I serve Montanans with the work ethic you deserve

Montana is the greatest state in the greatest nation in the world.

It’s why three generations of my family have called Montana their home, and it’s why I still farm the same plot of Big Sandy dirt that my grandparents homesteaded more than 100 years ago.

Farming instills a strong work ethic. You get up with the sun and don’t quit until long after it sets. I try to bring that same Montana work ethic with me each and every day in the Senate. On the farm, when you have to deal with forces like breakdowns and Mother Nature, politicians and Washington seem like nothing.

That’s why I am proud to work with anyone — Democrat, Republican, Independent — to get things done. If there’s a job needs doing, regardless of party, we should roll up our sleeves and get to work. That’s why together, with the input of the folks on the ground in Montana, I’ve sent 20 bills to President Trump’s desk and he has signed each of them into law.

And I’m proud to say that many of these bills make huge strides toward holding the VA accountable and delivering on our promises to Montana’s veterans. As Ranking Member of the Veterans Affairs Committee, when veterans told me the VA Choice program was creating more problems than it was solving, I teamed up with my colleagues across the aisle and put pen to paper to find a solution. The result was the VA MISSION Act, which will completely scrap the VA Choice Program as we know it and cut bureaucratic red tape for the Americans who put their lives on the line to keep us safe.

Our nation’s veterans fought to protect our freedoms and it is our duty to ensure they have the care they deserve. But my opponent, Matt Rosendale, hasn’t held up his end of that promise. He voted against funding for critically important veterans homes in Columbia Falls and Southwest Montana, and he voted against creating a program that has helped veterans and Gold Star families buy their first homes. He even voted against creating a scholarship for Montana Purple Heart recipients that helped our heroes get an education when they return to civilian life.

In addition to delivering better care for our veterans, fighting for Montana in Washington means making sure every Montanan has access to affordable health care. All across Montana, families are hurting because of the rising cost of health care. I’ve traveled all over the state hosting health care town halls to hear directly from Montanans who are being gouged by soaring premiums and are being threatened by the loss of coverage over their pre-existing conditions.

I’ve introduced several bills to make health care more affordable, and I’m going to keep fighting back against insurers who want to deny coverage to folks with preexisting conditions and junk health care plans that don’t have to cover basic services like prescription drugs. As state insurance commissioner, Matt Rosendale is better positioned than anyone in the state to defend Montanans from predatory health insurance companies and high costs. Instead, he has rubber-stamped health insurance rate hikes of up to 23 percent, and he’s pushing for a repeal of the health care law that protects coverage for Montanans with preexisting conditions.

Rather than fight for Montana families, Rosendale has left them behind.

I have also been working relentlessly to protect our Montana way of life from outsiders who seek to chip away at our public lands and personal freedoms. I know that our public lands aren’t just our heritage, but they generate $7.1 billion for our state every year and support more than 70,000 good jobs. Our wild places make Montana the Last Best Place.

But where Montanans see our public lands heritage, Matt Rosendale sees dollar signs. He’s fought to transfer our federal public lands, even suggesting they be developed, and he’s voted against protecting and expanding public access on the Land Board.

Montanans need an independent voice in Washington, not someone who’s in it for himself.

My sleeves are rolled up, and I’m wired to fight. I won’t ever stop fighting on behalf of our veterans, Montanans with preexisting conditions, and the Montana we call home.

Jon Tester is Montana’s senior U.S. Senator.