News & Updates

Yesterday pro-lifers from across Montana gathered to mourn the loss of nearly 60 million babies since Roe v. Wade was decided in 1973. And although they were there to mourn, they were also there to celebrate—to celebrate life in all its glory; to celebrate life and our God who created it; to celebrate life and the value that each and every life brings to us here on this earth. They were also there to celebrate a light at the end of this very dark tunnel.

Three days into his first term, President Obama turned to Republican House Whip Eric Cantor and uttered a phrase I’m sure he now regrets. He said, “Elections have consequences, and at the end of the day, I won.” That may have been true, but what a difference an election makes. Rather than a president that believes in abortion, we now have one that believes in life. Rather than a president that forces the pro-life community to pay for abortions through his Obamacare mandates, we now have a president who has promised to dismantle Obamacare and the abortion mandate that it contains. Rather than a president who will appoint pro-abortion Supreme Court justices, we now have one who has promised to appoint pro-life justices, starting with a pro-life replacement to uphold the pro-life legacy of Justice Antonin Scalia. And thanks be to God, we also have a super-majority in the Senate committed to making that happen.

Yes, Mr. Obama, elections DO have consequences, and three pro-life appointments to the U.S. Supreme Court will set us on a course to undoing one of the greatest scourges ever to afflict this nation. As I said, there just may be a light at the end of this dark tunnel. We’ve waited for decades for this nation to open its eyes and acknowledge its sin. And now the reversal of Roe v. Wade is at least a realistic possibility. And if Roe v. Wade WERE reversed, what would that mean for us in Montana? Unfortunately, nothing. If Roe v. Wade is reversed, it simply sends the issue back to the states to be decided on a state-by-state basis. Unfortunately, all the case law surrounding Roe is predicated on a non-existent right to privacy in the Federal constitution. However, we have an explicit right to privacy in our State constitution, so the case law still fits. Even if Roe v. Wade WERE struck down, we would still have our work cut out for us.

So where does that leave us? What can we do in the short term? First, we can hold Congress to their promise to defund Planned Parenthood. It’s time to stop forcing taxpayers to subsidize the activities of America’s largest abortion provider. Second, it’s time to kick Planned Parenthood out of our public schools. It’s time to stop treating them like they’re experts on sex education. They’re not. They’re experts on abortion, nothing more. Third, let’s pass pain-capable abortion bans at both the state and federal levels. This can be done in the next four months. And finally, let’s clarify that physician-assisted suicide is illegal in Montana. That can also happen in the next four months.

Together, over the years, we’ve made a difference. I’m more optimistic now than I have been in a long time. Yes, elections DO have consequences, and the best long-term consequence of THIS election may be the celebration and protection of life, from conception until natural death.

In recent years, the left has employed a new tactic in their efforts to redesign our culture. In legislative hearings and city council meetings across the state, they trot out ministers from so-called “Christian” churches who unapologetically claim that the Bible allows, and even celebrates, same sex marriage, abortion on demand and gender fluidity. It requires verbal and literary gymnastics, and they’re good at it…at least to the Biblically illiterate. The result has been a weakening of the understanding of the principles required to place our founding documents in proper context. And this, by extension, has resulted in a weakening of the long-held beliefs in things like freedom of speech, freedom of religion and the freedom of association.

Year after year I’ve watched these so-called “experts” on the Bible and Christianity claim that everything is allowable because “God is love.”  They forget that true love is a balance between grace and justice. God is still God, and He still gets to make the rules. Now after years of this nonsense, pastors from across the state are rising up and speaking the truth. They’ve formed the Montana Pastors Network modeled after a similar successful effort in Wyoming. And they’ve committed to speaking God’s truth to the culturally relevant issues of our day in public settings like the Montana legislature. They will be the balance to the liberal theologians who have had free run of the Capitol for far too long, and for that, we say thank goodness.

For nearly 15 years, the Montana Family Foundation has been fighting these battles in the legislature and in the courts. We have a strong team, but we’re missing one crucial component: the title and anointing of a pastor. There’s something special that happens when a minister of the Gospel of Christ steps to the lectern. They have a standing that we don’t have, and legislators hold them in higher regard when it comes to interpreting the Bible, as they should.

Unlike Hillary Clinton who believes that the Gospel should be confined to the inside of the four walls of a church, we take the Great Commission literally, as did the founders of our nation. When Jesus said in Matthew 28, “Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you”, He meant it. And that command is as valid and important today as it was 2000 years ago.

