Press
Daines Kicks Off 56 County Tour of the Treasure State
U.S. Senate - U.S. Senator Steve Daines this weekend kicked off his 56-county tour of the Treasure State in the 116th Congress, with eight stops across eastern Montana. Every Congress, Daines visits all 56 counties. This weekend, Daines visited Billings, Glasgow, Wolf Point, Glendive, Wibaux, Terry, Circle, and Sidney. Billings: On Friday, Daines kicked off the morning with a visit to the Rimrock Facility in Billings. While on his visit, Daines heard from folks at Rimrock about the benefits of… Continue Reading
02.18.19
Daines Introduces Bipartisan Fairness for Breastfeeding Mothers Act
U.S. SENATE - U.S. Senator Steve Daines introduced the Fairness for Breastfeeding Mothers Act. The bill requires most federal buildings to have dedicated rooms for breastfeeding mothers. "Mothers who are breastfeeding should have a private, clean, and safe place to go in federal buildings," Daines said. "It's long overdue new moms have this resource, and I'm glad this bill provides just that." The bill requires that federal buildings that are open to the public and contain a public restroom pr… Continue Reading
02.14.19
Daines Secures $10 Million Increase in Funding for LWCF
U.S. SENATE - U.S. Senator Steve Daines today secured a $10 million increase for the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF), bringing funding for the program to $435 million for 2019. Daines is a member of the Interior Subcommittee on the U.S. Senate Committee on Appropriations that has funding jurisdiction over the LWCF. "Over the past week, we've made significant progress for the LWCF from securing an increase in funding, to passing the bipartisan public lands package out of the Senate," Da… Continue Reading
02.14.19
Daines Votes to Make Down Payment on Border Security, Keep Government Open
U.S. SENATE -U.S. Senator Steve Daines today voted to make a down payment on strengthening the nation's border security and to keep the federal government open and funded. "I was just down in the Rio Grande Valley Sector of the southern border with border patrol, and witnessed firsthand the consequences of a porous border. We've got a crisis on our hands with illegal drugs and immigrants flooding across the border, and it's destroying our families,"Daines said. "Today I voted on a down payment… Continue Reading
02.14.19
Daines, Tester, Gianforte Announce U.S. Air Force Academy Appointment
U.S. CONGRESS - U.S. Senators Steve Daines and Jon Tester and Congressman Greg Gianforte announced today that Madison Edwards of Missoula received an appointment to the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, CO. Edwards is currently a senior at Big Sky High School. "I congratulate Madison on her nomination to the United States Air Force Academy," Daines said. "From running track and cross country, to being a member of the National Honor Society, Madison has proven herself as a strong leade… Continue Reading
02.13.19
Daines to House Leadership: Vote on Bipartisan Public Lands Package
U.S. SENATE - U.S. Senator Steve Daines today sent a letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer and House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy urging a swift vote in the House on the bipartisan public lands package which passed the Senate yesterday. The letter was also sent to House Committee on Natural Resources Chairman Raul Grijalva and Ranking Member Rob Bishop. "We write to urge immediate House action on S. 47, the Natural Resources Management Act, recently favor… Continue Reading
02.12.19
Daines Historic Conservation Win Passes Senate
Today, the United States Senate passed a landmark bipartisan public lands package championed by U.S. Senator Steve Daines. The public lands package includes permanent reauthorization of the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF), and the Yellowstone Gateway Protection Act among other provisions important to conservation and public access to public lands. "Today's vote is a watershed moment for conservation and public lands across Montana and our entire country," Daines said. "From permanent re… Continue Reading
02.07.19
Daines Demands Accountability for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Persons
U.S. SENATE - U.S. Senator Steve Daines today cosponsored legislation that would commission a federal study on missing and murdered indigenous people. The bill would help hold federal agencies accountable in their response to missing and murdered indigenous women. This bill comes in response to a hearing in the U.S. Senate Committee on Indian Affairs Daines secured on Ashley Loring HeavyRunner, a missing woman of the Blackfeet Tribe and in concert with Daines' request for a field hearing on th… Continue Reading
02.07.19
Daines to Senate Colleagues: Pass the Bipartisan Public Lands Package
