Category: News Article

Lawmakers are pressing the Air Force to use National Guard helicopters as soon as possible to protect nuclear missile facilities that are potentially vulnerable to terrorist attacks. Defense Department officials acknowledge that an aging fleet of nearly three dozen UH-1N Huey helicopters — a 911 force in the northern Great Plains —lacks the speed, range and payload capabilities to respond effectively if U.S. missile launchers were attacked. The Air Force conceded this week that the Pentagon still does not know how or when it will come up with a strategy for procuring more than $1 billion worth of helicopters to

Sen. Steve Daines (R-MT) has requested a meeting with Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James to discuss the milestone A review for the Ground Based Strategic Deterrent System, congressional sources told Inside the Air Force this week. Daines previously questioned why the Air Force had not reached its milestone A decision for the Minuteman III’s replacement during an April 20 Senate Armed Services Committee hearing with Pentagon acquisition chief Frank Kendall. Kendall assured Daines that GBSD’s timeline remains on track, but that his office was waiting on an independent cost estimate, a legal prerequisite to declaring milestone A. “So I have to

With the news of Conrad Burns’ passing late last week, Montanans lost a member of the family. From across the state, prayers were offered for Phyllis and the Burns family and fond memories were shared. Conrad was a dedicated husband to Phyllis and father to Garrett and Keely. He was an auctioneer, a high school referee, an agriculture broadcaster and founder of Northern Ag Network, a county commissioner, a U.S. senator and always a U.S. Marine. He loved his family, he loved Montana and he loved his country. And last Thursday, Burns passed away with his boots on — active

President Barack Obama has signed legislation changing the name of the Armed Forces Readiness Center in Great Falls to the Capt. John E. Moran and Capt. William Galt Armed Forces Reserve Center to honor the Montana men who received the Medal of Honor. Both houses of Congress passed legislation for the name change earlier this spring. Moran served in the Army’s 37th Infantry during the Philippine-American War and was awarded the Medal of Honor in 1910 and died in Great Falls in 1930. Galt of Great Falls served in the Army’s 34th Infantry during World War II and was awarded

Sen. Steve Daines has co-sponsored a bill to push more research and development on using wood for tall building construction. The Timber Innovation Act, S. 2892, was authored by Sen. Debbie Stabenow, D-Michigan. It will be heard by the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry. Fellow Republican Sen. Mike Crapo of Idaho and Democratic senators Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota and Maria Cantwell of Washington also co-sponsored the bill. The bill would look for ways to use timber framing in buildings more than 85 feet or seven stories high. State and federal building codes typically call for concrete or metal framing

Former Montana Sen. Conrad Burns, a former cattle auctioneer whose folksy demeanor and political acumen earned him three terms and the bitter disdain of his opponents, died Thursday. He was 81. Burns died of natural causes at his home in Billings, Montana Republican Party Executive Director Jeff Essmann said. “He was a colorful figure who loved people, politics and to serve,” Essmann said. “He brought a common-man, common-sense approach to his work in the Senate and returned to his home in Billings when his work was done.” Gov. Steve Bullock, a Democrat, said he and wife Lisa would join other

Montana Senator Steve Daines recognized Wyatt Zylawy on April 22, for his outstanding achievements in his recent Coast Guard training and for his noble commitment to serving our country. Zylway graduated from Superior High School in 2015, and joined the Coast Guard. Zylawy was recognized through Daines “Montanan of the Week” initiative, where each week he will highlight a Montanan by submitting a statement of recognition in the official Congressional Record, the document that reflects the official proceedings of Congress. The following is the statement submitted to the Congressional Record: MONTANAN OF THE WEEK “Mr. PRESIDENT, I would like to

Senator Steve Daines today, April 27, urged Department of Interior Secretary Sally Jewell to tour Colstrip and the Crow Reservation during her upcoming travel to Montana. “Secretary Jewell needs to hear directly from the people impacted by Interior’s actions and come to communities like Colstrip and the Crow Reservation to see what it means for Montana families,” said Daines. “We’ve already seen layoffs in coal communities across our state as a result of the Obama administration’s war on coal. I encourage Secretary Jewell to meet with folks in Colstrip and the Crow tribe to hear directly from them about the impact of

The Land and Water Conservation Fund, which has provided more than half a billion dollars in federal funding to Montana during the past 50 years, would be permanently reauthorized under a sweeping energy reform bill passed by the U.S. Senate Wednesday. The Energy Policy Modernization Act passed on an 85-12 vote and now heads to conference committee, where members of the House and Senate will work to hammer out a compromise between the energy bill and a similar bill passed in the House last December. The upper chamber’s overwhelming approval of the bill was hailed by Montana’s two senators Wednesday

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Gina McCarthy said to Congress Wednesday that there’s “absolutely no reason” to measure the impact of the Clean Power Plan by looking at global temperature reductions. McCarthy admitted during questions by Republican Sen. Steve Daines of Montana that her agency can’t measure the impact of its proposed Clean Power Plan on global temperatures, because it would likely be incredibly small. McCarthy specified that the plan’s influence on the environment cannot be quantified.  The Clean Power Plan would eliminate most cheap coal and natural gas power with expensive sources like solar and wind, costing America an expected $41 billion annually. Yet, the plan likely