Montana’s outgoing Congressman Matt Rosendale held a final tele-town hall with constituents before he leaves office in January. He told them he’ll hold his ground on his last major vote in the House.
Rosendale, a two-term congressman, opted not to offer a farewell speech on the U.S. House floor as other outgoing colleagues did. But on a town hall held over the phone Tuesday night, Rosendale said goodbye to his constituents.
“Montana, it has truly been an honor and a privilege of a lifetime,” said Rosendale
Rosendale previously served in the state Legislature and as state auditor. He was first elected to the House in 2020.
Rosendale is known for bucking Republican party leadership and withholding votes for their priorities with a group of hard-right conservatives called the Freedom Caucus. For the most part the group strongly aligns with President-elect Donald Trump. They made headlines when they ousted former Speaker of House Kevin McCarthy.
Rosendale says he makes decisions on principle. For example, Rosendale said he supports approving federal funding to repair the St. Mary Canal in northwest Montana. But he says that money has been roped into a larger spending package that he can’t support. Rosendale also said he’ll vote no this week on a stopgap measure to prevent a government shutdown, saying it's bloated with unnecessary spending.
Rosendale said he hopes future policymakers will take the same stand to reduce government spending.
“I hope that the next Congress is as willing to fight as hard as we did to preserve our Republic,” said Rosendale.
Rosendale briefly ran for the U.S. Senate earlier this year. But when Trump endorsed Sen.-elect Tim Sheehy, he dropped out. Shortly after, he said he would retire.
When asked if he would run for public office again, Rosendale said he’d never say never. But for now, he said he’s looking forward to returning to Montana and spending time with his family.
