Issues

Economies that work for families

Housing

Too many people, especially young families, trying to find a home to rent or buy are being priced out of Montana. Congress can help Montana families afford a place to live by providing more financing for housing construction, tax credits to help young families buy homes, and by changing the tax code to discourage housing speculation.

Having traveled tens of thousands of miles in my minivan, and connected with Montanans in all 16 counties of this western District, the issue people want solved is housing, housing and housing. Small businesses, hospitals, schools, and our law enforcement can’t hire employees because there is no available housing. For seniors, there are limited or no options for nursing homes in Montana. Our young people cannot find a place to rent, let alone buy.

Rising costs are the largest issue affecting our state. People in every corner of the district have thoughtful, innovative ideas to address the challenges we’re facing. I will continue working to bring people together to implement at scale the solutions that are working and find common threads in what is needed regionally. I will campaign by listening and in Congress I will govern by listening first.

health

Nobody should be forced to choose between healthcare and putting food on the table. The Affordable Care Act gave millions of Americans health insurance through their employers, from Medicare and Medicaid, and through the insurance marketplace. Ryan Zinke looked on as over 130,000 Montanans lost Medicaid coverage this past year and has repeatedly voted to repeal the Affordable Care Act, which would end health care for many more.

That’s not right. Congress needs to protect what we have and do more to ensure that everyone has access to healthcare, including strengthening the ability of Medicare and Medicaid to negotiate drug prices and guaranteeing that hundreds of thousands of Montanans—and millions of Americans—who rely on these programs get the coverage they are entitled to and the protections they deserve.

Child care

As the mother of three daughters, I live the challenge of working and raising kids. Families in Montana face the impossible dilemma of having to work but not being able to find affordable child care. Many Montanans live in childcare deserts. In rural areas, more than a quarter of the families who need child care can’t find it. Congress must continue to support child care for working families, and particularly to extend the child tax credit, which lifted 3.4 million children out of poverty. The credit should be made fully refundable, so that low income families can benefit from it just like everyone else.

Public schools

A robust public education, starting early in life, is the backbone of Democracy and is a ladder for individuals to pursue lifelong opportunities. But Montana and the country are behind in early childhood education. Among 36 industrialized countries, the United States is the only one to not provide early education programs to all 4-year-olds. I support efforts to create high-quality early childhood programs to secure the economic future and well-being of Montana’s children.  

Our public schools, and the people who work and teach there, must be fully supported and earn the wages they deserve. The best reforms support local innovation and control, greatly increase teacher pay, and reverse the defunding of public schools, especially in rural areas.

Social Security and Retirement

From the first dollar we earn, we pay into social security. In retirement, Montanans rely on Social Security and Medicare to help them meet everyday needs, and those needs are becoming more costly to meet, particularly for retirees who need long term health care at home or in assisted living places or nursing homes. Americans work hard to pay for these bedrock programs and the benefits they provide. Ryan Zinke voted to raise the retirement age, and to cut Medicare for seniors by turning it into a voucher program that would force them to pay more out of pocket.  I strongly disagree. We need to honor our end of the agreement, protect benefits,and make sure that Social Security and Medicare are sustainably financed with fair and adequate taxation.

Strong communities

Tribal Sovereignty

I support legislation to codify the federal government’s obligations to fulfill its treaty obligations with Tribal Nations. I support implementing laws to give Native Americans meaningful access to vote. I will work to implement programs to protect Indigenous women from violence. I will work to build out reliable internet access across Tribal Nations and rural areas in our state. 

Tribal Nations have been leaders in protecting our environment, protecting instream water flow and fisheries. Here in Montana, we saw that leadership turn into action with the return of the Bison Range to the CSKT Nation —a transfer that Ryan Zinke opposed and worked to defeat.   Zinke also has voted to cut social security, defund law enforcement, force people to work longer before retiring, and to slash healthcare programs, disproportionately harming Native American communities. 

In contrast, I will work with our Tribal Nations to ensure that the programs needed to support our communities are put in place. 

