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Hill Policy
MT · DISTRICT 1

Ryan K. Zinke

RepublicanMontanaCurrently serving

Sworn in for the 119th Congress on Source

What they said 13

Their stated policy positions and commitments, with quotes and links to the original sources.

All statements (13)Campaign (9)In office (4)
Campaign position · Original date not established
HealthcareVeterans

Give patients and doctors more health-care decision-making flexibility

AI-assisted summary

Zinke supports giving patients and doctors more flexibility and power to make health-care decisions, including decisions about care that is reimbursable. He also supports improvements to veterans’ health care and Indian Health Services, citing federal commitments to veterans and treaty obligations.

Context: The response does not specify what reimbursement rules or service improvements he would change.

Campaign position · Original date not established
Public safety & firearmsVeteransEducation

Support measures to strengthen gun rights

AI-assisted summary

Ryan Zinke supports legislation to strengthen Second Amendment rights, including concealed-carry reciprocity, equal access to capital for firearm manufacturers, removing suppressors from the National Firearms Act, and requiring judicial process before the VA strips veterans of gun rights. He also supports state and local efforts to teach hunter education in schools.

Context: The response lists examples of measures but does not identify specific bills or details of their provisions.

Campaign position · Original date not established
Education

Keep education decisions at state and local levels

AI-assisted summary

Ryan Zinke believes Montana’s public education system should be managed by state and local governments, not federal mandates tied to funding. He also supports having education funding follow students rather than schools.

Context: Original statement date not established. Source collected on November 12, 2026.

Campaign position · commitment · Original date not established
Economy, taxes & workGovernment & elections

Seek an appropriations role to cut wasteful spending and regulations

AI-assisted summary

If elected, Ryan Zinke said he would use his seniority to seek a seat on the House Appropriations Committee and work to defund regulations he considers costly, along with wasteful projects and offices or those outside federal responsibilities. He also said he would work with colleagues to reorganize and reform the executive branch. He cited his cosponsorship of a balanced-budget amendment as part of his approach to federal debt.

Context: The response does not identify specific regulations, projects or offices he would target.

Campaign position · Original date not established
Energy & environment

Favor a fair playing field for all energy sources

AI-assisted summary

Ryan Zinke says the government should ensure a fair playing field for all forms of energy rather than use regulations to select winners and losers or drive up costs. He supports energy development from multiple sources, including fossil fuels and renewables, and argues that industry innovation is preferable to government mandates for developing greener technology.

Context: Original statement date not established. Source collected on November 12, 2026.

Campaign position · Original date not established
HousingEconomy, taxes & work

Reduce barriers and costs for homebuilding

AI-assisted summary

Ryan Zinke supports reducing government barriers, costs and delays for builders to address housing affordability. He proposes regulatory holidays, increasing domestic production of building materials and minerals, and permitting relief; he also supports ending COVID-era policies and spending that he says are driving inflation.

Context: The response does not define the proposed regulatory holidays or identify specific permitting changes.

Campaign position · Original date not established
HealthcareVeterans

Expand telehealth and rural health services

AI-assisted summary

Ryan Zinke supports expanding telehealth and rural health services, while giving patients and doctors more flexibility to make care decisions beyond what insurance reimburses. He also calls for improvements to veterans’ health care and the Indian Health Service, citing federal promises to veterans and treaty obligations.

Context: Original statement date not established. Source collected on November 12, 2026.

Campaign position · Original date not established
Energy & environment

Give tribal and local governments more say over natural-resource management

AI-assisted summary

Zinke supports giving tribal and local governments more influence over how coal, oil and natural gas are managed. The statement concerns their role in management; it does not specify what decisions they would control.

Context: Original statement date not established. Source collected on November 12, 2026.

Sources & original wording
supports giving “tribal and local governments more of a say in how we manage our coal, oil, and natural gas.”
Original date
Original statement date has not been established. The capture date is not the statement date.
Collected
11/12/2026
Source: Zinke on the issues Read the original source
Campaign position · Original date not established
Energy & environment

Keep federal lands under federal ownership

AI-assisted summary

Zinke believes the federal government should retain ownership of its lands. He has also supported giving states more say in how those lands are managed, distinguishing state input on management from transferring ownership.

Context: Original statement date not established. Source collected on November 12, 2026.

Sources & original wording
he believes the federal government should retain ownership of its federal lands
Original date
Original statement date has not been established. The capture date is not the statement date.
Collected
11/12/2026
Source: Zinke on the issues Read the original source
While serving · legislative priority · Original date not established
Energy & environmentEconomy, taxes & work

Reject Biden’s planned carbon tax

AI-assisted summary

Zinke introduced a resolution expressing congressional disapproval of President Biden’s planned carbon tax. He argued that the tax would raise energy costs for consumers and increase costs for industries and goods; the resolution was proposed, not described as enacted.

Context: The source does not provide the resolution’s number or say whether it received a vote.

Sources & original wording
introduced a resolution expressing Congressional disapproval of President Biden’s planned carbon tax
Original date
Original statement date has not been established. The capture date is not the statement date.
Collected
11/10/2026
Source: Ryan K. Zinke: Energy Read the original source