On the recordDecember 9, 2024
So you may ask what do I see as my greatest accomplishment. As a U.S. Senator, I see my greatest accomplishment as a citizen legislator, having a real full-time job outside this body, in my case, as a farmer. This is what our forefathers had in mind: trips home every weekend, not only preparing the seedbed and seeding sometimes until 3 in the morning or haying, plowing down peas, getting the equipment ready but also traveling the State, having meetings with my constituents, doing my job as a Senator. I loved every minute of it, most days. I was asked to go on codels and almost always declined because I went on a codel every weekend back to Montana. Moving forward, I would ask this body to please focus on public education. It is a great equalizer. It is the foundation for our democracy and our economy. Continue to work for healthcare that everybody can afford when they need it. In family farm agriculture, work to put more competition in the marketplace. This is ultimately what will result in less reliance on farm subsidies. Work for a fair tax code. Work for equity. Stop these damn carve-outs of our Tax Code. Continue to address the funding challenges in defense, climate, hunger, education, and housing. Capitalism works if there is competition, so address the consolidation the best you can in agriculture, energy, and finance. Work to grow the middle class. The problems with income disparity are absolutely real.…
