Trump-Endorsed Laxalt: Nevadans to ‘Pay the Price’ for Sen. Cortez Masto’s ‘Inflation Reduction Act’ Support

Vulnerable Nevada Democrat Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto voted to pass the falsely labeled Inflation Reduction Act on Sunday — a move her Trump-backed Republican opponent said will only worsen the economy and crush everyday Americans.

“Catherine Cortez Masto just voted to raise taxes on Nevada families and small businesses in the midst of a recession,” Nevada U.S. Senate candidate Adam Laxalt (R) said in a statement on Monday.

“Senator Cortez Masto had a chance to get serious and help pass bipartisan legislation to secure our border, lower gas prices, and provide real, much-needed relief to the millions of Nevadans struggling to get by,” he continued. “Instead, she enthusiastically rubber stamped a reckless $700 billion package that will fuel the flames of inflation, give the IRS $80 billion to hire 87,000 new agents, raise taxes on Nevadans making as little as $30,000 per year, and direct billions of taxpayer dollars to subsidize electric vehicles.”

The former Nevada attorney general noted that Cortez Masto and her Democrat colleagues previously voted to pass the “massive $1.9 trillion spending bill that sent inflation soaring to its highest point in 40 years and put our economy on a one way track to a recession.”

“Yesterday afternoon, they made the same mistake once again — doubling down on their failed liberal agenda with a new package that delivers more spending, higher taxes, and more inflation,” he said. “This is quite literally the last thing Nevada families and small businesses need. But Cortez Masto doesn’t care. She’s just there to rubber stamp whatever President Biden and the radical left put forward. Unfortunately, hardworking Nevadans will be forced to pay the price.”

The Laxalt campaign added that Cortez Masto voted to block several amendments to the Inflation Reduction Act: one that would keep Title 42 in place, another that would prevent U.S. oil from being sold to China, and another that would have increased funding to combat violent crime. She also blocked an amendment that would have lowered gas and energy prices, one that would have stopped the IRS from targeting individuals and small businesses making less than $400,000 a year in income, and one that would “protect patients from higher drug prices and reduced innovation.”

.@CortezMasto voted against this amendment to limit IRS agents from auditing anyone making under $400,000 or less.

Don’t let them get away with their false promises that this is about targeting the rich.

It’s about targeting you. https://t.co/okvW57TGDa

— Adam Paul Laxalt (@AdamLaxalt) August 8, 2022

Cortez Masto released her own statement calling the Senate’s passage of the Inflation Reduction Act a “major victory.” The Democrat senator claimed the reconciliation package will bring down drug costs, ameliorate inflation, and fight the “climate crisis.”

“This is a major victory for hardworking Nevadans that will bring down prescription drug and health care costs, fight inflation, cut the deficit, and create clean-energy jobs in Nevada while helping to fight drought and the climate crisis,” Cortez Masto said. “It does all this by closing tax loopholes for the ultra-wealthy and making sure corporations pay their fair share. I’m going to keep working in the Senate on legislation like this that strengthens our economy and makes life easier for Nevada families and seniors.”

Today, I voted to pass the Inflation Reduction Act. This is a major victory for hardworking Nevadans that will lower prescription drug and health care costs, fight inflation, cut the deficit, combat drought, and create clean-energy jobs in Nevada.

— Senator Cortez Masto (@SenCortezMasto) August 7, 2022

.@CortezMasto just voted to raise taxes for Nevadans making as low as $30k/year, fund the hiring of 87k IRS agents to further harass Nevada families, and fuel our soaring inflation by spending money we don’t have.

This isn’t a win. It’s another rubber-stamp for the Biden agenda. https://t.co/9LJr57gp6z

— Adam Paul Laxalt (@AdamLaxalt) August 7, 2022

However, multiple evaluations [see here, here, here, and here] have found that the legislation does not close tax loopholes for the ultra wealthy, does nothing to improve inflation, and sics the IRS on middle class Americans.

Laxalt, who has scored the endorsements of former President Trump, the National Border Patrol Council, and several law enforcement groups, among others, is heavily campaigning on the failure of President Joe Biden’s and Democrats’ failed border and economic policies.

While recent polling shows Cortez Masto and Laxalt neck and neck, President Joe Biden is still wildly unpopular with Nevada voters. Moreover, polling shows the economy is top priority for Nevada voters going into the November midterms. That prioritization could harken disaster for Democrats nationwide, given that Biden’s approval rating on the economy and inflation has fallen to 37 percent and 29 percent.

Disclosure: Breitbart News is represented by Cooper & Kirk, PLLC. Adam Laxalt is a partner at Cooper & Kirk. He is not actively engaged or working on any matters for Breitbart News.