Two weeks after Senator John Walsh demanded the Obama Administration restore conservation funding cut as a part of the sequester, the Office of Management and Budget announced it will return $28 million to Montana sportsmen. Walsh issued the following statement:
"The money returned today will enhance outdoor recreational opportunities for years to come. Hunters and anglers across Montana contributed to this fund expecting it to be used for conservation purposes. It never should have been taken from Montanans in the first place and is another example of how irresponsible and damaging the sequester cuts were to our local economies."
Earlier this month Walsh wrote a letter to the U.S. Office of Management and Budget highlighting the adverse economic impact the reduction of these cuts had and urged the funds be restored. In 2013, the Sportsmen Trust Fundscontributed $13.8 million for wildlife initiatives and $8.5 million for fish programs in Montana.