¶ Overview
Zinke voted for a bill that would kick 17 million Americans off their health insurance, including nearly 12 million Americans off of Medicaid. An estimated 27,000 Montanans in his district could lose their health coverage as a result of his vote, and he put rural hospitals at risk.
Zinke has also twice cosponsored legislation that would completely repeal the Inflation Reduction Act, which lowered prescription drug costs and put a $35/month cap on insulin costs for seniors. Approximately 24,000 Montanans took prescription drugs that were selected for price negotiation under the Inflation Reduction Act’s provisions.
¶ Zinke Voted To Kick Thousands Of Montanans Off Their Health Coverage
¶ 2025: Zinke Voted Three Times To Take Health Insurance Away from Montanans
¶ July 2025: Zinke Voted For The Final Version Of The Republican Reconciliation Bill
July 2025: Zinke Voted For The Senate FY 2025 Budget Reconciliation Bill That Extended $4 Trillion In Expiring Tax Cuts, Added New Tax Breaks, Appropriated $448 Billion In Defense, Border, And Immigration Enforcement Funding, Increased The SALT Deduction To $40,000, And Cut Medicaid And Other Social Programs To Offset The Costs. In July 2025, Zinke voted for, according to Congressional Quarterly, the “motion to concur in the Senate amendment to the bill that would permanently extend nearly $4 trillion in expiring individual and business tax cuts, create several new tax breaks and fund border and immigration enforcement and air traffic control upgrades. It would cut Medicaid and other safety net programs to partly offset the cost. Among other provisions, it would raise the statutory debt ceiling by $5 trillion and appropriate more than $448 billion in mandatory funding for Trump administration priorities and other needs, including $153 billion for defense, $89 billion for immigration enforcement, and $89.5 billion for border control and security. It also would increase the state and local tax deduction cap to $40,000 annually for five years for households making up to $500,000 a year until 2030, when it would permanently revert to $10,000.” The House passed the bill by a vote of 218 to 214. [House Vote 190, 7/3/25; Congressional Quarterly, 7/3/25; Congressional Actions, H.R. 1]
- HEADLINE: "At Least 17 Million Americans Would Lose Insurance Under Trump Plan" [Washington Post, 7/1/25]
- The Congressional Budget Office Estimated That 11.8 Million People Would Become Uninsured As A Result Of The Medicaid Cuts In Republicans’ Reconciliation Bill. According to the Washington Post, "The bill, which narrowly passed the Senate on Tuesday and now heads back to the House, would effectively accomplish what Republicans have long failed to do: unwind many of the key components of the ACA, President Barack Obama’s signature domestic achievement, which dramatically increased the number of Americans with access to health insurance. To start, the Congressional Budget Office estimated that the Senate version of the bill would result in 11.8 million more uninsured in 2034, mostly because of Medicaid cuts, compared with 10.9 million if the House version became law." [Washington Post, 7/1/25]
¶ May 2025: Zinke Voted In Favor Of House Republicans’ Reconciliation Bill, Which Cut Medicaid
2025: Zinke Voted For The FY 2025 Budget Reconciliation Bill That Included $3.8 Trillion In Tax Cuts Offset By $1.5 Trillion In Spending Reductions To Programs Like Medicaid And The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. In May 2025, Zinke voted for, according to Congressional Quarterly, “the bill that would provide for approximately $3.8 trillion in net tax cuts and $321 billion in military, border enforcement and judiciary spending, offset by $1.5 trillion in spending reductions, as instructed in the fiscal 2025 budget resolution (H Con Res 14). It would raise the statutory debt limit by $4 trillion and provide for increased spending on defense and border security, spending cuts on social safety net programs, such as Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. It also includes a mix of tax breaks for businesses and individuals; tax increases on universities and foundations; and a