The “Great American Outdoors Act" provides full, mandatory funding of the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) and addresses the maintenance backlog facing national parks and public lands.
I met with President Trump in February of 2019 to highlight the importance of these conservation priorities for Montana. During the meeting, President Trump agreed to support and sign this historic conservation bill into law if we could get a bill through Congress. This major bipartisan victory is the result of years of hard work and I am grateful to have gotten this done for Montana.
The USPS is critical to Montanans, especially our seniors, veterans, and rural communities across the Treasure State. The postal service supports Montana jobs and provides critical access to supplies like life-saving prescription drugs and medicines for Montanans.
After passing the largest tax cuts in our nation’s history, our economy is booming. The unemployment rate in the United States is at an all time low, and small businesses across Montana and the country are seeing their businesses grow like never before. With this economic growth, Montanans are landing good-paying jobs that allow them to provide a better life and future for their families for generations to come.
While much progress has been made, there is still much left to accomplish. I will continue to work to reduce regulation on our small businesses and entrepreneurs, and tackling our nation’s escalating debt crisis. I will also continue support efforts to increase production of American-made energy and natural resources in Montana and throughout our country. Further, I believe Congress should repeal Obamacare and all of its job-crushing tax and regulatory burdens. With these actions, Congress would lay a foundation where Americans can continue to create and find good-paying jobs.
Agriculture is Montana’s top industry, and the hard work of our farmers and ranchers puts food on the table for families across the country and the world. Protecting and promoting Montana agriculture is one of my top priorities in Congress.
On the Senate Agriculture Committee, I worked hard to pass the 2018 Farm Bill for our farmers and ranchers. It includes Montana agriculture priorities such as protecting crop insurance, expanding broadband access in rural Montana, securing funds for land grant universities, and supporting important conservation programs such as EQIP and CSP. The 2018 Farm Bill was signed into law by President Trump on December 20, 2018.
In tough times, Montana families and businesses understand what it is like to live within their means. Washington’s culture of reckless spending and excessive borrowing is leading us down a dangerous path leaving our future generations with mountains of debt. The first bill I introduced as a member of the House and Senate, was the Balanced Budget Accountability Act. It ensures that Congress balances a budget, or members of Congress don’t get paid. It’s that simple: No balanced budget, No paycheck.
The sustainable path to fiscal health won’t happen overnight, Congress needs to balance the budget. As a businessman, I will always work to bring commonsense to Washington, DC.
When I took the oath of office as a member of the United States Senate, I swore to “support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic.” It is unquestionably my highest duty and responsibility. Unfortunately, Congress has too often exceeded the limited powers granted to it in Article I of the Constitution. Our Presidents have sometimes overreached their power as well. I will work to restore limited government whereby the Legislative, Executive, and Judiciary Branches operate within their constitutional boundaries. This effort starts by limiting the growth of government spending and providing oversight to agencies that expand beyond their congressionally prescribed missions.
As a fifth-generation Montanan, I know the importance our state’s natural resources to our way of life. Natural Resources are an engine to our economy and to job creation. Our pristine glacial peaks and rivers, vibrant forests, wide-open spaces, and rich mineral and energy deposits earn beautiful Montana its name—the Treasure State.
As a member of the Energy and Natural Resources Committee, I will continue to work to preserve Montana’s way of life by encouraging responsible environmental stewardship as we continue to develop our natural resources.
In addition, I support an all-of-the-above approach to securing not just American energy independence, but American energy dominance. That includes alternative sources of energy—hydropower, wind, biomass, and solar—along with coal, oil, and natural gas. Montana will continue to lead the way through promoting exploration and sustained development of the Bakken oil shale, continuing to lead in domestic coal production, and expanding our renewable energy production. Montana is setting an example of how domestic energy development can be done in a responsible manner to reduce our dependence on foreign energy while sustaining our resources for generations to come.
In Montana, our public lands are a way of life. As your United States Senator, I will continue to fight for expanded access to our public lands. This includes permanent reauthorization of the Land and Water Conservation Fund and the proper management of our forests to reduce the risk of catastrophic wildfires.
