News - September 18, 2024 - by Ray Hagar

- Click for Full Interview

Editor's note: This is the first in a series of policy interviews with members of Nevada's federal delegation conducted in Washington D.C.

The recent passing of New Jersey Congressman Bill Pascrell may have a direct impact on the citizens of Nevada.

Pascrell, 87, and a Democrat who thrived in the rough-and-tumble world of New Jersey politics, was a member of the powerful U.S. House Ways and Means Committee.

Pascrell's committee spot has been awarded to Nevada's 4th U.S. House District Rep. Steven Horsford, D-North Las Vegas, who said on Nevada Newsmakers this week that the appointment will help the people of the Silver State.

"In Nevada, it's it's very important because this is the committee that deals with tax policy, health-care policy, trade policy and of course, worker and family support issues," he told host Sam Shad. "It also deals with Social Security, all of public health, Medicare, the Affordable Care Act and Medicaid. So it's very important to the constituents in Nevada."

Pascrell died Aug. 20 and Horsford's office announced his appointment on Sept. 9.

"I will be taking his (Pascrell's) position for the remainder of this Congress and I'm positioned for next Congress upon my reelection," Horsford said.

Horsford, also the chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus, faces a Election Day challenge from North Las Vegas Mayor John Lee, a Republican, and two third-party candidates.

Ways and Means is actually the only congressional committee named in the U.S. Constitution, which underscores its influence and prestige. It's a committee that can make a difference, Horsford said.

"Ways and Means is one of the committees in Congress where you can get big things done, in a bipartisan way," he said.

Horsford will also sit on two Ways and Means subcommittees, Health and Social Security and those issues will be his focus.

"I have over 150,000 constituents in Nevada who rely on Medicare," he said.

Social Security is the only source of income for 70 percent of Nevadans in retirement, he added.

"They (Nevadans who depend on Social Security) have no other retirement to rely on to pay for rent, to pay for their health care," Horsford said. "So I take it very seriously about both protecting benefits now and for future generations, because these are sacred trusts that we must protect, for those who depend on them."

In Horsford's view, Social Security and Medicare are not "entitlement programs," as some conservatives contend.

Medicare and Social Security are trusts," Horsford said. "We pay into them over the lifetime and expect for them to be there to pay out the benefits to those who have contributed over their lifetime."

About 80 percent of Republicans support calls for more than $1.5 trillion in cuts to Social Security, including an increase in the retirement age to 69 and cutting disability benefits, according to published reports.

Horsford, however, wants no changes for the citizens already on Social Security.

"I do not support changing benefits for those who are currently in the program," he said. "I believe in strengthening and extending the life of both Medicare and Social Security."

Horsford is one of 181 co-sponsors for H.R. 4583 -- the Social Security 2100 Act. The bill would increase benefits by 2 percent across the board for all recipients. It would also re-do the cost of living adjustment (COLA) to reflect true inflation.

Yet the Social Security 2100 Act is is a multi-faceted bill. In it, Horsford wants the wealthy to pay a larger share into the Social Security system.

"What I am for is having people who make over $400,000 contribute into the payment into Social Security," he said. "Right now, they don't contribute more than $123,000 of their salaries for people who make over $400,000. It's time for them to contribute so that we can extend the life of Social Security through the year 2100."

Housing, health care and child care are the three most common concerns from his 4th U.S. House District, Horsford said.

Horsford is concerned about corporations that have come into the Las Vegas Valley to buy multiple housing units, then significantly raise rental rates or sell the homes at inflated prices.

"So the issue that I take an objection to is the fact that 30 percent of the homes in parts of my district -- one in three homes -- are now owned by three companies, corporate hedge funds, corporate landlords who come in, they pay cash, and what they do is they price out veterans from being able to use their VA benefits. They price out first time home buyers. They price out families who are trying to move from a starter home to a slightly bigger home.

"Even when the properties that they buy are converted to rent, all of the reports indicate that they charge higher rents. They evict at higher rates, and they don't maintain the properties to the same standards, which devalue the property for everyone else -- 70 percent  of the people who live around them. Because of that, I've introduced a bill called the HOME Act.

"I am not against all forms of investment, but I am against market manipulation," he continued. "I'm against Nevadans being priced out of having affordable access to housing, whether that's being able to rent a home or an apartment or being able to afford to buy one."

Horsford has been pushing the HOME (Housing Oversight and Mitigating Exploitation) Act for two years. Earlier this year, Sen. Jacky Rosen, D-Nv, introduced similar legislation in the U.S. Senate.

"My legislation will crack down on that (market manipulation, rising costs of homes and rentals)," he said. "It would provide for more transparency. And where there is evidence of market manipulation, we would be able to fine those companies and put those fines into an affordable-housing trust fund to actually build more affordable housing."

When asked by Shad to define "market manipulation," Horsford said:

"It's defined based on other practices where companies or
corporations come in and they buy up or over-saturate the market," he said.

"Is it fair that three companies own nearly a third of the market in Southern Nevada, and actually parts of North Las Vegas, where it's the biggest problem?" Horsford asked. "And unfortunately, local government didn't do enough to protect constituents when this issue was first arising. But we can't continue to allow it to happen.''

His 4th District constituents are feeling the brunt of the manipulation, Horsford said.

"Market manipulation is where they target women who are single heads of households and people of color -- Black and Latino -- in particular zip codes," he said. "They're not buying up in every area of Southern Nevada. They're buying up in certain neighborhoods. And that's where you see market manipulation. It's wrong, and it must stop. "

Horsford said the high price of child care "is a disincentive for work."

He said he is working on a plan to help members of the Armed Forces with the issue.

"I'm working on a project right now with Creech Air Force Base to bring child care close to the base," he said. "It (Child care) can't be on base because of the focus of what happens on that base. But we have service members, airmen and women who travel 45 minutes one way to drop their kids off at Nellis, and then all the other way, 45 minutes, to get to Creech one way, twice a day."

Horsford said he has alerted the Top Brass in Washington D.C. about the child-care issue.

"I've met with the Secretary of Defense about it and made it a huge priority within my role on the Armed Services Committee," he said. "We've made tremendous progress and I'm looking forward to an announcement being made here soon -- around at least a thousand new child-care slots that will be available to our community in Southern Nevada."

- Click for Full Interview