West
This state is debt free. Why isn't Washington?
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“To preserve our independence,” Thomas Jefferson once said, “we must not let our rulers load us with perpetual debt.” Or, as Benjamin Franklin said, in his everyman style, “those who go a-borrowing, go a-sorrowing.”
The warning from our founders has fallen by the wayside. Reckless spending by career politicians in Washington has left our nation and future generations saddled with $35 trillion in debt, as was recently noted by the Department of Treasury.
It does not have to be this way. In Montana, we chose a different path. Our state is debt-free.
President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris (Getty Images)
Thanks to good fiscal discipline and strong budget management, we had a budget surplus of $2.5 billion in 2023. While some in Washington might look at a surplus of that size and be tempted to expand government, we resisted. Instead, we allocated the surplus as any family would.
TRUMP’S RECORD FAR SUPERIOR TO BIDEN’S ON DEBT AND INFLATION
First, we returned over $1 billion to taxpayers through tax cuts and reductions. As a general principle, I believe hardworking Montanans deserve to keep more of what they earn. It’s their money, not the government’s. That’s why we delivered the largest property tax and income tax rebates in state history.
We also provided the biggest income tax cut in state history. These supplements are especially vital as hardworking Montanans, like all Americans, face the affordability and inflationary crisis created by President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris’s spending spree.
Second, we stopped kicking the can down the road and fixed what was broken. Just like a family would make needed repairs to their home, we made one-time capital investments to address deferred building maintenance, improvements to our prisons, building and repairing roads and bridges, and providing historic investments into our behavioral health system.
AMERICA’S DEBT IS ECONOMIC INSANITY. IT’S TIME TO SAVE THE AMERICAN DREAM
But I was clear: We should not plant acorns that would grow into mighty oaks in perpetual need of constant watering, trimming and feeding.
Third, we doubled our rainy day fund and other reserves to secure our strong future.
After all that, we still had money left over. So, we paid off all our outstanding general obligation debt.
Montana is now debt-free.
As a result, our economy has responded with record job creation and business growth. In fact, as of yesterday, we have more Montanans working than ever before.
AMERICA’S DEBT ‘DEATH SPIRAL’ GIVES US $1 TRILLION REASONS TO ACT NOW
But more work remains to fight back against the affordability crisis that Biden and Harris have created. Since Biden took office, his failed policies have forced Montana families to pay more from gas to groceries. It’s more difficult to purchase a home. The debt we have has burdened our children and grandchildren.
I ran for governor to leave this state better than I found it, allowing the next generation of Montanans to thrive. I have tremendous hope for our country and my state that our best days are ahead.
Working with the legislature, I’ll continue to be focused on making life more affordable for hardworking Montanans using the blueprint we have laid out over the last four years, cutting taxes and implementing permanent reforms.
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It’s my hope that Montana can serve as an example to federal, state and local leaders as they work to find bipartisan solutions to secure their financial futures.
What we need in Washington is the political will to lead with the same fiscal discipline we have in Montana to ensure a stable and prosperous future for our great nation.
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San Francisco, CA
Missing woman last seen in San Francisco found dead in Texas after 53 years
On Wednesday, San Francisco police closed the case of a missing woman who was last seen in the city in 1973.
Police said 27-year-old Cheryl Lanier was last seen in 1973 in San Francisco, and her initial missing person’s report was filed in 2010. For years, the department’s Missing Person Unit worked on the case, but it remained open and unsolved.
In July 2025, police said they received a tip out of Harris County in Houston, Texas, advising that a deceased “Jane Doe” could be Lanier. After a DNA analysis, police determined the “Jane Doe” was Lanier and closed the case after 53 years.
Denver, CO
Could the Dolphins Do Another Deal With Denver?
As the NFL draft moves farther into the rearview mirror and the offseason program continues to march on, linebacker Jordyn Brooks remains one of three significant Miami Dolphins veterans looking for a contract extension.
And while new GM Jon-Eric Sullivan said at draft time that running back De’Von Achane was not available for trading purposes, he hasn’t made the same declaration for either Brooks or center Aaron Brewer (while it’s fair to add that Sullivan wasn’t asked specifically about the latter two at draft time, he easily could have ended all speculation by adding them to Achane’s name).
Instead, what we have are Sullivan’s prior words that he always would listen if another GM were to give him a call.
That’s important to remember when it comes to Brooks when we hear or see reports around the league about teams in the market for a linebacker.
