Nevada Sen. Cortez Masto Says Trump Administration ‘Devastating’ Tourism

Posted on: April 11, 2025, 08:38h. 

Last updated on: April 11, 2025, 09:06h.

Devin O'Connor @CasinoorgDevinO Read More
Expertise: Asia Pacific Gaming, Commercial Gaming, Legislation, Politics.
  • Nevada’s US Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto says the Trump administration is hurting tourism
  • Cortez Masto is demanding solutions from Trump’s Cabinet
  • The Senator claims hotel room bookings are softening

Nevada’s Democratic United States Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto says policies being enacted by the Trump administration are wreaking havoc on the nation’s tourism economy, which her state relies on more than any other business sector.

Nevada Cortez Masto Trump tariffs tourism
US Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto demands “honesty and transparency” during a Senate Finance Committee regarding tariffs on Tuesday, April 8, 2025, in Washington, DC. Cortez Masto is calling on the Trump administration to provide clarity on how the federal government is responding to policies that are negatively impacting tourism in the United States. (Image: Senate.gov)

Writing to several key Cabinet members, including Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnik, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, Cortez Masto is demanding transparency on how President Donald Trump’s trade policies, frozen federal funding, a “gutted” federal workforce, and Trump executing presidential authority “beyond legal limits” is having on the country’s travel and tourism sector.

Nevada’s former attorney general has requested that the administration provide information on how it is mitigating the economic stress being levied on tourism.

It is a fact that the travel industry is seeing a noticeable decrease in room bookings, business travel, and recreational visits from both domestic and international travel. This sector is fundamental to my home state of Nevada and its hundreds of thousands of hardworking men and women who work in events, entertainment, and hospitality,” the Senator wrote in the letter dated April 8, 2025.

Cortez Masto’s entire letter can be read here.

Senator Says Tourism Slowdown Felt 

Cortez Masto detailed four Trump policies that are most impacting travel and tourism negatively.

The Senator said tariffs, aggressive border and customs actions, the freezing and eliminating of federal funding for airports, national parks, and air traffic controllers, and forcing or encouraging federal employees to quit across relevant departments have been “detrimental” and “devastating” to the US tourism economy.

“The travel industry represents 2.5% of the national Gross Domestic Product, is one of the nation’s largest exports, and supports over 15 million jobs. The combination of travel, tourism, and outdoor recreation supported by visitors is consistently a top five industry in every state and territory across the US,” Cortez Masto continued.

“The US is undermining its strength as a sought-after destination for visitors from around the world. Given the significant economic contributions of the travel and tourism industry, the Trump Administration must recognize the critical link between your policies and travel demand,” the Senator continued.

Cortez Masto declared that the travel industry “is already experiencing softer demand” for domestic travel “amid shaky economic conditions.” In February. US consumer spending on air travel and hotels dropped 10% and 6% from last year, respectively.

Las Vegas Steady, for Now 

The US-China trade war continues to heat up, and consumers could soon see higher costs for just about everything. However, as of now, room bookings on the Las Vegas Strip, the most critical component to the health of the US gaming industry, remain stable.

Barry Jonas at Truist Securities said Friday that the latest Las Vegas Strip room survey “is mostly stable/positive from prior weeks.”

We still have not (yet) seen any more signs of deceleration amidst an uncertain macro,” Jonas wrote. “That said, Q2 remains more mixed than Q1, with April up year-over-year and May slightly down and June looking soft.”

The Truist weekly room survey covers only the Las Vegas Strip. The financial services firm monitors 28 casino hotels across the Strip and tracks leisure rates exclusive of comps and group bookings.