How candidates for U.S. House and Senate would try to make Montana more affordable

The first action I would take is to reform energy permitting.  I would establish clear deadlines, coordinate agency reviews, and speed decisions on pipelines, refineries, power plants, transmission lines, renewable energy projects, and critical-mineral development. Faster, predictable permitting would help expand reliable domestic energy supplies, modernize the electrical grid, and reduce the delays that add to gasoline, diesel, and utility costs. I would also preserve meaningful environmental review and public input.

The second action I would take would be to cut excessive federal regulations.  I would require agencies to identify outdated, duplicative, or unnecessarily costly rules and replace them with simpler, results-based standards. I would also require agencies to consider the combined burden that regulations place on small businesses, farmers, manufacturers, transportation companies, and energy producers. I would maintain sensible health, safety, and environmental protection while reducing unnecessary compliance costs that make essential goods and services more expensive.

The third action I would take is to eliminate tariffs with trusted world allies.  I would reduce or remove tariffs on goods and materials imported from allied nations, including energy products, metals, machinery, vehicle parts, and fertilizer. Tariffs often operate like taxes that raise costs for American consumers and businesses. I would pursue reciprocal trade agreements with our allies to lower prices, strengthen supply chains, expand market access for U.S. producers, and reduce dependence on hostile countries.

Together, I believe these steps would increase supply, improve competition, lower production and transportation costs, and give American families more room in their budgets. These three actions have a great chance of success in passing congress because they are common sense approach strategies to getting our economy back on track and not forgetting about healthcare along the way.

Right now our political system is so broken and corrupt that nothing gets done while life gets more expensive for all of us. 

First, we need to end the wars: the war in Iran that is costing taxpayers billions and jacking up prices on gas and fertilizer, and the trade war hurting our farmers, ranchers, small businesses, and consumers. Second, we need immediate action to lower health care costs: expand Medicare’s power to negotiate drug prices, reinstate the ACA tax credits, and defend Medicaid expansion, which has helped keep every rural hospital in Montana open. Third, we need aggressive action to make housing more affordable: cut red tape, create incentives to encourage building more housing, and strengthen the new rules stopping private equity firms from buying up single-family homes so we keep houses in the hands of Montana families.

I know these policies can get done because everywhere I go across our state, I hear from Montanans who are disgusted with the corrupt politics of Washington, DC and they are ready for change. Politicians go to D.C. and fight for their political party, not for us. They pit us against each other, distract us with culture wars, and get rich off the corruption they enable instead of solving problems our families face every day.

I’m running as an Independent to end all that, and I’ll never answer to a political party. I’ll fight on my first day in the Senate to ban stock trading by members of Congress, get dark money out of our elections, and stop Big Tech and other corporate monopolies from exploiting us.

By fixing the system and breaking the hold partisan Party bosses have on DC, we can lower costs and actually get things done again. As Montana’s Independent Senator, that’s exactly what I’ll do.

The stories I hear from Montanans who are struggling just to afford the basics are more than heartbreaking, they’re outrageous. We’re a country that’s led the world, but we have elderly Montanans being forced onto the streets and a generation of Montanans who can’t conceive of affording a house or childcare. In Congress I’ll work with whoever it takes to pass legislation ensuring every Montanan can work one job and afford the basics.

We’re in a housing crisis, and my top priority will be passing legislation to deliver the investments & reforms we need to tackle it. We do that by expanding investments in programs like CDBG and models like community land trusts to build housing working people can afford, incentivizing reforms to make that housing easier and cheaper to build, and banning out-of-state corporations from buying up homes and mobile home lots and jacking up rents.

Second, let’s give every American the choice to join Medicare and expand that coverage to make it comprehensive & free for working-class Montanans. Private health insurance corporations’ side of the system is broken, so let’s make them compete. 

Third, both parties’ greed and cowardice has Social Security on track to cut benefits by $484/person in just 6 years. Let’s prevent that by scrapping the cap on contributions that currently leaves anyone making more than $184,500/year paying a lower share of their income than the bottom 94% of us. 

Lastly, we can lower fuel costs by returning to constitutional order and passing a war powers resolution to wind down this foolish war with Iran that’s jacking up our fuel costs. Instead of $1 billion/day for war, let’s use that money to restore the 28,000 VA jobs that were cut last year while Aaron Flint cheered from his recording studio.

First, increase American energy supply and speed up permitting. I will support faster, predictable permitting for responsible oil and gas development, pipelines, transmission and other reliable energy projects. Increasing domestic supply and diversifying our energy sources will reduce price volatility and help lower fuel and electricity costs. I like the concept of small modular nuclear reactors; they are clean and durable. All of this can be done while still protecting environmental interests. End this illegitimate and illegal war in the Middle-East.

Second, reduce unnecessary federal regulations and costs. I will push for a strategic and bipartisan review of regulations that add substantial costs without providing comparable public benefits. Congress should and can eliminate expensive or duplicative regulations. Lower costs for businesses can mean lower prices for families. This also facilitates research and development broadly and in many sectors.

Third, lower healthcare and prescription-drug costs. I will support greater competition among drug manufacturers, increased price transparency, and reforms that reduce unnecessary administrative costs and prior-authorization burdens. Pharmacy benefit managers must be curtailed.

Healthcare is one of the largest expenses facing Montana families, businesses, and taxpayers. 

These actions are doable and passable, because they are practical and easily understood cost-of-living issues rather than partisan talking points. Energy production and permitting has broad support. Cutting unnecessary regulations appeals to both small businesses and consumers. And reducing healthcare and prescription costs is an issue that both Republicans and Democrats regularly campaign on.

As an Independent, I will not go to Congress to be controlled by party bosses. Instead, I will work hard to build bipartisan coalitions and look for opportunities to incorporate these reforms into larger bills that have a realistic path to passage. But first, each must be grounded demonstrable benefit. Legislation for the sake of legislation has no purpose.

To lower fuel costs, we need to take these three actions: 1) end our engagement in the Middle East and bring our military back home (this would allow the Strait of Hormuz to open again and reduce tensions in that area of the world); 2) take away all of the subsidies for the oil industries, and use those subsidies to pay for gas taxes instead of making consumers pay those; and 3) claw back the extreme profits that the oil industry has recently made and use that money to provide stimulus checks to mid and lower income Americans.

To be honest, these things wouldn’t stand a chance of passing right now because Congress is so corrupt and run by special interests that don’t care about the people. Congressman Downing is a great example of this. He doesn’t care what happens to any of us. He’s a millionaire from Bozeman who couldn’t care less if the people of Montana suffer. And, unfortunately, the elites the run both parties in Washington, D.C., generally take the same attitude. However, there are many of us in the Democratic Party who do not feel that way and want to put the people first again. So, introducing these types of measures and fighting for them, are the types of things that can change hearts and minds. With rank and file Democrats, including candidates like me, there is a chance of getting these things done. But not enough of us are in power right now. I, and others who are old school democrats in the Eastern District of Montana, are trying to change that.

However, if we see a major economic collapse — which could very well happen — then even the elites in the Democratic Party in D.C. will go for this kind of thing.