Billings Gazette: Letter to the editor: Tester cares about and understands Montana

Tom Lutey’s story on local beef processing was a great explanation of the importance of butchering capacity to consumers, producers and the Montana economy.

Montanans should note that the $20 million in federal funding for expanded beef processing in Montana over the past couple of years was supported by one member of our Congressional delegation: Sen. Jon Tester. Tester voted for the 2021 America Rescue Plan Act and the 2022 and 2023 budgets for the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Rep. Matt Rosendale and Sen. Steve Daines both voted against all three of these funding bills. While they will both “express concern” about the issue and maybe tweet out some staged photos with local businesses, when push comes to shove, they just don’t deliver for Montanans.

Sen. Tester cares about Montana, he understands Montana, and he has the legislative acumen to ensure that Montana benefits from federal funding. He takes the tough votes and he follows though to make sure that federal programs work on the ground. While the rest of our delegation hams it up for the cameras and chases cheap political points, Sen. Tester is working to create jobs in our rural communities, support our agricultural economy, and ease inflation for consumers across the state.

Dave Chadwick

Helena

Letter to the editor: Tester cares about and understands Montana (billingsgazette.com)