Unmasking Nevada’s Steven Horsford

Along with Nevada Senator Harry Reid, Congressman Steven Horsford does not support those who support Cliven Bundy against federal agents they believed were using excessive force.  Despite a lack of evidence to back up his claim, Horsford has publicly said militia members have established armed checkpoints and are routinely harassing locals.

His latest call to rid the area of Patriots and Minute Men came during a local pancake breakfast in Mesquite, Nevada. According to Horsford, an unidentified fifth grader told him Bundy suffers from a “sense of entitlement,” which prompted the Congressman to once again for the removal of armed citizens in his district.

“And that is why I am calling on Brian Sandoval, Senator Dean Heller, the sheriff and any other elected official in Nevada to do their part to get rid of these armed separatists.”

Despite the fact Nevada law allows individuals to carry firearms, Horsford wants local law enforcement to force these citizens out of the community. Furthermore, he has called for a federal investigation into the activities of the remaining protesters.

In a February 2013 Gannett News Service article, it came to light that “all but one member of Nevada’s congressional delegation own guns…”  The USA Today survey of lawmakers showed that 119 Republicans and 46 democrats identified themselves as gun owners.

But gun ownership in the Nevada delegation is more of a bipartisan affair. Senator’s Harry Reid and Dean Heller both own guns. Congressman Mark Amodei, who represents the Reno area, owns several guns as does Congresswoman Dina Titus and Congressman Joe Heck.

The only lawmaker from Nevada’s six-member congressional delegation who does not own a gun is Horsford.  At 19, his father died after being shot during a drug deal-gone-wrong.

In November 2009, Horsford illegally parked his SUV with his Senate license plate visible in a handicapped parking space at a park for six hours. Subsequently, Horsford pledged to work harder on disabled rights issues.

In the summer of 2010, Horsford again garnered unwanted media attention when a fundraising letter from his PAC soliciting donations in exchange for private meals or receptions to meet with various Democratic legislative leaders and Senate committee chairs. Following criticism that the letter amounted to “pay to play,” Horsford rescinded the letter, discontinued the solicitation program and refunded all donations made in response to the letter.

On April 7, 2011 a report came out that web poker giant PokerStars treated Horsford on a lobbyist-paid trip to the Bahamas before introducing legislation that would benefit the online gaming industry. Horsford said of the trip, “It was productive. They made a good presentation.” Horsford received $37,500 in campaign contributions from PokerStars.

Forty-eight Nevada legislators accepted PokerStars campaign contributions. Horsford later returned the campaign contributions.

During the Washington Naval Yard Shooting, September 20, 2013 Horsford staffer Don Andres who took pictures of a guy on laying on the sidewalk and being worked on by first-responders of the road and sent them to his boss, Tim Hogan.

Then Hogan Tweeted the photos in which every single major press outlet grabbed up and retransmitted in their stories about the event. In the end, the Associated Press pulled the photos and issued the following statement: “The Associated Press has been unable to confirm that the incident shown in this picture is directly connected with the shooting at the Naval Yard in Washington.”

Incidentally, Horsford is on the U.S. House Committee on Homeland Security and supports a nationwide enhanced background check for gun purchasing.

Later that same month, Horsford failed to attend a House Oversight and Government Reform Committee hearing in which several Democrats walked out. The hearing allowed the parents of Benghazi victims Sean Smith and Tyrone Woods to testify about their sons’ lives and deaths.

Horsford’s spokesman Tim Hogan claimed, “He was unable to attend the hearing due to conflicting obligations.

As for his involvement in the Bureau of Land Managements attempted land grab and the Cliven Bundy stand-off, Horsford is no stranger to the situation. On April 18, 2013, Horsford filed a bill bringing the Lyon County Economic Development and Conservation Act before the House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Public Lands and Environmental Regulation (HR-696) for an initial hearing.

“There are a number of public lands bills that will benefit a number of projects throughout the State of Nevada,” Horsford said.

The bill that he filed, commonly called the Yerington Land Act, is one of six that involve land projects in the Fourth Congressional District that he represents.

“The Lyon County Land Bill will allow the City of Yerington to buy, at fair market value, about 10,000 acres for commercial and economic development including a copper mine,” Horsford explained.

He estimated 2,000 to 3,000 jobs could be created along with the economic development. Lyon County has one of the highest unemployment rates in the State. The Land Act will also create 48,000 acres of wilderness area, known as the Wovoka Wilderness Area.

Another bill, the Multi-species Habitat Conservation Plan Implementation Act, H.R. 1744, came before the House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Public Lands and Environmental Regulation in February of this year. The legislation amends current law to provide the City of Mesquite with greater opportunity for long-term economic development.

Under current law, the City of Mesquite had to let the BLM know by November 13, 2009, if it wanted to purchase the last parcel of land made available by the Mesquite Lands Act and to close the purchase of the deal within one year.  This bill takes legislative action to extend the timeline for Mesquite to purchase this land for commercial and industrial development, including a potential airport.

“Mesquite’s opportunity for economic growth has been restricted unnecessarily,” said Horsford. “This legislation provides Mesquite the flexibility it needs to create jobs and grow. The legislation before the subcommittee is also an example of economic development and environmental stewardship working hand in hand.”

This legislation also corrects an omission in the Clark County Conservation of Public Land and Natural Resources Act of 2002 which established the use of the Virgin River Habitat Conservation and Recovery Plan and the Hydrologic Monitoring & Mitigation Plan.

Following up on a plan Senator Harry Reid first introduced involving 350,000 acres in the Gold Butte area, Horsford reintroduced a like-minded bill in June 2013. It’s aim would have created the Gold Butte National Conservation Area to be managed by the Bureau of Land Management in a way that “conserves, protects and enhances” its natural, historical and scenic resources.

“Congressman Horsford really listens to local citizens and has demonstrated that in this legislation,” said Nancy Hall, executive director of Friends of Gold Butte.  “We are hopeful that the local stakeholders will join us at the table to ensure its swift passage.”

Gold Butte would become the third National Conservation Area in Clark County, joining Red Rock Canyon which created in 1990, and Sloan Canyon, created in 2002. Additionally, 92,000 acres would be designated as wilderness within the Lake Mead National Recreation Area.

It is in the Gold Butte area, in which Bundy has allowed his cattle to graze over the years.