BILLINGS - Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte received an award from the Mountain States Policy Center at a dinner in Billings Thursday night, while protesters gathered outside calling for state funding of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.
The award dinner took place at the DoubleTree hotel on 27th Street, where the Mountain States Policy Center, which calls itself the region's top free-market think tank, honored Gianforte.
Outside the venue, protesters organized by People United Billings rallied to urge the governor to use the state's budget surplus to fully fund SNAP.
The demonstration was a direct response to Gianforte's position that the state cannot fund the federal program without guarantees for reimbursement.
State Sen. Cora Neumann, a Democrat from Bozeman, has suggested using money from the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families fund, citing the program's surplus as a potential funding source.
When asked whether the governor's office was considering TANF or any other state program to address the SNAP funding shortfall, officials said the program remains the federal government's responsibility.
