In The News
Helena brewery tells Daines he'd like longer PPP terms in future aid
About $82,000 from the federal Paycheck Protection Program allowed Helena brewery owner Max Pigman to keep all 13 of his production employees at work through the novel coronavirus pandemic. On Thursday, Pigman told U.S. Sen. Steve Daines during a tour of Lewis and Clark Brewing Co. that he'd like to see another round of funding on an extended timetable as the state moves toward what's expected to be a slow economic recovery. "The worst thing that you fear as a business owner, as you grow a te… Continue Reading
05.28.20
Daines, Lewis & Clark Brewing highlight value of Paycheck Protection funding
HELENA - Max Pigman, owner of Helena's Lewis and Clark Brewing Company, says the COVID-19 pandemic hit at a difficult time for his business. "We were in a mode where our business was really growing well and we were just moving into new markets and just expanded into Las Vegas - and then all of a sudden the faucet got turned off," he said. Pigman estimates Lewis and Clark lost at least 12% to 15% of its expected revenue from brewing, and the company is seeing smaller profit margins because it h… Continue Reading
05.28.20
MT conservation groups throw support behind permanent outdoor funding
LOLO - Montana conservation groups are throwing their support behind a bill that would provide permanent financial support for the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF). The groups say the Great American Outdoors Act would resolve the uncertainty that's existed for the important pot of money for the past several years. Senator Steve Daines (R-MT) is a co-sponsor of the measure which has bi-partisan support in the Senate as a means to permanently pay for the LCWF. That money, which is genera… Continue Reading
05.27.20
Senator: SpaceX mission includes single-use lockers built in part by Montana students
A little bit of Montana will be heading skyward soon as part of historic SpaceX Demo-2 mission to the International Space Station, a U.S. senator said. The mission, known as DM-2, will include single-use lockers built in part by students from Billings and Helena, U.S. Sen. Steve Daines, R-Mont., said in a news release. This was done through NASA's High Schools United with NASA to Create Hardware program. Wednesday's launch was called off with less than 17 minutes to go in the countdown because… Continue Reading
05.27.20
Daines hopes bi-partisan measure will specifically help small business hit by COVID-19
While the CARES Act approved by Congress during the early weeks of the COVID-19 pandemic provided a broad shot of financial help for individuals up to large businesses, there have still been reports of some small businesses that continue to struggle. Montana Senator Steve Daines is hoping a bill he's co-sponsoring with New Jersey Democratic Senator Cory Booker will help fill some of those gaps. The Small Business Local Relief Fund would target $50 billion in economic relief to "seed and scale"… Continue Reading
05.27.20
Daines visits trail project site ahead of vote for permanent LWCF funding
MISSOULA, Mont. - Sen. Steve Daines is one of more than 50 senators hoping to see the Great American Outdoors Act pass in the U.S. Senate next month. He calls it one of the greatest conservation acts in decades and on Wednesday visited one of the Montana sites it would fund. The Lolo Phase II Trail LWCF Project is a priority project for fiscal year 2021. It would add about 8,000 acres to the existing site near Lolo. It's just one that would be funded by the LWCF if the act gets through the Sena… Continue Reading
05.27.20
“Holy Grail” of conservation bills would fund LWCF, Lolo Trails Landmark Project
FORT FIZZLE - Gathered near the banks of Lolo Creek in the warming summer sun, members of the conservation community on Wednesday celebrated news that the Land and Water Conservation Fund is moving closer to full and permanent funding in the U.S. Senate. If the measure passes, it would help complete the Lolo Trails Landmark Project south of Missoula - an ambitious effort to acquire a block of former timber land prized for its habitat, historic values and promise of public access. Sen. Steve Da… Continue Reading
05.26.20
Daines says Montana can get back to work and protect the vulnerable
Sen. Steve Daines R-Mont., held a town hall Friday to answer questions or concerns Montanans have about COVID-19. He said he is doing everything he can as a senator to help all Montanans and people in need get through this tough time. Four hundred and seventy-nine Montanans have been diagnosed with COVID-19, he said, Friday, adding that 16 have died and currently there are three active hospitalizations. Gov. Steve Bullock offered his condolences this morning on the 17th death from COVID-19, w… Continue Reading
05.25.20
Remembering them: Bozeman marks Memorial Day with silent march, service
Nathan Zussblatt participates every year in Bozeman's Memorial Day parade, riding in an old military vehicle with others from American Legion Post 87 in Manhattan. The annual event drew thousands downtown last year. The street was closed to traffic, marching bands played and people gathered to honor those who died while serving their country. On Monday, Zussblatt watched a much smaller parade from his parked Subaru. The city suspended all parade permits May 1 due to the threat of COVID-19. Bu… Continue Reading
05.25.20
Bozeman American Legion hosts annual Memorial Day ceremony
BOZEMAN - On Monday, Bozeman honored its fallen veterans at Sunset Hills Cemetery for Memorial Day. "This is our special moment, that we can remember those, pray for those and love those that went before us and gave the ultimate sacrifice," said American Legion Post # 14 Commander Len Albright. There was also a silent march that went down Main Street. Gabriel Martin, an Army veteran, was one of the participants in the march. "I remember all the friends I don't have here and we honor them," he… Continue Reading
