FACT CHECK: All #MTSEN Support a Bill That Raises Deficit, Oppose a Budget That Helps Montana

1. All four candidates would have favored shutting down the government by opposing the bill that passed in March.
2. The budget funded critical border security investments.
3. The budget increases resources for law enforcement.
4. The budget includes an important wildfire funding fix.
5. The budget includes funding for infrastructure like rural internet and roads and schools.

Background:

REPUBLICAN TAX PLAN WILL ADD OVER $1.5 TRILLION TO OUR NATIONAL DEBT

HEADLINE: “Final Tax Bill Could End Up Costing $2.2 Trillion.” [Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, 12/18/17]

University Of Pennsylvania Study: Republican Tax Plan “Increases Debt By Between $1.9 Trillion To $2.2 Trillion Over The Next Decade.” [Penn Wharton Budget Model, University of Pennsylvania, 12/15/17]

• Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget: Final Republican Tax Plan Could Add Between $1.5 Trillion And $2.2 Trillion To The Deficit. [Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, 12/18/17]
• FactCheck.Org: “Correct” That Republican Tax Plan Would Increase The Deficit By At Least $1.5 Trillion. [FactCheck.Org, 3/7/18]

BIPARTISAN BUDGET DEAL FUNDED BORDER SECURITY AND LAW ENFORCEMENT

Bipartisan Budget Deal Increased Funding For Operation Stonegarden Grants, Which Help Montana Law Enforcement Secure The Border And Target Drug Smuggling, By $30 Million. [Homeland Preparedness News, 4/24/18]

Bipartisan Budget Deal Included Funding For 300 Additional Customs And Border Protection Agents. [Daily Inter Lake, 4/21/18]

Bipartisan Budget Deal Included $415 Million For Program Used By Montana Police Departments For Personnel, Support, Training, And Equipment Needs. [Homeland Preparedness News, 4/24/18]

BIPARTISAN BUDGET DEAL INCLUDED WILDFIRE FUNDING FIX PROVISION ALLOWING WILDFIRES TO BE TREATED LIKE NATURAL DISASTERS FOR EMERGENCY FUNDING

Bipartisan Budget Deal Included Provision Allowing Wildfires To Be Treated As Natural Disasters, Allowing The Forest Service To Pull Resources From An Emergency Fund, Not Its Own Budget, Ensuring It Could Focus More On Forest Management, Timber Harvest, And Trail Management. [KECI, 3/21/18]

• HEADLINE: “Tester: Federal Spending Bill Expected To Fund Firefighting Costs, Restore Payments To Counties.” [Missoula Current, 3/21/18]

BIPARTISAN BUDGET DEAL INCLUDED FUNDING FOR RURAL INFRASTRUCTURE, EDUCATION

Bipartisan Budget Deal Included $600 Million For High-Speed Internet Access In Rural And Underserved Areas. [Great Falls Tribune, 4/4/18]

Bipartisan Budget Deal Included $763 Million Increase For Water Infrastructure Programs. [Montana Standard, 3/25/18]

Bipartisan Budget Deal Included Major Investments In Education, Including Nearly $10 Billion For Head Start, $2 Billion To Recruit, Retain And Train Teachers, And $250 Million For Preschool Program Infrastructure And Quality. [Great Falls Tribune, 4/4/18]

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