Biography

As Montana’s sole Representative to the U.S. House, Denny Rehberg is serving his sixth term in Congress.  As a small business owner, Denny brings both the work ethic of a fifth-generation family rancher who has managed more than 600 head of cattle and, later 600 cashmere goats and the core Montana values of integrity and personal accountability to the job with him every day.

While managing the family ranch outside of Billings, Denny was elected to his first of three successful terms in the Montana State House of Representatives in 1984.  While there, he helped balance the budget without raising taxes, a feat which caught the attention of Governor Stan Stephens who appointed him as his Lieutenant Governor.  In 1992, Denny was elected to that position on the ticket with Marc Racicot.

In his role as Lieutenant Governor, Denny made a commitment to regularly visit all of Montana’s counties.  He favors Montana-grown solutions, which is why as Montana’s Congressman he has maintained that pledge to this day by traveling to all 56 counties each congressional term.

First elected to the U.S. House in 2000, Montanans sent Denny to Congress to make Washington look more like Montana.  As a small business owner Denny knows how to balance a budget.  If Montana can balance its budget, he figured the federal government should too, so one of the very first things Denny did in Congress was to help introduce a Balanced Budget Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.

Denny’s leadership in fiscal reform earned him a seat on the highly regarded U.S. House Committee on Appropriations, where he serves as the Chairman of House Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies in the 112th Congress.  This Committee accounts for nearly a quarter of all federal outlays, and funds the administration of more grant dollars than all other federal agencies combined. The Medicare program, funded by this committee, is the nation’s largest health insurer, handling more than 1 billion claims per year. Medicare and Medicaid together provide health care insurance for one in four Americans.  He will also sit on the Energy and Water Development, and Related Agencies Subcommittee and Legislative Branch Appropriations Subcommittee.

Congressman Rehberg continues to bring Made-In-Montana solutions to Congress.  From working to help small businesses bolster job creation and economic growth to finding ways to grow Montana’s energy industry, Denny always puts Montana’s priorities first.

Denny Rehberg has been happily married to his high school sweetheart, Jan, for over 30 years. Together they have three children, A.J., Katie, and Elsie. A graduate of Washington State University (1977), Rehberg attended Billings West High School and Montana State University.