Western Values Project will run a newspaper ad in the Bozeman Daily Chronicle calling out Senator Steve Daines’ (R-MT) hypocrisy in voting to cut $16 million in funding to the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) just hours after vocally supporting and promising to fully fund the critical public access fund.

“In typical Washington, D.C. fashion, Senator Daines told people in Montana one thing — promising to fully fund this critical public access and parks program — only to turn around and vote to cut its funding by $16 million,” said Chris Saeger, Executive Director of the Western Values Project. “Maybe Daines thinks he can get away with a D.C. double-cross, but we Montanans won’t stand for another politician like Daines undermining our public lands and access.”

The Land and Water Conservation Fund, whose funding is set to expire on September 30, 2018, uses offshore oil and gas revenues, not taxes, to fund countless local parks, waters, public lands, and hunting and angling access acquisitions. LWCF funding is critical for many communities in Montana.

On June 20, 2018, Senator Daines attended a rally in front of the Capitol in Washington, D.C., where he committed to funding the LWCF and highlighted the program’s importance to Montanans. Daines said, “LWCF plays a very, very important role, and did you realize, it doesn’t cost the taxpayer anything? I support the full and permanent funding of LWCF.” Senator Daines’ office even issued a release boasting that he had called for “Permanent Reauthorization and Full Funding” of the program.

However, immediately after singing the praises of LWCF and promising to fully fund it, Daines turned around and voted for a bill to strip $16 million in funding from the LWCF.

Daines’ double-cross hasn’t gone unnoticed: Montanans have been calling out his blatant hypocrisy in recent days. Western Values Project encourages Montanans to call Senator Daines at (202) 224-2651 to tell him that we can’t afford his double talk.

Also published on Medium.