While Congress appears bogged down, making little to no progress on major legislation, the Senate Veteran Affairs Committee on which Montana’s Jon Tester is the ranking Democrat drew praise in a New York Times article Monday.
Headlined “A Bipartisan Congress That Works? Veterans Committees Show How It’s Done,” the article says, “As the rest of Congress fights over the health care overhaul and looming budget deadlines, the committees responsible for writing legislation affecting veterans are quietly moving forward with an ambitious, long-sought and largely bipartisan agenda that has the potential to significantly reshape the way the nation cares for its 21 million veterans.”
Senate committee chair Republican Johnny Isakson is cited in the article as setting the tone of cooperation in the committee, and “he has found a willing partner in Jon Tester of Montana, the committee’s top Democrat, who along with being a political moderate is up for reelection next year in a rural state that voted overwhelmingly for Mr. Trump.”
