Tester’s August in Montana: Jobs, Vets, Libraries, Outdoors, Schools and More

Big Sandy – Jon Tester is as Montanan as it gets, and it shows when he’s traveling around the state. He’s defending Montana, demanding that government is accountable to Montana – that means better schools and more protection for our veterans and seniors – and relentlessly defending our right to make our own decisions about Montana’s future.

So how did Jon Tester spend his August? Listening to Montanans…non-stop. After passing seven bills out of the Senate the last week they were in session, Jon headed home and hit the road, spending thousands of miles in more than a dozen towns over three weeks to talk with folks all over the state.

He met with business leaders in Billings, tech leaders in Bozeman and talked blue collar jobs in Butte. He talked about the importance of libraries in Bozeman and Billings. He visited firefighters and experienced firsthand several fires burning in Montana, and pushed for a wildfire fund to offset costs.

He hosted Secretary of Veterans David Shulkin and met with HUD Secretary Ben Carson, while he held government accountable by pushing Betsy DeVos and the Department of Education to reverse a decision that hurt low income students in Montana …which she did.

And along with 1,000 or so of his closest friends, Jon hosted the Last Best Outdoors Fest in Columbia Falls, a celebration of our public lands and the positive impact they have on the economy in Montana.

For more highlights from Jon’s August, see below:

Flathead Beacon: Sen. Jon Tester has quietly and effectively passed much legislation that helps veterans, even in this very Republican-controlled Congress. During congressional recess, he’s publicly meeting with many Montanans.

KRTV: Tester visits Malmstrom Air Force Base

KBZK: Sen. Tester kicks off Blue Collar Jobs tour in Butte

Missoula Current: Trump signs Tester’s VA bill to streamline appeals for disability

KPAX: Sen. Tester advocates for wildfire fund to help offset USFS costs

Bozeman Daily Chronicle: Tester talks technology with local business leaders

Missoulian: Tester again seeks to reduce the number of federal standardized tests in schools

The Western Word: Maybe it’s just me, but if it was not for bills that U.S. Senator Jon Tester (D-Mont.) sponsored or co-sponsored, President Donald Trump would hardly have any real legislation to brag about signing into law.

Missoula Current: In Missoula, Tester unveils legislation to reduce federally required testing in public schools

NBC Montana: President signs Tester’s bill to reform VA disability appeals

Missoulian: “While Tester cannot claim sole credit for their success, the unanimous passage of these individual bills adds up to a remarkable demonstration of bipartisan effectiveness for a Democratic senator in a Republican-controlled Congress.”

Daily Inter Lake: We support U.S. Sen. Jon Tester’s new plan to highlight the outdoor industry’s economic advantages by establishing an outdoor recreation advisory committee in the Interior Department — $7 billion in economic impact and 21,000 jobs are worth fighting for.

Bozeman Daily Chronicle: Zinke, too, should back Tester’s proposal

KCFW: Construction begins at Glacier Rail Park

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