Jon Tester for U.S. Senate

Agriculture

Jon Tester is a third-generation Montana farmer who understands the value of agriculture to Montana’s economy and way of life. Jon will stand up for Montana farmers and ranchers in the Senate, including fighting for relief for captive rail shippers and to implement country of origin labeling.

To read Jon’s letter to Montana cattle producers, click here.

Budget

As a leader in the Montana Senate, Jon Tester brought people from both parties together to balance the budget every session. The current federal budget deficit is spiraling out of control, and Congress is recklessly passing on a crushing debt to our children and grandchildren. Tester will fight to restore fiscal responsibility to Washington.

Campaign Finance

Sen. Burns and his relationship with convicted lobbyist Jack Abramoff is exactly the reason campaign finance laws need to be tougher. Jon Tester believes that money has far too much influence in government today and will fight to reform campaign laws. Jon supports campaign finance reform as well as banning all lobbyist gifts, meals and travel paid for by outside sources.

Choice

We all share the same goal: to reduce the number of unintended pregnancies in this country. There are concrete steps we can take to achieve that goal. Jon Tester trusts the women of Montana to make their own medical decisions in consultation with her family, doctor and God. The politicians in Washington shouldn’t interfere with this very personal and difficult decision. The decision to have an abortion is a difficult one and it should remain safe, legal, and rare.

Conservation

As a third-generation Montana farmer, Jon Tester understands the value of conservation. Jon supports protecting clean places for hunting, fishing and recreation. In 2005 he voted to make permanent the Block Management program and Habitat Montana program, which benefit Montana hunters and anglers. In the U.S. Senate, Jon Tester will fight to protect access to public lands and will support responsible development of clean, renewable energy resources. In the Montana Legislature Jon worked hard to protect public access to our lands and our streams. And in the U.S. Senate, Jon Tester will fight tirelessly to keep our public lands from being sold-off or locked up by private users.

Country of Origin Labeling

Jon Tester supports country of origin labeling for meat and in 2005 he led the fight to implement country of origin labeling in Montana. Country of Origin labeling benefits farmers and ranchers by allowing them to market world-famous American beef and benefits consumers who deserve to know where their food comes from.

Crime

Jon Tester supports giving law enforcement the resources they need to reduce crime and supports tough penalties for people who manufacture or sell drugs. Meth, in particular, is a critical issue facing Montana families. Tester voted for legislation that increases funding for drug task forces and establishes some of the toughest laws in the country to shut down meth labs.

Defense/Malmstrom

As a native of North Central Montana, Jon Tester understands how important Malmstrom Air Force Base is to our economy. More importantly, Tester understands how important its mission is to America’s national security. In the legislature, Jon supported legislation to help keep and expand military missions in Montana. Jon will fight tirelessly in the Senate to keep Montana’s missions and keep America safe. Under Senator Burns, Malmstrom has experienced many disappointments including losing its flying mission in 1996 and failing to land the X-33 as promised.

Education (K-12)

Jon Tester believes education is the key to economic development. As President of the Montana Senate in 2005, Tester’s leadership helped pass legislation that defined a quality public education and invested $80 million in K-12 education. In the U.S. Senate, Jon Tester will fight to ensure that every child in America receives a quality education and that federal education programs work for Montana.

Education (Post-Secondary)

Jon Tester believes higher education is critical to prepare our young people for jobs of the future. As president of the Montana Senate in 2005, Tester’s leadership helped pass the Governor’s Best and Brightest Program, which will provide scholarships to Montana students pursuing a degree at one of Montana’s universities or colleges of technology. In the U.S. Senate, Jon Tester will support investments in higher education and vocational training to make college affordable for all Montana families.

Energy

Jon Tester believes energy independence is one of the most important issues facing our state and our country and has a record of accomplishment on delivering low-cost, renewable energy to Montana. As President of the Montana Senate, Jon supported legislation to develop ethanol and wind power and sponsored a successful bill to create a state renewable energy standard. In the U.S. Senate, Jon will fight to end America’s addiction to foreign oil, by investing in bio-fuel technology and wind power development, creating a national renewable standard and promoting energy efficiency and conservation.