Access to Montana’s many public lands must be properly managed in a collaborative effort. This includes by private citizens, Native American tribes, and federal and state governments. It is imperative that the federal government be good neighbors with private landowners, and I will fervently work to protect private property rights against improper government encroachment. Simply stated, I will fight to sustain our way of life in Montana for future generations.
I support full repeal of Obamacare. This law imposes a heavy tax and regulatory burden on American families and small businesses. It has already caused millions of Americans to lose the health care plans they liked and doctors that they trusted. It has also led to higher health costs and higher premiums, and drastically increased federal spending by subsidizing health coverage for millions of Americans. I believe Obamacare’s government-centered approach represents the wrong solution for the health care challenges in our country.
While Obamacare is not the solution, I certainly recognize that our health care system has major problems. First and foremost, I believe doctors and patients, not insurance companies or the government, should be in charge of health care decisions. Next, I believe we must always protect those with preexisting conditions. I believe Congress should provide people with greater freedom in shopping for health insurance, make the costs of medical care more transparent, and reward innovation in the delivery of health services. I will also back commonsense medical liability reform, because doctors currently must practice high-cost “defensive medicine” to protect themselves against unwarranted lawsuits.
I am committed to ensuring that the federal government effectively protects Americans from terrorism, drug trafficking, cyber attacks, and other crime, while safeguarding our liberties and privacy. In Montana, our communities are being torn apart Mexican meth that is flowing in through our Southern border. This is an issue folks all over our state are dealing with, and it must stop.
Securing our southern border is a matter of national security. The increase in illegal immigration, drug trafficking, and human smuggling is unacceptable. I will support whatever is necessary to secure our borders – including by building a border wall.
As a fifth generation Montanan, I know the values of faith, freedom and respect for life run deep throughout our state. I will fight to protect our Second Amendment rights and to repeal any other government infringement on our freedoms. While respecting those with differing views, I will also work passionately to promote a culture of life from conception to natural death and encourage healthy and stable families. The federal government should protect these fundamental rights and values.
I am firmly committed to protecting the right to bear arms for law-abiding individuals in Montana and across our country. I will work to ensure that Congress protects the constitutional rights of the thousands of Montanans who safely and lawfully possess or use a firearm.
As a member of the Indian Affairs Committee, I’m working to promote economic growth in Indian Country and promote the sovereignty and self-determination of our tribes. Montana is home to seven federally recognized Indian reservations and the state recognized Little Shell Tribe, each of which holds a special role in the formation and character of our great state.
Unfortunately, some Native Americans continue to struggle economically and find it difficult to access quality health care and education. Native tribes also continue to face challenges in addressing violent crime on their reservations. I will continue working to expand economic opportunities for tribes and all Montanans through the responsible development of our natural resources and empowering our tribes to fulfill tribal needs.
Across Montana’s 56 counties, our state’s roads, bridges, railways, pipelines, waterways and runways are vital to the prosperity of local communities. Our state’s transportation system promotes economic growth and secures our quality and way of life in Montana, but especially across our rural communities. As Chair of the Senate Western Caucus, I’ve pushed hard for strong and secure infrastructure across our state and I will continue to do so to drive economic growth.
I strongly believe Social Security and Medicare provide critical support to seniors and people with disabilities. Tens of millions of Americans rely heavily on these programs for income and access to affordable health care. Unfortunately, major changes in demographics and rising health costs have placed these programs on an unsustainable path. We must make smart decisions to secure the guarantee of Social Security and Medicare for both the current generation and our children and grandchildren. I believe we can and must do this without hurting today’s beneficiaries.
Montana has a rich legacy of service, and I'm proud to represent our state's veterans in Congress. I’m dedicated to ensuring that our veterans receive the care and benefits that they fought for and greatly deserve.
As the son of a United States Marine, I believe the United States must honor the commitment we’ve made to the men and women of the armed forces, active duty troops and older veterans alike. While we can never repay the debt we owe to those who fight for our freedoms, we must ensure that we uphold the promises we’ve made. I’m dedicated to opening up new employment prospects for returning service members, improving medical care for wounded warriors, and ensuring support for veterans in need of assistance.
Increasing education opportunities in Montana isn’t going to happen through another federal mandate or a one-size-fits-all regulation. We need to empower our state, our local school boards, our teachers and parents to work together to develop solutions that best fit our kids’ unique needs.
