Nevada
Nevada governor’s staff, with fixes, lands balanced budget
CARSON CITY — The Governor’s Finance Office presented a structurally balanced budget at an evening legislative meeting Wednesday, roughly two weeks after Gov. Joe Lombardo’s staff presented its initial proposal with a $335 million deficit over the two-year budget.
Democrats at the earlier meeting blamed the deficit in part on the error of counting one-time appropriations as recurring expenditures. At Wednesday’s meeting, the governor’s staff said multiple amendments cut out such duplicate funding, explored funding reversions and made other changes to establish the balance.
Nevada’s constitution requires the Legislature to pass a balanced budget. Though the 83rd legislative session began on Monday, lawmakers have been meeting in multiple joint panels since Jan. 21 to hear budget proposals from state agencies.
Democrats at the January meeting said they were concerned with the governor’s plans, calling the deficit unprecedented and saying it made the following days of budgetary hearings difficult because they knew to expect changes.
The Governor’s Finance Office’s budget amendments total $164.1 million in fiscal year 2026 and $263.2 million in fiscal year 2027.
Some of the amendments cut the deficit by identifying duplicate costs in some of the governor’s priority bills. Other changes factored in more reversions, or previously allocated but unused funds.
Democrats asked Lombardo’s team to explain why they used one-time funding to support the expanded state-funded pre-K program. They said they worried that approach could lead to budget and programming cuts in future years.
“I sure hope whoever’s in these seats after us — I hope they have all kinds of revenue and that they can do this,” Assembly Speaker Steve Yeager, D-Las Vegas, said. “But without a commitment that there’ll be an effort to raise revenue in the future, if needed, I don’t want to have to pull the rug out from under folks.”
Ryan Cherry, Lombardo’s chief of staff, told the legislators one-time funding methods were chosen because that is how they were funded in the last budget cycle.
No Republicans asked questions during the Wednesday meeting evening, which lasted about two hours. Sen. Robin Titus, R-Wellington, said the back-and-forth on one-shot funding had to do with the influx of taxpayer money received through the American Rescue Plan Act and other COVID-19 pandemic economy efforts.
“We warned folks that we were spending this money way too fast on unsustainable programs, that we were going to fall off a fiscal cliff, and now everybody’s complaining that we are there,” she said, adding that to her, raising taxes is not acceptable. “The money is there, but the fact that all this conversation about, ‘I want guarantees that you’re going to find new funding’ — I think we find ways to spend less.”
Sen. Rochelle Nguyen, D-Las Vegas, asked if the state has created a contingency plan for potential cuts to Medicaid — as was a concern last week, when the Trump administration briefly directed all federal agencies to freeze funding to grants, loans and other programs. The directive was not meant to include impacts to programs that give directly to individuals, but some states reported issues with retrieving money through the online Medicaid system.
Cherry said they have directed the Medicaid administration to consider potential cuts.
“But right now, those are speculative,” Cherry said. “At this point, they’re not in law. We have to build a budget that is within the confines of federal and state law at this point.”
On Wednesday morning, Senate Majority Leader Nicole Cannizzaro, Sen. Marilyn Dondero Loop and Sen. Fabian Doñate sent a letter to Cherry and the director of the Department of Health and Human Services asking information on the potential effects of federal Medicaid cuts, as is being considered by congressional Republicans.
Contact McKenna Ross at mross@reviewjournal.com. Follow @mckenna_ross_ on X.
The Las Vegas Raiders have orchestrated many groundbreaking moves this offseason, but none as important as the impact they made at a fundraising event.
Over the weekend, the Raiders hosted the Silver & Black Gala, raising $2.5 million for mental health in Nevada. Sunday marked the third time the organization had hosted the event, which has produced a tremendous turnout.
Several individuals spoke during the event, including Las Vegas Raiders owner Mark Davis and president Sandra Douglass Morgan, who each highlighted the importance of acknowledging mental health.
Davis’ Thoughts
- “We’re here to raise money for mental health, which is one of the most important things we can all deal with,” Davis said. “Every one of us is impacted by mental health and our families, friends, or anywhere else, we are all directly affected. That’s why it’s so critical to raise money for our community. We’re grateful for you all, and appreciate you being here.”
Morgan’s Thoughts
“Mental health remains one of the most urgent issues across Nevada,” Morgan said. “Through the Silver & Black Gala, the Raiders Foundation is helping expand access to trusted, community-based resources that meet people where they are. This year’s recipients reflect the depth and complexity of that work, supporting our community in schools, clubhouses, homes, shelters, and family systems statewide.”
The Raiders also honored former player Carl Nassib and NFL broadcaster Jay Glazer on Sunday night as the winners of the Commitment to Excellence award. Here is what each of them had to say.
Glazer’s Thoughts
- “First, this is incredible what the Raiders are doing,” Glazer said. “God blessed me with the ability to communicate, so I’m going to use that to try and help other people. When we’re willing to share our scars, we turn them into strength—into something that connects us as teammates with nothing to hide. That’s what builds a true team, a championship team. I’m proud to stand with you and be part of this team tonight.”
Nassib’s Thoughts
- “It is truly a privilege to be up here,” Nassib said. “We’re creating space for people to be vulnerable—and that work is truly lifesaving. It’s not about being perfect, it’s about showing up and reminding people they’re not alone.”
Overall Thoughts
This has been a tremendous event over the last few years, and the Raiders’ organization has done a great job of raising awareness for mental health. This will be an event that the team will continue to host in the future.
