If you ever wanted a lesson on how to rub your head and pat your belly—while standing on one foot and whistling Dixie—then, by all means, stroll through the Nevada Legislature this session. It seems our esteemed lawmakers have found themselves in the peculiar predicament of lamenting potential Medicaid cuts with one hand while gleefully doling out millions to Hollywood with the other.
Senate Minority Leader Robin Titus, a woman of medicine and plain-spoken common sense, appeared downright flabbergasted as she pointed out the sheer contradiction.
“One of the ironies of this whole session is the Democrats have been hammering, hammering Trump and Republicans about possible reductions to Medicaid,” she said. “But at the same time, they introduce a $150 million transferable tax credit program for the film industry. Now, if that’s not irony…”
And that, dear reader, is what we call a humdinger.
While some lawmakers in Carson City quake in their boots at the thought of losing $1.9 billion in Medicaid funds, others are rolling out the red carpet for Hollywood bigwigs, pitching a generous $120 million a year in tax credits for a Las Vegas movie studio. The bill’s backed by Sony Pictures, Warner Bros., Discovery, and Howard Hughes Holdings—because nothing says fiscal responsibility quite like giving corporate giants a hearty helping of taxpayer gravy.
Speaker of the Assembly Steve Yeager, ever the optimist, tried to downplay the Medicaid panic, reassuring folks that “it’s just not going to happen.” Meanwhile, Assembly members Sandra Jauregui and Daniele Monroe-Moreno must have had stars in their eyes as they introduced their film tax credit bill, touting it as Nevada’s golden ticket to cinematic greatness.
Titus, however, isn’t one for fawning over actors or swallowing rosy economic projections whole.
“You will never see me in a picture with an actor or actress because I’m just not star struck,” she declared, likely to the horror of Carson City’s most enthusiastic celebrity-chasers.
As for the promised economic returns on the film industry investment? A consulting report claims that for every tax dollar spent–Nevada will reap $25 in economic benefits—which sounds suspiciously like the kind of Common Core math that turns water into wine.
Titus, ever skeptical, isn’t buying it.
“For every dollar invested in this, in the film credits, you only get about 50 cents back,” she countered. “We just cannot justify that.”
On the Medicaid front, Titus pledged to fight for its survival but acknowledged that adjustments may be inevitable. And the first on the chopping block? The “childless adults” added to Medicaid during the COVID expansion—many of whom, Titus pointed out, are employed by corporations like Walmart and Amazon, which could probably foot their healthcare bills without needing a handout from the state.
And so, as Carson City politicians wring their hands over Medicaid while rolling out the welcome mat for Tinseltown, one can’t help but marvel at the spectacle. It’s a show with all the makings of a blockbuster: drama, irony, misplaced priorities, and a budget twist worthy of a Hollywood script.
The Old Blog in the Desert 
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