July 23, 2009

Washington, D.C.—Nevada Senator Harry Reid today released the following statement regarding memos written during the Bush Administration that call for a discriminatory travel policy toward Las Vegas, Reno, Lake Tahoe and similar destinations across the United States.

 “Nevada is home to the world’s finest business and tourism destinations, offering some of the lowest room rates and the most extensive conference space in the country,” Reid said.  “The restrictions initiated by the Bush Administration are damaging to places like Las Vegas and Reno and I applaud President Obama’s decision to reverse this policy.”

 In memos written as early as 2006 to the Departments of Justice and Agriculture, the Bush administration required special approval for federal travel and meetings in “locations known for gambling” and “resort locations” demonstrating a clear bias against Las Vegas, Reno, and Lake Tahoe. Please use the following links to view memos to the Department of Justice:

·        http://www.usdoj.gov/jmd/pe/pdfs/pgd08-07.pdf

·        http://www.usdoj.gov/jmd/pe/pdfs/pgd06-05.pdf

 In a letter to the White House Chief of Staff, Rahm Emanuel, Reid defended Nevada’s cities and called for this policy to be put to an end. In his reply, Emanuel made it clear that there is no room for this policy to continue in President Barack Obama’s administration. Please use the following link to read Rahm Emanuel’s letter to Sen. Reid:

·        http://media.lasvegassun.com/media/pdfs/blogs/documents/2009/07/16/rahmtoharry.pdf