The members of the Montana Pastors Network come from every corner of Montana and from many different denominations.  Their common goal is to be that missing voice that has allowed our state to drift further and further from God’s Truth. Tomorrow, January 17^th, the Montana Pastors Network is hosting a legislative luncheon at the Capitol. It’s a chance for the pastors to put a face to a name and get to know their individual legislators.  Over the course of the next four months, members of the Network will come back to Helena to testify on bills, as needed. What an amazing thing to see members of the clergy from across the state come together to bring God’s Truth to the legislative process.

If you’d like more information on the Montana Pastors Network, go to mtpastors.org.

Yesterday two hearings took place that exemplify our misplaced priorities. The first was Senate Bill 44, a bill to provide a process to hold patients harmless from balanced billing by air ambulance companies. The hearing was large enough to move the Senate Business and Labor Committee from a small Room 422 to the very large, old Supreme Court chamber. The hearing was well-attended and went on for nearly two hours with vigorous testimony from proponents and opponents. Apparently, air ambulance fees can be so high that they rise to the level of price-gouging. And many people thought something needed to be done. Fine, I get that. Montana is a huge state and air ambulance service is important. But realistically, how many of us will ever fly in an air ambulance? As a function of the total population, I bet the number is less than 1%.

Now contrast that hearing with the hearing on Senate Resolution 2 sponsored by Senator Nels Swandal, also known as Judge Swandal, from Livingston. The resolution urges immediate intervention on behalf of the Senate in a lawsuit to keep Commissioner of Political Practices, Jonathan Motl, in office for two more years. It all began when Jonathan Motl was appointed to replace former Commissioner of Political Practices, Jim Murray, in 2013. He was confirmed by the Senate two years later, and both the appointment letter and confirmation resolution stated that his term would end January 1^st of 2017. On December 20^th of 2016, a lawsuit was filed by several Democrats in an effort to keep Mr. Motl in office for two more years.  A judge, in effect, stayed the Senate resolution until the case is decided. That means Mr. Motl gets to stay in office past the date of both his gubernatorial appointment letter and the Senatorial confirmation resolution. It’s ironic that the governor himself set the January, 2017 termination date, and it’s now the governor’s own lawyer leading the effort to get it extended. The outcome of the litigation, while important, is not really the subject of this broadcast. What’s truly important, and my focus at this point, is found in the title of the resolution. It says “A Resolution of the Senate of the State of Montana Directing Immediate Legal Intervention on Behalf of the Senate in Order to Protect the Senate’s Constitutional Confirmational Authority and Process.”

This is a classic separation of powers battle. The three branches of government are supposed to be co-equal with different powers, and it’s common for one branch to stray onto the turf of another. The problem comes when one branch strays onto the turf of another, then pitches a tent and finally, builds a house. For the system to work, each branch needs to jealously guard the powers it’s been given. And thus, we have Senate Resolution 2, an effort to protect the Senate’s confirmation powers from encroachment by the other two branches. It’s not the stuff of political thrillers and sadly, the hearing had no proponents and no opponents, but its impact is far-reaching. The hearing room should have been full, but it was nearly empty.

Separation of powers may not be as riveting as air ambulance fees, but unlike Senate Bill 44, this resolution will affect everyone.  I, for one, applaud Senator Swandal for his tenacity and jealously guarding the powers of the legislative branch. It’s the branch closest to the people and the branch most frequently under assault.

There’s an old saying, “Good or bad, elections have consequences.” Well, I’m happy to report that after years of trying, we’re finally succeeding cutting off federal funding to America’s largest abortion provider. Recently, House Speaker Paul Ryan announced that the defunding of Planned Parenthood would be part of the repeal of Obamacare.

Currently, Planned Parenthood receives roughly one-half a billion dollars a year in federal subsidies, and nearly 2 million of that is paid to affiliates right here in Montana. With any luck, this will be the death note for an organization responsible, in large part, for killing nearly 60 million babies since 1973. Year after year Republican legislators here in Montana have stripped federal subsidies destined for Planned Parenthood from the state budget, and year after year, they’ve been replaced by Democrat governors. Now it appears President-Elect Trump will keep his campaign promise and cut off funding entirely. And to that, we say, “It’s about time.”

