by Guest Writer | Oct 7, 2025 | Medicaid, Republicans, Shutdown
Article 1 of the Constitution vests in Congress the sole authority to appropriate money. Each year, Congress and the President are required to pass 12 appropriations bills to fund the government for the next year by September 30. The current Republican-controlled House only requires a simple majority to pass a bill, yet not one appropriations bill has been agreed upon by both chambers. In fact, only three of the 12 appropriations bills have been passed out of the House.
Instead of focusing their energy on passing the 12 appropriations bills needed to fund government, Congress has spent much of their time passing a budget reconciliation bill that the President wanted. He likes to call it the “one big, beautiful bill.” Many refer to it as the Budget Busting Bill, as it raised the debt limit by five trillion dollars. It cut taxes for the wealthiest by over four trillion dollars. It will kick more than 10 million Americans off health insurance and cut nearly one trillion from Medicaid, resulting in 15 million people losing Medicaid coverage. It cut $300 billion from food nutrition programs that help feed 42 million Americans, mostly children. It cut investment in conservation programs and renewable energy, while raising subsidies for fossil fuels and lowering federal royalties for coal and other fossil fuels.
All of these cuts will cause dire impacts for farms, ranches and rural communities in Montana.
Bottom line: The budget reconciliation bill will lower the average income for all Americans except the Top 1%. This reconciliation bill barely passed, as several Republicans voted against it and required the Vice President to break the tie in the Senate.
Sadly, the juncture at which we find ourselves – a federal shutdown with no reauthorized Farm Bill, which expired Sept. 30 – further erodes our food security.
Because members of Congress and the White House have been unable to work out budget details, other work critical to the family farm remains in limbo as well. For example, finalizing a potential plan for emergency payments to offset the devastating impact of tariffs and conservation payments for producers being delayed, while chronically understaffed USDA offices fall further behind in providing technical support for producers.
I repeat: The Republicans control the White House, Senate, and the House. When the Republicans can’t pass their own appropriations bills out of the House, it is ludicrous to blame anyone but themselves.
Every one of Montana’s Congressional Delegation is Republican.
Ask them to use their power as the majority to do their job.
Schweitzer is President of Montana Farmers Union, a grassroots organization supporting family farmers and ranchers through education, legislation, and cooperation. He ranches near Geyser.
Tags:
federal shutdown 2025, Government Shutdown, MFU, Montana Farmers Union, Walter Schweitzer
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by Ken Toole | Aug 8, 2025 | Cascade County, Republicans
Far right opponents of Representative Llew Jones have been circulating the above graphic on social media
The internal war in the Montana Republican Party rages on. The recent controversy at the State GOP convention continues to draw attention to the feud between the more centrist “Solutions Caucus” supporters and the far-right “Montana Freedom Caucus.” After the convention, the Freedom Caucus turned to social media and radio to attack fellow Republicans they deemed to be RINOs (Republicans In Name Only).
GOP Convention Rumble In Helena
The GOP convention was held in Helena in late June. In violation of party rules, Senator Barry Usher moved to “not recognize” nine senators who had worked with Democrats during the 2025 legislative session, stripping them of their right to participate as convention delegates. Despite being ruled out of order by the party chairman, the vote proceeded, and Usher’s motion was approved, resulting in the senators being unable to vote in the convention. 🔗 Source
Three of the nine senators are currently challenging that decision and are calling for a “do-over” of the convention voting. In a lawsuit filed in Lewis and Clark County District Court on August 5th, Senator Jason Elsworth of Hamilton, Denley Loge of St Regis and Shelly Vance of Belgrade are asking the court to restore their voting rights and force a new vote on party leadership. https://montanafreepress.org/2025/08/06/disenfranchised-at-convention-republican-lawmakers-sue-mtgop/
Art Wittich- Far Right And Sleazy
New officers elected at the convention included Art Wittich, an attorney and longtime political operator, who was elected chair of the party. Former Republican legislator Russ Fitzgerald from Teton County put it this way:
“More alarming, the Freedom Caucus elevated Art Wittich to state party chair. I now call him the ‘Cleanser-in-Chief’ for leading this pogrom in the state party. Wittich’s past includes a $68,000 fine—one of Montana’s largest—for campaign finance irregularities during his 2010 Senate campaign.”
In 2016, Wittich was convicted of violating Montana campaign laws after failing to report nearly $20,000 spent in his legislative race in Gallatin County. That figure did not include additional money spent by “independent expenditure” groups promoting his candidacy. Wittich featured prominently in the 2018 documentary film Dark Money, which provided a detailed exposé of corruption in our political process.