phase-down of clean energy tax credits. […] It would reduce federal spending on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program by requiring states to shoulder more of the cost, expand work requirements for SNAP, extend programs authorized under the 2018 farm bill, and prohibit the U.S. Department of Agriculture from increasing the cost of the Thrifty Food Program. As amended, it would cap state and local tax deductions at $40,000 for households with incomes below $500,000.” The House passed the bill by a vote of 215 to 214. [House Vote 145, 5/22/25; Congressional Quarterly, 5/22/25; Congressional Actions, H.R. 1]
- The House GOP Budget Bill Was Estimated To Increase The Uninsured Population By 8.6 Million By 2034. According to CNN, “The Medicaid and Affordable Care Act provisions in the package could result in 8.6 million more people being uninsured in 2034, according to an early CBO estimate released by Democratic lawmakers. That number is expected to grow with the latest changes.” [CNN, 5/28/25]
- HEADLINE: “House Republican Budget Takes Away Health Care, Food Aid To Pay For Expanded Tax Cuts For Wealthy” [Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, 2/21/25]
- HEADLINE: “CBO: 7.6 Million Would Go Uninsured Under GOP Medicaid Bill” [Politico, 5/13/25]
¶ February 2025: Zinke Voted For House Republicans’ Budget Framework, Which Set Up Future Cuts To Medicaid
2/25/25: Zinke Voted For The FY 2025 Budget Framework That Included $2 Trillion In Cuts, Raised The Statutory Debt Limit By $4 Trillion, And Required House Committees To Recommend Legislation That Would Implement Trump’s Agenda. In February 2025, Zinke voted for, according to Congressional Quarterly, “the concurrent resolution that would recommend a budget for fiscal 2025 and budget levels through fiscal 2034. The resolution would assume minimum savings of $1.5 trillion over 10 years and 2.6 percent economic growth over the same period. It also would require the statutory debt limit to be raised by $4 trillion. It also would authorize the House Ways and Means Committee to increase deficits by $4.5 trillion over 10 years to extend the 2017 tax cuts and implement new tax cuts proposed by the White House. It also would provide instructions for the budget reconciliation process through which separate legislation could be considered and passed in the Senate via a simple majority vote. The measure would deliver instructions to 11 House committees to report legislation that would implement President Donald Trump’s agenda, such as expanding tax cuts and bolstering border security and immigration enforcement. The committees would be required to report their legislative recommendations to the House Budget Committee by March 27, 2025. It also would set a $2 trillion target for the spending cuts to be submitted to the House Budget Committee. The resolution also would stipulate that if the committees don't reach that target, the Ways and Means’ reconciliation instructions to increase the deficit by a maximum of $4.5 trillion would be decreased by the amount the other committees come in below the target. Similarly, it would stipulate that Ways and Means could increase the deficit above the $4.5 trillion level by the amount of savings the committees achieve above the $2 trillion target.” The vote was on passage. The House passed the resolution by a vote of 217 to 215. [House Vote 50, 2/25/25; Congressional Quarterly, 2/25/25; Congressional Actions, H. Con. Res. 14]
- HEADLINE: "House Republican Budget Takes Away Health Care, Food Aid To Pay For Expanded Tax Cuts For Wealthy" [Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, 2/21/25]
