Law Enforcement & Public Safety

Jon is a tireless advocate for Montana’s law enforcement and first responders, and he’ll always fight to get them the funding and resources they need to keep our families and communities safe.

As a senior member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, Jon has consistently secured funding to beef up border security and to support law enforcement agencies at the local, state, and federal level. During the pandemic, Jon secured $1.25 billion in direct relief through the American Rescue Plan Act to keep critical services like cops and firefighters on the beat.

Jon is also pushing bipartisan legislation to ensure our first responders get the pay and benefits they deserve. His First Responder Fair RETIRE Act would allow federal first responders with dangerous jobs—including federal law enforcement officers, CBP officers, and firefighters—to keep their retirement benefits if they are injured on the job and return to work in an administrative position. Jon also supports legislation to give Border Patrol agents the pay raise they deserve, to create a streamlined grant program for smaller law enforcement agencies, and to provide law enforcement officers with more tools so they can better respond to individuals in a mental health crisis.

To help protect our kids and communities from dangerous drugs, Jon introduced his bipartisan ANTI Drug Act to increase funding for anti-drug trafficking taskforces and support local efforts to combat drug trafficking across Montana.

Jon will always fiercely defend the folks who work their tails off to keep us safe.

In Kalispell, Tester Meets with Law Enforcement Officials to Talk Public Safety, Fentanyl Prevention, and Border...
During roundtable discussion, Senator heard directly from Flathead law enforcement how to best support their needs to keep Montana safe Continuing his longstanding efforts to support Montana law enforcement and ensure they have the resources needed to keep communities safe,...
Tester Demands Congress Fully Fund Fentanyl Scanners After CBP Chief Says Money is Needed to Install the Technol...
NBC News: Scanners that spot smuggled fentanyl at the border sit unused because Congress hasn’t provided the cash to install them; Senator: “Every day that this funding is delayed and this technology sits unused is a win for the cartels...
At Banking Hearing, Tester Calls on Congress to Pass His Bipartisan Bill to Crack Down on Fentanyl Trafficking
Senator: “We need to categorize fentanyl as the national emergency that it is. We need to hold China accountable for its role in this crisis. And we need to give law enforcement and border agents the tools that they need...