You might know some of these, but did you know Montana was almost named something else? We gathered some of the most interesting facts about our state.

Republicans in Washington D.C. on Thursday narrowly passed the hotly contested budget bill that slashes the government's social safety net in order to extend large income tax cuts.

After a string of all-night negotiations, Republicans in the U.S. Congress narrowly approved what's considered the cornerstone of President Donald Trump's domestic agenda. The four members of Montana性视界传媒檚 all-Republican congressional delegation got on board to help advance the bill, which cleared its final hurdle in the House on a 218-214 vote only hours ahead of the White House's July Fourth deadline.

Trump's press secretary said the president will sign the bill on Friday.

Montana's two congressmen both said the bill's sweeping provisions reflected changes voters sought last year when they sent Trump back to the White House.

U.S. Rep. Ryan Zinke from Montana's western district was particularly involved in the bill's first route through the House in May, threatening to withhold his vote until a provision to sell off large tracts of federal lands was eventually struck from the legislation.

"Montanans are struggling to pay their bills, our borders were wide open, and the essential services our citizens rely on were failing," Zinke said in an emailed statement on Thursday. "Montanans asked for change last November, and today we delivered. This is a win for hardworking Montanans and a win for the country. The bill puts Americans first, delivers real tax relief, secures the border, and protects our public lands from being sold off to the highest bidder. I was never going to back down when it came to public land sales and I'm never going to give up the fight to deliver for Montana. Today we won, and I look forward to the President signing this historic legislation into law."

U.S. Rep. Troy Downing

U.S. Rep. Troy Downing addresses a joint session of the Montana Senate and House of Representatives on Feb. 17 in the state Capitol.

U.S. Rep. Troy Downing, a freshman Republican from Montana's eastern district, issued a statement highlighting the bill's provisions intended to juice the nation's economy, including an expansion for the Bull Mountains mine north of Billings.

"The One Big Beautiful Bill is a big win for Big Sky Country," Downing said in his press release. "Americans sent a Republican Congress and Republican President to Washington with a mandate. Today, House Republicans honored that mandate by passing a bill that delivers historic tax relief, unleashes American energy, supports our farmers and ranchers, secures our borders, modernizes our military, strengthens critical programs, protects our public lands, and so much more. I was proud to champion this historic legislation and look forward to watching as these policies Make America Great Again."

Montana's senior U.S. Sen. Steve Daines posted on social media Thursday immediately following the House vote.

"Congratulations to @POTUS and @SpeakerJohnson for stopping the largest tax hike in American history!" Daines said on X. "Looking forward to the One Big Beautiful Bill becoming law."

Freshman GOP Sen. Tim Sheehy said after the Senate approved the bill earlier in the week that it "revives the American Dream."

"The people spoke, and Republicans just delivered the America First agenda," Sheehy said in a social media post on Thursday after the House vote. "Together we stopped the largest tax increase in our history and guaranteed economic relief, a secure border and a strong military for hardworking Americans."

Trump's "megabill" makes permanent widespread income tax cuts enacted during his first term that would have otherwise expired at year性视界传媒檚 end and jacked up rates for nearly every household.

To make up for less tax revenue in the long run, the budget bill guts government spending on public benefits programs like Medicaid and food assistance, which have long provoked the ire of certain GOP factions.

The mammoth budget bill also cuts funding for student loans and rolls back clean energy tax credits. It does, however, carve out room for spending on White House priorities including immigration enforcement and the military.

Estimates suggest the cuts aren性视界传媒檛 enough to close the gap and the bill could increase the national debt by $3 trillion over the next decade.

Carly Graf is the聽State Bureau health care reporter for Lee Montana.聽

Originally published on , part of the .