In Kalispell, Tester Fields Unvetted Questions from More Than 200 Montanans at Yet Another Public Town Hall

Senator takes questions from constituents in Flathead County during his 8th public, in-person forum of the year

In his 8th public, in-person town hall this year, U.S. Senator Jon Tester today answered questions and solicited feedback from a crowd of more than 200 constituents in Kalispell.

“These public forums are the best way for me to get feedback from the folks I was elected to represent: the people of Montana,” said Tester. “The input you give me at this event will inform my decisions back in Washington, because no one knows better than you what’s working and what isn’t.”

Prior to taking questions, Tester spoke about the importance of holding in-person town halls to the democratic process, the current state of the U.S. Senate, and the importance of communicating with your elected officials to hold them accountable. He is the only member of the Montana delegation to host an in-person town hall this year.

Tester then opened up the floor for feedback and answered questions ranging from health care, to dark money in politics, robocalls, mental health, and food insecurity.

In response to a question about high numbers of robocalls flooding into Montana, Tester said: “These robocalls are insane. They’re being done by the tens of millions and they’re a pain in the neck. And when you get so many you stop answering, and that can be dangerous. We’re going to keep pushing bills to cut it out, because it just has to stop.”

This is Tester’s 8th in-person, public town hall this year—following those in Bozeman, Missoula, Helena, Great Falls, Billings, Livingston, and Butte—and his 13th since President Trump took office. He has held dozens of Facebook Live town halls and public forums since 2016, ranging on topics from health care reform to Farm Bill reauthorization, VA community care, the ongoing trade war, and local infrastructure priorities across Montana.