Montana

The Department of Veterans Affairs says it has opened 43 new healthcare clinics across 25 states and Guam since President Trump returned to office in January 2025, part of a broader push to expand veterans' access to care under Trump's May 2025 executive order targeting wait times and service delivery. The VA reports more than 300,000 new enrollees in VA healthcare this year, a record pace of direct-care and community-care appointments, and a reduced benefits claims backlog. However, an Inspector General report found severe staffing shortages at all 139 VHA medical centers nationwide, and a New York Times analysis found thousands of vacant medical positions left unfilled, raising questions about whether expanded facilities can be adequately staffed.

California's Senate Bill 1406, which took effect at the end of September 2026, aims to close the so-called Montana loophole, in which residents register high-end vehicles—exotic cars, RVs, and other pricey assets—to out-of-state shell LLCs to dodge California's sales tax and registration fees. Under the new law, if any owner or manager of such an LLC is a California resident, assets located in the state become subject to California taxes, and LLC partners can be held liable for unpaid amounts, with nonpayment potentially treated as a crime. Enforcement details remain unclear since vehicles stay registered elsewhere. Some owners used these LLCs to dodge emissions rules too, an issue only partly addressed by other upcoming legislation.

Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen announced progress on legislation to repeal state laws requiring ATF Form 4 tax stamps for suppressors, short-barreled rifles, and short-barreled shotguns. The move follows an October 9, 2026 ATF policy change, announced by director Robert Cekada, that ended the agency's longstanding NFA registration requirement for these items after a federal district court ruled the process unconstitutional in August 2026. While the ATF's shift applies at the federal level, several states, including Montana, still require their own approval processes. Knudsen credited state Senators Wylie Galt and Carl Glimm and Representative Braxton Mitchell for leading the bill, which will be taken up in the coming legislative session.

Montana Republican congressional candidate Aaron Flint, a retired lieutenant colonel and fifth-generation Montanan, has sharpened his attacks on Democratic opponent Sam Forstag ahead of the race for the state's U.S. House seat. Speaking on Breitbart News Saturday, Flint called Forstag "an absolute phony," citing his past work as a lobbyist for the ACLU, Planned Parenthood, and the cities of Missoula and Bozeman, where he supported higher property taxes and a state sales tax. Flint also criticized Forstag's past LGBTQ advocacy work and ties to progressive figures. Flint framed the contest as part of a broader Democratic push, backed by national money, to flip traditionally conservative districts, predicting Republicans will retain House control despite the effort.

President Trump traveled to Dalton, Georgia, to rally for Senate candidate Mike Collins and gubernatorial nominee Rick Jackson ahead of a competitive midterm election. Unlike recent stops in safely Republican states, Georgia remains a genuine battleground, with Collins facing Sen. Jon Ossoff and Jackson facing former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms. Both Democrats seized on the visit, arguing it ties the GOP ticket to Trump's economic record and 2020 election denialism; Collins has echoed Trump's fraud claims without directly affirming Biden's legitimate win. Gov. Brian Kemp, who delayed endorsing Collins, skipped the rally. The race highlights GOP divisions and narrowing margins even in deep-red Georgia districts.