Rosen Announces Nevada Small Business Owner, Nurse Practitioner as State of the Union Guest

This Comes After Congressional Inaction To Extend Affordable Care Act Tax Credits And Keep Health Care Premiums Affordable

WASHINGTON, DC - Today, U.S. Senator Jacky Rosen (D-NV) announced that Vania Carter-Strauss, a small business owner, Nurse Practitioner, and faculty member at the University of Nevada, Reno's Orvis School of Nursing, will be her guest at this year's State of the Union address. As an entrepreneur, Vania has experienced firsthand the harm and uncertainty caused by cost-raising tariffs. As a nurse, she has also seen firsthand the devastating impacts of the expiration of the Affordable Care Act's enhanced tax credits and the cuts to Medicaid.

Nevada is consistently among the states with the highest percentage of people who do not have health insurance coverage. Last year, nearly 95,000 people in the state received the enhanced ACA tax credits, averaging $465 in savings per month. Nevada is also home to more than 350,000 small businesses, and Trump's illegal tariffs have caused import costs to triple, forcing many of these businesses to cut jobs or close their doors.

"Vania has dedicated her career to helping others and training the next generation of nurses. She has seen up close how Nevadans have been negatively affected by cuts to Medicaid, Congressional refusal to extend the Affordable Care Act tax credits, and complete inaction on lowering health care costs," said Senator Rosen. "As an entrepreneur, Vania has also been impacted - like so many other small business owners in Nevada - by tariffs that have raised costs for hardworking families. I'm so grateful to be joined by Vania at the State of the Union to highlight the real impact of these cruel policies, and I will continue to speak out against any actions that raise costs for hardworking Nevadans."

"I am the daughter of sacrifice and the beneficiary of public education. I am also a mother of two young children who are watching what leadership looks like," said Vania Carter-Strauss. "Sitting in the House chamber during the State of the Union is not about politics for me-it is about patients who need access to care, students who are working toward opportunity, and small businesses trying to stay afloat in uncertain economic times. Nevada belongs in those rooms. Our families and our communities deserve to be part of those conversations."

Senator Rosen has repeatedly fought to lower costs for Nevadans across the board. She voted repeatedly to extend the ACA enhanced premium tax credits and worked tirelessly to find a bipartisan path forward to keep health insurance affordable. Last year, Senator Rosen helped introduce the Health Care Affordability Act to make the ACA's enhanced premium tax credits permanent. Senator Rosen has also voted to overturn cost raising tariffs on Canada and Brazil, and helped introduce the Tariff Transparency Act, which would require the U.S. International Trade Commission to study and publicly report on the economic effects of tariffs on Canada and Mexico- key trading partners for Nevada industries.

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