Matt Rosendale’s Anti Farewell

Principle over practicality is a big part of Rosendale’s legacy, as is some of the chaos that resulted

By Tom Lutey for Montana Free Press

U. S. Representative Matt Rosendale’s official portrait

U.S. Representative Matt Rosendale wasn’t among the departing members of Congress offering farewell addresses last week.

The two-term lawmaker, elected by wide margins as Montana’s at-large representative in 2020 and inaugural representative for Montana’s newly drawn eastern House district in 2022, opted not to say goodbye from the House floor. It was on that same floor that Rosendale and seven other Republicans successfully called for the ouster of then-GOP House Speaker Kevin McCarthy in October 2023, a feat made possible because Democrats joined the cause.

Rosendale spent this week staying on his anti brand, opposing a $98 billion presidential disaster relief package that included $37 million for the blown-out St. Mary siphon, a piece of Milk River Project irrigation infrastructure on which 18,000 Hi-Line residents rely. Rosendale said on social media that he was “a hard no on giving Democrats more money to enshrine their agenda”

Separately, he also rejected the National Defense Authorization Act because of “wokeness,” particularly the current military policy allowing personnel in areas without abortion services to travel to areas with services at government expense. The NDAA includes $20 million for Malmstrom Air Force Base in Cascade County and $14.8 million for a Malta Readiness Center to support the Montana National Guard.

Montana Senators Jon Tester, Democrat, and Steve Daines, Republican, were sponsoring an amendment to the very same NDAA bill to fully fund Milk River Project repairs and ratify a water compact for the tribes of Fort Belknap Reservation.

Rosendale has often chosen principle over practicality. Recall that on January 6, 2021, when both Daines and Rosendale planned to reject the results of the 2020 presidential election, Rosendale stuck to his opposition to accepting results from select states over allegations (now debunked) of voter fraud, while Daines returned to the Senate, post-riot, and approved all results without question. Before Trump supporters rioted, Daines had planned to delay approving Arizona’s results.

In January 2023, Rosendale became briefly famous when he was photographed waving off a phone call from Donald Trump during a prolonged debate over the election of a House Speaker. Trump was encouraging hold-out Republicans to back McCarthy. Rosendale later explained that cell phone calls aren’t allowed in the House chamber. He wouldn’t break the rule.

Principle over practicality is a big part of Rosendale’s legacy, as is some of the chaos that resulted, specifically McCarthy’s ouster.

Had Rosendale chosen to run for reelection, his previous success makes it hard to imagine that he wouldn’t have won. But he chose not to after a chaotic 6-day Senate campaign that ended after Trump announced that Tim Sheehy had the then former, now future, president’s blessing.

Continuing the Senate campaign in the face of Trump’s Sheehy endorsement would have been impractical, Rosendale said at the time. Weeks later he chose not to run for reelection in the House, as well. By then, there were eight Republicans in the eastern district House primary. Several of the candidates before launching campaigns had told Rosendale they wouldn’t run if he did. He told them he wouldn’t.