Ethics

Senator Burns and his relationship with convicted lobbyist Jack Abramoff is a telling example of what’s wrong with Washington. More importantly, Jon Tester won’t just pass a law; he’ll set an example — by asking a Montana judge to conduct an ethics audit of his office every year, by posting a list of every lobbyist he meets with and by shutting his door to former members and staffers who try to cash in on their connections.

First Montanans

Jon Tester believes in government-to-government relationships that respect the sovereignty of all Indian tribes and understands that increased economic development in Indian country is a critical component of overall tribal self-determination. As President of the Montana Senate in 2005, Jon Tester brought people together to pass Indian Education for All. In the U.S. Senate, Jon Tester will support funding for Indian Health Services, Indian housing, Tribal colleges and job training programs. Sen. Burns, on the other hand, has repeatedly voted against funding Indian programs and helped Jack Abramoff defraud his Indian clients for millions of dollars.

Gun Rights

Jon Tester strongly believes in our Second Amendment rights. As a gun owner and custom butcher Jon made his living with a gun for 25 years. As a legislator Tester voted repeatedly to protect gun rights. In the United States Senate, Jon will stand up to anyone — Republican or Democrat — who wants to take away Montanans’ gun rights.

Health Care

Jon Tester believes that health care in Montana should be affordable, accessible and the best in the world. Jon has a record of strong leadership to deliver affordable health care for Montanans. As President of the Montana Senate in 2005, Tester increased access to health care for children, seniors and small business employees. In the U.S. Senate, Jon Tester will stand up to big insurance companies and support a health care plan that makes health care affordable for all Montanans.

Homeland Security

Congress has failed to provide adequate funding to secure our borders and ports, as recommended by the 9/11 Commission. In the U.S. Senate, Jon Tester will lead the fight to protect our borders and ports. In return for campaign contributions from Jack Abramoff, Senator Burns voted against tougher immigration restrictions for the Marianas Islands that a Department of Justice report now says offers a conduit to the continental U.S. for terrorist and drug activity.

Immigration

Our first priority must be to secure ports and borders to keep out terror threats, illegal drugs and illegal immigrants. Jon Tester opposes amnesty for those who are here illegally. People who want to come to America should follow the rules — and we should enforce them. There should be no cuts in line. Moreover, hiring illegal aliens is no joking matter. Tester believes we need to enforce the law on employers who hire illegal immigrants no matter who they are. It’s not just a matter of fairness — it’s a question of national security.

Iraq

Jon Tester supports our troops in Iraq who have fought bravely and made us proud, but unfortunately their leaders in Washington have let them down. This administration is conducting the war in Iraq with no plan and no end in sight and has failed to give our troops the armor and equipment they need to be safe and successful. Montanans deserve a senator who’ll demand the President present a clear plan to give the Iraqi military control of their own country and bring our troops home. As your senator, Tester will never waver in keeping America safe and strong. Jon will keep the commitment we have made to our soldiers and veterans and will ask the tough questions to ensure that our troops have a clear mission and all the resources they need.

Jobs

As a leader in the Montana Senate, Jon Tester has a record of creating jobs for Montana. In the last session Tester worked with Governor Brian Schweitzer to revitalize job creation in Montana. Tester helped pass funding workforce training grants, eliminated taxes on 13,000 small businesses, established a Main Street Montana program to revitalize downtown areas across the state and passed his bill to promote Made in Montana products. Jon also successfully fought to lower the cost of health insurance for small businesses and to expand renewable energy production.

Meth

Meth is a critical issue facing Montana families, particularly in rural areas. Jon Tester voted for legislation that increases funding for drug task forces and establishes some of the toughest laws in the country to shut down meth labs. Sen. Burns, on the other hand, recently voted for massive cuts to Montana’s drug task force.

