Tester, Daines vote to keep government open; Zinke, Rosendale opposed

Correction: Zinke opposed the stopgap spending measure.

(Missoula Current) Montana Reps. Matt Rosendale and Ryan Zinke were among a monitory of House Republicans to vote against a stopgap spending measure that kept the government open.

Both Sens. Steve Daines and Jon Tester supported the measure in the Senate, saying anything less would hurt Montanans.

“For months, I have made it clear that I would not support a continuing resolution as it extends Nancy Pelosi's budget and Joe Biden’s policies. That’s why I voted against the (resolution) this afternoon,” Rosendale said in a statement.

Zinke voted against the measure.

"The continuing resolution voted on today extends Biden's reckless policies and spending. Even with a shutdown pending, I can't justify voting for them when Montanans sent me here to take care of this mess."

Daines said a government shutdown wasn't the answer for Congress' “fiscal insanity.” A government shutdown would have hurt Montanans, he added.

“I voted to keep the government open, keep our National Parks open, pay our military and border patrol agents and continue a much-deserved increase in pay for our Montana wildland firefighters,” Daines said. “Montanans should never have to pay the price for Congress’ broken budget process.”

Tester said the game-playing by some in Congress only hurts Americans. He also supported funding the government.

“On a farm, you don’t get to play games and expect someone else to get the work done for you. That’s why I worked with Republicans and Democrats to reach a bipartisan agreement that ensures our troops get paid and we avoid a harmful shutdown,” Tester said. “Now it’s time for Congress to work together on long-term solutions to address our country’s most pressing priorities, like lowering costs for working families, honoring the commitment we made to our veterans, securing the border, and ensuring our military has the tools they need to protect our country’s freedoms and combat Russian aggression.”