Daines Fights to Strengthen Work Requirements, Help Low Income Families
U.S. SENATE – U.S. Senator Steve Daines today introduced legislation to help low-income families find work. Daines’ bill, the Jobs and Opportunity with Benefits and Services Act or JOBS Act, reauthorizes and modernizes the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program. Ranking Member Kevin Brady of the House Ways and Means Committee introduced companion legislation in the United States House of Representatives. “Our welfare programs should be a springboard to work and self-sufficiency, not a sinkhole into government dependency,” Daines said. “My bill supports struggling low-income families and equips them with the skills and resources they need to find and keep a
Daines to Lighthizer: Montana Farmers and Ranchers Need Access to New Markets
U.S. SENATE – U.S. Senator Steve Daines today in a U.S. Senate Finance Committee hearing urged United States Trade Representative (USTR) Robert Lighthizer to advance and finalize trade agreements with Japan and China to put Montana farmers and ranchers on a level playing field in the global stage. Click HERE to download “We’re now behind in Japan, because our other allies have signed agreements…and they are going to receive the benefits of the tariff reductions. My malt barley folks were in talking to me yesterday, and they literally showed me the contracts they’ve lost in Japan,” Daines said. Yesterday, Daines met with Montana barley
Daines Delivers Historic Conservation Win for Montana
U.S. SENATE — U.S. Senator Steve Daines today joined President Trump at a bill signing ceremony at the White House for a bill signing ceremony of the bipartisan public lands package, which includes the permanent reauthorization of the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) and the Yellowstone Gateway Protection Act. “What a great day for Montana, a great day for America,” Daines said. “I just came back from the West Wing of the White House, the Oval Office, where I witnessed President Trump sign the lands package. In fact, here’s one of the pens from the signing ceremony that I keep
President signs Yellowstone mineral withdrawal, LWCF renewal into law
A massive public lands package including a ban on new mining claims north of Yellowstone and the renewal of a popular conservation fund has now become law. On Tuesday, President Donald Trump signed S. 47, a broad legislative package including land designations and more affecting areas across the country. It sailed through the House and Senate with lopsided votes in its favor. The bill includes two pieces that Montana’s congressional delegation pushed for — the Yellowstone Gateway Protection Act, which would bar new mining claims on 30,000 acres of public land north of Yellowstone National Park, and the permanent reauthorization
Daines urges Forest Service to allow mountain biking in Bitterroot Forest WSAs
Sen. Steve Daines made one last pitch Thursday on why mountain biking should be allowed in two Bitterroot National Forest wilderness study areas. In a letter to the U.S. Forest Service, Daines urged the agency to either reopen the areas to mountain biking or push back its deadline for a decision so it could consider the facts he had gathered. Forest Service officials said the agency’s final written response on the issue will be issued Monday, March 11. The agency’s response follows analysis of 3,216 public comments and a face-to-face resolution meeting with members of the local and national mountain
Daines Calls to Split the Ninth Circuit, Give Montanans Fair Access to Courts
U.S. SENATE — U.S. Senator Steve Daines today called to reform the United States Court of Appeals system for the Ninth Circuit by sponsoring the Judicial Efficiency Improvement Act. As part of the Ninth Circuit, Montanans and other citizens are unable to have their cases heard in a timely manner, and are therefore being denied equal access to justice,” Daines said. “By splitting the Ninth Circuit, it will help improve America’s judicial system.” The bill would split the Ninth Circuit and make the headquarters of the new Twelfth Circuit, which would include Montana, in Seattle. In addition the bill would add four new
Daines, Tester, Gianforte Urge Swift Action on Clean Water Bill
U.S. CONGRESS — U.S. Senators Steve Daines and Jon Tester, and Congressman Greg Gianforte sent a letter to U.S. Senate and House Committee Leadership urging action on the Clean Water for Rural Communities Act, which would provide access to clean, safe drinking water to citizens of central and eastern Montana. The bill was reintroduced in February 2019. “Montanans deserve clean, safe drinking water,” the letter states. “We ask you to help us pass our Clean Water for Rural Communities Act at the beginning of this Congress… which includes authorization language for two rural water systems in Montana.” The letter was sent
Daines Urges Forest Service to Restore Access on Public Lands
U.S. SENATE — U.S. Senator Steve Daines sent a letter to the U.S. Forest Service demanding they reconsider proposed mountain bike closures in the Blue Joint and Sapphire Wilderness Study Areas on the Bitterroot National Forest in Montana. “With over $7 billion in consumer spending coming from Montana’s outdoor recreation economy, we should be encouraging adaptive management principles across the Agency that help U.S. Forest Service decision-makers manage different uses across various landscapes, not exclude them,” the letter states. “I am concerned this approach will foster additional closures in areas with historic use and that the greater recreation community will suffer
Rankin Elementary School showcases STEM curriculum
MISSOULA- Friday, U.S. Senator Steve Daines spent the day sitting in on a few stem classes at Rankin Elementary School, his goal was simple, to encourage students to keep learning. Teachers at Rankin Elementary say they’re working hard to prepare their students for the 21st century and beyond. Implementing STEM- Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math into their curriculum is one way teachers say they are able to do that. Senator Daines being a chemical engineer himself, says today’s lesson demonstrates how well Montana is preparing its youth for the future. “It’s preparing these students for the 21st century challenges. It’s