U.S. SENATE — Following several pushes from U.S. Senator Steve Daines, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) announced that they will maintain the current Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) standards that allow Bozeman, Missoula and Great Falls to receive greater federal funding.
“I’m glad to see the Biden administration listen to my request and rollback the proposal to change city size designations that would have robbed Bozeman, Missoula and Great Falls of critical resources. This is great news for our Montana communities,” Daines stated.
Daines has been leading the push to protect the city size designations for Montana cities since OMB announced their plan to change the definition of an MSA to be an area with 100,000 people, which would cause Missoula and Great Falls to be downgraded from “metropolitan” to “micropolitan.” This would mean these towns stand to lose critical federal funding.
In June, Daines raised this issue at a hearing with Bozeman Mayor Cyndy Andrus. Watch and download the exchange HERE.
In March, Daines urged the Administration to rethink this proposal and consider the implications for Montana communities. He also joined a group of 24 bipartisan senators that opposed the changes.
Daines also cosponsored the “Metropolitan Statistical Area Stabilization Act” that would have stopped the proposed rule change.
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Contact: Katherine McKeogh, Katie Schoettler