Senator Tester Visits Glasgow

Editor's note: The Courier has instituted a policy of covering statewide and federal level political candidates during the general election season when the candidates come to Valley County.

Senator Jon Tester made a swing through Glasgow Sept. 1, to touch base with supporters and express his thanks to voters. "Bottom line it's hard to to be a Democrat in rural America," he noted. "Democrats don't do a particularly good job talking about rural issues." Tester talked about his attempts to work on the broader Democratic messaging to voters while highlighting issues he has worked on for the state.

"St. Mary's is a big issue here in this region," he said discussing the history of the infrastructure failure on the Hi-Line and working to get funding passed in Washington, D.C. "You go back and you say, 'hey, we need money for this' and they say, 'well, how many people does it help?' 'If you eat food, it helps a whole bunch of people. But otherwise, if you're talking just farmers or cities, it's a lot [of money] for Montana.'" He scoffed at the notion, stressing, "It's the northern tier of our state, for God's sake."

Tester touched on his Senate race and his opponent. " ... I'm not going to denigrate him – he knows Minnesota really well. He does not know Montana very well," Tester said. "And I'm not saying he should, by the way. Truth is, I don't understand Minnesota, so that's a fair trade."

Pivoting to his time in the nation's capitol, the Senator highlighted his committee assignments. "Because of those 18 years I've spent in Washington, D.C., I'm the chairman of the Veterans Affairs committee, which is the second largest budget at the federal level, and chair of the Defense Appropriations committee, which is the largest budget at the federal level. Now what does that mean for Montana? That means if I can funnel research dollars to rural parts of our state from the defense budget, I will do that. I can make life better for the people who are living here."

On veterans issues, which has been a cause Tester has taken on, he said, "And for the veterans, the truth is we've done a lot. There's still a lot more to do, there's a lot more to do in Glasgow." The Senator mentioned working with Frances Mahon Deaconess Hospital to find ways to build a relationship between the hospital and the VA to help both FMDH and veterans.

Tester hit other policy issues affecting rural communities. "There's some opportunities to get some things done out here that still haven't been done ... the price of housing is unbelievable, childcare – if it's even available, is a big deal ... our rural hospitals are the backbone of our communities. And our schools are the backbone.

"And by the way, these guys who wanna privatize education? It's gonna kill rural Montana. It's gonna kill it. So we gotta work to make education better and work to make our public schools the best we can and hire good to get in those classrooms."

Due to scheduling issues, the Senator was unable to sit down with the Courier for an interview. In light of this, the Courier submitted questions solicited from constituents via email. Following are the Senator's answers to policy questions:

What are the Senator's plans for the border and inflation?

Border

What's happening on the southern border is unacceptable, and dedicating more manpower and resources is crucial to keeping Montanans safe. 

That's why I've called on the Biden administration to step up and do everything in their power to secure the border, and it's why I supported a strong bipartisan deal to get our border under control earlier this year. This bipartisan bill would have hired more border patrol agents, cracked down on the fentanyl crisis, and tightened asylum standards – that's why it received the strong endorsement of the National Border Patrol Council. Unfortunately, people like my opponent Tim Sheehy came out against the bill before the text was even unveiled so that they could campaign on the issue.

I have been talking with Montanans, sheriffs, and mayors, they all are feeling the consequences of the situation at the southern border, from stretched law enforcement budgets to fentanyl in the communities. I was proud that my bipartisan FEND Off Fentanyl Act passed to place sanctions on those engaged in international trafficking of illegal fentanyl and give law enforcement the resources they need to battle the fentanyl crisis. 

Lowering Costs:

Due to an influx of ultra wealthy people moving to Montana and buying up properties across the state, our local infrastructure is deeply strained, and costs have skyrocketed. That's why I'm fighting hard in the Senate to lower costs so that Montana is affordable for everyone.

Together we took the fight straight to big pharma through my Inflation Reduction Act by lowering prescription drug costs for seniors and capping the cost of insulin for seniors at $35/month.

I'm continuing to work across the aisle to hold corporate ag monopolies accountable with my Meat Packing Special Investigator Act and Cattle Price Transparency and Discovery Act so Montana's ranchers are receiving fair prices at the farm gate, and Montana consumers are paying less at the grocery store.

Now I'm working to expand our housing supply across every corner of the state, specifically in our rural communities who've been hit hard, with my Rural Housing Service Reform Act which would increase the supply of affordable housing across Montana. I'm also working to boost Montana's housing supply by establishing a program to help create more manufactured housing through my Preservation and Reinvestment Initiative for Community Enhancement Act, because manufactured housing is an affordable way for all Montanans to access home ownership.

We're also investing in the future with my Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which will lower the cost of doing business and pass savings along to Montana's working families. 

Lowering costs for Montanans is one of my top priorities.

Why is Montana ranked 44th in teacher pay and how can we fix that? 

As a proud product of Montana public schools, I know firsthand that public education is the great equalizer for Montana kids, particularly in rural areas. I will never stop fighting to make sure that all Montana students have access to a high quality, affordable education that will prepare them to succeed in the 21st century economy – and that means incentivizing teachers to live and teach in rural America by boosting teacher pay.

Increasing teacher pay will take coordination between state, local, and federal governments. That's why I support student loan forgiveness programs for teachers who choose to live and teach in rural Montana for a set amount of years, and it's why I support fully funding the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act at the federally pledged 40 percent level so that local schools can free up funding for increased teacher pay.