Thanks for stopping by! Here are the topics for today’s column:

• Montana Congressional Delegation
• Veterans Affairs Cuts
• U.S. Representative Al Green
• One More Thing

MONTANA CONGRESSIONAL DELEGATION:

It was not surprising to read that our Montana Congressional Delegation (U.S. Senator Steve Daines, U.S. Senator Tim Sheehy, U.S. Representative Ryan Zinke, and U.S. Representative Troy Downing) thought that President Donald Trump’s address to Congress Tuesday evening was the greatest thing since sliced bread. 

They are all Republicans. They could be called the “Yes Men of Montana.” They like the power of being in the majority. They are afraid of Trump. They don’t want to do anything that would tick Trump off and cause him to look for someone to run against them in a primary. 

Daines, Zinke, and Downing have elections in 2026, so the “please sir may I have another” attitude toward Trump will continue.  

You can read some coverage of the Montana Congressional Delegation’s reaction to the President’s speech HERE, and HERE. 

VETERANS AFFAIRS CUTS:

According to the Associated Press (AP), the Department of Veterans Affairs is planning a reorganization that includes cutting over 80,000 jobs from the sprawling agency that provides health care and other services for millions of veterans, according to an internal memo obtained Wednesday.

The VA is already taking about five months to process a VA disability claim, which is too long. (Source) The VA needs more people to work on disability claims. 

Maybe I missed it, but I don’t believe President Trump said anything about veterans during his extra-long speech Tuesday night. With all the cuts in the federal government, many veterans will be losing their jobs. 

U.S. REPRESENTATIVE AL GREEN: 

In case you missed it, U.S. Representative Al Green, a Democrat from Texas, stood and shouted in protest when President Donald Trump began touting his victory in the 2024 election. Green was quickly escorted from the House chamber.

According to CBS News, U.S. House Republicans are moving to punish Green after he heckled President Trump on Tuesday during his address to a joint session of Congress.  Republican Rep. Dan Newhouse of Washington introduced a resolution on Wednesday to censure Green for the disruption.

A “censure” is a formal, majority vote in the House on a resolution disapproving a Member’s conduct, generally with the additional requirement that the Member stand at the “well” of the House chamber to receive a verbal rebuke and reading of the resolution by the Speaker. (Source) 

I think “censure” is appropriate for Green’s actions. There were other people who “heckled” Presidents in the past. They should have been censured, too. The sad thing is that it depends on which political party (in this case in the House) has the majority. The Republicans have the majority and therefore have the votes to censure Green. I doubt any Democrats go along with it, although they should. We need better behavior from both sides of the aisle in Congress before it turns into a pro wrestling spectacle.  

ONE MORE THING:

Funny thing about getting older. Your eyesight starts getting weaker but your ability to see through people gets much better. 

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