Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto, a Democratic senator from Nevada, has publicly defended her support for collaborating with the Trump administration and her backing of its policies, following accusations of complicity by Sen. Cory Booker. In an interview with The New York Times, Cortez Masto emphasized that she had been actively working to counter the administration’s agenda since joining the Senate in 2016. She pointed out that her election victory in Nevada, a swing state, meant she had to prioritize the needs of her state, which required working across party lines to ensure effective governance. She criticized Booker’s accusations as an unnecessary lecture, stating that she had been engaged in this effort for years.
Booker’s objection stemmed from a call from Democrats to pass a package of law enforcement-related bills aimed at boosting resources for police, including measures to improve death benefits for officers killed in the line of duty, mental health support for officers, and resources to address child exploitation. These bills, which eventually passed, were discussed and approved in committee before being brought to the Senate floor for a final vote. Booker, however, criticized the legislation for allowing Trump to pick winners and losers in terms of who would benefit, labeling it as complicity with an authoritarian leader who is undermining the country. He called on Democrats to have a backbone and to draw a line against such policies, arguing that the safety of his state should not be compromised by grants.
While Booker’s allegations sparked debate within the Democratic Party, Cortez Masto defended the need for bipartisan cooperation, asserting that passing good legislation that benefits everyone across the country was essential for the functioning of government and regaining public trust. She emphasized that winning elections meant focusing on swing states and addressing the concerns of swing voters, which required a pragmatic approach to governance. This exchange highlights the internal tensions within the Democratic Party, as some senators advocate for more direct confrontation with the Trump administration, while others prioritize pragmatic legislative cooperation to achieve broader policy goals.