- New York Times Reported The $880 Billion In Cuts Required By The Republican Budget Proposal Would Have To Come From Medicaid, Medicare, Or CHIP. According to the New York Times, "The budget resolution itself is silent on whether Congress cuts Medicaid, which provides health coverage to 72 million poor and disabled Americans. But it instructs the House Energy and Commerce Committee, which has jurisdiction over the program, to cut spending by $880 billion over the next decade. If the committee can’t save at least that much, the entire effort could be imperiled because of the special process Congress is using to avoid a Senate filibuster. Ten other committees have their own instructions to follow, though none have been assigned with cutting nearly as much. It’s not so simple as finding the cuts elsewhere. The special process, known as budget reconciliation, means Republicans will have to find all $880 billion from within the Energy and Commerce Committee’s jurisdiction. That leaves them with fewer options than one might think. […] If Republicans want to avoid major cuts to Medicaid, the largest pot of available money is in the other big government health insurance program: Medicare. […] Even if the committee cuts everything that’s not health care to $0, it will still be more than $600 billion short. The committee could also save around $200 billion by eliminating the Children’s Health Insurance Program, but that option has not been raised by the budget committee or anyone in House leadership. […] Even if all of these cuts, revenues and rule cancellations from outside health care can pass muster, the committee will still be left with hundreds of billions of dollars to cut to hit its goal. Mathematically, the budget committee’s instructions mean the committee would need to make major cuts to either Medicare, Medicaid or both." [New York Times, 2/25/25]
¶ Zinke Celebrated The Republican Budget Resolution As A “Win” For Montana
February 2025: Zinke Celebrated The Passage Of The Republican Budget Package And Said It Was A “Big Win” For The American People. According to a post on Ryan Zinke’s Twitter, “Big beautiful bill and a big win for the American people. The People’s House is delivering the president’s agenda and doing the work voters sent us here to do. Time to get it done, Senate.” [Twitter, @RyanZinke, 2/25/25]
May 2025: Zinke Touted Voting For House Republicans’ Budget Bill And Claimed It Was The “Bold, Decisive Action Montanans And Americans Demanded.” According to a press release from Rep. Ryan Zinke’s office, "Today, Congressman Ryan Zinke voted to pass the Big Beautiful Bill Act, landmark legislation that delivers sweeping reforms to restore fiscal sanity, cut taxes for hardworking Americans, secure our border, and safeguard entitlements for American citizens, without selling public lands. Read the full bill here. ‘Today I voted to end tax on tips for Montana service workers, lower taxes on Social Security for Montana seniors, and deliver tax relief for ALL Montanans; all while making investments in our national security and safeguarding our public lands,’ said Congressman Zinke. ‘The Big Beautiful Bill is the bold, decisive action Montanans and Americans demanded. No more taxpayer giveaways to illegal immigrants. Just a return to putting America first. The Big Beautiful Bill delivers permanent tax relief with no tax on tips or overtime, lower taxes on Social Security, protections for entitlements from fraud, and doesn’t sell out our public lands. For Montanans, that means more freedom, more security, and more money in your pocket, while protecting the things that matter most.’" [Press Release – Rep. Ryan Zinke, 5/22/25]
July 2025: Zinke Said The Republican Budget Bill Was A “Historic Win” For Montanans. According to a press release from Rep. Ryan Zinke’s office, "Today, Western Montana Congressman Ryan Zinke voted to pass the Budget Reconciliation Bill, also known as the ‘One Big Beautiful Bill Act,’ a historic win for Montana families, small businesses, and the America First agenda. The legislation delivers on key campaign promises to make life affordable, cut taxes, secure the border, and strengthen essential services; all while protecting public lands. Congressman Zinke successfully led the effort to remove the public land sales provision from the House version of the bill before voting for final passage. The ‘One Big Beautiful Bill’ now heads to President Trump’s desk for his signature." [Press Release – Rep. Ryan Zinke, 7/3/25]
¶ More than 111,000 Montanans In The First Congressional District Relied On Medicaid Or Chip For Health Insurance
111,300 Montanans In The 1st Congressional District Were Enrolled In Medicaid Or CHIP.
