Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid. D-Nev., talked about economic and other issues specific to Nevada during a telephone press conference with the Ely Times and other Nevada newspapers Dec. 17.

Reid spoke of a letter he sent to Peter Orszag, director designee of the Office of Management and Budget, about the development of a new economic recovery package and how it might affect Nevadans.

“Nevada has been hit harder than a lot of other states as a result of the downturn in the economy,” Reid said. “While the unemployment and foreclosure rates continue to rise, more of Nevada's working families and businesses are looking to their elected leaders for help. The letter to OMB Director Designee Orszag is just the first step in answering that call and delivering much needed economic relief to Nevada.”

He outlined four key areas of importance to Nevada that he would like to see included in the Obama Administration's economic recovery package.

They are new jobs, assistance for homeowners facing foreclosure, preservation of state services and tax relief which could include an extension of the child credit.

Reid called for job creation and making Nevada the leader in clean energy.

“Nevada has been hit harder than any other states in many respects. Our unemployment rate is very, very high, higher than the national average.

The foreclosure rate is skyrocketing,” he said, adding that fewer people are traveling to Nevada destinations, hurting the state's tourism.

Reid used the word “moratorium” in reference to foreclosures and said, “we need to stem foreclosures.”

Reid praised President-elect Barack Obama's selection of Sen. Ken Salazar, D-Colo., to be his nominee for Secretary of Interior and former Iowa Democratic Gov. Tom Vilsack to be Secretary of Agriculture.

“With almost 90 percent of its land managed by federal agencies, Nevada feels the impact of nearly every decision made by the Department of Interior. I look forward to working closely with Senator Salazar in his new role.” Reid said.

The Senate Majority Leader called Salazar a star, citing potential mining reform and the Colorado senator being an expert on renewable energy and Western water rights issues. “For the Western United States this is as good as it gets,” Reid said.

“He was assured of being reelected in Colorado, at least I believe,” he said.

“I just can't express how fortunate the western part of the United States is today with Salazar being the new secretary,” Reid said.

He praised the choice of Vilsack as Secretary of Agriculture because of his respect for farming and ranching.

Reid said during the conference call with Nevada reporters that he was preparing to meet with Obama later that day (Dec. 17)

“We're going to move as quickly as we can to confirm the cabinet officers,” he said.

“We have a huge lands bill that is extremely important to Nevada,” Reid said.

On an economic stimulus bill that the Obama Administration is expected to present to Congress soon after the inauguration, Reid called for help for homeowners facing foreclosure, tax cuts for working families, extending the child tax credit, relief from the marriage penalty and aid to Nevada and other financially stressed states.

“We would hope that in the first 10 days to two weeks that he is in office that we can pass the stimulus plan,” he said.

Reid commented about the alleged investment fraud by Wall Street financier Bernard Madoff, that some have called a “Ponzi scheme,” which pays high returns to investors out of the money paid by subsequent investors.

“I'm not one for over regulation but I'm for modest regulation,” Reid said.

“I believe that our regulators have been asleep a the wheel. I'm extremely concerned,” he said.

Reid called it systematic with what has gone wrong with the nation in recent years.

Referring to Securities and Exchange Commission Chairman Christopher Cox, who is a Republican and a Bush Administration appointee, Reid said, “I am not going to get into telling Obama who he should hire or fire.”

“We have to have regulation. We have to force people to do the right things sometimes,” he said.