The members of Montana’s congressional delegation — from both sides of the political aisle — raised concerns over the budget proposed by President Barack Obama, although with a different emphasis.

Sen. Max Baucus, a Democrat, said his concern is that the budget puts Montana jobs and communities at risk and puts the debt burden on the shoulders of rural America.

Rep. Denny Rehberg, a Republican, said the problem is the president didn’t get the message from voters last November to end the “job-killing policies coming out of Washington. ”

Rehberg, who has declared himself a candidate for Democrat Sen. Jon Tester’s seat in 2012, said the budget continues policies of too much spending, too much taxing and too much borrowing.

“Montanans know that you can’t tax, spend and borrow your way to prosperity, but the president’s budget would put us squarely on track to double the size of the federal government, raise taxes by $1.6 trillion and add an additional $13 trillion to the national debt, ” Rehberg said in a statement Monday. “This simply cannot be sustained, which is why I’m going to lead by example and make the tough choices the President has refused to make to get our fiscal house in order. ”

Tester said in a release that the budget raises questions on what are the priorities.

“As we prioritize cutting spending and cutting debt, folks in rural America shouldn’t shoulder more than our share of the burden, ” he said Monday. “That’s exactly what will happen if we gut home heating while dumping billions into high-speed rail for urban areas — as this plan proposes.

“We must work now together on a credible, long-term plan to get our fiscal house in order, ” Tester added. “As we do that, it’s critical that we create jobs and build our economy. And we certainly can’t strip benefits away from America’s veterans. That’s my yardstick as we move forward with a common-sense budget to create jobs, cut spending and cut the debt. ”

Baucus, meanwhile, focused on programs being cut that could impact Montana, and added that it emphasizes the need for lawmakers to be able to make funding decisions for their states.

“The deficit is a problem, and we need to attack it, ” Baucus said in a release Monday. “I’m pleased with the president’s proposal to freeze discretionary spending for five years. But we need to attack the deficit in a way that doesn’t put the burden on the backs of Montanans and rural America. ” He added that the budget shows that bureaucrats in Washington don’t understand what’s important in rural America.

“When Congress hands the purse strings over to the White House, we end up with high-speed rail systems over transportation on the Hi-Line, security funding for big cities over critical support for Montana police and fire departments, grants that put education funding for rural districts in jeopardy while favoring big-city schools, and cuts to agriculture and water projects, ” Baucus said.

In his release, he cited cuts in funding including to previous funding amounts for the rehabilitation of the St. Mary Diversion project that supplies much of the water in the Milk River and to the construction of the Rocky Boy’s-North Central Montana Regional Water System.

The budget also cuts funding to the Community Development Block Grant program, and to specific projects in Montana, Baucus said. Other cuts he lists include funding for rural housing programs, the Indian Housing Block Grant program, heating assistance funding, and the Department of Agriculture watershed and flood prevention program and watershed rehabilitation program, both of which focus on rural communities.

Education funding focuses on programs that do not focus on rural needs, and also cuts funding for law enforcement programs that benefit Montana while focusing on programs targeting urban areas, he said.

The budget does include a focus on small business, Baucus said, including funding for Small Business Administration loan programs, and competitive grant programs to promote entrepreneurship.

“I’m glad the president is focusing on ways to cut the deficit, ” he said. “There’s no doubt we’re going to have to make some tough choices, but this budget puts the debt burden squarely on the shoulders of rural America.

“I won’t stand by while states like Montana are asked to bear the brunt of fiscal discipline for the rest of the country, ” Baucus added. “I’m going to continue to fight for Montana priorities and look for commonsense ways to cut wasteful federal spending without putting Montana jobs and communities at risk. ”