by susan wanke | May 12, 2025 | Medicaid, Republicans
Right now, Medicaid—the public health insurance program that covers over 212,000 Montanans—is under serious threat. Across the country, federal lawmakers are proposing $880 billion in Medicaid cuts. These cuts won’t just hit some abstract system or federal balance sheet—they will fall directly on working families, seniors, veterans, and kids right here in Montana.
And unfortunately, our state’s Republican leadership isn’t fighting to protect us. Instead, they’re doing what politicians so often do: playing both sides while quietly hoping someone else takes the fall.
The Truth Behind the Medicaid “Extension”
Earlier this year, the Montana Legislature passed a bill carried by Great Falls Republican, Ed Buttrey, to extend the current sunset provision for Medicaid. If you just skim the headlines, that might sound like a win. But if you’ve been paying attention to the budget language and political signals, it’s anything but.
What’s really happening is this: Montana Republicans are counting on the federal government to cut Medicaid funding. They extended Medicaid on paper, but they’re banking on D.C. to gut the program so that they don’t have to vote for those cuts themselves.
It’s a political sleight of hand letting Washington do the dirty work. Then, when Montanans lose coverage, they’ll throw up their hands and say, “Well, we tried. Blame Congress.” Don’t buy it. The reality is, if the federal match for Medicaid disappears, so does the coverage for thousands of Montanans. And the Montana Legislature has no plan to fill that gap. None.
What That Means for Real People
Medicaid is not a handout. It’s not charity. It’s a vital part of how we take care of our neighbors and ourselves when life gets hard. It’s how we ensure:
- A single mom working two part-time jobs can still take her child to the doctor.
- A retired construction worker who worked his whole life but didn’t earn enough to save isn’t bankrupted by one hospital stay.
- A veteran who served this country has access to treatment, even if their VA benefits don’t fully cover their needs.
- A pregnant woman in a rural town can receive prenatal care without driving four hours round trip.
In Montana, 71% of adults on Medicaid are working. They are cleaning our schools, and hospitals, providing day care, stocking our shelves, cooking our food, taking care of our grandparents and parents.
Political Cowardice Dressed Up as Responsibility
Montana Republicans love to talk about personal responsibility and rural values. But there’s nothing responsible about cutting healthcare for working people. There’s nothing “pro-life” about making it harder for pregnant women to access care. And there’s nothing conservative about forcing our small-town hospitals to close due to budget shortfalls.
If you want to talk about work ethic, let’s talk about the thousands of Montanans who work full-time but still don’t earn enough to afford private insurance.
If you want to talk about values, let’s talk about how much it says about a society when it leaves its most vulnerable behind.
We Deserve Better
Montanans deserve better than backdoor politics and budget games.
We deserve leaders who understand that healthcare isn’t a luxury—it’s a right. We deserve legislators who will fight for the people who put them in office, not just the ones who bankroll their campaigns. And we deserve to be told the truth—not manipulated with headlines and hollow promises.
Because the consequences are very real.
If the federal match goes away and our state leaders refuse to step up, coverage will disappear.
Medicaid is a lifeline for one in five Montanans. It’s woven into the fabric of our communities. Cutting it isn’t just bad politics; it’s a betrayal of everything we claim to stand for.
Montana Republicans are betting that we won’t notice. That we won’t care. That we’ll accept the spin.
Let’s prove them wrong.
Let’s remind them that in Montana, we take care of our own.
What You Can Do
- Pick up the phone.
- Senator Steve Daines, Great Falls Office 406-453-0148
- Senator Tim Sheehy, Great Falls Office- 406-452-9587
- Write your representatives.
- Attend a rally or town hall.
- Send an email.
Steve Daines- https://www.daines.senate.gov/services/email-steve/
Tim Sheehy- https://www.sheehy.senate.gov/share-your-opinion/
- Talk to your neighbors.
- Share this blog.
Remind them that we are watching. That we vote. That we expect better from those who claim to represent us.
Jeannie Hansen is a third-generation Montanan. Along with her advocacy work, she currently ranches east of Great Falls. She is lifelong advocate with a passion for justice, dignity, and community care. Raised in Great Falls, she found her voice early—championing seniors, working families, and underserved populations since her school days. With over 15 years in social work and nonprofits, Jeannie has built a career rooted in public service, legislative advocacy, and hands-on support for those navigating complex systems like Medicaid. Her work has taken her from the halls of the Capitol to the dirt roads of rural Montana, always guided by a fierce commitment to fairness and a deep love for her home state.
This editorial is based on comments Jeannie Hansen made at a Medicare Rally organized by Service Employees International Union (SEIU) in Great Falls on April 29th, 2025.
by Ken Toole | May 9, 2025 | Featured
Northern Plains Resource Council is looking for a community organizer to work in Great Falls and Helena. Details below.
https://northernplains.org/helena-and-great-falls-community-organizer/
by Ken Toole | May 5, 2025 | City, Elections
Great Falls Republican Senator Jeremy Trebas has filed to run for the open District 1 Public Service Commission (PSC) seat currently held by Randy Pinocci. Pinocci is term limited and cannot run again.
