Nevadans are learning that unlike Las Vegas, what happens in Washington (and Mar-a-Lago) doesn’t stay in Washington.

After more than two months into the Trump administration, we’re starting to see the impacts of the funding cuts, cancellations and rescissions pursued by Elon Musk and the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).

As my colleagues Tabitha Mueller and Eric Neugeboren reported, nearly 50 state health employees were let go after the sudden cancellation of pandemic-era federal grants. 

Between cuts to two programs, Nevada food banks are facing 10 percent budget holes and seeing deliveries cancelled. 

And though some fired federal employees (including at Great Basin National Park) are back to work thanks to a judicial order, the massive layoffs expected across federal agencies means there’s more to come.

The Walker River Paiute Tribe is one group in Nevada that’s been left in limbo by the torrent of executive action. A $20 million grant to the tribe for climate resiliency projects, including much-needed upgrades to the reservation’s water infrastructure, has been suspended by the Environmental Protection Agency. 

Ostensibly ensnared in the Trump administration’s crusade against diversity, equity and inclusion — the grant program has “environmental justice” in the name — the tribe and its partners are trying to leverage relationships in Congress, including with Rep. Mark Amodei (R-NV), to get the funding reinstated. 

The federal government’s war on DEI goes beyond academia or corporate culture — and things such as the Walker River Paiute Tribe’s new water storage tank hang in the balance. Read more here.

Around the Capitol

🏛️Effectiveness ratings are in — Three Nevadans landed in the top 10 for their caucuses in the Center for Effective Lawmaking’s biannual scorecard, which attempts to quantify how effective members of Congress based on how many bills they get passed, and how substantive those bills are.

Rep. Dina Titus (D-NV) finished third among all House Democrats. Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV) was seventh among Senate Democrats and Sen. Jacky Rosen (D-NV) was eighth. Titus’ influence was greatest on international affairs policy, Cortez Masto’s on Native Americans and Rosen’s on education.

📵Rosen sends a Signal — Rosen led a group of 15 Senate Democrats in a Thursday letter calling for hearings into top Trump administration figures’ handling of classified information after a bombshell story in The Atlantic revealed that Cabinet officials were discussing specific war plans in a Signal group chat that inadvertently included a journalist.

Rosen’s letter goes right to the top, calling for Vice President JD Vance, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and National Security Advisor Michael Waltz, among others in the group chat, to testify.

💊Cortez Masto, Horsford go after drugmakers   — Cortez Masto and Rep. Steven Horsford (D-NV) introduced bicameral legislation Thursday to expand a prescription drug policy created by the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). 

The IRA included a provision that fines pharmaceutical companies for increasing prices at a rate faster than inflation for prescription drugs covered by Medicare. The Nevadans’ bill would expand that to private insurance.

What I’m Reading

Las Vegas Review-Journal: Sheriff rejects requests to use Las Vegas officers for immigration enforcement

Sheriff Kevin McMahill has been quite consistent about this — but it hasn’t stopped the feds from asking.

The Nevada Independent: Poll: Nevada voters oppose Medicaid cuts, Department of Education elimination

Trump’s Nevada poll number: +1. Trump’s 2024 margin of victory: +3.

The Associated Press: Man accused of setting fire to Tesla vehicles in Las Vegas arrested, police say

Attacks on Tesla have been reported around the country.

Notable and Quotable

“I don’t know what happened there or why or whatever, but if I ever suspect that I’m on a group whatever, I’m getting out of it.”

— Rep. Mark Amodei (R-NV), in an interview on Wednesday, on the Signal group chat

Vote of the Week

H.R.1048 — On Passage: DETERRENT Act

This Republican-sponsored bill tightens the standards for universities to receive foreign gifts, lowering the reporting threshold and prohibiting higher education from entering contracts with foreign countries of concern.

AMODEI: Not voting

HORSFORD: Yes

LEE: Yes

TITUS: No

Niche has named its 2025 Best Cities to Live in the U.S. The website also ranked the Silver State’s best communities.

Niche uses data from various sources including the U.S. Census Bureau, FBI, Centers for Disease Control and the Bureau of Labor Statistics to determine the best places to live in the United States.

