Ivanka Trump, Jared Kushner embrace more public roles in White House
Ivanka Trump and her husband Jared Kushner are embracing more visible roles in the White House policy process, taking high-profile meetings with foreign leaders, prominent lawmakers and top business executives while garnering media attention. Over the last week, Kushner, who more often is seen at the president’s side but not heard, delivered his first public remarks during a summit with technology executives. He then jetted off to the Middle East for attention-getting meetings with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel and President Mahmoud Abbas of the Palestinian Authority. Meanwhile, Ivanka Trump, the president’s daughter who often accompanies her father on
Sen. Steve Daines Plans Tele-Town Hall on Health Care Bill
Montana’s Republican U.S. senator, Steve Daines, says he’ll decide whether to support his party’s health care bill after hearing from constituents. The Billings Gazette reported Saturday (http://bit.ly/2s37iKl ) that Daines will host a telephone town hall next Wednesday on the Senate Republican proposal. At least five GOP senators have declared their opposition to the party’s legislation to undo much of President Barack Obama’s health care overhaul — more than enough to defeat the measure. Daines criticized the U.S. House GOP’s health care proposal after the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office reported that 14 million Americans would lose their coverage next year
Daines Announces $738,430 in Funding for Montana Airports
U.S. SENATE — U.S. Senator Steve Daines today $738,430.00 in critical funding for five Montana airports in Terry, Baker, Superior, Ekalaka and Circle. “These dollars play a critical role in keeping our airports safe and functioning, to continue to connect our state,” Daines stated. Daines secured the following provisions in the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) reauthorization: Airport Improvement Program (AIP) dollars which build and maintain Montana’s critical aviation infrastructure such as runways. Daines has also engaged the FAA to expedite grants to northern states with short construction seasons. The funding is provided through the U.S. Department of Transportation. Details on each grant
Daines Honors Montanan of the Week: Tongue River Winery
U.S. SENATE —U.S. Senator Steve Daines today recognized the team at the Tongue River Winery, in Custer County, for having the skill, patience and dedication required to produce quality wines on the high plains of eastern Montana. Daines’ recognition in the Congressional Record is available here. Through his “Montanan of the Week” initiative, Daines each week will highlight a Montanan by submitting a statement of recognition in the official Congressional Record, the document that reflects the official proceedings of Congress. Daines welcomes anyone to nominate fellow Montanans for Daines’ “Montanan of the Week” program by calling Daines’ office at 202-224-2651 or by
Ayaan Hirsi Ali, Asra Nomani accuse Dem senators of ignoring them in hearing
Women’s rights activists Ayaan Hirsi Ali and Asra Nomani have accused four female Democratic senators of ignoring them during a committee hearing last week, complaining the lawmakers did not ask them a single question. “This wasn’t a case of benign neglect,” Ali and Nomani wrote, in a New York Times op-ed published Thursday. “What happened that day was emblematic of a deeply troubling trend among progressives when it comes to confronting the brutal reality of Islamist extremism and what it means for women” in Muslim communities. The Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee hearing was titled, “Understanding
Daines Praises Secretary Perdue’s Actions to Halt Brazilian Beef Imports
U.S. SENATE — U.S. Senator Steve Daines today praised the action taken by U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue to halt Brazilian beef imports to the U.S. “Food on our tables must be safe to eat,” Daines stated. “Montana families have to know that their food won’t make them sick. I’m glad to see my efforts to secure our food supply be prioritized by Secretary Perdue.” Perdue’s announcement follows his trip to Montana earlier this month for Daines’ Montana Ag Summit, which brought together over 700 people for a conversation about the state of agriculture in Montana, including issues like fresh Brazilian
Daines hasn’t decided on latest Obamacare repeal bill; Tester blasts it
U.S. Sen. Steve Daines, fresh out of the first briefing on Senate Republicans’ bill to repeal “Obamacare” and overhaul national health-care policy, said Thursday he wants to scrutinize the measure before deciding whether to support it – and wants to hear what Montanans think, too. “I think there is a lot of work to do on this bill,” he told MTN News. “It’s still very much in a draft form.” A small group of Senate Republicans have been working in secret to craft their version of a bill to repeal the Affordable Care Act, the signature health-reform bill passed by
Trump removes protections for Yellowstone grizzly bear
The Trump administration is removing Endangered Species Act protections for Yellowstone grizzly bears, after they spent more than four decades on the threatened list. The Interior Department’s Fish and Wildlife Service announced the delisting decision Thursday, which immediately drew rebukes from conservationists and Democrats. Officials said that conservation efforts for the bear, a more than fourfold increase in its population and state policies designed to protect the bears show that the delisting is warranted. The Yellowstone grizzly bear lives in and around Yellowstone National Park in Montana, Wyoming and Idaho. “This achievement stands as one of America’s great conservation successes;
Daines Statement on Recovery and Delisting of Yellowstone Grizzly Bear
U.S. SENATE — U.S. Senator Steve Daines today released the following statement on the U.S. Department of the Interior’s announcement that the Yellowstone population of the grizzly bear has been recovered to the point where federal protections can be removed and overall management can be returned to the states and tribes. “It will be great to see the grizzly bear recovered and off the endangered species list,” Daines stated. “I was 12 years old growing up in Bozeman when steps began to restore the grizzly bear population. As an avid backpacker, hiker and fisherman, I know firsthand the importance of conservation to