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HELENA — U.S. Sen. Steve Daines is now supporting the $1.4 trillion tax bill because it contains additional tax cuts he says will help small businesses. The Montana Republican said Monday that he opposed the tax bill as it was then written, complaining that it favored large corporations over small businesses. On Friday he said the current version of the bill provides “significant tax relief” for “Main Street businesses”, which he says are responsible for nearly 70 percent of the jobs in the state. The majority of owners of U.S. businesses, both large and small, report their profits on their individual

GOP Sen. Steve Daines of Montana said he backs the Republican tax bill after securing a bigger tax break for pass-through businesses. “After weeks of fighting for Main Street businesses including Montana’s farmers and ranchers, I’ve decided to support the Senate tax cut bill which provides significant tax relief for Main Street businesses,” Mr. Daines said in a statement Friday morning. Mr. Daines was one of a group of GOP senators who had yet to firmly commit to the tax bill, although he had voted in support of it on procedural votes. He had joined with Sen. Ron Johnson (R.,

Senate Republicans are seriously considering several last-minute changes to their tax legislation in an effort to mollify wavering members, four people familiar with the discussions said, as GOP leaders seek to keep their members from defecting ahead of crucial votes this week. The lawmakers attracting the most concern from leadership and the White House are Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) and Steve Daines (R-Mont.), who say the current version of the bill favors corporations over other businesses. There are numerous members demanding changes, and their desires don’t all overlap. Together, the requests put Republican leaders in a difficult position, as they

America’s national parks have fallen into neglect and disrepair after decades of underfunding of their upkeep and operations. The National Park Service estimates that the 417 National Parks need $11.3 billion in deferred maintenance. That backlog is evident in Yellowstone National Park where popular trails remain closed for years for lack of money to rebuild, where roads wear out much faster than they are repaved, where a recent 40 percent increase in visitors brought virtually no increase in restrooms, parking, road capacity or visitor centers. The Trump administration proposed a federal budget that would slash NPS funding, including cutting 1,200

As CEO of the nation’s top organization for the conservation of the North American wild turkey and our hunting heritage, Thanksgiving holds a special place in my heart. It’s a time when our nation turns its attention to family, traditions and gratitude — all centered around breaking bread at the dinner table. Our legislators return to their home states and districts, and our president and the White House typically celebrate with a quiet meal and the pardoning of a lucky turkey. Thanksgiving has been a foundational holiday in our nation since the very beginning. President George Washington issued a proclamation