Nevada Current: Lombardo puts Nevadans’ woes on back burner, jets to D.C. for fundraiser

Nevada Gov. Joe Lombardo is slated to attend a $5,000-a plate fundraiser in his honor Thursday in Washington, D.C., as close to half a million Nevadans struggle to make do with a fraction of federal food assistance benefits, another 100,000 face the prospect of unaffordable health insurance, and an unknown number lose jobs or go unpaid as a result of the federal government shutdown.

President Donald Trump and Senate Republicans have refused to negotiate with Senate Democrats, who have thus far held fast against passing a continuing resolution to reopen the government unless Republicans negotiate a plan to address skyrocketing Affordable Care Act premiums. Expanded premium tax credits that previously made policies affordable are set to expire at the end of the year, leaving some with lower credits and higher premiums, while others lose eligibility for the subsidy.

Nevadans who get their health care through the ACA could see premiums increase by 26%, though Democrats as well as industry researchers warn the additional costs will be much higher for many people if they no longer receive enhanced premium tax credits. A 60 year-old couple in Nevada could see annual premiums rise by $18,100, the New York Times reported last month.

In addition to curtailed food assistance programs and rising costs, Nevada is confronting other economic headwinds, including visitation to Las Vegas plunging 8.8% in September, the ninth straight month of declines this year. Would-be tourists are contending with uncertainty as industry and government officials juggle a barrage of presidential edicts, including aggressive immigration enforcement actions, and shutdown fallout, such as a shortage of air traffic controllers and limits imposed on traffic at some airports.

Last week, Trump directed the government to renew nuclear weapons testing, which took place for decades at the Nevada Test Site, just 65 miles from Las Vegas. Lombardo, who said last year he opposed revived testing, has not commented on Trump’s directive.

Lombardo’s office did not respond when asked whether the governor considered cancelling his fundraiser in light of challenges facing Nevadans.

Special session looms

The governor’s trip comes amid criticism from members of Nevada’s congressional delegation and State Treasurer Zach Conine regarding Lombardo’s response to the loss of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program funds, and as state lawmakers wait to learn when he will schedule an anticipated special session of the Nevada Legislature, and whether augmenting SNAP will be on the agenda.

Attorney General Aaron Ford, a contender in the Democratic primary for governor, joined other Democratic attorneys general in suing the Trump administration for suspending SNAP payments, and won.

Ford’s campaign declined to comment on Lombardo’s trip to D.C.

“Lombardo is doing exactly what we’ve learned to expect from him in this moment of crisis. He’s gone and kissing Trump’s ring,” Washoe County Commission Chairperson Alexis Hill, who is also running in the Democratic primary race for governor, said via text. “This state needs leadership. There’s no place I’d rather be than serving my community in Nevada.”

There was no indication Lombardo was expected to see Trump while in Washington.

It’s the second time in recent months that Lombardo has put critical state business on the back burner and prioritized his reelection effort over an emergency.

In August, the governor missed the first news conference on a cyberattack of state computer systems and the resulting shutdown of state government offices to attend a campaign event in Elko. Some government services were disrupted for weeks.

‘Problem-solving outsiders’

“I sure hope the people of Clark County know how hard I’m working,” then-Sheriff Lombardo told the Current in 2022 when he was running for governor. A review of data from the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department at the time indicated Lombardo was showing up at the office roughly three times a week over a 14-month period, from Jan. 1, 2021 through March 25, 2022, during his first campaign for governor.

Lombardo, who generally mentions Washington D.C. only to note its tangled bureaucracy, is being hosted at an undisclosed location by former Republican Governors Association Executive Director Phil Cox, according to an invitation provided to the Current.

Cox, who has led numerous Republican campaigns, is an opponent of expanded Medicaid, and as head of the RGA, opposed the Affordable Care Act and issued statements from Republican governors in opposition.

In 2013, Cox told The Hill a then-ongoing federal government shutdown “is giving Republican governors with White House ambitions a new opportunity to burnish their credentials as problem-solving outsiders armed with solutions to Washington’s dysfunction.”

Last year, Cox began a leadership role at America PAC, which was founded and funded by Elon Musk to support Trump’s 2024 campaign to the tune of $250 million.