Depending on where you live, you may have seen ads attacking conservative legislators for voting to protect rural health care. Let’s be clear about two things. First, these ads are from D.C.-based, dark-money groups that are trying to mislead us and meddle in our local elections. Second, the legislators being targeted actually support President Trump, Governor Gianforte, and their efforts to protect rural health care and our communities.
These attacks are politics at its worst. When the bill to protect rural health care came before the Legislature in 2025, these groups were nowhere to be found. Now, they’re attacking the legislators who stood up for our small-town hospitals.
These are the same groups that opposed the property tax reforms that cut taxes for 80% of Montana homeowners. Why? Because these DC-based groups want a Californian with a vacation home to pay the same property tax as a Montana family who owns and lives in their home.
Now, they oppose protecting rural health care. With a headquarters 2,000 miles away, our little hospitals don’t matter to them. They don’t understand our core values, or how we take care of our neighbors.
Here, we help each other, so our communities are stronger. In Montana, our rural hospitals not only save lives but also are the largest employers in many of our counties. If their doors close, our neighbors lose their jobs, and our seniors lose their care. It is a conservative priority to keep these institutions strong, but don’t just take my word for it.
President Trump and Governor Gianforte understand this, providing a new way forward. President Trump’s “Make America Healthy Again” initiative is transformative, focusing on being proactive about our health, rather than just waiting to treat a disease. This is a common-sense approach that helps prevent disease and keep health care costs lower, and every conservative can get behind that.
One of the biggest wins for Montana has been President Trump’s Rural Health Transformation Program. The Trump administration awarded Montana a historic $233 million to help modernize our rural health care system. President Trump is investing in a stronger, more resilient rural health care system – with improved technology, better telehealth, and more providers to treat patients in our small towns.
President Trump’s leadership matches the bold vision we see here from Governor Gianforte, who’s led the way in making sure our health programs work for Montanans. When the governor protected rural health care in his 2025 budget and then signed the bill into law, he didn’t just sign a blank check. Instead, he and conservative legislators insisted on work requirements and personal responsibility. Conservatives believe that, for those who are able, work provides dignity. By focusing on a hand-up rather than a handout, we make sure the safety net is there for those who truly need it.
What Montana has done to protect rural health care and promote the dignity of work was a central part of President Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill Act.” Our Senators Daines and Sheehy and Congressmen Downing and Zinke, all voted for it last year.
In 2025, 33 Republican state legislators stood with President Trump and Governor Gianforte to protect rural health care. They’re strong conservative leaders who understand and care about our rural communities, unlike special interest groups from D.C.
If you see wildly deceiving ads from dark money groups attacking your local conservative Republicans, don’t fall for their manufactured outrage. Instead, thank the 33 conservative Republican state legislators who are protecting our communities, our rural health care, and our way of life.
Taylor Brown is a long-time Montana broadcaster and rancher. A Republican, Brown represented parts of Yellowstone, Treasure, Rosebud, and Custer counties in the Montana Senate from 2009 to 2016.
