letting the free market, not Washington bureaucrats, solve our problems.
The next time Democrats try to expand government dependency programs, remember this shutdown. Remember who was willing to hurt working families to push their agenda. And remember who actually stepped up to end the madness – Nevada’s business leaders who put jobs and common sense first.
The opinions expressed by contributors are their own and do not necessarily represent the views of Nevada News & Views. This article was written with the assistance of AI. Please verify information and consult additional sources as needed.