🔗 More on Wittich
Grulkowski Loses Another Election
Former Cascade County Commissioner, election denier, and purveyor of wild conspiracy theories Rea Grulkowski was defeated in a bid to be GOP vice chair by Stacy Zinn. Grulkowski was clearly the darling of the Freedom Caucus crowd. She was nominated by Theresa Manzella, the founder of the Montana Freedom Caucus and an election denier extraordinaire.
🔗 See our previous post
Manzella pointed out in her nomination speech that Grulkowski was not officially endorsed by the MT Freedom Caucus, although her nomination was seconded by Senator Barry Usher, who has served as the treasurer of the Montana Freedom Caucus. Manzella said Grulkowski was not formally supported because she did not know enough of the members. Grulkowski was ultimately defeated by Stacy Zinn, a retired DEA agent and former unsuccessful candidate for Montana’s Eastern District congressional seat. Zinn received 124 votes; Grulkowski had 106.
Then There Were The Battles During The Legislature
The 2025 legislative session was characterized by infighting among Republican legislators. Right out of the gate, a group of nine Republican senators objected to the committee assignments they were given, calling those assignments a “parking spot.” They worked with the Democratic minority to stifle the rules proposed by Republican leadership, bringing the Senate to a virtual standstill. As the session progressed, the nine senators proved to be staunch allies of Governor Greg Gianforte and joined a bipartisan group of 20 to 25 representatives to pass property tax cuts and Medicaid expansion. (That’s what we call moderates?!)
🔗 More on that
What Ever Happened To Matt Rosendale
It’s hard to recap all the battles in the Republican civil war—there have been so many. Ten years ago, the Cascade County Republican Central Committee imploded after a far-right Freedom Caucus push to sanction and remove members they didn’t like.
🔗 Read the story
Then there’s the mysterious case of National Freedom Caucus leader and Montana Representative Matt Rosendale. After weeks of playing coy with the media about whether he would challenge Jon Tester for his Senate seat, Rosendale finally announced he was in. Then, six days later, he withdrew after Trump announced he was endorsing Tim Sheehy in the Republican primary—likely because Rosendale had snubbed Trump by refusing to take his call on the House floor.
🔗 Rosendale drama
Within a couple of weeks, Rosendale announced that he was not running for re-election to his seat in Congress. There’s little question he would have been a shoo-in to retain his seat. His decision prompted widespread speculation about the “real” reason. On a political podcast, North Dakota Senator Heidi Heitkamp said the rumor in D.C. was that he had allegedly impregnated a 20-year-old congressional staffer. Whatever the reason, Rosendale quickly exited public life and politics.
🔗 Rumor recap
They’ll Be Back!
In the last election, three Freedom Caucus supporters in Cascade County—Steven Galloway, Lola Sheldon Galloway, and Rae Grulkowski—were defeated in the Republican primary thanks to the work of more centrist Republicans and progressives who crossed over to vote in the Republican primary. (There was only one contested Democratic primary on the ballot.) If the Freedom Caucus crowd has demonstrated anything, it’s that they don’t give up or compromise. They’ll be back in the 2026 election. Stay tuned.
by Ken Toole | Jul 15, 2025 | City, E-City Beat Watch, Mayor, Public Library, Republicans
Mayor Cory Reeves is responding to criticism that he, and the City Commission, reduced funding for the library after the public voted to increase its budget. He wants us to buy his spin about his support for the decision to take funding from the library.
He starts his explanation with the following, “At no point did the City Commission “remove” any voter-approved library mills. That’s simply not true.” Then he explains, at great length, that the city simply renegotiated a reduction to an existing contract with the library. While denying that it had anything to do with the library mill levy which voters approved. Nor did he say much about the fact that money taken from the library was channeled to “public safety” after the voters failed to approve a much larger public safety mill levy request.
A remarkable bit of bureaucratic double speak. The library’s over-all budget, which included mills approved by the voters, was reduced. Funding from an existing contract with the city, which had been in place since 1993, was taken from the library and given to public safety activity, which had been rejected by the voters. Reeves’ effort to split hairs about the source of funds whether voted mills or existing contract is simply a ploy to avoid accountability now that he is running for re-election.
Put simply, the voters approved additional funding for the library. The voters rejected additional funding for public safety. The City Commission and Reeve’s then reduced the library’s funding and gave it to public safety.
But that’s not the whole story. As is often the case, when far-right culture warriors enter the electoral arena facts disappear and wild conspiracies theories take their place. This is especially true when libraries are involved. The library mill levy election was so contentious a judge ordered a special monitor to oversee the election to assure it was run competently and fairly. Thanks to the hard work of dedicated supporters of libraries the mill request passed. The opponents of the library temporarily retreated to their Freedom Caucus and Pachyderm Club meetings and focused on the internal fighting among Cascade County Republicans.