Niche graded each place on 12 categories: public schools, housing, good for families, jobs, cost of living, outdoor activities, crime and safety, nightlife, diversity, weather, health and fitness, and commute.

Here’s a look at the best communities in Nevada and the nation.

What are the best communities in Northern Nevada?

1. Incline Village
2. Kingsbury
3. Mogul
4. South Lake Tahoe
5. Reno
6. Sparks
7. Gardnerville
8. Carson City
9. Spanish Springs
10. Minden

What are the best communities in Nevada overall?

1. Incline Village
2. Green Valley Ranch (a neighborhood in Henderson)
3. Kingsbury
4. MacDonald Ranch (a neighborhood in Henderson)
5. Enterprise (suburb of Las Vegas)
6. Summerlin
7. Green Valley South (a neighborhood in Henderson)
8. Anthem (a neighborhood in Henderson)
9. Sovana (a neighborhood in Las Vegas)
10. Henderson

What are the best places to live in the country?

The top 10 “Best Cities” in America, according to Niche:

1. Naperville, Illinois
2. The Woodlands, Texas
3. Cambridge, Massachusetts
4. Arlington, Virginia
5. Irvine, California
6. Plano, Texas
7. Columbia, Maryland
8. Overland Park, Kansas
9. Bellevue, Washington
10. Berkeley, California

Is Reno a good place to live?

Niche gave Reno a “B” grade based on 12 categories. Reno received the highest ratings from Niche in the Weather and Outdoor Activities categories where the Biggest Little City earned A-plusses. The ratings in Diversity and Commute followed close behind (A’s) as well as Health and Fitness, and Nightlife (Reno earned A-minus in both categories).

The Biggest Little City received B’s in the Public Schools and Good for Families categories and a B-minus in Jobs. Reno’s lowest scores were in Housing, Cost of Living, and Crime. Reno received a C-minus in all these categories.

Is Incline Village a good place to live?

Niche rated Incline Village as the best place to live not only in the Reno area, but Nevada as well. Incline Village received A ratings in Public Schools, Good for Families, Health and Fitness, and Outdoor Activities, followed closely by an A-minus rating in Jobs. Incline received B-plusses in Nightlife, Weather, Diversity and Commute.

Similar to Reno, Incline’s lowest ratings were in Housing (C) and Cost of Living (C-minus).

KUALA LUMPUR (March 28): Genting Bhd (KL:GENTING) said on Friday the Nevada Gaming Commission has accepted the terms of a settlement in relation to a complaint against its Las Vegas resort.

The settlement’s agreement, signed with the Nevada Gaming Control Board last week and includes a fine of US$10.5 million (RM46.41 million), was approved by the Nevada Gaming Commission at a hearing on Thursday, according to Genting in a bourse filing on Friday.

“The board of directors of Genting wishes to announce that the stipulation for settlement and order has been approved by the Nevada Gaming Commission at its hearing on March 27,” the filing read.

Reports out of the US place the settlement as the second largest fine imposed in Nevada’s gaming history.

Under the stipulation for settlement and order, Resort World Las Vegas will not admit or deny allegations in the complaint filed by the Nevada Gaming Control Board in August 2024.

Resort World Las Vegas will keep its gaming licence that now comes with conditions including having greater scrutiny on its anti-money laundering programme and practices.

Compliance with the programme would also have to be reviewed by an independent internal audit team two years after the approved settlement agreement. If results of the review are unsatisfactory, the regulator will direct an “outside independent person or entity” to conduct an additional review.

In the 2024 complaint, Resort World Las Vegas was accused of failing to prevent individuals with suspected ties to illegal gambling from engaging in gaming activities on its premises.

Prior to the settlement, Resort World Las Vegas worked with the Nevada Gaming Control Board to resolve the issue, and took steps to improve its compliance and governance, including leadership changes.

This included appointing industry veteran Jim Murren as the chairman and an independent board member of Resort World Las Vegas, while Alex Dixon was named chief executive officer. Other appointed board members included former Nevada Gaming Control Board chairman AG Burnett.

At the noon break on Friday, shares of Genting settled seven sen or 2.11% lower at RM3.25, valuing the group at RM12.6 billion.