[Center for American Progress, 3/11/25]
¶ 2023 & 2025: Zinke Co-Sponsored Legislation To Repeal The $35 Per Month Cap On Insulin Costs For Medicare Recipients
¶ 2025: Zinke Co-Sponsored Legislation That Would Repeal The $35 Per Month Cap On Insulin Costs For Medicare Recipients
January 2025: Zinke Co-Sponsored Legislation That Sought To Completely Repeal The Inflation Reduction Act, Which Lowered Prescription Drug Costs For Seniors An Capped The Cost Of Insulin For Medicare Recipients At $35 Per Month. According to the Pennsylvania Independent and congress.gov, "Pennsylvania Republican U.S. Rep. Scott Perry and 15 other House Republicans have filed a bill to completely repeal the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022, President Joe Biden’s health care and clean energy infrastructure law. Repeal of the law would significantly increase costs for millions of American consumers. The 2022 law, passed by Democratic majorities in Congress without a single Republican vote in favor, authorized $369 billion in energy and climate change infrastructure investments; capped out-of-pocket prescription drug and insulin costs for millions of older Americans; authorized the Medicare program to negotiate with pharmaceutical companies for lower prices on commonly used drugs; and provided funding to the Internal Revenue Service to modernize its operations and crack down on wealthy tax evaders." [Pennsylvania Independent, 1/8/25; H.R. 191, Co-Sponsored 1/3/25, Introduced 1/3/25]
¶ A Butte, Montana Resident Criticized Zinke For Co-Sponsoring Legislation To Repeal The $35 Per Month Cap On Insulin Costs For Medicare Recipients
A Butte, Montana Resident Pointed Out That Zinke Was One Of The Supporters On A Bill To Remove The $35 Cap On Insulin. According to a letter to the editor in the Montana Standard, "I see where Ryan Zinke is one of the signatures on a bill to remove the $35 cap on the price of insulin. That does not sound like he is working for the benefit of the people in Montana. It sounds like he is working for the benefit of a drug company that may have contributed to his reelection campaign. It would be nice to know which drug companies contributed to his campaign." [Letter to the Editor – Montana Standard, 2/4/25]
¶ 2023: Zinke Co-Sponsored Legislation That Would Repeal The Inflation Reduction Act, Which Lowered Prescription Drug Costs For Seniors
HEADLINE: "Pharma-Funded Zinke Wants To Repeal Law Allowing Medicare To Negotiate Lower Drug Prices" [Montana Independent, 5/8/24]
February 2023: Zinke Co-Sponsored A Bill That Sought To Completely Repeal The Inflation Reduction Act. According to a press release from Rep. Andy Ogles office, "Today, Congressman Andy Ogles (TN-5) introduced his first bill since being sworn into office, the Inflation Reduction Act of 2023. This legislation would reduce inflation by repealing the Democrats’ so-called Inflation Reduction Act of 2022. ‘Last Congress, President Biden and his House Democrat colleagues shoved through countless spending measures to further their woke ‘green agenda’, including the ‘Inflation Reduction Act,’ said Congressman Ogles. ‘Instead of creating any positive change for Americans facing record-breaking economic challenges, Leftists opted to increase federal spending and the deficit - by at least $110 billion dollars through 2031 - in order to advance their personal political agendas.’ While Americans were spending their hard-earned dollars at the pump, Democrats were passing tax increases on coal, oil, and natural gas, further driving up fuel and energy prices. Congressman Ogles’ bill would repeal these outrageous spending measures and put the money back where it belongs–in the pockets of hardworking taxpayers. […] Cosponsors (20): Reps. Scott Perry [PA-10], Andy Biggs [AZ-05], Mary Miller [IL-15], Ronny Jackson [TX-13], Eric Burlison [MO-07], Bob Good [VA-05], Anna Luna [FL-13], Byron Donalds [FL-19], Josh Brecheen [OK-02], Dan Bishop [NC-08], Matt Rosendale [MT-02], Keith Self [TX-03], Chip Roy [TX-21], Eli Crane [AZ-02], David Rouzer [NC-07], Tom Tiffany [WI-07], Ryan Zinke [MT-01], Harriet Hageman [WY], Michael Cloud [TX-27], and Ken Buck [CO-04]." [Press Release, Congressman Andy Ogles, 2/2/23]
¶ The Inflation Reduction Act Benefited More Than 24,000 Montana Medicare Enrollees Who Took Prescription Drugs Selected For Price Negotiation
More Than 24,000 Medicare Enrollees In Montana Took Prescription Drugs Selected For Negotiation Made Possible By The Inflation Reduction Act.
[U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Lowering Prescription Drug Costs for Montana, Viewed 10/15/24]