On Labor Day, Governor Bullock Calls on Senator Daines to “provide real help to Montana’s workers”

Bullock tells Daines to reject payroll tax proposal that would endanger critical benefits for seniors and working Montanans

• September 07 2020

Governor Steve Bullock today called on Senator Daines to pass critical relief for working Montanans as Congress returns to Washington D.C. this week. 

“As you head back to Washington, D.C this week to serve the people of Montana, it is more important than ever for the Senate to pass critical relief that will boost working Americans and those needing immediate help the most right now. What better way to honor the contributions of the workers of Montana than to take action on the issues that the Senate has set to the side for months,” wrote Governor Bullock. 

In particular, Governor Bullock called on Senator Daines to reconsider his support for a payroll tax proposal that would fail to help Montanans most affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, while gutting funding for critical and lifesaving programs for legacy and working Montanans. According to the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, the payroll tax proposal could cost hundreds of billions of dollars and disproportionately benefit the wealthiest. 

“Congress should focus on targeted relief for the workers who have lost their jobs and the small businesses who continue to struggle with the impact COVID-19 has had on our economy. Suspending the payroll tax would fail to adequately help these groups while endangering critical benefits for our seniors and Montanans who will depend on these programs when they retire,” continued Governor Bullock. 

The full letter is here: http://governor.mt.gov/Portals/16/09072020%20Labor%20Day%20Letter%20to%20Senator%20Daines.pdf?ver=2020-09-11-142715-123