News

Daines, Montana Republicans celebrate Barrett’s confirmation to Supreme Court

Sen. Steve Daines celebrated the confirmation of President Donald Trump’s Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett on Monday night, and joined the president at the White House in Barrett’s swearing in ceremony. Barrett was confirmed on a near party-line vote of 52-48, with only Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, crossing party lines to vote with Democrats, who have criticized the confirmation process given how the GOP blocked a similar process four years ago. “Justice Barrett’s qualifications and character are indisputable,” Daines said in a statement following the vote. “She is a brilliant jurist, and as a mother of seven children, she

Daines: Judge Amy Coney Barrett’s Qualifications, Character are Indisputable

U.S. SENATE – U.S. Senator Steve Daines today voted YES on a procedural vote to advance the nomination of Judge Amy Coney Barrett to the United States Supreme Court. Daines also spoke on the floor of the U.S. Senate in support of confirming Judge Amy Coney Barrett to our nation’s highest court. For a clip of Daines’ remarks click HERE. For full remarks click, HERE. All Senate Democrats voted NO to advance Judge Barrett’s nomination. If the procedural vote failed, it would have stopped the confirmation of Judge Barrett from moving forward.  Excerpts from Daines’ remarks:  “Judge Barrett’s qualifications and character are indisputable…  “Judge Barrett

MT senators release statements following vote to advance Amy Coney Barrett toward final confirmation

HELENA- Montana’s senators have released statements following the senate’s vote to advance Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett toward final confirmation. Senator Jon Tester released the following statement on the procedural vote to begin debate on the nomination of Judge Amy Coney Barrett: “Montanans are already voting in this election, and I believe it is deeply irresponsible to ram a partisan nomination through in the final days before polls close—a precedent my Republican colleagues established four years ago and are breaking now. With health coverage for 120 million Americans with pre-existing conditions soon to be decided by the Court, I cannot support

Montana’s senators remain divided on Barrett nomination

Montana’s two U.S. Senators sent out comments Sunday solidly along party lines on the procedural vote earlier in the day to advance the nomination of Amy Coney Barrett to the U.S. Supreme Court. The vote on Barrett’s confirmation is expected to take place Monday. The 51-48 procedural vote Sunday had two Republicans, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Susan Collins of Maine, voting against advancing the nominee. All Democrats who voted were opposed, the Associated Press reported. Judge Amy Coney Barrett, President Donald Trump’s nominee for the Supreme Court, arrives for closed meetings Wednesday with senators, at the Capitol in Washington.

Tester, Daines split on Supreme Court nominee; vote expected Monday

Montana’s U.S. senators were divided Sunday on a vote that clears the way for the likely nomination of Judge Amy Coney Barrett to the U.S. Supreme Court. Montana’s junior Sen. Steve Daines, a Republican, will vote to confirm Barrett. Senior Sen. Jon Tester, a Democrat, said he will not and was not given an opportunity to meet with Barrett through the nomination process, something that is normally afforded for senators. Sunday’s vote was procedural and fell mostly along party lines, 51 to 48, with two Republican senators voting with all Democrats. The Republicans who voted no were U.S. Sens. Susan

Daines Introduces Senate Resolution Condemning Court Packing

U.S. SENATE – U.S. Senator Steve Daines today introduced a Senate resolution condemning the promises made by Democratic leaders to increase the number of Supreme Court Justices on the bench, known as court packing. Following introduction of the resolution, Daines spoke on the Senate floor about the importance of passing his resolution highlighting how court packing is an attack on the Montana way of life and how it undermines the separation of powers. Click HERE for a clip of the statement below, click HERE for full speech.  “Packing the Supreme Court by moving from the current 9 justices to 11 or 13 would essentially eliminate the Supreme Court

Daines to CDC: Yellowstone County in Urgent Need of Personnel for Contact Tracing Assistance, Send Additional Resources ASAP

U.S. SENATE – U.S. Senator Steve Daines today urged Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Director Robert Redfield to deploy medical personnel in Yellowstone County to provide contact tracing assistance as the county sees a dramatic spike in COVID-19 cases. ‘I write to you today to bring to your attention a request from Yellowstone County, Montana, for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to deploy personnel to provide contact tracing assistance. I respectfully request that the CDC consider Montana’s needs during this public health crisis and promptly accommodate Yellowstone County’s request for assistance,” Daines wrote. “While our local public health

Daines asks CDC for resources to aid Yellowstone County in fight against COVID-19

BILLINGS – U.S. Senator Steve Daines on Friday urged Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Robert Redfield to deploy medical personnel in Yellowstone County to provide contact tracing assistance as the county sees a dramatic spike in COVID-19 cases, according to a press release. Since the beginning of the pandemic in March, Yellowstone County has been one of the hardest hit counties in Montana, reporting the most cases, hospitalizations, and deaths in the state due to COVID-19, the press release states. Yellowstone County makes up 22% of all reported positive cases of COVID-19 in Montana as of Oct. 16.

Daines urges immediate assessment of Montana COVID-19 situation from FEMA

U.S. Senator Steve Daines is urging the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to conduct an assessment of Montana’s COVID-19 situation and asking for additional federal assistance to help mitigate the impacts of the pandemic. “Montana is currently experiencing a regional surge of COVID-19 cases. Nationally, we have the third highest rate of new cases and the second highest rate of test positivity. Last week, an average of 84% of hospitals in Montana reported either new confirmed or new suspected COVID-19 patients each day,” Daines wrote. “As Montana is experiencing a record number of positive COVID-19 cases and our hospitals across