As your U.S. senator, it’s been my top priority to bring Montana commonsense to Congress, and in spite of the partisan politics that exist in Washington D.C., I’ve been working across the aisle this past year to get results for Montanans.
We recently secured the largest pay raise in nearly a decade for our troops, strengthened our southern border to protect our communities from illegal drugs, empowered law enforcement to combat Montana’s growing meth crisis, protected the mission at Malmstrom, and finally federally recognized the Little Shell tribe.
We led the fight for our Blue Water Veterans and saw my legislation signed into law that delivers treatment and benefits to Vietnam Vets harmed by Agent Orange during the Vietnam War. I also worked to ensure we cut red tape that was stopping our veterans from receiving proper recognition.
We protected our public lands when we permanently reauthorized the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF). As a fifth-generation Montanan and an avid outdoorsman, I was honored to secure this historic victory for this program.
President Trump signed into law my bipartisan Fairness for Breastfeeding Mothers Act, ensuring that nursing moms in Montana are able to do so in safe and clean facilities.
We kept the Anaconda Job Corps training center open when closure threatened the livelihoods of those talented students and the staff who have dedicated their lives to our next generation.
We’ve confirmed over 180 judges appointed by President Trump – a historic record. In fact, one in four circuit judges that sit on the bench today were appointed by President Trump. These are lifetime appointments, shaping our courts and protecting our Montana way of life for generations to come.
We secured a critical trade deal with Japan, and will soon take final steps on a deal between the U.S., Mexico, and Canada and another one with China. This will help level the playing field, expand market access, and allow our farmers and ranchers to compete fairly on the global stage.
We have a booming economy – numbers we’ve never seen before. Unemployment is at an all-time low, wages are higher for hardworking Montanans, and more money is in the pockets of Montana families.
This was all achieved by putting Montana first — and that’s why I was humbled to be named the most bipartisan and effective member of my U.S. Senate class.
But, there’s still much more work to do. We must stand firm against Big Pharma and lower the cost of prescription drugs for Montana seniors. We need to provide full, mandatory funding for LWCF. We must pass our bill to protect veterans from scam artists. We need to allow Montanans to use their college savings programs for apprenticeships. We need to pass my bipartisan legislation to protect Montanans from the dangers of catastrophic wildfires and stop these fringe, extreme environmental groups who are preventing us from managing our forests.
We cannot give up on the fight to restore fiscal responsibility to our nation. I won’t back down until the first bill I ever introduced, the Balanced Budget Accountability Act, is signed into law. If Congress can’t pass a balanced budget, they shouldn’t be paid. Plain and simple.
As we celebrate the beginning of a new year, I look forward to continuing to bring our Montana values to Washington – a place where those values are desperately needed. It’s an honor to serve you in the United States Senate, and I look forward to continuing to work for you and to deliver more results that better the lives of all Montanans.
Washington, D.C. would be a much better place if it looked a little more like Montana.