Minimum Wage

Jon Tester supports paying workers a fair, livable wage. As President of the Montana Senate in 2005, Jon Tester voted for a bill that would raise the Montana minimum wage to $6 an hour by July 2006. Sen. Burns, on the other hand, has voted against raising the federal minimum wage at least 11 times.

Patriot Act

Jon Tester believes in freedom first. Under the PATRIOT Act, the FBI could obtain records on every video you ever rented and every book you ever checked out. They can obtain your bank statements and medical records; they can even keep tabs on our guns. What’s worse is they can request this information for any reason at all, without your knowledge. Jon Tester believes we should be fighting terrorists, not invading the lives of innocent Americans. In Washington, Tester will fight for more human intelligence, a greater investment in our Special Forces, and closing backdoors to terrorism like the one left open by the Burns-Abramoff immigration policy in the Marianas Islands.

Prescription Drugs

As President of the Montana Senate in 2005, Jon Tester brought people together to pass the Big Sky Rx Program, a comprehensive state prescription drug assistance and discount program that allows thousands of low-income Montana seniors to lower their payments for medicine. In the U.S. Senate, Jon Tester will stand up to big drug companies and support legislation allowing the government to negotiate lower drug prices for Medicare Part D and would support re-importing safe prescription drugs from Canada.

Public Access

Jon Tester understands that public land is a part of who we are as Montanans. Outdoor traditions like hunting, fishing and outdoor recreation are our heritage and keep our families strong. Even though we sometimes disagree about the uses of particular public lands, Tester believes we can all agree on their importance. In the Montana Legislature Jon worked hard to protect public access to our lands and our streams. And in the U.S. Senate, Jon Tester will fight tirelessly to keep our public lands from being sold-off or locked up by private users. In contrast, Senator Burns has sponsored legislation to sell off Montana’s public lands. In fact, just this summer, Burns tried to lock Montanans off our own public lands in return for campaign contributions from one of his special interest friends.

Social Security

Jon Tester supports ensuring the long-term solvency of Social Security and does not support privatization. In 2005 he voted to urge Congress to provide sound, long-term funding for Social Security and to avoid privatization. Sen. Burns, on the other hand, supports privatization of Social Security schemes and has repeatedly voted to put tax cuts for the wealthy ahead of the long-term solvency of Social Security.

Stem Cell Research

Montana values mean doing everything you can to help a sick neighbor. By voting against stem cell research, Sen. Burns has clearly lost his way. Jon Tester believes we need to devote every possible idea and every possible resource to curing degenerative diseases.

Taxes

For too long, Montana farmers, small businesses, and middle-class families have been forced to shoulder too much of the tax burden. In Montana, Jon Tester proved we could do things differently — eliminating taxes on 13,000 Montana businesses, providing tax credits to help small businesses provide health insurance and balancing the budget — all without raising taxes. In the U.S. Senate, Tester will lead the fight for tax relief middle-class families need — help with child care, paying for college and caring for an elderly parent. Moreover, putting these dollars in the hands of Montana families will make sure that they are spent in Montana on Main Street supporting local businesses. In contrast, Senator Burns supports a national sales tax that will raise taxes on 95% of Montanans — eliminating deductions for all homeowners and folks who pay for their own health insurance.

Trade

Recent trade agreements put our jobs and the viability of family farms and ranches across Montana in jeopardy by handing off trade advantage to foreign interests. Jon Tester will fight for Montana priorities in the U.S. Senate by standing firmly opposed to unfair trade agreements that hurt our communities and way of life. While Sen. Burns voted for tax giveaways to companies that outsource American jobs, Tester will protect American jobs in the U.S. Senate.

Veterans

Jon Tester believes in honoring the men and women who defend our country by keeping the promises we made to them. In the U.S. Senate, Tester will support mandatory, full funding for veterans healthcare. Sen. Burns, on the other hand, plays politics with veterans’ health — in April, Burns voted for $430 million in supplemental appropriations for veterans healthcare, but in a late night meeting, when no one was watching, Burns flip-flopped and voted against the very same funding. Burns opposes making funding for veterans health care permanent and mandatory