Many Montanans are blessed to live in safe communities, without the chaos of crime-ridden, Democrat-run cities like Washington and Chicago. As a former law enforcement officer and current chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, I understand what it takes to fight crime.

Crime is largely a choice, and too often, Democrats choose to let it run rampant. Even in Montana, our blue cities are relative crime hubs. President Trump’s crime crackdown shows the obvious: that addressing crime head-on instead of ignoring it makes crime go down. Who would have thought?

Since the National Guard started protecting people in our nation’s capital, the city has seen a dramatic decrease in crime. What’s baffling is that DC leaders weren’t attempting to tackle their crime problem in the first place. Clearly, all it took was trying!

To their credit, Washington officials and residents have come around to the idea of law and order in their city. Chicago’s leaders, on the other hand, are putting their anti-Trump derangement over the safety of residents, who can see how easy it would be to make their city safe. If crime can be cut in DC in just a few weeks, it can be done anywhere.

Trump is reminding us that leaders who actually care about the wellbeing of residents can get results quickly. We can do better here in Montana too, especially on the local level. Make Montana even safer by turning it bright red.

Senator Barry Usher

Senate District 19

Published in the Montana Sentinel, September 14, 2025
https://montanasentinel.press/2025/09/14/trumps-crime-crackdown-helps-americans-democrat-inaction-hurts-them/