President Donald Trump traveled to Kalispell, Montana, and the White House released a long list of figures to frame the stop. Its pitch: tax relief, private investment, coal, critical minerals and defense spending are paying off for the state. The numbers below are the administration’s own, and the announcement made no attempt to hedge them.
Tax relief
The White House said the Working Families Tax Cuts are putting money back in the pockets of Montana workers, families and seniors. About 200,000 Montana seniors benefit from the new senior deduction, and the average senior is expected to pay zero federal tax on Social Security benefits. Montana taxpayers saw average refunds of $3,304 in 2026. The administration also said the law safeguarded 20,000 Montana jobs, $4 billion in state GDP and $2 billion in workers’ wages.
Health care and jobs
Montana secured $233 million in first-year Rural Health Transformation Program funding, the fourth-highest award among all states. In September 2026 the administration announced a further $8.7 million from the program for new ambulances and lifesaving equipment at 79 rural EMS agencies, including three tribal governments. In May, Montana won federal approval to set up certified community behavioral health clinics at roughly 20 sites, replacing short-term grants with permanent funding.
On jobs, the White House pointed to Janicki Industries’ choice of Great Falls for an $800 million advanced manufacturing campus. It would create more than 1,000 jobs within five years and over 2,000 at completion. It also said Montana ranked ninth in the nation for job growth in the first year of the president’s second term, and that the unemployment rate was 3.2% in August.
Coal, minerals and the nuclear deterrent
The administration says it has reversed the previous administration’s restrictions on coal. Three mines make the case:
The Spring Creek Mine in Big Horn County won an Interior Department expansion in March 2025 that adds 16 years of operating life and 39.9 million tons of coal. The Rosebud Mine, in Rosebud and Treasure counties, can recover 33.75 million tons of federal coal and run through 2039, supporting more than 300 jobs and supplying the Colstrip and Rosebud power plants, which together generate 1,500 megawatts. Interior also approved a plan for the Bull Mountains Mine covering 22.8 million tons of federal coal and 34.5 million tons of adjacent non-federal coal, with up to nine more years of operation.
On critical minerals, the White House said United States Antimony Corporation has resumed mining at Stibnite Hill and is processing ore at its Radersburg mill. The company also holds a $27 million Defense Production Act award for its Thompson Falls smelter expansion. Montana antimony is refilling the National Defense Stockpile under a five-year, $245 million contract with the Defense Logistics Agency.
At Malmstrom Air Force Base, the Air Force and Army Corps of Engineers broke ground in May on a $26 million commercial entrance facility. It clears the way for nearly $1 billion in Sentinel construction work, as the new ICBM is set to replace the aging Minuteman III across central Montana’s missile fields.
Lands and water
In July 2026 the Fish and Wildlife Service proposed a rule giving Montana and other Western states more flexibility to manage grizzly bears in the Yellowstone ecosystem and other recovery areas where populations have met recovery benchmarks, with Endangered Species Act protections kept in place. In September the president signed the Fort Peck rural water reauthorization, and Congress passed the Crow Tribe Water Rights Settlement Amendments Act and sent it to his desk.
The White House closed by telling Montanans they face a clear choice between continuing this progress and returning to higher taxes and energy restrictions.