But here is the rub, unfortunately the majority of the city commission, including Mayor Reeves, is more aligned with the opponents of the library. And they used their power to take a pound of flesh out of the library. Ironically Reeves ended his spin about reducing the library’s budget with the following, “As mayor, I will always prioritize facts over spin, and I’ll continue to protect core services, public safety chief among them.”
The reduction to library funding smacked of political retribution and the “renegotiation” of the existing contract was a done deal before the parties even sat down at the table.
The Electric has provided an excellent time line about the library and public safety levies here. https://theelectricgf.com/2024/09/24/timeline-library-public-safety-levies/
by Guest Writer | Jul 10, 2025 | Politics, Republicans
Ross Fitzgerald is a former Republican legislator from Teton County and the current chair of the Teton County Republican Central Committee. This is an editorial he wrote about the recent Republican convention in Helena and the elevation of Art Wittich to the state party chair.
“More alarming, the Freedom Caucus elevated Art Wittich to state party chair. I now call him the “Cleanser-in-Chief” for leading this pogrom in the state party. Wittich’s past includes a $68,000 fine—one of Montana’s largest—for campaign finance irregularities during his 2010 Senate campaign.”
I attended the recent Montana GOP Convention in Helena, representing the Teton County Republican Central Committee, never expecting to witness a blatant power grab. I was appalled to watch the Freedom Caucus, an extremist faction within the GOP, orchestrate the purge of nine sitting Republican state senators by stripping them of all voting privileges. Celebrated as a “cleansing” by Representative Nelly Nicol, the Freedom Caucus took a page right out of the authoritarian playbook, disenfranchising the 190,000 Montanans represented by those senators in the process. It’s an egregious attempt by the Freedom Caucus to crown themselves arbiters of the Republican Party, undermining the foundation of our democracy.
The purge began when Freedom Caucus Leader Senator Barry Usher moved to strip the senators’ credentials. Their offense? They voted for the best interests of their districts on issues like infrastructure and education over the demands of Senate President Matt Regier. Usher ignored the Republican Party’s bylaws, which grant legislators voting rights at the convention. Rep. Jane Gillette, another Freedom Caucus member, outmaneuvered former party chair Don Kaldschmidt, who correctly ruled the motion out of order. Gillette argued the GOP, as a “private association,” can decide who qualifies as a Republican. This extremist group, just 130 votes in a small room, overrode the will of Montana’s 350,000 Republicans. Rep. Nicol, also a Freedom Caucus member, even posted a Facebook video celebrating this purge, boasting, “As other states watch us to find clear pathways to cleanse their state’s party…” This chilling use of “cleanse” signals an attack on independent thought, not a strengthening of the GOP. The Montana Freedom Caucus PAC is now using this purge as an online fundraising tool.
More alarming, the Freedom Caucus elevated Art Wittich to state party chair. I now call him the “Cleanser-in-Chief” for leading this pogrom in the state party. Wittich’s past includes a $68,000 fine—one of Montana’s largest—for campaign finance irregularities during his 2010 Senate campaign. Court records show he accepted unreported campaign donations. Leaked 2013 emails from his time as Senate Majority Leader reveal plans to purge Republicans who didn’t conform, aligning with this “party first” mindset. It’s no surprise the Freedom Caucus chose Wittich to lead their effort to reshape the GOP in his own image.
In a representative republic, elected officials must prioritize their conscience and the needs of their constituents over party demands. A true Republican Party values individual liberty, not rigid loyalty. The Freedom Caucus, however, believes they alone get to decide who is and isn’t a Republican, dismissing the voice of the voters.
This purge is a wake-up call. Montanans now see how a few insiders at a closed event can override voter intent. These senators, chosen by their districts, face expulsion for representing their constituents. If representatives can be “cleansed” or bullied into compliance, your vote becomes meaningless. As conservative Republicans, we must act. Attend precinct meetings, contact your local GOP committee, and demand transparency. Elect representatives who prioritize Montanans, not out-of-state influencers. The Freedom Caucus’s exclusionary tactics, rule-bending history, and potential plans—like closed primaries or loyalty oaths—risk creating a single-thought party. Wittich’s past and this purge raise serious concerns. We must push back to preserve a Republican Party that serves all Montanans, not a radical few.
I call on every Republican to spotlight this betrayal. Show up. Speak out. Demand our party return to its roots. The “Cleanser-in-Chief’s” reign must not destroy what it means to be Republican.
Ross Fitzgerald is a former Republican legislator and current chair of the Teton County Republican Central Committee.
by Guest Writer | Jul 8, 2025 | Candid Cartoon
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By jcolemanmoore on July 8, 2025
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At the signing of the Big Ugly Bill, Speaker Johnson gave Trump the gavel he used to mark passage of this disastrous legislation. Seems symbolic of the Congressional Republicans’ complete capitulation.
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