Author: rachel_dumke@daines.senate.gov

Today, U.S. Senator Steve Daines (R-Mont.) along with Senators Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.), Roger Wicker (R-Miss), and Eric Schmitt (R-Mo.) announced that their bill to fully fund the “Rip and Replace” program has passed the U.S. Senate. The legislation was included in the Fiscal Year 2025 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which is expected to be signed into law. This bill will ensure providers in rural areas have the resources they need to implement the congressional directive to replace Chinese manufactured infrastructure in our telecommunications industry, helping protect Americans from espionage and service blackouts.  Download Daines’ video statement HERE. “I am glad to see this commonsense legislation included

U.S. Senator Steve Daines today officially nominated six Montana students applying for enrollment into U.S. military academies. “Montana has a long legacy of service, and it’s one of my greatest honors to nominate the next generation of servicemembers for enrollment into our nation’s great military academies. These young Montanans have earned remarkable grades, exhibited leadership skills and have a passion for giving back to their country, and I wish them the best as they embark on the next step toward their bright future of service,” said Daines. A congressional nomination is a critical step in the process for Montanans seeking admission

U.S. Senator Steve Daines (R-Mont.) and Senator Tina Smith (D-Minn.) today announced the bipartisan “Protection for Reservation Occupants Against Trafficking and Evasive Communications Today (PROTECT) Act” to combat drug trafficking in tribal communities. The “PROTECT Act” would expand the Special Tribal Criminal Jurisdiction (STCJ) program to allow tribal nations to prosecute non-Native offenders for drug crimes and gun crimes in furtherance of STCJ covered crimes. The “PROTECT Act” would also allow tribal courts to execute warrants for electronic material to better combat drug traffickers and other criminals. “As deadly drugs like fentanyl and opioids flow across our open southern border,

Will Introduce Legislation to Reverse Biden Prohibition on New Coal Leasing in Powder River Basin U.S. Senator Steve Daines today issued the following statement after the Biden administration published their Miles City Resource Management Plan (RMP) Record of Decision which will prohibit any new coal leasing in the Powder River Basin of Montana. “At every turn the Biden administration has launched attack after attack on made in Montana energy and the people of Montana and the rest of the country rebuked the administration for it at the ballot box. Yet the Biden administration still did not get the message, issuing

Senator Steve Daines joined a bipartisan group of senators in urging a thorough investigation into the Transportation Security Administration’s (TSA) unchecked and expanding use of facial recognition in airports across the United States. “We urge you to conduct thorough oversight of the Transportation Security Administration’s (“TSA”) use of facial recognition technology for passenger verification from both an authorities and privacy perspective. This technology will soon be in use at hundreds of major and mid-size airports without an independent evaluation of the technology’s precision or an audit of whether there are sufficient safeguards in place to protect passenger privacy,” the senators wrote.

U.S. Senator Steve Daines sent a letter to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and Serco expressing serious concerns regarding ongoing staffing shortages at Montana’s three contract towers. Serco is contracted by the FAA to provide air traffic control services at Bozeman Yellowstone International Airport, Glacier Park International Airport, and Missoula Montana Airport. The shortages have resulted in limited hours of operation at these towers, which threatens to weaken Montana’s economy, delay air traffic, and poses a serious threat to the safety of the flying public in Montana.  “I write today regarding my serious concerns with the persistent and harmful shortage of air traffic controllers