As the partial government shutdown grinds on, with no end in sight, Catherine Cortez Masto, D-Nev., stands ready to end it right now.

U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright visited the Nevada National Security Site Monday to highlight the shutdown’s impact on the federal agency tasked with managing and modernizing America’s nuclear weapons.

Senator Catherine Cortez Masto of Nevada, the first Latina ever elected to the U.S. Senate, found herself at the center of Democratic-focused frustration during the 2025 government shutdown fight. Her stance in budget negotiations and voting with the Republican party drew attention as Democrats worked to prevent a prolonged closure.

Nevada’s senior U.S. Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto was one of only two Democrats voting with Republicans against a government shutdown Tuesday. Cortez Masto was also one of ten Senate Democrats who voted with Republicans in March to avert a shutdown.

Some Democrats skeptical about their leadership’s hard-line stance against reopening the federal government privately acknowledge that they fear getting “hammered” by their liberal base if they

Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto is one of just two Democrats to vote with the GOP. She said the shutdown is unnecessary to settle the parties' differences.