Daines praises committee confirmation of Barrett; Tester still undecided
With Democrats in boycott, Republicans on the Senate Judiciary Committee unanimous confirmed Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett on Thursday, moving the high court one step closer to a 6-3 conservative majority. Sen. Steve Daines, who has expressed support for Barrett’s confirmation, praised the 12-0 committee vote. “Judge Amy Coney Barrett is one step closer to becoming Justice Amy Coney Barrett,” Daines said in a statement after the vote. “Judge Barrett has a brilliant legal mind and she will uphold our constitutional rights, including the Second Amendment, and won’t legislate from the bench.” Democrats boycotted Thursday’s vote, calling it a
Tester, Daines denounce Amtrak service cuts
U.S. senators on Wednesday questioned the chief of Amtrak about job cuts and service reductions on the carrier’s long-distance passenger train routes, including the Empire Builder line that serves a dozen mostly rural communities in northern Montana. William Flynn, who became Amtrak’s president and CEO in April, testified that ridership remains down about 80% due to the coronavirus pandemic. That, he said, forced Amtrak to reduce service on most of its long-distance trains to just three days a week. Those reductions started Monday. Flynn sought to assure senators the cuts are intended to be temporary. “In addition, until our ridership
Daines: Twitter, Facebook are suppressing Trump campaign
Montana Senator Steve Daines (R-MT) says tech giants like Twitter and Facebook need to be investigated after suppressing the Trump campaign’s communications on social media platforms. Daines had this to say via Twitter earlier this week: In Montana, the law applies to everyone, no matter who you are. Twitter and Facebook suppressing @realDonaldTrump’s campaign accounts and news should be held under the same scrutiny as any other potential election interference. @senjudiciary must investigate these allegations. Twitter has also been under fire for suppressing a New York Post story containing damaging news about Vice President Joe Biden and his son Hunter.
Daines to Introduce Senate Resolution Condemning Court Packing
U.S. SENATE – U.S. Senator Steve Daines is set to introduce 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. Daines is fighting to highlight how court packing is an attack on the Montana way of life, Montana jobs, American democracy and the separation of powers. “Packing the Supreme Court is a power grab by the Democrats and an attack on our Montana way of life, from protecting the Second Amendment to Montana energy jobs,” Daines said. “This goes against a 150 year precedent and would make the Court an extension of the legislative branch,
Daines Introduces Montana Witness at Senate Hearing on Amtrak
U.S. SENATE – Today in a U.S. Senate Commerce Committee hearing, Senator Steve Daines introduced Paul Tuss, a Havre resident and Executive Director of Bear Paw Development Corporation as a witness to speak on the importance of Amtrak services along the Hi-Line. To watch Daines’ introduction, click HERE. “In Montana, the Empire Builder is essential to the local economy and provides folks along the Hi-Line their only access to the national transportation network. Like Paul, I am deeply concerned about the impact Amtrak’s reductions in staff and service will have across the network and I led a bipartisan effort opposing the reductions
Amtrak urged to not reduce Empire Builder service in Treasure State
A business leader from the Hi-Line joined Montana’s two senators on Wednesday in urging a top Amtrak official to reconsider temporary reductions made to daily rail service in the Treasure State, saying it is a critical lifeline for rural residents. And they got some help from a “neighbor,” a senator from Washington who argued that daily train service is a big benefit to help people enjoy Montana’s Glacier National Park. Amtrak’s Empire Builder makes its way through Montana.But Amtrak President William J. Flynn told the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, that the current ridership rates, which took a
Sen. Daines to introduce Senate resolution condemning increasing number of Supreme Court Justices
HELENA- Senator Steve Daines says he is going to introduce a Senate resolution condemning increasing the number of Supreme Court Justices on the bench, which is also known as court packing. “Packing the Supreme Court is a power grab by the Democrats and an attack on our Montana way of life, from protecting the Second Amendment to Montana energy jobs,” Daines said. “This goes against a 150 year precedent and would make the Court an extension of the legislative branch, which is what our Founding Fathers feared when they created the separation of powers.” In a release, Daines cites the
Fox goes after Google, Daines seeks investigation into Twitter, Facebook
Attorney General Tim Fox on Tuesday joined Montana to a lawsuit with 10 other states and the Department of Justice accusing Google of using its dominance over online search engines to quash innovation and competition. In a separate move, Sen. Steve Daines on Tuesday also urged the Senate Judiciary Committee to investigate a handful of social media companies, including Twitter and Facebook, accused of limiting or removing political content harmful to Republicans and favorable to Democrats. The suit filed by the 11 Attorneys General – all Republicans – and the Justice Department suggest that Google has used exclusionary agreements to
Daines Urges Senate Judiciary Committee to Investigate Social Media Companies Following Allegations of Election Interference
U.S. SENATE – U.S. Senator Steve Daines today urged Senate Judiciary Chairman Graham and Ranking Member Feinstein to investigate the actions taken by social media corporations limiting or removing content of political candidates while either not following industry standards, failing to follow their own rules, or outright changing their rules to justify previous actions taken against candidates. Daines’ request follows recent reports of Twitter and Facebook limiting access to a news story dealing with former Vice President Joe Biden’s son and the suspension of a Trump Campaign account. “Recent events have brought forward a troubling pattern where social media companies have failed to follow industry