Senator Catherine Cortez Masto leads effort recognizing Hispanic Heritage Month

The Senate passed a bipartisan resolution celebrating Latino cultural and economic contributions, uplifting the 68 million Hispanics in the US, who make up the nation’s largest ethnic minority group.

In an effort to highlight Latinos’ contributions to the US economy and culture during a time when many families feel targeted by anti-immigration and deportation measures from the Trump administration, Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nevada) helped introduce and pass a bipartisan resolution recognizing Hispanic Heritage Month. 

Hispanic Heritage Month is celebrated from Sept. 15 through Oct. 15 every year. It began as a week-long celebration in 1968 under President Lyndon Johnson and was expanded to a month by President Ronald Reagan in 1988. During the month-long celebration, several festivals and community events sprouted in Las Vegas and Reno. About 30% of the state’s population is Hispanic or Latino. 

“I am so proud of all that my community has accomplished, and I know that our heritage is something to be proud of,” said Cortez Masto. “Latinos have shaped the American story since its inception. I will always honor the stories of those who came before me and stand up for the future generations of groundbreaking Latinos.” 

Latinos are also a major economic force in the US—both as consumers and entrepreneurs—accounting for $1.6 trillion in GDP in 2023, according to a new report by the Latino Donor Collaborative, and contributing to the overall $4.1 trillion purchasing power for US Latinos. But since President Donald Trump took office, his tariffs and mass deportation efforts have caused fear and economic hardships among Nevada’s Latino and immigrant communities.

“My grandfather was part of that economic contribution. He was a baker from Chihuahua, Mexico who came to America to work hard and build a better life for our family … That’s the kind of opportunity that makes America special,” Cortez Masto said in a video statement. 

“Unfortunately, this administration’s indiscriminate targeting of the Hispanic community is preventing young Latinos from seizing the same opportunities my grandfather and l did,” Cortez Masto continued. “The United States Supreme Court just decided that members of the Latino community can be targeted merely for the language that they are speaking or the color of their skin.”

But for Leo Murrieta, the executive director for Make the Road Action Nevada, the passage of the resolution recognizing Hispanic Heritage Month isn’t enough. It “does nothing to improve the quality of life for our gente across the country,” he said. 

“While working families are struggling to pay for groceries, cover our parents’ rising healthcare costs, and our neighbors are being disappeared off the streets by people in masks, this so-called recognition means nothing,” Murrieta said in a statement to The Nevadan. 

“This resolution doesn’t make us safer, it doesn’t put more money in the pockets of the people struggling to get by, and it doesn’t bring dignity or justice to the countless people doing everything they can to keep their heads above water right now,” Murrieta continued. “The Senator should go back to the drawing board and come back when she’s ready to fight for us.” 

Murrieta specifically urged Cortez-Masto to fight for legislation that holds corporations accountable for taking “government handouts” while increasing prices on customers who “work their hands to the bone,” but still can’t pay their bills. 

In the resolution passage announcement, Cortez Masto, who was the first Latina to be elected to the Senate in 2016, highlighted her stances, including defending and expanding TPS and DACA recipients and condemning the Trump Education Department’s decision to defund the Hispanic-Serving Institution grants, which give young Latinos in Nevada more opportunities to succeed. A spokesman for Cortez Masto added that the senator has also “[championed] legislation to cut taxes for working Nevadans and passing a bill to cut prescription drug costs—the Senator is always working to stand up for Latino families in Nevada.” 

“Now, I know these times are challenging. But there are ways that we can fight and work together for our community. We have to work together and make our voices heard,” Cortez Masto said. “This Hispanic Heritage Month, I am honoring the accomplishments of trailblazers before me and committed to stand up for those who will come after me.”

The resolution, which has 37 cosponsors, including Sen. Rick Scott (R-Florida), notes that the Census estimates 68 million Hispanics live across the 50 states and Puerto Rico, meaning it’s the largest ethnic minority group in the US with about one in five people identifying as Hispanic or Latino. The Senate has passed similar resolutions in the past. 

Updated on Oct. 1, 2025 at 5:20 p.m. to include additional comment from the senator’s office.