October
26,
2017
Greg's
Treasure
State
Update
Dear
Friend,
It’s
an
honor
and
privilege
to
serve
as
your
lone
voice
in
the
U.S.
House
of
Representatives.
It’s
a
responsibility
I
take
very
seriously.
Whether
in
Washington
or
back
home
in
Montana,
I
look
forward
to
meeting
with
you
and
talking
about
what’s
on
your
mind.
I
appreciate
your
input
and
invite
you
to contact
me
anytime
with
your
thoughts
and
concerns.
Click
HERE
to
stay
in
touch
by
signing
up
for
our
regular
e-newsletter.
TRAVELING
THE
TREASURE
STATE
Within
my
first
65
days
in
office,
I
met
with
Montanans
in
every
corner
of
our
state,
traveling
over
3,700
miles
and
visiting
each
of
our
56
counties.
I
met
with
constituents
and
listened
as
you
talked
about
issues
important
to
you.
I
spoke
with
business,
industry,
and
local
leaders
about
how
we
can
get
our
economy
growing
again
and
create
more
Montana
jobs.
I
walked
away
from
each
conversation
with
something
to
bring
with
me
to
Washington.
Your
knowledge
and
experiences
help
me
be
an
effective,
strong
leader
in
Washington
and
here
in
Montana.
I
hope
you
will
stay
in
touch.
Greg
hears
from
the
Ekalaka
community
about
the
economy
and
other
issues
facing
Congress.
WE
CAN’T
JUST
LET
IT
BURN
Montana
has
endured
one
of
the
worst
fire
seasons
on
record.
While
on
my
listening
tour
of
Montana’s
56
counties,
I
met
with
incident
commanders
and
firefighters
at
five
wildfires.
I
witnessed
the
devastation
firsthand
and
saw
livelihoods
threatened,
wildlife
habitats
destroyed,
and
poor
air
quality
jeopardize
the
health
of
Montanans,
particularly
our
children
and
seniors.
I
commend
our
brave
men
and
women
who
fought
these
fires,
and
my
thoughts
and
prayers
go
out
to
the
families
of
the
two
firefighters
who
lost
their
lives
battling
blazes
in
Montana
this
year.
As
the
fires
burned,
I
worked
to
help
folks
directly
affected
by
the
fires,
including opening
the
Charles
M.
Russell
Wildlife
Refuge
to
permit
ranchers
to
move
cattle
on
retired
grazing
allotments.
I
have
also
worked
to bring
Washington’s
attention
to
Montana
wildfires.
It
worked.
The
U.S.
House
of
Representatives
recently voted
to
provide
$576.5
million
in
emergency
aid
as
the
first
step
to
help
our
communities
impacted
by
wildfires
recover
and
rebuild.
The
bottom
line
is
our
forests
are
unhealthy.
We
have
dedicated
professionals
managing
our
forests,
but
their
hands
are
tied
by
litigation
from
lawyers
for
special
interests.
While
short-term
funding
is
critical
to
our
recovery
efforts,
we
also
need
a
long-term
solution
that
provides
healthier
forests
and
reduces
the
severity
of
our
wildfires,
which
is
why
I
will
continue
to
advocate
for
meaningful
forest
management
reforms.
I
have
co-sponsored
the
bipartisan
Resilient
Federal
Forests
Act
which
streamlines
forest
management
projects,
allows
expedited
harvest
of
dead
trees,
and
changes
the
funding
formula
for
fighting
wildfires.
Greg
receives
an
incident
command
briefing
for the
Lodgepole
Complex
fires.
RECOGNIZE
A
VETERAN
Our
veterans
and
their
families
have
sacrificed
so
much
in
the
defense
of
our
freedoms
and
way
of
life.
After
their
military
careers,
many
of
our
veterans
give
back
to
their
communities.
To
honor
veterans
who
have
honorably
served
both
our
nation
and
our
communities,
I
am
starting
the Montana
Congressional
Veteran
Commendation.
If
you
know
a
veteran
who
has
contributed
to
our
nation
in
uniform
and
to
our
communities
after
his
or
her
military
service,
you
may
nominate
him
or
her.
Nominations
are
due
by
Veterans
Day,
November
11,
2017.
Please visit
my
website for
more
information
and
nomination
materials.
HOW
CAN
I
HELP
YOU?
My
staff
and
I
are
eager
to
serve
you.
If
you
are
having
trouble
with
a
federal
agency,
whether
it’s
the
V.A.
or
Social
Security, let
me
know.
Caseworkers
in
my
office
and
I
will
do
our
best
to
help
you
find
resolution.
You
can
reach
out
to
me
for
help
with
a
federal
agency HERE.
My
offices
can
help
you
with
a
variety
of
things. Visit
our
website for
more
information.
I
look
forward
to
keeping
in
touch
with
you,
and
I
hope
you
will
do
the
same.
Please
click
HERE
to
sign
up
for
our
regular
e-newsletter
and
other
important
updates.
My
door
is
always
open.
Don’t
hesitate
to reach
out
to
me
or
my
staff
for
anything.
My
best
regards
to
you
and
your
families,
Greg |