Viewpoint: GOP gift to Montana? Higher prices, rising home costs
Justin Ailport
If you’re anything like me, you take Christmas shopping seriously. There’s few things better than enduring multiple stores to find the perfect gift for someone and watching their eyes light up when they open it. It’s Christmas magic, every time.
Those meaningful gifts usually don’t come cheap though. And under the Trump administration, Montana families are in an even harder position this holiday season. As prices for basic needs like electricity and groceries continue to climb, working people in Montana are having to shop the sales this year – and not by choice.
In the first six months of the Trump administration, Montanans paid an extra $894 for goods and services. This is a direct impact of Trump’s insane tariff agenda and his inability to tackle inflation, and the economy is showing no signs of improvement. It’s no wonder Trump University failed – apparently none of these guys took an econ class.
To make matters worse, there have been over 1.1 million Americans laid off from their jobs this year. Some of those are due to tariffs and corporate protection of profits, and others are from AI stealing real jobs from real people (which also boosts corporate profits).
Donald Trump lied. He lied to many well-meaning, good-hearted Montanans who wanted what was best for them and their family. He said he would lower the cost of living. He said he would end forever wars, not start new ones. He said that he loves the farmers, and now our farmers are taking the brunt of Trump’s irrational policy. Maybe he lied to you.
We have been betrayed. The reality for many Montanans is that Christmas will look different this year. Maybe your husband got laid off. Maybe you’re looking at an extra $700 every month in health insurance payments next year, and there’s no flex money left over. Maybe you’ve had to quit your job to take care of your kids.
We see you. We see your struggle. And we want you to know that Montana Democrats are fighting very single day against our Republican leaders’ greed. We are demanding that this system change. It has
been too long in this country where regular people work harder and harder, and the rich get richer and richer.
Montanans deserve a holiday season filled with joy, family, and laughter – not a season of stress, frustration, and economic insecurity. As part of your holiday to-do list, call Daines, Zinke, Downing, and Sheehy. Let them know that working Montanans won’t pay for their games any longer.
Justin Ailport is the interim executive director for the Montana Democratic Party.