Montana Governor Greg Gianforte (R-MT) vetoed hundreds of millions in spending. Many of the spending bills got pushed across the finish line by a handful of Republicans and legislative Democrats.

Here's a breakdown from the liberal Montana Free Press:

With a flurry of bill signings and vetoes, Gov. Greg Gianforte finalized Montana’s next two-year budget this week, striking hundreds of millions of dollars approved by legislators in what he described as an effort to eliminate unnecessary spending…Gianforte wrote that he stripped $31 million from HB 2 and vetoed $349 million in spending from other bills passed this year.

 

 

I've been busy travelling across the state, but wanted to get a quick story posted here on our website. As the Governor's veto letters were sent out Friday afternoon, I got immediate reaction from MT Senate President Matt Regier (R-Kalispell) and MT Rep. LLew Jones (R-Conrad). Here's what I shared on X Friday afternoon/early evening.

Sen. Regier: "It is great to watch as a conservative and as a taxpayer the Gov start to right side the overinflated Llew Jones and Democrat passed budget. Hopefully this will change some moderate and liberal mindsets going into next session."

Rep. Jones: "While I was disappointed by some line item vetoes, I understand the need to maintain structural balance. Montana remains tied to federal income tax—Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill” could reduce our revenue by and additional $125 million a year. Combined with nearly $600 million in income tax cuts we made in the 2025 session, and  the 300 million linked to property tax, plus some other cuts, there is over $1 billion in total tax relief, thus we must be cautious. Tax  cuts are very good news for taxpayers, but we need to ensure we  can still fund critical services. I support disciplined spending to keep Montana fiscally strong. Given this, I understand and support most of the line items."

 

 

 

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