Trump officials tout gains in Montana economy

HELENA – Two days before President Donald J. Trump is scheduled to stump for GOP candidates at a Make America Great Again rally in Missoula, members of his staff touted his economic accomplishments in Montana.

“We have a lot of good economic news in this country and we want to make sure we share it with you and want to make sure that we share the good news about Montana’s economy, too,” said Justin Clark, director of public liaison at the White House.

Tuesday's telephone conference call was coordinated through the Montana Chamber of Commerce.

Kevin Hassett, chair of the president’s Council of Economic Advisers, also addressed a query on infrastructure project in the state, saying he has been working on a plan but the “political reality” is that it hasn’t moved forward yet. He’s hoping the Republican majority holds past the Nov. 6 mid-terms.

Hassett said to get to 3 percent growth Trump said there needed to be tax reform, reduce costly regulations and repair “our broken trade bills.”

“It’s really astonishing how much progress the president has made in such a short time,” Hassett said.

He said the corporate tax rate has been cut.

In fiscal 2018, federal agencies eliminated 176 regulatory actions and 14 new regulatory actions, Hassett said. Since January 2017, federal agencies have withdrawn 2,253 regulatory actions, which have saved $33 billion in costs.

“All of that effort has created an amazing bottom line of economic growth,” Hassett said.

The unemployment is the lowest since 1969, he said.

Ronja Abel, Gov. Steve Bullock’s communication director, credited the Democratic governor, who is now in his second term, for policies that have worked.

"For over five years Gov. Bullock has fostered an economy in Montana that works for middle-class families, incentivizes business growth and entrepreneurship and connects employees with employers in good-paying jobs,” she said.

She said Bullock was pleased Montana’s efforts to build a talented and trained workforce and build on educational opportunities from pre-kindergarten to apprenticeship are paying off for the state, “and he hopes to continue to work with Republicans and Democrats to make sure all Montanans have the ability to get ahead and stay ahead."

She said Montana has added 29,000 jobs in five years, more than 6,300 businesses have been created and the state has added $3.1 billion in gross domestic product.

The conference call comes as the president is expected to visit Missoula on Thursday for a MAGA rally and to campaign for Matt Rosendale, a Republican candidate running for Senate and GOP Rep. Greg Gianforte, who is running for re-election to the House. 

Montana does stick out in a number of ways, Hassett said, noting the unemployment rate is 3.6 percent in August, which is the lowest since 2007. Unemployment insurance claims for the state fell by 26 percent, reaching the lowest level since 1973. Household median income grew 3.5 percent during Trump’s first year, to $59,000 a person, the highest level ever recorded in Montana.

The tax cut and jobs act, signed last year, is estimated to lead to 6.9 percent increase in wage and salary income for Montana’s average household, he said.

Hassett said mining, lodging and construction saw the highest employment gains, with 2,000 jobs added since Trump has been in office. Gross State Product grew 3.5 percent in Trump’s first year as opposed to .6 percent the year before.

“I think that if you look at the record, you can see President Trump made some promises … you can see he delivers results,” he said.

Bridger Mahlum, government relations director of the Montana Chamber of Commerce, asked about infrastructure investment in Montana. He said the state struggles to get water and wastewater treatment projects.

Hassett said infrastructure is a high priority for the Trump administration.

He said that after the election the administration will be ready with a lot of great policies and proposals for infrastructure.

Reach Phil Drake at 406-422-0772 or pdrake@greatfallstribune.com