As we work to grow Montana’s technology and resources jobs, we cannot underestimate the importance of encouraging our students’ interests in science, math, engineering and technology or of trade schools. In Montana, students are often forced to leave our state to find good-paying and long-lasting careers. We need to ensure that our students have the skills they need to find good-paying jobs that can keep them here at home after graduation.
The ever-changing growth of technology continues to enhance how we communicate with one another and we must ensure that Americans’ are protected each and every step of the way. At the same time, we must stand united against Washington, D.C.’s attempts to tax the Internet, limit innovation, and put more senseless regulations on Montana-based small businesses.
The Internet is a laboratory of innovation for Montana small businesses – yet Washington, D.C. wants to tie our entrepreneurs’ hands by forcing them to collect internet sales taxes for 9600 different tax jurisdictions, rather than focusing their time and energy on growing their business and creating jobs.
Technology has removed geography as a constraint and has allowed us to grow more good-paying jobs that allow Montanans to stay in the state we love. Yet we must not forget about our rural and underserved communities in Montana. While we continue to innovate, we must work to ensure that all Montanans have access to that technology, by increasing their access to rural broadband.
We must support the brave Americans stationed abroad who work tirelessly to keep our nation and world safe. We must also maintain a strong partnership with our greatest ally in the Middle East, Israel. As your Senator, I have had the opportunity to visit with foreign leaders in Israel, Jordan, Iraq, Kuwait and Afghanistan, and witnessed firsthand the turmoil in the Middle East. Hearing directly from the leaders of these nations reaffirms the importance of our relationship with Israel and having a coherent strategy in the region.
On a daily basis, we are reminded of the growing threat of a nuclear Iran or North Korea. We see the threats of radical Islamic terrorism with ISIS in Iraq and Syria, Boko Haram in Nigeria and the Houthis in Yemen. The United States must remain vigilant and work closely with our overseas allies to promote global security and eliminate these threats.
It is also critical to recognize that the time has passed where America can be complacent as it relates to its policies towards China. China poses a very real threat to our national security, whether it’s their military investments, economic development via forced technology transfers, outright theft or China’s rapidly developing and innovative tech sector. The United States needs a long-term plan to compete and deal with China’s rising economic and geopolitical influence.
Montana’s rich natural resources not only help power our country, but also contributes to and bolsters our national security. Many of the regions filled with turmoil also supply much of the world’s oil and natural gas. Our energy security isn’t just about jobs and low energy prices-- it’s directly tied to our national security.
As a lifelong sportsman, I am committed to protecting the right to bear arms for law-abiding individuals in Montana and across our country. I strongly oppose any efforts from Washington to restrict our Second Amendment rights and our way of life in Montana, and I will work to ensure that Congress protects the Constitutional rights of the thousands of Montanans who safely and lawfully possess or use a firearm.
I believe private-sale background checks, banning modern sporting rifles, semi-automatic pistols, semi-automatic shotguns, high capacity magazines, and other attachments, among other proposals, would not change the underlying problems behind violent crimes. I believe we need to strictly enforce current laws forbidding potentially dangerous persons from possessing a firearm, but I will continue to stand firmly against any proposal that undermines Montanans' Second Amendment rights.
Since taking the oath of office, I’ve work tirelessly to ensure that veterans and military families receive the services and benefits that they deserve. The best way to serve our veteran and military communities is to hire those who have been in their shoes. I’ve hired several Montana veterans to serve our state’s veterans, service members and military families.
The men and women of Malmstrom and Montana’s reserve components perform vital missions and are a core part of Montana’s communities. I’ve been fighting to defend Montana’s mission at Malmstrom Air Force Base, which is critical to our national security. I’ve also been fighting to protect and ensure the modernization
of Montana Air National Guard’s C-130 fleet.
Recently, I had the privilege of visiting Montana National Guard troops deployed in Kabul, Afghanistan. I met with soldiers from Montana’s 495th CSSB from Kalispell, and spent time visiting with the dedicated men and women who are defending our country.
Montana’s veterans and service members are the greatest examples of why America is the greatest country on earth and why our freedoms and liberties are worth defending. The Montana military community is a strong and powerful family and together we will preserve that tradition for generations to come.
I will always fight for the unborn's right to life.