In The News
Associated Press: Supreme Court puts Obama's Clean Power Plan on hold
(AP) - A divided Supreme Court agreed Tuesday to halt enforcement of President Barack Obama's sweeping plan to address climate change until after legal challenges are resolved. The surprising move is a blow to the administration and a victory for the coalition of 27 states, including Montana, and industry opponents that call the regulations "an unprecedented power grab." By temporarily freezing the rule the high court's order signals that opponents have made a strong argument against t… Continue Reading
02.08.16
Truck News: Pilot project could reduce operational hours at Port of Raymond
Following a battle with U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) in early December 2015, the offices of Montana Senator Steve Daines and House Representative Ryan Zinke said they are again attempting to stop an effort to close the Port of Raymond's 24-hour operating status. "Past and present efforts by CBP to reduce operational hours at the Port of Raymond fail to recognize the importance of cross boarder travel to local and regional economic activity," Daines and Zinke wrote in a letter to CBP… Continue Reading
02.05.16
KULR8: Montana lawmakers react to oil tax proposal
BILLINGS - President Barack Obama will propose $10-per-barrel charge on oil to fund clean transportation projects as part of his final budget request next week. While some in Washington are applauding the president's proposal, some Montana lawmakers have a different opinion. Senator Steve Daines and Congressman Ryan Zinke are slamming the president's proposal, and Senator Jon Tester says the proposal won't go anywhere. Zinke's statement reads, in part, "too many Montana families are living … Continue Reading
02.05.16
Daily Inter Lake: Sen. Daines honors Osweiler as Montanan of the Week
Sen. Steve Daines has honored former Flathead High School star quarterback Brock Osweiler as one of a pair of Montanans who will be on the roster for Super Bowl 50. Osweiler and Dwan Edwards, formerly of Columbus, were named by Daines as Montanans of the Week. The senator paid tribute to the men in the Congressional Record on Thursday. Osweiler is the backup quarterback for the Denver Broncos, and started seven games for the team earlier this year while Peyton Manning was injured. Osweiler gra… Continue Reading
02.04.16
Great Falls Tribune: Tribes blast Indian Health Services at Senate hearing
Tribal leaders and U.S. senators from across the Great Plains blasted the quality of care provided by Indian Health Services during a U.S. Senate oversight hearing Wednesday. Multiple speakers addressing the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs spoke of a health care system that is underfunded, understaffed, unresponsive and which delivers a substandard quality of health care that frequently results in a compromised quality of life for its patients. Montana mother's lawsuit raises medica… Continue Reading
02.03.16
ABC Fox: Tester, Daines push Blackfeet Water Compact to Senate floor
Senators Jon Tester and Steve Daines today led the charge to push the Blackfeet Water Compact through the Senate Indian Affairs Committee and onto the Senate floor. This decades-in-the-making agreement will resolve water rights claims on the Blackfeet Reservation and ensure access to reliable and clean water for the communities within the Reservation, as well as farms, ranches, and businesses in the surrounding area. This compact will save taxpayers millions by avoiding costly litigation betwe… Continue Reading
02.02.16
The Hill: GOP senators threaten to cut aid for Ghana if Gitmo detainees escape
A group of Republican senators is seeking to cut foreign to Ghana in the 2017 State Department funding bill if the country is unable to hold and monitor two Guantanamo detainees it recently accepted from the United States and ensure they do not reengage in terrorism against the U.S. Sens. Mark Kirk (Ill.), Roy Blunt (Mo.), James Lankford (Okla.) and Steve Daines (Mont.) -- members of the Senate Appropriations Committee -- are proposing to consider reducing assistance to Ghana by $10 million per… Continue Reading
01.28.16
MTN News: Malmstrom officer chosen to serve on Daines' staff
GREAT FALLS -U.S. Senator Steve Daines announced on Wednesday that Air Force Major Benji L. Johnson has been selected to serve as a Military Fellow in Daines' Washington, D.C. office through 2016. The Air Force Fellowship Program offers participants the opportunity to work in the legislative branch of the federal government for one session of Congress. Johnson most recently served as the assistant director of operations for ICBM codes for the 341st Operations Support Squadron at Malmstrom Ai… Continue Reading
01.28.16
Missoulian: Energy bill debate contains numerous Montana provisions
A legislative package now before the U.S. Senate has a lot of Montana issues woven in, including possible permanent reauthorization of the Land and Water Conservation Fund. The Energy Policy Modernization Act of 2016 began debate Thursday, and is expected to face amendments well into next week before a final vote. Also known as S. 2012, it affects energy-efficiency standards in buildings and cars, cybersecurity threats, next-generation nuclear plants, recycling and loan programs. Sen. … Continue Reading
01.28.16
Military Times: Lawmakers push VA to let doctors recommend medical marijuana
Twenty-one lawmakers have written Veterans Affairs Secretary Robert McDonald urging him to let VA doctors discuss and recommend marijuana as a potential medical treatment in states where it is legal. Under a VA policy that expires on Jan. 31, VA doctors are not allowed to discuss medical marijuana with their patients or recommend it as a treatment. Senators and representatives - 19 Democrats and two Republicans, including Rep. Joe Heck of Nevada, a physician and Army Reserve brigadier general … Continue Reading