For example, in May 2022, the Interior Department released a report detailing the reason and legacy of the federal government policies that supported Federal Indian boarding schools for 150 years, from 1819 to 1969. I  join in the report’s recommendations that allow for reburial (or marking) of the remains of Indian children, support funding for Native language revitalization, and creating a federal memorial for those whose lives were unforgivably harmed and destroyed from federal policies.

Infrastructure

Infrastructure investments— roads, bridges, schools, airports, hospitals, broadband, train service, local transportation—make our communities safer, more productive, and more liveable. They are essential to a healthy economy in which everyone can prosper. Infrastructure is a basic component of addressing the housing crisis. For many years, our infrastructure was allowed to deteriorate, but the Democratic 2020-2021 Congress passed a landmark infrastructure bill that begins to turn that deterioration around. That bill has benefited our Congressional district by funding investments in sewer and septic systems in Kalispell and Dillon and high-speed internet in Thompson Falls, improving the Missoula and Glacier airports, and continuing roadwork in Bozeman. 

Ryan Zinke opposed this legislation that made these improvements possible. Even worse, since his opposition, he has been going around the district taking credit for projects he opposed. It’s essential that we have someone in Washington who will champion Montana’s interests so that we maintain, improve, and innovate our infrastructure. I will be that champion for Montana.

Public Lands

Montana’s public lands provide us with a wealth of benefits. They grant us the opportunity to camp, fish, float, hunt, ski, snowmobile, and bike in stunning public spaces. They protect air and water quality, scenic vistas, and wildlife habitat. Their commercial use for mining, logging, livestock grazing and outfitting provide us with economic opportunity.  

I support the approach to public lands management embodied in the Headwaters Legacy Act and the Blackfoot Clearwater Stewardship Act, that brought ranchers, loggers, recreationists, business owners, and conservationists together to chart a path forward for Montana’s resources. These are examples of neighbors working to achieve a common goal, regardless of differences and politics. In Congress I will champion these acts, and others like them.

Public lands are just that - they belong to us, the people. I will work to ensure that we have access to our public lands, that they remain available and accessible to us, the people, and that wealthy out-of-state corporate interests are not able to trade out or close off our public lands, turning Montana into their own personal playground for the rich.

forestry

Sustainable forest management and wood manufacturing is essential to all the above community elements. Addressing the increasing risk of large wildfires is critical to watershed protection. The use of wood in place of steel, concrete and other energy intensive materials helps conserve energy and the use of wood residuals from harvests and manufacturing to produce renewable, firm heat and power helps balance wind and solar energy, like in the Flathead Valley creates synergy for all of these community values.

It protects our tourism and recreation industries, it helps landowners, whether Tribal, family forests, farms and ranches, state and federal lands. Forests are important natural infrastructure, providing habitat and carbon capture and storage. Monica supports the investments provided by the bipartisan infrastructure bill which invested in our forests and wood manufacturing base, which her opponent opposed. She knows we need to continue these investments. The closures of Pyramid and Roseburg manufacturing facilities must be replaced so we can afford to maintain and restore our forests and the communities and businesses that rely on them.

Tourism and Recreation

Montana’s western district is bounded by Glacier National Park on the north end and Yellowstone National Park on the south, with many state and national treasures in between. People come to Montana from all over the world to ski, fish, hunt, watch wildlife, sightsee, attend cultural events, float rivers, ride horses into the backcountry and so much more.

These visitors bring investment and opportunity to our economy, supporting thousands of jobs and millions in revenue to communities in western Montana. But they also impact the resources that sustain tourism. We need to manage our public resources, and particularly our national parks, so all of us, Montanans and visitors from out of state, can continue to enjoy their wonders for generations to come.

Family farms and ranches

Montana’s small businesses, farmers and ranchers struggle to compete in a world of big national and multinational corporations that grow their profits by consolidation and dictating prices. From 2009 to 2022, corporate ownership of farmland tripled, and the property values increased from $2 billion to $14 billion. If we do not act, another 400 million acres of family farms will be bought up by corporate interests and Wall Street investors.

Congress can and should protect rural family farms in Montana. I support the Farmland for Farmers Act, which will let family farms stay in the family. I will also work on the Farm Bill, which has been neglected in the current Congress.

