Montana Democrats Demand Answers For Montana Families
Montana's U.S. Senators respond
By Denise Rivette
House and Senate Democrats sent out a press release about their press conference February 17 to “address jobs and projects killed or suspended by President Trump with the backing of Montana’s congressional delegation, Senators Tim Sheehy and Steve Daines and Congressmen Zinke and Downing.”
“The continued silence of our federal delegation while Montanans suffer with uncertainty is unacceptable,” said Senate Democratic Leader Pat Flowers. “As Democrats we believe in putting Montanans first, which means the government should avoid, at all cost, making people’s lives harder.”
Weeks after President Trump ordered a federal aid freeze on January 20th, countless federal projects, jobs, grants, and private sector contracts remain in limbo, leaving Montana families, businesses, and communities in chaos. Days before the press conference, on Friday, February 14th, the Trump Administration killed 360 Forest Service jobs in Montana alone.
“There’s this excruciating waiting time of limbo where people wake up and check their email and say, ‘Am I fired today? I don’t know,’” said House Democratic Leader Katie Sullivan. “It’s not fair… It would be great to have clarity from our federal delegation— How long do people have to wait to find out if they still have their job?”
House and Senate Democratic Leaders were joined by Michael Maierhofer, a seven year U.S. Forest Service Technician whose position was among Friday’s mass lay off.
Mr. Maierhofer shared, “The jobs my co-workers and I have been removed from is skilled labor. Supporting the fire crews that protect your forests and ensuring every Montanan has safe, sustainable, access to the last best place. Outfitting and recreation is an important backbone to our Montana economy.”
Mr. Maierhofer told reporters that his abrupt layoff is forcing his family, based in Kalispell, to reconsider plans to buy a home as he now stocks shelves part time to pay their bills: “We’re taking it day-by-day and doing what we can.”
Montana’s Senators Respond
Senators Steve Daines and Tim Sheehy were asked to respond to the Democrats’ press release.
Senator Steve Daines:
“For too long, waste in the federal government has caused small businesses and working families to suffer under the effects of sky-high inflation and bureaucratic red tape. I support President Trump’s efforts to root out waste and fraud in the federal government and ensure that Montanans’ taxpayer dollars are being used effectively.”
Senator Tim Sheehy:
“Years of reckless spending from career politicians has put our country over $36 trillion in debt, fueled inflation, and driven up prices for every hardworking American. Blindly continuing down the path we’re on is simply unsustainable. As your Senator, I will fight to ensure Montanans have access to the critical resources and support they need, and I look forward to working with President Trump and his administration to restore fiscal responsibility and better stewardship of hard-earned taxpayer dollars to lower costs, unleash prosperity, and make Montana and America affordable again. The American people voted to bring back common sense and accountability in our government and that means delivering critical services to our citizens as efficiently as possible.”