News you can use
News you can use
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Too often, policy debates in Washington, D.C., devolve into partisan fistfights. Each side becomes so focused on landing a punch that they forget why they climbed into the ring in the first place. Just a few years ago, one in five Montanans did not have access to health insurance, and people couldn’t afford to get sick. When we passed health care reform, we took a big step forward, and today, more Montanans have access to health care than ever before. But the current health care system is not perfect, and there are still folk...
Eastern Montana's oil fields are leading the way to better American energy security, more Montana jobs and a stronger economy. But Montana needs the Keystone XL pipeline to expand our market opportunities, our energy security and our economy by getting our oil to refineries and to the market. Energy development in the Bakken oil fields started decades ago. Today, the region produces 500,000 barrels of oil per day. Since 2005, production has grown 150 percent. I recently visited Richland County to tour its oil rigs and see...
A century ago this year, the people of Montana stood up against some of the most influential corporations in history with a powerful message: People and their ideas — not corporations and their money — decide our elections. Sen. Jon Tester At the turn of the century, wealthy mining magnates literally bought elections, power and influence in Washington, D.C. So in 1912, Montana voters passed an initiative limiting corporate influence on our elections. That's because ensuring that citizens are in control of America's dem...
A century ago this year, the people of Montana stood up against some of the most influential corporations in history with a powerful message: People and their ideas — not corporations and their money — decide our elections. Sen. Jon Tester At the turn of the century, wealthy mining magnates literally bought elections, power and influence in Washington, D.C. So in 1912, Montana voters passed an initiative limiting corporate influence on our elections. That's because ensuring that citizens are in control of America's dem...
As of this week, 4,475 American servicemen and women have paid the ultimate price in Iraq. Among them: 28 Montanans who died as heroes. More than 32,000 other U.S. troops have returned home wounded. And we may never be able to fully count those who struggle with injuries we cannot see. Our nation has been at war in Iraq for nearly nine years — longer than our involvement in both world wars combined. In addition to the sacrifice of thousands of Americans, the price tag is approaching $1 trillion — as much as $60 billion of...
Last week, I cast a vote in the Senate that was praised by some and criticized by others. I voted against the American Jobs Act after considerable discussion, research and listening to many folks. I stand by my vote, and I want to share my reasons directly with you. First, we can't forget our own history. A few generations ago this nation made an incredible investment in infrastructure, and the jobs it created helped lead us out of the Great Depression. President Roosevelt's vision was to create a stronger and more productive...
I had the honor this week of introducing a jobs bill in the U.S. Senate that enjoyed a rare victory: overwhelming bipartisan support. The Senate passed my VOW to Hire Heroes Act with a vote of 94-1. It's a victory that belongs to the many Montanans who came to me with concerns over this nation's unacceptably high veterans' unemployment rate. SEN. JON TESTER The jobless rate, especially among younger veterans returning home from Iraq and Afghanistan, is getting worse. I consider it a national disgrace. Veterans deserve...
A recent opinion has been making the rounds in Montana newspapers, claiming that wind energy is too expensive and would somehow result in higher energy prices in our state. That's what I call junk science. You don't have to look very far to see the jobs and economic development that come with a renewable energy standard. When I was in the Montana Senate in 2005, I passed bills creating Montana's renewable energy standard and cutting property taxes on wind energy development. A few months later, construction began on...