Montana farmers and ranchers should be protected from unfair foreign competition by requiring that imported meat and food be clearly labeled with its country of origin and not be allowed to be labeled as a “product of the United States” after minimal processing. Consumers should be informed about where their food is coming from. I will champion these bills to make sure they become law of the land.

In contrast, Ryan Zinke voted to eliminate country of origin labeling requirements, hurting Montana ranchers and helping foreign competitors in China or South America.

Water and Energy

Montana is rich in natural resources, and can and should lead the energy transition that is underway and that can benefit Montana if we choose. Hotter summers, increased droughts, reduced snowpack, longer wildfire seasons and more wildfire smoke place our economy at risk. We must be strategic to develop the energy resilience, freedom, and security in our communities that will define our economy in the next 20 years. 

Western Montana has the resources and infrastructure to lead this economic growth. I have worked on water issues and energy producers throughout my professional career. My experience advocating for farmers, ranchers, energy producers and everyday Montanans makes me a powerful voice for Montana in Congress, and a leader in water and energy policy. As we move forward, we need to assist Montana communities whose economies will be impacted by drought, and the energy transition. We can secure a livable future for all by investing in the energy transition and making sure Montana’s resources benefit Montanans.

Growing the middle class

Fair Taxation and Inclusive Growth

Over the past four decades, American economic growth has been robust but unfortunately, not inclusive: while wealthy Americans have seen their wealth and incomes soar, the economic fortunes of their low -and moderate-income neighbors have stagnated. At the same time, wealthy Americans have seen their taxes reduced in the name of trickle down economics. Income inequality has exploded. The 2017 tax bill passed by the Republican Congress led to dozens of corporations and wealthy individuals paying next to no taxes, leaving hard working families with the bill. Not to mention the tax cuts afforded to the ultra-rich. We need to update our tax code, and allow the unfair provisions of the 2017 tax bill to expire, so that everyone pays their fair share, working families get a break, and we have the resources we need to fund critical priorities.

Higher Education and Opportunity

Montana’s universities, community colleges and trade schools provide the education essential to those who wish to develop professional careers, acquire vocational skills or transition into the new jobs in a rapidly changing economy. But in Montana and across the country, states have reduced their support for trade schools and for higher education, and students have struggled financially to stay in school. Ensuring Montanans have access to career-ready programming is essential and worth funding. These programs will also help address our housing crisis. I support trade programs especially starting in high school, community colleges, and need-based scholarships for students.

Labor Unions and Labor Law Reform

It is not an accident that the growth of inequality and the decline of union power have gone hand in hand. Unions brought us living wages, safe working conditions, and dignity and respect in the workplace. In the 1950s, 1 out of every 3 workers belonged to a union, and Montana was a proud union state. Over time, the labor laws that promote and protect union organization have been weakened, and despite some recent advances, union representation has been drastically reduced. Today, only 10% of workers belong to a union, people are not always paid living wages, and the new economy does not give a pathway for workers to advance in their careers or enjoy a secure future. I support comprehensive labor law legislation like the PRO Act, to strengthen the ability of unions to organize workers across the economy and negotiate fair terms of employment.

Resisting Corporate Expansion and Power

Over much of our history, the American economy experienced unbridled growth of large corporations, consolidation of corporate rivals, and a dangerous reduction in competition in the marketplace. We see this today in the growth of big box stores and on-line sellers in retail markets, along with the shuttering of small, local downtown businesses. This growth of corporate power threatens the viability and diversity of local businesses and creates an economy that increasingly serves the interests of stockholders rather than consumers. In Montana, for example, we see farmers who are not allowed to repair their own equipment. They should have that right.

Those who cause harm must be held accountable. But, there are efforts underway in state legislatures to protect corporations from legal liability by imposing mandatory arbitration clauses, waiving the Seventh Amendment right to a jury in civil actions, limiting or ending class actions, closing the federal courts to certain claims, and capping damages, which interferes with Americans’ access to justice. As an advocate for small business and every day Montanans, I know all too well that having a fair fight is many times as important, if not more important, than the final outcome. Having a fair hearing makes sure that all evidence is heard and the correct law is considered. I support the FAIR Act, which ends forced arbitration and protects our constitutional freedom to a trial by jury. I support federal policies that limit the expansion of corporate power and encourage healthy business competition