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Hello Montana Democrats! Welcome to our August Democratic Newsletter, which we
send to stakeholders once a month to keep you up-to-date on all the important
work Montana Democrats are doing.

Our 2022 Platform Convention

Thank you to all who joined us in Butte the last weekend of July. The
convention was a smooth two-day event, with Democrats from across the state
coming together to update our Party Platform. The proceedings were well
attended, timely and cooperative, led by legislators, board members, and
presiding chair Mary Moe. Much was debated and updated– including inserting the
first explicit call for protecting abortion rights in our platform in recent
history.

Montana Democrats Have a Strong Plan for Montana Working Families

At the platform convention, Montana Democratic legislative candidates
introduced the “Core of the Platform,” a distilled version of the platform’s
values, vision, and unwavering optimism for Montana’s future, and a six-point
promise to voters. Having listened to what the party and its delegates
advocated for during the convention and from the very planks that were agreed
upon, Democratic Legislative candidates pulled together a brief summary of some
of the most resonant and pressing issues that are facing the state.

The Democrats will champion working people and our local economies and defend
and deliver solutions for the housing affordability crisis, property tax
relief, affordable child care, accessible mental health care, and the defense
of the Montana state constitution.

“Democrats came together from across the state to reaffirm our commitment to
Montana’s working families. We are united moving into November.”said Sheila
Hogan, executive director of the Montana Democratic Party. “The recent
Republican convention revealed internal strife and a radical agenda. This
weekend, the Democrats laid out a very different vision for Montana– one that
champions working families, fights for solutions, and invests for the future of
the Last Best Place.”

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Sen. Tester’s Historic PACT Act Passes, Despite Senator Daines Dragging His
Feet

It Took Sen. Daines 96 Hours (+ One Fist Bump) To Finally Do the Right Thing
for Our Veterans

Earlier this month, Senator Tester’s PACT Act passed the Senate, marking a
historic and critical investment in veterans’ health care. 96 hours after first
voting no and fist bumping Sen. Ted Cruz to celebrate the no vote— and 96 hours
of ignoring protesting veterans camped out on the steps of the Capitol—
Republican Senator Steve Daines finally reversed course and joined Senator
Tester in voting yes on the historic bill to provide veterans’ healthcare. His
office insisted in statements to Montana reporters that his original opposition
was a principled decision, and not a blatantly petty and political stance in
response to the announcement of a separate bill to reduce the deficit and lower
costs for families. <[link removed]>
There was not a single difference between the bill that Daines voted no on last
week and the bill he voted yes on yesterday.

Senator Daines made national news when reporters shared video footage of him
fistbumping Senator Ted Cruz in celebration after voting no. Understandably,
folks were upset:

* “Callous GOP Fist-Bump After Holding Up Aid For Burn-Pit Veterans Sparks
Fury” <[link removed]>
* Guest View: “Daines is playing with veterans lives”
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* “The Fist Bump from Hell”
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* “Daines is every bit as bad, just not anywhere near as smart. Only these
guys would fist bump when screwing over vets.”
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playing a political stunt with veterans’ lives on the line,”said Sheila Hogan,
Executive Director of the Montana Democratic Party. “All I can say is, thank
God Montana Veterans have Senator Tester to put politics aside and get the work
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HISTORIC Inflation Reduction Act Passed

This week, President Joe Biden signed the Inflation Reduction Act into law.
The new law will help pay down our national debt by hundreds of billions of
dollars according the theCongressional Budget Office,
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costs for Montana families, cut prescription drug prices, and unleash American
energy while decreasing our reliance on foreign adversaries like Russia to
power our country –and does all of this without raising taxes for working
Montanans.
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“The Democrats are laser focused on taking on special interests to lower costs
for working families, and the Inflation Reduction Act is going to do just that.
Montana Democrats are tackling working families’ top concerns – and we’re doing
it by making huge corporations pay their fair share and without raising taxes
on Montana workers,”said Sheila Hogan, Executive director of the Montana
Democratic Party. “This is a perfect illustration of the differing priorities
of the Montana Democrats and Montana Republicans: Senator Tester voted to cut
prescription drug costs and hold corporations accountable, while Senator Daines
and Representative Rosendale sided with Big Pharma and voted no.”

The Inflation Reduction Act:

* Lowers prescription drug costs by allowing Medicare to negotiate drug
prices and capping out-of-pocket costs for seniors to $2,000.
* Lowers energy costs by hundreds of dollars on average for many families,
increases cleaner energy production, and helps reduce carbon emissions by
roughly 40 percent in less than 10 years.
* Locks in lower health insurance cost– $800 on average– for 13 million
Americans who get their insurance through the Affordable Care Act exchanges.
* Fights inflation by reducing the national debt.
* Makes the tax code fairer by cracking down on the ultra-wealthy and large
corporations so they pay their fair share in taxes.
* Does not raise taxes on families making $400,000 or less.
FACT SHEET: Inflation Reduction Act in Montana
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Thank you for being a part of this fight. November is just around the corner!

The Montana Democratic Party is the party of the people. We welcome to our
cause Montanans of every color, creed, and condition. Our history as a party
teaches us that by working together and speaking as one, we can move society
forward, especially when we raise our voices for those among us with little
money, influence, or acceptance.

CONTRIBUTE MONTHLY
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PAID FOR BY MONTANA DEMOCRATIC PARTY AND NOT AUTHORIZED BY ANY CANDIDATE OR
CANDIDATE'S COMMITTEE.


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Montana Democratic Party, 303 N. Ewing Street, Helena, MT 59601