In The News
Mineral Independent: FOREST PROGRAM BRINGS ADDITIONAL $885,000 TO MINERAL COUNTY
Northwest Montana counties will soon receive more than $8.5 million in payments from the U.S. Forest Service, thanks to reauthorization of the Secure Rural Schools program. Mineral County received nearly $1 million in funding. Under this program, created by Congress in 2000, the Forest Service compensates county governments with forested federal land for revenue lost due to dropping timber production. These funds are intended for schools and other critical services, like roads and law enforceme… Continue Reading
05.16.18
Missoula Current: Skipping recess not a gimmick to keep Dems from campaigning, Daines said
Sen. Steve Daines on Wednesday continued his push to keep Congress in session through the August recess, saying it was needed to fix the budgeting process and unplug the backlog of presidential nominees. It was not, Daines said, a gimmick to prevent Sen. Jon Tester and other Democrats from campaigning in their bid for reelection. "It's hard to find a good argument around why we should be recessing Congress when there's so much work to be done," said Daines, R-Montana. "I don't think Congress h… Continue Reading
05.15.18
AmmoLand: Trump State Department Looks to Stream Line Firearms Exports & Open US Markets
-(Ammoland.com)- The Trump state department is making headway to transfer authority from the State Department to the Commerce Department over the approval of U.S. small arms exports. All in an effort to open U.S. firearms manufacturing to international customers. Currently, U.S. firearms and ammunition manufacturers faced a competitive disadvantage in the global marketplace due to inefficient Cold War-era export controls and held over Obama administration era directives. As many of our… Continue Reading
05.15.18
Washington Free Beacon: 16 GOP Senators: No Vacation Until Congress Finishes Its Work
Senators challenge Dems to stop delaying tactics or give up August recess Sixteen Republican senators, led by Sen. David Perdue (Ga.), are giving their GOP leaders more leverage to cancel the August recess and force senators to work weekends if a long list of presidential nominations remain stalled and spending bills unpassed by the end of July. The senators signed a letter to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R., Ky.) urging him to confront Democrats' historic delaying tactics, s… Continue Reading
05.15.18
Breitbart: "#MakeCongressWorkAgain: Drain the Swamp by Working Nights, Weekends, Through August Recess
Launched last week and spearheaded by Senator Perdue, who led a similar effort last year, the campaign calls for lawmakers to expedite floor proceedings ahead of Congress's traditional August recess, including a spending bill and President Donald Trump's 271 outstanding nominees. The group has even asked Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell to cancel August recess altogether. "President Trump talked about making America great again. He's doing that," said Daines. "He also talked abou… Continue Reading
05.15.18
RealClearPolitics: Full Replay: GOP Senators Demand Congress Work "Nights and Weekends" To Confirm All Trump Nominees
U.S. Senators David Perdue (R-GA), Bill Cassidy (R-LA), Ted Cruz (R-TX), Steve Daines (R-MT), Joni Ernst (R-IA), Deb Fischer (R-NE), Dean Heller (R-NV), Ron Johnson (R-WI), John Kennedy (R-LA), James Lankford (R-OK), Mike Lee (R-UT), Mike Rounds (R-SD), Ben Sasse (R-NE), Dan Sullivan (R-AK), Thom Tillis (R-NC), and Roger Wicker (R-MS) are asking Majority Leader Mitch McConnell to expedite floor consideration of funding bills and nominees in order to make substantial progress before the end of th… Continue Reading
05.15.18
Missoula Current: Citing obstructionism, Daines urges peers to work weekends to beat Senate deadlines
Sen. Steve Daines joined several Republican colleagues in urging Majority Leader Mitch McConnell to waive the August recess so Congress can address the backlog of presidential nominees and fund the federal government before the next fiscal crisis. "When you're in business, when you have a private operation, budgets are locked down two months before a fiscal year begins," Daines said during a Tuesday morning press conference. "Contrast that to Washington, D.C. We were six months into the fiscal … Continue Reading
05.15.18
KTVQ: Daines joins forces with Democrat Warren to introduce legislation to help gambling addiction in military
Montana Republican Sen. Steve Daines is reaching across the aisle to Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts to introduce a bill to address gambling addiction among service members. The Gambling Addiction Prevention act would require the Department of Defense to begin tracking gambling disorder in its health assessments. The DOD would also develop policies and programs to prevent and treat gambling problems among service members. According to the National Council on Problem Gambl… Continue Reading
05.15.18
KMMS: CONGRESSMAN GIANFORTE TO SPEAK AT 2018 MONTANA ENERGY SUMMIT
Senator Steve Daines just announced Congressman Greg Gianforte will speak at the 2018 Montana Energy Summit. "I appreciate Steve asking me to participate in this important energy summit. Montana has been a leader in making America more energy independent and secure. I look forward to discussing how we can continue to unleash Montana energy, responsibly develop our natural resources, and create good-paying Montana jobs," said Gianforte. "I'm looking forward to welcoming Greg to Billing… Continue Reading
05.15.18
KGVO: DAINES ENERGY SUMMIT FEATURES INDUSTRY AND GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS
The third annual Montana Energy Summit will take place in Billings on May 30 and 31, hosted by Senator Steve Daines, featuring a host of industry and government officials. After meeting with President Trump during his lunch hour to discuss his priorities, Senator Daines said the conversations that began two years ago at the first summit will continue. "We're going to continue to focus on how to unlock Montana's great energy potential," said Daines. "We're starting to move out thinking … Continue Reading
