The Trump administration’s mission to restructure and refocus the federal government has garnered nonstop headlines. From migrant deportations to federal employee layoffs, funding freezes to the trade war, the impact is being felt here and across the globe.
One policymaker supporting many of the administration’s goals is Mark Amodei, who represents large parts of Northern Nevada in the U.S. House. He’s uniquely positioned as a member of the powerful Appropriations Committee and the only Republican member of Congress from a swing state.
So, where does Nevada’s lone Congressional Republican stand on the issues? And will he continue to support the president even if the economic fallout from the on-again-off-again tariffs keeps wreaking havoc on the markets?
“There's some folks in the car industry, union folks, that are okie doke with trying to make things a little more even Steven in terms of whose cars are at what price,” Amodei said. “Is there instability as we sit here right now? Yes, there is. The question is, what are we doing to go from where we started before the instability to where we end? And is that a better place for us to be at? And what was the price that we paid, ultimately, as consumers or business owners, to do that? Right now, I'm willing to give it a little longer than than a month to see how that works.”
Many Nevadans also question how federal spending cuts could impact the state.
Earlier this year, House Republicans passed a resolution seeking to eliminate up to $880 billion in federal support for state Medicaid programs. Those cuts are not yet official, as Congress is working through the budgeting process, but Amodei said policymakers are not planning to reduce support for traditional Medicaid populations. Instead, he said, lawmakers should focus on policies that create efficiencies, such as allowing the federal government to negotiate drug prices.
“In my neighborhoods, there's money to be saved in pharma,” Amodei said. “Each state has to compete on its own when buying pharmacy (coverage) for its Medicaid people. One of the things that we talked about (with) the chairman is, there ought to be a federal thing.”
More than 800,000 Nevadans are enrolled in Medicaid. If the House approves the proposed cuts, as many as 300,000 Nevadans could lose coverage.
Editor's Note: A previous version of this story said Rep. Amodei was a member of the Ways and Means Committee. He is on the House Appropriations Committee.
