Catherine Marie Cortez Masto (born March 29, 1964) is an American lawyer and politician serving as the senior United States senator from Nevada, a seat she has held since 2017.

[3] Her father, an attorney, was the longtime head of the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority and served as a member of the Clark County Commission.

[5] In November 2003, Cortez Masto was named executive vice chancellor of the Nevada System of Higher Education.

Krolicki faced felony charges related to allegations that he mishandled the Nevada College Savings Trust Fund when he was state treasurer.

During the investigation, the Las Vegas Review-Journal discovered that Cortez Masto's husband, Paul, planned to host a fundraising party for Robert S. Randazzo, a Democratic candidate for lieutenant governor, four days before the attorney general's office was scheduled to prosecute Krolicki.

[19] In 2010, Cortez Masto's office began investigating Bank of America, accusing the company of raising interest rates on troubled borrowers.

Her office sought to end Nevada's participation in a loan modification settlement in order to sue the bank over deceptive marketing and lending practices.

[2][31] Cortez Masto was participating in the certification of the 2021 United States Electoral College vote count when Trump supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol.

[37] Cortez Masto recognizes the existence of human-caused climate change and believes that the federal government should limit power plants' greenhouse gas emissions.

[38] She supports the growth of green jobs and increasing Nevada's reliance on solar power and other forms of clean energy.

[39] Cortez Masto was a member of the Senate Democrats' Special Committee on the Climate Crisis, which published a report of its findings in August 2020.

[41][42][43] In October 2017, Cortez Masto condemned the genocide of the Rohingya Muslim minority in Myanmar and called for a stronger response to the crisis.

[44] In April 2019, Cortez Masto was one of 34 senators to sign a letter criticizing Donald Trump for cutting off foreign assistance to El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras.

[51] In April 2018, Cortez Masto was one of five senators to send a letter to acting director of ICE Thomas Homan about the standards the agency uses to determine how to detain pregnant women.

[52] In June 2019, following the Housing and Urban Development Department's confirmation that DACA recipients did not meet eligibility for federal backed loans, Cortez Masto and 11 other senators introduced the Home Ownership Dreamers Act, legislation that mandated that the federal government was not authorized to deny mortgage loans backed by the Federal Housing Administration, Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, or the Agriculture Department solely due to applicants' immigration status.

[38] In July 2024, Cortez Masto began working with a committee to plan to sponsor legislation granting Puerto Rico a self-determination referendum with federal repeal.