A few weeks ago, Congressman Steven Horsford representing Nevada District 4 visited some of the rural parts of his district, meeting with community leaders, local elected officials, and his constituents. The areas he visited included Tonopah, Schurz, and Hawthorne.

Horsford first stopped in Schurz, where he met with the Tribal Council Leaders of the Walker River Paiute Tribe. Led by Chairperson Amber Torres, they talked about issues ranging from healthcare to broadband access, as well as land usage and federal tribal program. One of the main concerns raised was regarding infrastructure and needing better resources (like water and power) for economic growth.

Courtesy photo – District 4 congressman Steven Horsford made a stop in Hawthorne recently and visited with officials at the Army Depot.

“Local businesses have been stifled by lack of resources, but thankfully it was just announced today [Tuesday, September 13th] that the federal Economic Development Administration is awarding the Walker River Tribe a $5.2 million grant to improve the local water system infrastructure,” said Horsford media representative Miguel Ayala.

The grant is funded through the American Rescue Plan’s Indigenous Communities program and will support the replacement and expansion of four water mains as well as the installation of 45 fire hydrants and resolving water system capacity constraints that limit commercial development. This EDA investment will be matched with $156,674 in local funds and is expected to create or retain 25 jobs.

“I was proud to vote for the American Rescue Plan because of the local investments like these for our local and tribal communities. This investment will allow for the commercial growth necessary for the Walker River Paiute Tribe to thrive,” said Congressman Horsford.

Courtesy photo – Horsford talked with local high school students at the High Desert Arts & Culture Center during his stop.

Horsford then went to the Hawthorne Army Depot, where he received updates and concerns regarding the recent transition of the new contractor that oversees the operations at the largest ammunitions depot in the United States. The status of the now-shuttered Walker Lake Golf Course got brought up, which provided recreation and job training to local students and others in the community.

As a member of the Armed Services Committee, Horsford helped to advocate the needs of the depot and the other military installations in his district and is committed to restoring operations at the golf course to full capacity.

“They are continuing conversations and moving quickly on it, and Congressman Horsford talked to the Army Corps [of Engineers] immediately after that meeting,” Ayala added.

After visiting the army depot, Horsford talked with local high school students at the High Desert Arts & Culture Center. There were 40-50 people in attendance, and he took questions directly from students in a town hall format and talked about his involvement with programs such as the Congressional Art Competition, the military service academies, and the Congressional App Challenge. The state of the golf course was a concern amongst the students as well, who were looking forward to having a golf team this year.

“Congressman Horsford knows that it [the golf course] is important to the community,” Ayala says. He added that it was a young, energetic group at High Desert, who asked great questions regarding policy, funding for the community, and inquired about how state-represented national debates were going.

“He walked away from it saying that it was probably the best town hall meeting he’s ever been to,” says Ayala.

He also met with the staff at Community Chest, the Hawthorne organization that provides counseling, employment assistance, youth enrichment, and family advocacy for Mineral County residents before ending his tour in Tonopah.

“I have one of the most diverse districts, both in terms of people and in geography. As one of the largest districts covering 52,000 square miles, there is a lot of area to cover to make sure I am connecting to all of my constituents, and I was pleased to have the opportunity to once again visit these communities,” said Congressman Horsford. “These frontier communities have very specific needs and concerns, and my goal is to make sure our federal resources are delivering to all corners of my district.”

For more information about Congressman Steven Horsford and the issues that are important to him, visit https://horsford.house.gov/.