Add us as a preferred source on GoogleFollow
Nevada
Nevada workers fear homelessness as housing, jobs vanish before July deadline | Fox News Video
The final casino resort in Primm, Nevada, will close this summer after years of declining tourism, ending gaming operations in the once-busy border town and putting hundreds of employees out of work.
Primm Valley Casino Resorts is shutting down its remaining hotel and casino operations in July as experts point to increased competition, changing travel habits and post-pandemic losses behind the decline.
RENO, Nev. (News 4 & Fox 11) — Nevada Governor Joe Lombardo (R) is in a strong position heading into the thick of his 2026 reelection bid — a huge war chest, almost universal name recognition and strong favorability numbers among the electorate.
Though Lombardo is likely focusing on the general election already, he faces 6 longshot candidates in the GOP primary seeking to upset him in June.
Nevada Governor GOP primary: 6 longshot candidates taking on incumbent Joe Lombardo
The challengers face a ‘Herculean’ task, said Mike Noble, CEO and founder of Noble Predictive Insights, an Arizona-based nonpartisan pollster focusing on the Southwest region.
“I see it as a Herculean task for anyone. If someone was coming in with like, I don’t know $10 million or something to spend, sure I can see that might be competitive, but I don’t see any of them coming anywhere near close to that. And so again, I just think I think it’s a non-factor at this point,” Noble said.
RELATED | Ballot Battleground: Nevada podcast: Early Noble poll shows dead heat in governor’s race
Despite the long odds, News 4-Fox 11 reached out to all candidates requesting an interview as part of our commitment to 2026 election coverage and our Know Your Candidates series. Three of the 7 running interviewed with us — Irina Hansen, Kameron Hawkins, Lombardo and Jose Zelaya did not respond to multiple emails requesting an interview.
We asked them similar questions about Gov. Lombardo’s leadership as governor, how they would pass a balanced budget and whether they support taxpayer subsidies for sports teams or major projects.
Click the candidate’s name to watch their full interview. Quotes below have been edited for space and clarity.
Donald J. Beaudry Jr. is an entrepreneur who founded BlkEdgeAi, a financial technology firm specializing in AI-driven trading systems and market strategy, according to his campaign website.
He told News 4-Fox 11 that Nevada has been drifting the last four years with ‘no captain, no vision.’ He believes his Wall Street-like trading market called NGEX (Nevada Global Exchange) would generate enough revenue to eliminate sales taxes, property taxes, business taxes and vehicle registration fees.
“I completely blueprinted it out and calculated that this model could generate enough revenue in this state that we could eliminate all the state taxes and fees that are currently in place and use that as the revenue source for the state and make everybody, every man, woman and child throughout Nevada, a shareholder in the dividends of that exchange … it would be a kind of Wall Street type of stock market, but far broader, more advanced, and exponentially more profitable.”
Matthew Rian Winterhawk is the founder of SmartSlaps foundation, a nonprofit that works to help schools and students with civic engagement and community responsibility.
If elected, he described going through a DOGE-like review of the state budget to determine which areas can be cut or kept depending on their ‘dollar to impact’ ratio.
“What I would like to do is go through every department, I’m talking top to bottom, from here from the primary to the beginning. We will cut every piece of administrative bloat across the system … I need more money for my teachers. Teachers never see it, students never see it, the impact never reaches the classroom. It’s 100% administrative bloat.”
The son of immigrants, Barak Zilberberg is now an entrepreneur and real estate investor based in Las Vegas. He ran for governor in 2022, earning 0.2% of the vote in the GOP primary. He told News 4-Fox 11 he’s also running for President in 2028.
He said he’s running for governor to improve the educational system, bring jobs to Nevada and open up federal land to build more affordable housing.
“We’ve got get high-speed railing systems in here where we can transit very easily, efficiently, and basically moving around between economies of both cities. Not only that, I’d like to bring Disneyland here and the Olympics, sponsor the Olympics here. I just want to make this a well-known place of entertainment, a hub.”
To help voters make informed decisions this election year, News 4-Fox 11 is publishing and broadcasting dozens of interviews with candidates who will appear on the June primary ballot.
In fairness to all candidates, they were asked a series of similar questions. We are posting the full interviews online so voters can watch their responses in their entirety.
Visit our Know Your Candidates 2026 page to view other race previews and meet other candidates.
Email reporter Ben Margiott at bjmargiott@sbgtv.com. Follow @BenMargiott on X and Ben Margiott KRNV on Facebook.
-
Pennsylvania2 minutes agoWhy a Pennsylvania blowout could be Josh Shapiro’s ticket to 2028
-
Rhode Island8 minutes agoThree stabbed at crowded Rhode Island beach as hundreds of teens pack area, police say
-
South Dakota20 minutes ago
SD Lottery Mega Millions, Millionaire for Life winning numbers for May 19, 2026
-
Tennessee26 minutes agoBig Machine CEO Scott Borchetta fires back at graduates booing ‘AI speech’ during Middle Tennessee State University ceremony
-
Texas32 minutes agoTexas A&M slugger named to Softball America’s All‑American Second‑Team
-
Utah38 minutes agoRising gas prices squeeze Utah drivers ahead of summer travel
-
Vermont44 minutes ago
What to know, prize money, road closures for 2026 Vermont City Marathon & Relay
-
Virginia50 minutes agoA Republican mocked a child over ‘propaganda.’ Ironic. | Opinion
