Daines Congratulates Student on Appointment to U.S. Naval Academy
U.S. SENATE – U.S. Senator Steve Daines today congratulated Andrew Sorenson on his appointment to the U.S. Naval Academy located in Annapolis, Maryland. Daines called Sorenson today to inform him of the appointment and offer his congratulations. Sorenson is an Eagle Scout and entrepreneur who owns and operates his own lawn care business and has earned varsity letters in wrestling, tennis, football, indoor track and cross country. “Andrew has shown himself to be a leader both on the field and in the classroom, and I look forward to watching him become a leader in our armed forces,” Daines stated. Sorenson, whose family
Daines Introduces Legislation to Bring Integrity to Federal Budget Process
U.S. SENATE — As the Federal Reserve is expected to increase the interest rate next week, U.S. Senator Steve Daines today introduced legislation that would require congressional budgetary scorekeepers to account for interest costs incurred on borrowed funds needed for legislative proposals. The Budgetary Accuracy in Scoring Interest Costs (BASIC) Act will include the cost of debt in both Congressional Budget Office (CBO) and Joint Committee on Taxation (JCT) analysis so that Congress can have the full picture of legislative costs to the American taxpayer. “If I told you that when Congress employs gimmicks to shield you from knowing exactly how
Daines Honors Montanan of the Week: Lisa Cline of Broadus
U.S. SENATE — U.S. Senator Steve Daines today recognized educator Lisa M. Cline for over 30 years of service as a K-6 STEM educator throughout the State of 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 filling out the contact form on Daines’ website: http://www.daines.senate.gov/connect/email-steve The
Daines Announces Over $1 Million Grant for CSKT Healthcare Program
U.S. SENATE – U.S. Senator Steve Daines today announced $1,040,808 in funding for the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes (CSKT) for diabetes treatment and prevention. “Diabetes sadly plagues many in Montana’s Native communities, and through this funding the CSKT can continue to improve care for tribal members living with this disease,” Daines stated. Native Americans have the highest rate of Type 2 diabetes in the United States. Daines is a supporter of the Special Diabetes Program for Indians (SDPI). The 301 SDPI Community-Directed grant programs help to implement diabetes prevention and treatment interventions in American Indian and Alaska Native communities. On September 20,
Daines, Tester, Zinke Introduce Legislation to Reverse Disastrous Court Ruling
U.S. CONGRESS —U.S. Senators Steve Daines and Jon Tester and U.S. Representative Ryan Zinke today underscored the urgency in reversing the ruling of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in Cottonwood Environmental Law Center v. U.S. Forest Service by introducing bipartisan bicameral legislation to do just that. The bill seeks to codify the Obama administration’s position that federal agencies are not required to consult with the Fish and Wildlife Service at a programmatic level when new critical habitat is designated or a new species is listed. “Congress needs to take urgent action to reverse the disastrous activist court ruling for the sake of
Daines Highlights Importance of Consolidated Tribal Land Ownership at Senate Hearing
U.S. SENATE —U.S. Senator Steve Daines today highlighted the importance of reducing divided land ownership on Indian reservations. During a hearing in the U.S. Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, Daines questioned two Montana tribal leaders testifying at the hearing, Chairman Floyd Azure of the Fort Peck Assiniboine and Sioux Tribes and Vice Chairman Terry Tatsey of the Blackfeet Tribe, on the value of the U.S. Department of the Interior Land Buy-Back Program to their communities and how they would want to see the program improved. “Montana is home to Indian reservations with some of the most divided ownership in the nation
Great Falls Tribune: CMR student nominated for military and naval academy
Max Sechena, a C.M. Russell High senior, was one of 25 Montana students nominated by Sen. Steve Daines for enrollment in a U.S. military academy. Sechena is applying for enrollment in both the U.S. Military Academy in West Point, N.Y., and the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md. “I wanted to find meaningful work, and I thought the military was the way to do that,” Sechena said. “You know that soldier phase that I think every little kid goes through? That never really ended for me.” Sechena’s nomination is just one step in the lengthy journey to enrollment. Through the
Flathead Beacon: With Unified Task Force, Montana Expedites Invasive Mussel Testing
Leaders of a statewide interagency strike team tasked with combatting the threat of invasive mussels announced Thursday they have expedited a five-month backlog of water samples and will have complete results by Dec. 19, while state lawmakers have voiced concern about the initial response. The Montana Mussel Incident Response Team was formed earlier this month in response to the recent discovery of mussel larvae in Tiber and Canyon Ferry reservoirs east of the Continental Divide, as well as in the Milk River near Malta and the Missouri River near York. Further analysis is underway to determine whether a full adult population
Helena Independent Record: Fort Harrison gets 2 of 5 stars in secret VA quality ratings
The VA Montana Healthcare System at Fort Harrison received two out of five stars on a secret rating system used by the Department of Veteran Affairs. USA Today obtained the rankings of 146 medical centers, which had previously been kept private for internal use, and published it on Dec. 7. Medical centers are rated each quarter, and USA Today’s data initially included the fourth quarter of 2015. Veteran Affairs subsequently released which medical centers received a one or five star rating in the quarter that ended on June 30, but excluded facilities rated two through four. Fort Harrison was not included