05.10.18
WaPo: Group of GOP senators calls for canceling August recess
A growing group of Senate Republicans - eager to break the logjam on nominations and must-pass spending bills - is pressing Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell to cancel the August recess later this year. The effort, led by Sen. David Perdue (R-Ga.), is a repeat of last year's push in which a coalition of mostly newer GOP senators said that they would skip the annual August break if necessary to complete the legislative work that had gone unaccomplished. But the call takes on a new resonance… Continue Reading
05.09.18
Missoula Current: Daines: Water act funds Blackfeet water rights settlement, funds boat inspection stations
Legislation introduced in Congress this week would expand the capacity for water storage and include funding for the Blackfeet Tribe water rights settlement, along with other issues identified as Western state priorities, including floodwater protection. Sens. Steve Daines, chairman of the Western Caucus, and John Barrasso, chairman of the Environment and Public Works Committee, said the measures are included in America's Water Infrastructure Act of 2018. "This is an important first step for M… Continue Reading
05.07.18
Teen Vogue: What the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women Day of Awareness Meant to Native Women
On April 25, the U.S. Senate declared May 5, 2018, the National Day of Awareness for Missing and Murdered Native Women and Girls. The resolution was introduced by Sen. Steve Daines (R-MT) in honor of Hanna Harris, a member of the Northern Cheyenne tribe, whose birthday is on May 5. She went missing in 2013; when her remains were found, authorities discovered that she had been raped and murdered. Missing and murdered Indigenous women (MMIW) is an epidemic in North America. On some reservations, … Continue Reading
05.05.18
Independent Record: After 26 years with U.S. Marshals Service, Billings native now leads the agency in Montana
Rod Ostermiller is ready to hit the ground running. The 48-year-old Billings native officially took the reins as U.S. marshal for Montana on Wednesday, after being approved by the U.S. Senate and confirmed by President Donald Trump. A formal swearing in ceremony will likely take place in June. Hired onto the force at age 21, he's worked his way up the ranks. "It's a huge honor," Ostermiller said in a recent interview. The post of U.S. marshal is a political appointmen… Continue Reading
05.03.18
Yellowstone Public Radio: Montana Senator Pushes Awareness of Missing, Murdered Indigenous Women
Marita Growing Thunder, 19, is sitting in the grass on a warm spring afternoon at the University of Montana campus in Missoula where she studies art. Growing up, she said, her mom was always talking about aunt Yvonne. "Everyday she's like, 'Oh that reminds me of what Yvonne used to do or she used to say all the time,'" Growing Thunder said. Yvonne was the family comedian. She made goofy faces, danced at pow-wows and got into little fights with her sisters. But then about ten years ago, Yvon… Continue Reading
05.03.18
Char-Koosta News: Daines bill to establish National Day of Awareness for Missing and Murdered Native Women and Girls passes Senate
U.S. SENATE - This week, the U.S. Senate passed Senator Steve Daines' bill to recognize May 5th as the National Day of Awareness for Missing and Murdered Native Women and Girls. Daines introduced the legislation to honor the memory of Hanna Harris, a member of the Northern Cheyenne Tribe who was murdered in July 2013. The resolution commemorates the lives of all American Indian and Alaska Native women and girls who have gone missing or been murdered. "Tragically, Hanna Harris is just one of… Continue Reading
05.03.18
FoxNews: Sens. Daines, Grassley, Perdue, Johnson: America must wake up and do a better job at competing with China
Tariffs aren't the only issue on the table when it comes to U.S.-China relations. That fact was a major takeaway from our recent trip to China, where we met with some of the country's top business and political leaders. The United States has been a consistently dominant economic force in the world for over a century, but China is catching up. It isn't the country it was as recently as five years ago. With a middle class of over 400 million, China is certainly past its days as a "developing" nat… Continue Reading
05.02.18
The Hill: Sen. Daines says Montana office was vandalized
Sen. (R-Mont.) said Wednesday that his office in Missoula, Mont., had been vandalized. Daines tweeted that an investigation into the vandalism is underway. "It's disturbing that folks have turned to vandalizing my Missoula office, but thankful my staff is safe. Law enforcement is currently investigating the situation and we are watching it closely," Daines said on Twitter. The junior Montana senator also posted pictures of the damage, showing broken windows and shards of glass scattered acro… Continue Reading
05.01.18
Washington Examiner: GOP senators ask HHS to overhaul family planning regulations
A group of 41 Republican senators want President Trump to issue new regulations that would bar recipients of family planning grants from co-locating with an abortion clinic and promoting or referring clients for abortions. In a Monday letter to Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar, the senators called for an update to regulations governing Title X family planning grants, which are given to organizations that give reproductive healthcare to low-income families and expectant mothers. The… Continue Reading
04.30.18
Flathead Beacon: Congress Should Address Deferred Maintenance in National Parks
The week of April 21 thru 29 marked National Parks Week, a time to celebrate the natural wonders and unique cultural heritage our parks protect and put on display. This year's National Parks Week couldn't come at a more opportune time - that's because right now proposals in Congress to dedicate funding for deferred maintenance in the National Parks are gaining momentum. It is appearing likely that Congress will this year solve one of the most pressing issues affecting the future of our national … Continue Reading