05.25.20
One-On-One With GOP Sen. Steve Daines
Montana Sen. Steve Daines spoke with One America's Stephanie Myers about holding China accountable for the coronavirus pandemic, the HEROES Act and the importance of liability protections once businesses reopen. Click HERE to watch the video.… Continue Reading
05.23.20
LWCF, national parks' funding vote expected in June
The U.S. Senate is set to vote in June on a bill to fully and permanently fund the Land and Water Conservation Fund as well as generate funding towards the maintenance backlog at national parks. Majority Leader Mitch McConnell announced on the Senate floor Thursday that the body would take up the Great American Outdoors Act during its next work period. The bill moves funding for the Land and Water Conservation Fund, which comes from offshore oil royalties and is used for conservation p… Continue Reading
05.20.20
Daines seeks COVID-19 federal aid commitment to counties
After hearing from county governments concerned about COVID-19 costs, U.S. Sen. Steve Daines is asking that 45% of federal aid to states automatically go to local governments. There have been problems for the counties with rising health department costs and revenue lost to canceled events, said Joe Briggs, Cascade County commissioner and board member of the National Association of Counties. States have been receiving federal aid, but counties are still waiting for their share. "In almost all j… Continue Reading
05.20.20
Sen. Daines is working to hold China accountable
Since the end of the Cold War, America has spread its supply-chain across the globe. At the time, many in the elite spheres of Washington and corporate America saw this as a great step towards a more free and interconnected world. They assumed that opening our markets up to China would lead them closer to democracy and to a more peaceful outlook on the world. They were wrong. China used this access to infiltrate our economy, copy our tech, and take control of our medical resources. While ma… Continue Reading
05.19.20
Daines proposes fund for ‘very small’ businesses
A bipartisan bill introduced this week by U.S. Sen. Steve Daines, R-Mont., and U.S. Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., aims to ease some of the economic pains facing mom-and-pop sized businesses across America. The legislation is intended to assist "very small" businesses with fewer than 20 workers during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The RELIEF for Main Street Act would create a $50 billion fund, operated by the Treasury Department, to seed and scale small business relief funds at the city or county … Continue Reading
05.15.20
President Trump Singles out Steve Daines in Coronavirus Fight
In a recent White House Rose Garden announcement, President Trump singled out Montana Senator Steve Daines' work in helping industry leaders and scientists get the materials they need to develop treatments and a vaccine for COVID 19. "Through an historic series of funding bills my administration is providing roughly $10 billion to support a medical research effort without parallel," said President Trump. "I especially want to thank Senator Steve Daines of Montana for his incredible work. He has… Continue Reading
05.14.20
Meatpacker struggle exposes challenges for Montana consumers, ranchers
It wasn't long after grocers began running low on meat that a little processing shop in Shepherd saw a surge in customer demand. Customers who never before graced the parking lot of Project Meats were stopping beneath the reader board. In all caps, the sign along U.S, Highway 12 read, "Never out of beef. Gotta Love Montana." The 23-pound, "Home Sweet Home" packages were selling fast during Montana's stay-home order. Then, the state order was lifted. Restaurants closed by the pandemic started o… Continue Reading
05.13.20
Senate braces for fight over renewing lapsed surveillance powers
Senate leaders are preparing for what could be a protracted brawl over government surveillance powers during a rare public debate Wednesday over how to reauthorize key national security tools that lapsed two months ago. The two-day floor debate threatens to start a domino effect across the Capitol and down Pennsylvania Avenue - and the Senate's civil libertarians are girding for a fight that Republican leaders acknowledge could get ugly. "At this point it's sort of a Wild West, I w… Continue Reading
05.13.20
Challenges abound for child care providers; senators signal support for additional aid
The Gallatin Valley YMCA started offering free child care for front-line workers in March. There are now 11 children on the waitlist for that service. The Commons is donating its space for the program for K-8 kids, but it's still an expensive endeavor for the nonprofit, YMCA CEO Andrea Stevenson said. And now businesses are reopening and more people are going back to work, but schools are staying closed. "As time has gone on, demand has definitely increased," Stevenson said. The YMCA's normal… Continue Reading
05.13.20
Senate to consider renewal of surveillance laws
(AP) - The Senate is expected to vote on whether to extend three surveillance authorities as senators of both parties express concerns that the laws infringe on Americans' rights. The surveillance provisions expired in March, the month lawmakers fled Washington because of the coronavirus pandemic. House lawmakers passed a bipartisan compromise bill just before leaving town, but Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has not yet been able to push the legislation through the Senate. And it's … Continue Reading
