SHEILA HOGAN
The Republican Party leadership in our state has established an unprecedented record of enacting policies that harm working Montanans for their own personal benefit and that of the wealthy.
Appointment
Our Republican supermajorities and our governor are turning Montana into a place where a wealthy elite feeds off huge tax cuts for themselves and their corporate cronies.
Governor Greg Gianforte and the Republican supermajority irresponsibly imposed the largest property tax increase on homeowners, renters and small business owners in our state’s history, with much of the increase going to cutting taxes for the wealthy and corporations. Gianforte was granted a tax break on his Helena mansion and pays less than his neighbors in both Bozeman and Helena.
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Gianforte kicked tens of thousands of people in our state off their health insurance during the Medicaid redetermination process, not because they were ineligible but because of administrative failures. Taking health care away from Montanans while doubling capital gains tax cuts appears to be a sport for our state’s Republican leaders, who ignore the well-being of our working families.
They haven’t stopped there. The public schools that Montanans depend on to educate their children are devastated by Republican policies. The overvaluation of housing and the undervaluation of corporate property have not only made property taxes unfair, but have also upended school funding formulas. School districts in need of help are now laying off hundreds of Montana teachers due to insufficient state resources. Meanwhile, Montana workers in these same districts are paying higher property taxes to support their local schools.
Our Republican supermajorities and our governor are turning Montana into a place where a wealthy elite feeds off huge tax cuts for themselves and their corporate cronies. This is paid for with higher taxes on Montanans and cuts to public education, health care and other services. They are selling our state for personal gain.
Sheila Hogan is executive director of the Montana Democratic Party. She grew up in Butte and now lives in Helena with her husband, Jim.
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