FIRST ON FOX: Gov. Joe Lombardos campaign estimates that Democratic rival Aaron Fords policy agenda would generate $18.1 billion in government and private-sector costs â burdening residents over four years â including nearly $8 billion in projected Nevada state spending â calculations Fords campaign sharply disputes.
The Lombardo campaign report assigns estimated costs to 76 Ford proposals, combining projected Nevada spending with costs it says would be borne by businesses and the federal government that ultimately fall to the taxpayers and the public. Fords campaign argues the analysis invents implementation plans Ford never proposed and misclassifies some federal and private costs as consequences of his platform.
The analysis projects $7.93 billion in direct state spending over a four-year term. Lombardos campaign argues Nevada could not absorb spending on that scale without higher taxes, new fees or cuts elsewhere, while Fords campaign says many of the projected expenses would not require new state appropriations.
In a statement to Fox News Digital, University of Nevada, Reno professor Mark Pingle backed the report’s findings, saying, “Based on a review of Aaron Ford’s policy proposals, an estimated cost of $18 billion is a reasonable assessment.”
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“The bottom line is simple: these proposals would require a record-breaking increase in spending. Before moving forward with a plan this expensive, Nevadans deserve clear answers about how it would be paid for, who would bear the cost, and what it would mean for the state’s long-term financial stability. Regardless of political party, $18 billion in new spending deserves careful review and an explanation of how it would be paid for.”
Because Nevada has no personal income tax, significant new recurring state spending would likely require additional revenue from other taxes or fees, reductions in other spending, or some combination of the two.
Ford’s healthcare agenda, according to the report, carries the largest price tag at an estimated $4.25 billion for proposals addressing medical debt and predatory healthcare practices, including $3.5 billion for a proposal to cancel medical debt.
The report estimates an extra $1.76 billion would be needed to expand healthcare affordability and access through Medicaid protections, workforce expansion and preventive care.
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Ford’s K-12 education plan is estimated to cost $3.68 billion alone, including raising Nevada’s per-pupil funding to the national average, expanding pre-K, providing universal school meals, and increasing pay for teachers and support staff, the report projects.
The report estimates households would receive $17.88 billion in savings and other benefits while businesses, the state and the federal government would bear nearly the same amount in costs.
Overall, according to the report, Ford’s platform would cost roughly $4.9 billion for education, $4.8 billion for housing, more than $6 billion for healthcare, about $1.5 billion for energy and nearly $900 million for economic development.
In a statement to Fox News Digital, Ford campaign spokesperson Prerna Jagadeesh said, “General Ford wont be lectured by a governor who proposed a budget with a $335 million unconstitutional deficit and twice broke
