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Montanans will reap the benefits of four more years under Trump

by Thomas M. Hauptman
| October 20, 2020 7:00 AM

Montanans can rest assured that President Donald Trump and Sen. Steve Daines will uphold their values. Thanks to the president’s “Promises Made, Promises Kept” pro-growth agenda, Big Sky Country is well-positioned to return to the economic boom we were experiencing before the pandemic.

From smashing economic expectations to creating better trade deals for the American worker, our nation’s economy under Trump has seen unprecedented gains. After years of slow growth under former Vice President Joe Biden, the American people finally have a leader putting their interests first and the results are outstanding.

Joe Biden touts radical proposals that would lead to tax hikes, increased unemployment and a crippling government takeover that would hurt hard working Montanans. Big Sky Country deserves a senator who will protect Montana values, unlike Gov. Steve Bullock who would rather pander to Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer’s (D-N.Y.) socialist wish list.

While Bullock cozies up to Pelosi and Schumer’s ideas of government run health care, which would shut down rural hospitals and cost Montana taxpayer millions, Daines is determined to repeal the Affordable Care Act and all its job-crushing tax and regulatory burdens.

Since Trump took office, the unemployment rate dropped to 3.6 percent with an additional 20,300 jobs created before the pandemic. That is on top of tax cuts Montanans received back in 2017, reducing the tax burden on small business owners while putting more money back in Montana families’ pockets — to the tune of $1,410 a year.

Make no mistake: Trump and Daines are leading the greatest American comeback and

Montana will reap the benefits. The most recent jobs report confirmed our nation has created an incredible 4.8 million jobs, the largest one-month job gain in U.S. history, shattering last month’s record.

Over the past four months, 10.6 million jobs have been added.

In Montana, the oil and gas industry accounts for 10.8 percent of Montana’s gross domestic product and contributes $4.5 billion to the state’s economy. Since day one, Trump and Daines have supported hardworking Montanans who are at the helm of producing energy for our nation and the world. Together, they will continue to support efforts to increase production of American-made energy.

Meanwhile, Biden wants to eliminate all fossil fuels and plans on killing jobs in the pursuit of his extreme climate agenda. This is another area where Daines upholds Montana values while Bullock turns his back on one of Montana’s most important industries.

Trump fulfilled his 2016 campaign promise to renegotiate a new trade agreement, which will bring a much-needed boost to major American industries. It is estimated that the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement will add $226.8 million in dairy output and $683 million in annual investment for the manufacturing industry. The increased investment in American industries — manufacturing in particular — have the potential to add 588,000 new jobs around the nation. Gone are the days of unfair trade practices that overlook American workers. Trump has propelled American trade relationships into the 21st century.

In a major win for Montana’s conversation efforts, Trump signed the Great American

Outdoors Act, which fully and permanently funds the Land and Water Conservation Fund. Thanks to the work of Trump and Daines, funding for the program, year-to-year, is no longer in question. This will allow Montana’s eco-tourism industry to flourish. Its bountiful national parks will never be without the funding they deserve.

The evidence is undeniable: Trump and Daines are guiding our nation to bright new horizons.

The author is the president of the T-K Production Company.