01.28.16
Great Falls Tribune: Uncle’s story serves as example for senator
HELENA - When Sen. Steve Daines talked in October to a roomful of people at Fort Harrison about the importance of sharing their military history with others, he spoke from personal experience. Daines had a uncle aboard the SS Dorchester who died when the troop ship was sunk by a German submarine Feb. 3, 1943. The ship is famous for its story of the four chaplains who stood on deck, gave their life jackets to others and held hands praying and singing hymns as the Dorchester went down, killing ne… Continue Reading
01.27.16
Fox News: Senators seek foreign aid cut if ex-Gitmo inmates escape host country
Four Republican senators are calling for cutting foreign aid to Ghana if two former Guantanamo Bay prisoners who were transferred to the African nation escape or return to terrorism. The move marks a renewed effort by security-minded lawmakers to use the power of the purse to effectively pressure other countries considering taking Guantanamo detainees. In the case of Ghana, the country earlier this month accepted two detainees from Guantanamo Bay, part of the Obama administration's latest wave… Continue Reading
01.27.16
Yahoo: VA under pressure to embrace medical marijuana
A bipartisan group of U.S. Senate and House members sent a letter Wednesday urging the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to let its doctors discuss and recommend medical marijuana as a treatment in states where it is legal. The letter to VA Secretary Robert McDonald comes four days before the expiration of a current directive that prohibits VA physicians from recommending the plant for medicinal purposes. "According to the current directive, VA providers are prohibited from completing… Continue Reading
01.22.16
MTN News: Soldier from Heart Butte honored as "Montanan Of The Week" by Daines
U.S. Senator Steve Daines (R-MT) has recognized Blake Wombold of Heart Butte, a staff sergeant in the U.S. Army Reserve, as his "Montanan Of The Week." Wombold earned the honor for his contribution of new shoes for the Heart Butte High School boys basketball team. This marks the second year that Blake has donated new shoes to Heart Butte's basketball team. A press release from Daines' office says that while growing up, Blake witnessed the sacrifices his mother, a teacher at Heart Butte Schoo… Continue Reading
01.20.16
Forbes: FCC, May I Please Innovate?
Uber, Facebook, the iPhone - these are just three of many examples of innovative products and services that add billions of dollars to the U.S. economy and make our everyday lives easier. Despite the once-unimaginable benefits of our tech economy, the future of innovation in America is being threatened by the federal government's desire for ever-expanding control and regulation. Outrageously, recent decisions, especially at the FCC, are threatening the "permissionless innovation" culture that fo… Continue Reading
01.20.16
KGVO: Sen. Steve Daines Responds to Senate Democrats Block on Syrian Refugee Bill
Democrats blocked a controversial bill that would curb the flow of Syrian and Iraqi refugees to enter the U.S. Sen. Steve Daines expressed his disappointment with the Senate. "It is Congress's responsibility to ensure the safety and security of our nation, but today Senate Democrats proved they would rather play politics than prioritize our national security," Daines said. "The SAFE Act is commonsense legislation that institutes a much-needed intensive screening process for incoming Syrian ref… Continue Reading
01.19.16
KMMS: Daines: New Deficit Projections Affirm Need to Rein in Spending
Senator Steve Daines today reaffirmed his commitment to reining in Washington's perceived out-of-control spending after the Congressional Budget Office reported that the federal budget deficit is expected to increase by $105 billion in 2016 - the first increase in seven years. "These projections reaffirm the dire consequences of Washington's continued bloated spending. Make no mistake - this $105 billion increase in the federal deficit is direct result of the 2000-page trillion dollar spendin… Continue Reading
01.19.16
Fairfield Sun Times: Rocky Mountain Rifle Club Receives Recognition
Last week, the Rocky Mountain Rifle Club was formally recognized for their sponsorship and support of the local 4-H Shooting Program. The members of the club joined with 4-H shooters in welcoming Robin Baker of Senator Steve Daines' office. Recently, Senator Daines took to the floor of the Senate to read his recognition of the Rocky Mountain Rifle Club into the Congressional Record as "Montanan of the Week." Ms. Baker presented the club with an official copy and read the document, explaining the… Continue Reading
01.18.16
KULR8: Senator Daines warns 7,000 jobs at risk
A main topic discussed at an energy briefing in Billings today: President Obama and the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Clean Power Plan. Enacted last August, the Clean Power Plan's goal is to reduce carbon pollution from power plants. Montana Senator Steve Daines said this act will kill 7,000 tribal and union jobs within the state. Additionally, he said it will affect $140 million of tax revenues every year that fund schools, teachers and infrastructure. "It's going to create a double… Continue Reading
01.18.16
Billing Gazette: With Clean Power rules looming, Daines touts Colstrip benefits at Billings forum
Losing part of Colstrip's 40-year-old power plant would devastate Montana's economy through possible job losses and higher power bills, state elected officials and industry backers said Monday in Billings. They urged the business-friendly audience to speak out against federal regulations they say would hurt the coal industry. "President Obama stopped the Keystone pipeline. Next on his to-do list is to kill the coal industry," U.S. Sen. Steve Daines, R-Mont., said at the forum sponsored… Continue Reading
