This Debate is Like a Homecoming for Me

I’m excited to announce that for the first time ever, there will be two House debates east of Billings. My opponent has accepted a series of four debates in Billings, Great Falls, Frazer and hopefully Crow Country. This schedule features two east of Billings and on reservations. This will truly be a historic season.

To me, the Frazer debate will be like a homecoming. I grew up in Whitefish, but I have deep family roots in eastern Montana. I know that the rural communities in the east are just as important as Billings, Great Falls, and other urban areas in the west. Making sure Montanans from all walks of life are able to participate in this election is a top priority.

My grandmother had a profound impact on me growing up. She was a one-room schoolhouse teacher in Richey for many years and my grandad helped build the Fort Peck dam. My grandparents set an example that instilled in me the value of hard work, honesty, the value of a dollar, and dedication to faith, family and country. These are the same values that thrive across eastern Montana today.

I also have been given the honor of becoming an adopted member of the Fort Peck tribes. Last October the family of Michael Bell, a young U.S. Navy SEAL whom I mentored before his death, adopted me into the Tribes and bestowed upon me a traditional name and name song. It was one of the greatest honors of my life. The quilt that was handmade for me by many women in the tribe hangs in my office beside my desk to remind me every day of my fallen brother, Michael, and the warrior people of Fort Peck.

Holding a debate on the Fort Peck reservation, and hopefully with the Crow, is very important. Our sovereign nations and I are constantly fighting to make sure their voices are heard on a variety of political issues. Economic prosperity on the reservations is often crushed by federal government bureaucracy. This has to end.

Eastern Montana as a whole often does not get the attention it deserves in statewide conversations. Throughout my first term in Congress, I have been a loud voice for the area on a number of issues - the APR’s bison plan, coal and oil, restoring crop insurance, making permanent the section 179 tax credits, defending the Second Amendment, and preserving rural health care. These are all areas where my opponent has fallen woefully short and she will have to face the voters.

By bringing a Congressional debate to the Hi-Line, I am hoping the media and other elected officials take notice of what is important in eastern Montana: affordable energy, regulatory relief, tax relief, and sovereignty.

I want every Montanan to have the opportunity to hear firsthand how I’ve been fighting for them in Congress and how I’m going to continue doing so if elected for a second term. There’s a lot of angst out there because the system isn’t working. The federal government is run amuck and the regulatory burden is crushing young ranchers just trying to get started. I’ve been successful in restoring crop insurance and providing permanent tax relief but there’s still more work to do, and I look forward to earning your confidence.

The debate will be held on the Fort Peck Reservation in Frazer on Monday, Aug. 29, at 7 p.m.

I am excited to return to my family roots and to make sure that Eastern Montana’s voices are heard. I look forward to seeing folks there and talking with you all directly about the future of our state and our great nation.

Ryan Zinke is the Republican congressman for Montana’s at-large congressional district.