PSC District One, An Open Seat For The Hi-Line and Beyond
District 1 covers north central and eastern Montana. The City of Great Falls and Havre are the largest cities in the district. Public Service Commissioners are among the highest paid state employees, drawing an entry salary over $114,000 per year plus full state benefits. Commissioners make more than the State Auditor, Secretary of State and Lieutenant Governor. Check out this editorial from 2018 explaining PSC Commissioner Salaries. ( https://www.havredailynews.com/story/2018/09/07/opinion/time-to-stop-the-gravy-train-at-the-public-service-commission/520333.html )
Republican Control Of The PSC, A Three-Ring Circus
Under Republican leadership, the PSC has become a three-ring circus of malfeasance and incompetence. Commissioners have sued each other and the state in petty rivalries. Staff have quit and successfully sued the Commission. A legislative audit found numerous questionable transactions made by commissioners and staff. Far-right gadfly, Commissioner Randy Pinocci, attracted attention for his brushes with Cascade County law enforcement (see below). All of this while the commissioners have approved numerous rate increases for residential consumers. The largest recently was an increase of approximately 28% in the fall of 2023.
https://wtf406.com/2024/04/pinocci-dodges-two-felonies-still-a-corrupt-asshole/
https://wtf406.com/2023/10/more-republican-police-blotter-pinocci-arrested-again/
https://wtf406.com/2024/07/randy-randy-randy-what-now/
From The Color Purple To Ruby Red
Historically PSC District 1 has elected Republicans and Democrats. Pinocci held the seat for the last eight years. Before him, Chinook Democrat Greg Jergeson held the seat for eight years. When Jergeson was chair of the PSC, he guided the effort to rebuild Montana’s troubled electric system after the Republican Legislature and Governor Marc Racicot subjected the state to the failed electric deregulation experiment. The Republican deregulation legislation caused the bankruptcy of the Montana Power Company. It ushered in years of chaos and increasing power bills for electric customers in Montana. Montana still has the highest electric rates in our region after years of enjoying some of the lowest power rates in the nation.
Republican Gerrymandering, Successful Despite Litigation
In 2022 the Republican legislature changed the boundaries of the PSC districts, tipping them to favor Republican candidates while skewing the population distribution in each district. A federal district court judge found that the PSC districts violated the constitutional principle of “one person one vote.” He changed the boundaries for the 2022 election. Then, in 2023, the Republican legislature changed the district boundaries clearly favoring Republican candidates again. Another lawsuit was filed challenging their action, except this time it was in state court. Last February, Helena District Court Judge Christopher Abbott agreed that the new districts favored Republican candidates but said the evidence failed to demonstrate that it was intentionally done to disadvantage Democratic candidates. Those gerrymandered districts will stand for the 2026 election, unless there is another, successful, challenge.
Trebas Knows He Can’t Get Re-Elected to the Senate
And that brings us back to Jeremy Trebas running for the open District 1 seat in 2026. He currently serves in the Montana Senate representing Senate District 10 in Great Falls. He could run for another term in the senate. He is choosing to run for PSC instead.
Trebas apparently sees the writing on the wall. Trebas faces strong opposition if he ran for Great Falls Senate District 10. Statistically this district is the most Democratic of the Cascade County senate seats. On top of that, historically the party of the president (Trump/Republican) typically loses support in the first midterm election. Given the chaotic nature of Trump’s administration and the damage he is doing to the economy and public institutions, it is even more likely that Republicans will not do well in the midterm elections.
Trebas Has a History Of Self Dealing and Extremism in the Senate
But Trebas’ problems are deeper than the Democratic opposition. He is a legislator who is more focused on fighting culture wars and promoting his own pocket book than representing the people in his district. He has placed himself firmly in the far-right Freedom Caucus faction of the local Republican Party. In the last election, there were concerted efforts to challenge the “Freedom Caucus” members in the Republican primary by Republicans and Democrats alike. As a result, County Commissioner Rea Grulkowski and legislators Lola and Steven Galloway (all incumbents) were defeated in the Republican primary. There have already been rumors that Ed Buttrey is going to run for Trebas’ current senate seat. (5-16-25 update– Great Falls Republican Melissa Nikolakakas filed for this seat)
On the other hand, the District 1 PSC seat leans Republican. Moreover, PSC races are far less likely to attract the kind of controversy Trebas would face in a local legislative race. Then, of course, there is the $114,000 paycheck and associated state benefits package. It’s not surprising that he would opt for the PSC seat.
WTF406 has posted numerous pieces about Trebas. Here are links.
https://wtf406.com/2023/01/jeremy-trebas-the-self-dealing-senator/
https://wtf406.com/2023/04/the-continuing-saga-of-senator-trebas-dirty-real-estate-deal/
https://wtf406.com/2023/01/the-curious-case-of-jeremy-trebas-property-taxes/
https://wtf406.com/2023/07/senator-trebas-tax-scam-turns-into-an-albatross-around-his-neck/
https://wtf406.com/2023/12/trebas-fails-to-apologize-for-anti-semitic-tweet/
https://wtf406.com/2025/01/surprise-jeremy-i-hate-local-government-trebas-is-at-it-again/
