Rehberg Addresses Montana Legislature

Aaron Flint posted on February 08, 2011 09:07 :: 1220 Views

Congressman Denny Rehberg addresses the Montana State Legislature Monday

Jay Scott with KBLL radio in Helena has this:

U.S. Rep. Denny Rehberg continued his attacks on the policies of the Obama administration in a speech to the Legislature shortly after declaring he is running for the U.S. Senate.

The Republican’s policy speech to state lawmakers Monday picked up where he left off Saturday in announcing he is challenging U.S. Sen. Jon Tester, a first-term Democrat.

Rehberg says recent elections have shown states’ rights are becoming more important and show people “rejected the insufferable arrogance that they saw coming out of Washington, D.C.”

Rehberg trashed federal spending, “regulatory overreach,” and federal wolf policy unpopular with many in Montana. And he went after U.S. Sen. Max Baucus for his role in the federal health care reform overhaul, and urged the Legislature to keep on resisting it.

Tester will address the state lawmakers later this week.

Here’s a couple excerpts from Rehberg’s speech:

Last November, people across Montana and across America spoke with a clear voice.  Today, they speak through your voices.

My job as your Congressman is to defend the states’ rights principle in Washington.  That means focusing on the core responsibilities of the federal government; that means getting Washington off the backs of our people – as well as legislators like you in state capitals across America.  And that means ending federal management of the gray wolf population here in Montana.

Unfortunately, the only thing growing faster than the gray wolf population is the number of obstructionist environmental groups and their lawyers.  Environmental obstructionists found a federal judge in Missoula that was willing to ignore the scientific evidence as well as the expert opinions of on-the-ground wildlife managers here in Montana.  And he ruled last August that the grey wolf had to remain on the Endangered Species List.

When I first heard his decision, like many of you I wanted to take action immediately.  I asked:  how can we put some of these judicial activists on the Endangered Species List?  I am still working on that!  But in the meantime, I have introduced legislation that would permanently end federal jurisdiction over the gray wolf population – and return responsibility to the wildlife managers here in Montana.

By the way, I am glad to hear that Senator Baucus supports the federalist principle when it comes to the gray wolf population.  I understand he told this Chamber a few weeks ago that:  “Montanans, not Washington bureaucrats, know best how to manage wolves.”

That was well said.

But I wonder when he’s going to figure out that Montanans, not Washington bureaucrats, know best how to manage our own health care too!

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