Press Releases

Today, Western Montana Congressman Zinke released the following statement following President Joe Biden’s State of the Union address. “Montanans deserved to hear a lot more from President Biden at the State of the Union, but unfortunately this is exactly what we have come to expect. He did everything but admit our country is worse off than it was before he took office. And the things he did admit were worse, he blamed on other people.

Today, Western Montana Congressman Ryan Zinke reacted to the completion of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s initial review of three petitions received to remove Endangered Species Act (ESA) protections for grizzly bears in the lower 48 States. “The time to delist the grizzly is long overdue. As Secretary I followed the science and guidance of wildlife experts and delisted the Greater Yellowstone Grizzly only to have it overturned by a radical activist judge,” Zinke said. “I will be working with the Montana and neighboring delegations to introduce legislation to delist the bear and restore state management to our wildlife.”

This week, Western Montana Congressman Ryan Zinke voted for five bills that declare an end to the three-year Coronavirus pandemic, restore individual vaccinee decisions and reinstate federal workforce systems that reflect America’s needs. “The only ‘unprecedented times’ Americans have faced the past two years is the Biden Administration’s failed attempt at socialism and gross abuses of federal power,” Zinke said. “This week, I upheld another promise I made to the people of Montana and voted to rein in the federal government’s “emergency” powers and restore the rights stripped by the Administration’s unconstitutional overreach.”

Today, Western Montana Congressman Ryan Zinke announced the allocation of almost $11 million in funding for transportation projects in Glacier, Flathead, Lake and Missoula Counties. The funding is distributed from the U.S. Department of Transportation via the Safe Streets for All program (DOT SS4A). “Safety and security should always be the top concerns of elected officials whether it’s national security from foreign threats or the safety of our streets right here at home. I applaud the local leadership for recognizing the both the need and funding opportunity to improve safety within our own communities,” said Congressman Zinke. “I’m eager to get to work as a member of the House Appropriations subcommittee on Transportation and Housing to ensure Montana’s projects are not overseen and that our district’s unique needs and priorities are met.”

Today, Western Montana Congressman Ryan Zinke announced his subcommittee assignments on the House Appropriations Committee. Congressman Zinke will serve on the Military Construction, Veteran Affairs and Related Agencies, Interior, Environment and Related Agencies, and Transportation, Housing and Urban Development and Related Agencies subcommittees.

Today, Western Montana Congressman Ryan Zinke announced more than $1 million dollars in federal grant funding to the Kootenai Valley Head Start based in Lincoln County, Montana. The funding is derived from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) CH-Head Start Projects program. The 28 member staff at the Kootenai Valley Head Start plans to use the five-year continuation grant toward funding programs supporting 96 children ages spanning in ages three, four and five living in and around Libby and Troy. The Kootenai Valley Head Start’s goal is to prepare their students for their next level of education and give their social, emotional and family dynamics a boosted foundation to help overcome generational poverty that places many students in vulnerable positions including food and heat insecurities.

Today, Western Montana Congressman Ryan Zinke announced more than $2 million in federal grant funding from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to the Lincoln County Community Health Center headquartered in Libby, Montana, which serves more than 7,500 unduplicated annual patients. The funding is distributed through the H80 - Health Center Cluster program and will aid the nearly 70 professionals in Montana’s First Congressional District who provide medical, dental, pharmaceutical, and behavioral services to the state’s Northwest region. The funding will further the center’s mission of building strong, healthy communities through access to quality, affordable patient-centered care.

Today, Congressman Ryan Zinke of Montana’s First Congressional District cast his first two legislative votes after being sworn into the 118th Congress early Saturday morning. The first vote was on the rules package which governs how the House operates for the 118th Congress. It is widely considered the most conservative package in decades and restores a number of fiscal and procedural safeguards that had been gutted in recent years. The second vote was to defund the 87,000 IRS agents authorized in the 2022 “Inflation Reduction Act.”