This announcement by Speaker Ryan comes on the heels of a Congressional report that confirms all of the allegations of Planned Parenthood selling fetal tissue for profit. Despite outright lies by Planned Parenthood CEO Cecile Richards, and numerous lawsuits filed in an attempt to silence David Daleiden, a House Select Committee has found that Planned Parenthood did, indeed, conspire with third party tissue procurement companies to profit from the sale of human fetal tissue. Not only did Planned Parenthood make tissue and organs available for sale, but according to the Committee report, they also modified abortion procedures to produce the higher number of INTACT fetuses, which command a higher price. Unfortunately, it also results in a larger number of fetuses delivered alive.

Thank goodness for David Daleiden and his team for uncovering these atrocities and shining a huge spotlight on one of America’s most notorious organizations. According to former employees like Abby Johnson, abortions are, by far, Planned Parenthood’s largest revenue stream. And although federal funds are technically not allowed to be used for abortions, they ARE used to back-fill those portions of Planned Parenthood’s budget not funded by abortions. This puts Planned Parenthood in a bind. If they lose 500 million dollars a year in federal funding and can’t fill that hole in their budget with abortion revenue, they’ll have to look for other sources or go out of business. Maybe they can go to a donation-based model like most other non-profits. I’m sure they could apply for a grant from George Soros or the Clinton Foundation. Either way it appears their federal gravy train is coming to the end of the line, and for that, we say thank goodness!

Years ago, I was in a hearing in the U.S. Capitol and seated next to me was Norma McCorvey, better known as Jane Roe of Roe v. Wade. She claims that as a 16-year-old, she was used by the abortion industry and she wants to see Roe v. Wade overturned. January 22^nd is the 44^th anniversary of that decision, and it appears that the tide may be turning.

Sixty million abortions later, the millennial generation is more pro-life than its parents. Federal funding is about to be cut off. And President Trump could place a pro-life majority on the Supreme Court. There could finally be a light at the end of this dark tunnel.

As President Ronald Reagan once said, “Government is like a baby. An alimentary canal with a big appetite at one end and no sense of responsibility at the other.” For those who enter politics, the very first rule of government is that there’s never enough money, NEVER! It’s an important lesson because the budget is the only real reason the legislature has to meet.

Here at the end of the first week of Montana’s 2017 legislative session, the budget is already front and center. With steep declines in tax revenue from coal and oil, no timber being cut and ag prices in the tank, the state is facing a serious budget shortfall. It’s part of the normal business cycle, but very few legislators currently in office have ever faced a serious economic downturn. So what will they do? Normal people like you and me would tighten our belts and cut our budgets. It seems logical. But that’s not how government thinks. While citizens in the private sector cut their budgets, government looks for ways to keep growing.

The second rule of government is that a cut is not a cut. When agencies scream that their budgets have been cut, it usually means the legislature cut the rate of increase. If a department anticipated a 3% increase and their budget only goes up by 2%, they call that a “cut.” It’s all in the definition, and there’s a big difference between the public and private sectors in the definition of a “lean budget.” This week the legislature asked agencies to cut their budgets by 20 million dollars, collectively. The agencies came back and said their budgets were already “cut to the bone,” but they could “sacrifice” 5 ½ million. Remember, that’s collectively, not individually. With our state budget being somewhere north of 6 billion dollars with a “B,” a 20-million-dollar-cut is miniscule, and a 5½-million-dollar-cut is laughable.

Montana government has exploded in size in recent decades. Now we’re facing a budget crunch, and it’s time to cut back. In 2001, I remember the House Appropriations chairman going to the director of the Department of Corrections and telling him we needed to cut his budget by 5 million dollars. The director said he understood but wanted to identify the cuts himself rather than letting the legislature do it. They agreed the director would take the weekend to analyze his budget and would report back to the chairman on Monday. When Monday rolled around, the director proposed not a 5-million-dollar-cut as requested, but a 7-million-dollar-cut, and that’s when the state budget was around 2 million dollars. Contrast that with the agency’s current collective offer of 5½ million dollars and you see how silly it is. The only problem is that it’s NOT silly, because government has something the private sector doesn’t have, and that’s the ability to raise taxes. If you and I come up short, we can’t run to our boss and demand that he pay us more money, but government can, and they WILL, because legislators and bureaucrats tend to take the path of least resistance. They never actually CUT budgets and they never lay off employees. Rather than seeing this as an opportunity to make agencies leaner and more responsive, government will circle the wagons and do everything in their power to maintain the status quo.

Which reminds me of another thing  President Reagan said about how the closest thing to eternal life we will ever see on this earth is a government program.