The Dallas Cowboys were one such team heading into the draft, but they acquired former starting San Francisco 49ers starter Dee Winters for a fifth-round pick, so it would seem they’re not longer shopping around.
Now comes a report that the Denver Broncos could be looking to add a linebacker to a defense they believe could lead them to a Super Bowl after they secured the No. 1 seed in the AFC playoffs last year before losing starting QB Bo Nix in the divisional round.
An NFL executive told Denver Broncos On SI that they could be looking to make a move that seemed to describe the Dolphins and Brooks to a T.
“The Broncos, I am certain, are going to be watching every cut for a terrific linebacker who can upgrade that,” the executive told Broncos On SI. “It’s the only weak link on their defense. If they could get one dominant player that another team couldn’t afford or doesn’t want to pay because they’re not in contention, they could be scary next year.”
The key line in the executive’s quote was about a dominant player that a team doesn’t want to pay because they’re not in contention.
Wow, might as well have stamped Brooks’ picture on that comment right there.
Brooks was dominant last year, for sure, when he earned All-Pro honors and it’s not realistic to expect the Dolphins to be in contention in 2026 after their roster overhaul that ended with more than 60 percent of the team’s salary cap going to players no longer around.
Under normal circumstances, extending Brooks would look like a no-brainer for the Dolphins given his ability, leadership and culture-setting characteristics, but he’s looking for a payday and he’s also going to be 29 years old during the 2026 season.
So instead of a slam dunk, the Dolphins have to ask themselves have kind of financial commitment they want to make to a linebacker who likely will be in his 30s when the team is ready to compete.
Brooks has no guarantees this year with a $7.8 million base salary and he’s set to become a free agent next offseason when his contract goes into void years. If a move were to happen with Brooks, it almost assuredly would take place after June 1 when the Dolphins would save $8.4 million with a trade.
Brooks currently has a $10.9 million cap number for 2026 and an extension likely would lower that number, which makes it very intriguing that it hasn’t happened yet or that the Dolphins did not restructure his contract to lower his cap number — the way they did with Achane and Brewer.
But any decision to trade Brooks would not be easy because the Dolphins, after all, do need good players and good leaders to establish a foundation in the first year of the Jon-Eric Sullivan/Jeff Hafley regime.
WHAT A TRADE COULD LOOK LIKE
If the Broncos indeed were to place a phone call to Sullivan at some point, there probably isn’t a strong likelihood that the Dolphins could get a replay of what they got when they sent wide receiver Jaylen Waddle to Denver this year.
That deal saw Miami give up Waddle for picks in the first and third rounds, with the teams swapping fourth-round choices to the benefit of the Broncos for 19 spots.
But Waddle is only 27, was under contract for three more years and plays a more premium position.
So thinking about getting a first-round pick for Brooks would not seem realistic, though maybe Denver would be willing to pay a bigger price if the Broncos indeed feel that the linebacker could be the final piece to a Super Bowl puzzle.
As was the case with the Cowboys, this is a situation to monitor because the idea of a trade involving Brooks really can’t be summarily dismissed until he signs a contract extension and we’re still waiting on that.
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Seattle, WA
Who will be the next Seahawks owner? One possible bidder invests in the 49ers
The Seattle Seahawks’ new ownership group may be just like the old one: a team of basketball owners.
In addition to being the first known bidders for the Seahawks, Mittal and Grousbeck were the only names listed on their letter of interest to the Allen Estate. Since Mittal lives in London, Grousbeck would likely be running operations from Seattle and live there part-time, as per Sportico.
But wait, there’s more.
Vinod Khosla, an investor in the division rival San Francisco 49ers, has also been named as a potential buyer. Last year, Khosla was one of a few nearby investors to purchase equity in the 49ers, with the team’s total valuation reaching north of $8.5 billion at the time. The specifics of the individual stakes were not made public, but Sportico reports that Khosla’s was the largest of the group.
The Seahawks are valued at just under $7 billion, but they will likely be sold for more. If Khosla were to purchase the team from Jody Allen, he would obviously need to sell his stake in the Niners. This type of move is becoming increasingly common in today’s NFL, which has seen former Pittsburgh Steelers minority owners David Tepper and Josh Harris acquire the Panthers and Commanders, respectively.
Harris, who bought a controlling interest in the Commanders in 2023, purchased the team from Dan Snyder for over $6 billion, the largest figure for such an acquisition for an NFL franchise. No matter who ends up purchasing the Seahawks from the Allen Estate, Harris’s record will surely be broken.
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