Senator Jon Tester has delivered major wins for Montana’s veterans. In recent years, he got the largest pay raise in two decades for active duty troops, earmarked $30 million additional funds for the Montana Air National Guard, and also secured $10.3 million for Great Fall’s Malmstrom Air Force base – including eight new C130-J aircraft.
Another major win has been Jon Tester’s PACT Act. The PACT Act provides VA healthcare to veterans who were exposed to toxic burn pits in the Middle East or other foreign wars. My friend who is ROTC (Reserve Officer Training Corps) at Montana State explained how big a problem this was to me – thousands of Montana veterans were previously ineligible for healthcare despite their exposure to toxic burn pits simply because of bureaucratic technicalities. Senator Tester’s overhaul cut this red tape to allow Montana’s veterans the healthcare they deserve.
Interestingly, Republicans Mitch McConnell and Steve Daines tried to work behind the scenes to stop this bill, simply because they thought it was too expensive. I suspect Republican Tim Sheehy would side with them. I personally think no “thank you” is too expensive to honor the sacrifice that veterans make for this country. If you agree, I hope you join me in supporting Senator Jon Tester this November.
Rex Koenig
Whitefish