opinion

President Trump has Nevada's back once again | Laxalt

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This opinion column was submitted by Adam Laxalt, former Nevada attorney general and chairman of President Trump's re-election campaign in Nevada.

Nevadans have never shied away from our country’s biggest challenges. Whether it’s the 9/11 terrorist attacks, the Great Recession, or the worst mass shooting in our country’s history right here in our own state, we have always met America’s greatest threats, and come out stronger on the other side.

Now we are facing an unprecedented pandemic. Our gaming industry has shuttered its doors, and we are being asked to remain at home to limit the spread of COVID-19.

While many feel uncertainty, I cannot stress enough how fortunate we are that the Trump administration has proven time and again it will always have the Silver State’s back.

More: Trump signs $2 trillion coronavirus stimulus intended to halt economic meltdown

In the aftermath of the 1 October shooting on the Las Vegas Strip, President Trump delivered for Nevada and helped us successfully navigate that unprecedented time in our state’s history. As Nevada’s attorney general at the time, I remember the president flying in shortly after the shooting. I still have vivid memories of meeting him at Air Force One and touring a local hospital, where the president spent time with individual patients and medical staff. We visited the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, where President Trump helped boost the morale of our local law enforcement.

The administration gave us everything we asked for and needed, making sure victims and their families received crucial aid.

President Trump was there for us during that crisis, and he is here for us again.

This past week we saw the passage of the largest relief package in our country’s history. This comprehensive legislation helps local governments respond to this crisis, gives our hospitals the equipment and resources they need to keep fighting the pandemic, provides loans to our small business community, provides student-loan borrowers six months of relief, and puts money directly into the pockets of Americans.

More: Coronavirus stimulus package: Who will get $1,200 checks and when will they be sent out?

This relief package is just the latest step President Trump’s administration has taken to protect our country, with Nevada on track to receive $1.25 billion in aid from this bill in addition to the $6.5 million we were allocated just weeks ago.

Trump has extended Tax Day to July 15; expanded telehealth, which is critical for rural Nevada; and harnessed the power of public-private partnerships by working with companies such as Facebook and Google to help with the response to COVID-19.

The president’s response has been aggressive and bold. His administration’s top priority is the health and safety of the American people, and he’s been working to save lives since January when he created a task force to lead the response and instituted a travel ban, and the CDC created an incident management system to provide guidance for health care professionals in evaluating patients.

The federal government is doing its part to protect Nevadans, and we must do our part as well. I join the president in urging all of our citizens to act with the prudence and sense of responsibility that will help protect our public health.

And be sure to thank nurses, first responders, and those working at our supermarkets. Once again, they are putting their lives at risk to protect ours in the midst of a major crisis.

Nevadans are resilient, and working alongside the White House, we will roar back once we defeat this invisible enemy.

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