U.S. SENATE - U.S. Senator Steve Daines today spoke on the floor of the U.S. Senate to urge his colleagues to take action and vote for the bipartisan public lands package that includes the permanent reauthorization of the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) and the Yellowstone Gateway Protection Act. "I'm here today to urge my Senate colleagues to support Senate Bill 47, a lands package. This includes 100 locally driven as well as nationally important bills. Specifically, there are two t… Continue Reading
02.06.19
Daines, Gianforte, Tester Introduce Clean Water for Rural Communities Act
U.S. CONGRESS - U.S. Senators Steve Daines and Jon Tester and Congressman Greg Gianforte today reintroduced a bipartisan bill to provide much-needed authorization for Montana rural water infrastructure. "The fact of the matter is that thousands of Montanans still lack access to steady safe drinking water," Daines stated. "Water is a basic necessity for any community. We depend on a steady supply to provide clean drinking water, irrigate our crops, water our livestock and provide energy through… Continue Reading
02.06.19
Daines, Leahy Introduce Bipartisan Bill to Prevent Big Health Insurance Companies from Price Fixing, Collusion
U.S. SENATE - U.S. Senators Steve Daines (Mont.) and Patrick Leahy (Vt) today introduced legislation to ensure that health insurance companies are held accountable for pricing drugs. The bill, the Competitive Health Insurance Reform Act amends McCarran-Ferguson, which exempted insurance companies from federal antitrust laws. "For far too long, health insurance companies have gotten away with taking advantage of consumers and charging them outrageous prices for their health care," Daines said. "… Continue Reading
02.05.19
Daines to VA: Our Veterans Deserve Better
U.S. SENATE - U.S. Senator Steve Daines today during a hearing in the U.S. Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies, told leaders of the United States Department of Veterans' Affairs that their plan for the Electronic Health Record Modernization is a recipe for disaster, and veterans deserve better. Download video HERE "Enterprise solutions with a 10-year timeline and a $16 billion price tag - that is a recipe for disast… Continue Reading
02.05.19
Daines Announces Energy and Natural Resources Subcommittee Assignments
U.S. SENATE - U.S. Senator Steve Daines today announced that he has been selected to serve on three subcommittees within the U.S. Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. For the second consecutive Congress, Daines will serve as chair of the National Parks Subcommittee. "The Energy and Natural Resources Committee is important to Montana and oversees policies that directly impact the people of Montana," Daines said. "I will continue to fight for greater access to our public lands, to ad… Continue Reading
02.05.19
Daines: We Must Protect All Life
U.S. SENATE - U.S. Senator Steve Daines yesterday took the floor of the U.S. Senate to urge his colleagues to support the Born Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act. The bill would make it federal law that born-alive babies who survive abortions must be treated the same as every other living baby. Download the video HERE "If we can't agree on something so fundamental that babies born alive deserve the right to life, I fear deeply for the direction some are taking our country,"Daines sa… Continue Reading
01.31.19
Daines Secures Vote on Bipartisan Public Lands Package
U.S. SENATE - U.S. Senator Steve Daines today secured a vote on a landmark bipartisan public lands package, which includes permanent reauthorization of the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) and the Yellowstone Gateway Protection Act. The public lands package moves forward to the floor of the United States Senate just one day after Daines urged Senate Leadership to bring the package up for a vote. "I'm pleased Senate Leadership is bringing this critical bill for Montana to the floor for a… Continue Reading
01.30.19
Daines: We Need to Lower Prescription Drug Prices for Montanans
U.S. SENATE - U.S. Senator Steve Daines yesterday discussed the need to lower prescription drug costs for Montanans and for all Americans at the first official U.S. Senate Finance Committee hearing this Congress. Download video HERE "The high cost of prescription drugs is an issue that folks back in Montana call me about frequently and write to me about a lot," Daines said. "Mr. Chairman I look forward to working with you and Members of this Committee to make sure consumers can afford medica… Continue Reading
01.30.19
Daines Applauds new VA Access Standards for Community Care
U.S. SENATE - U.S. Senator Steve Daines today applauded the announcement from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs of new access standards for community care for veterans. The new standards were required under the VA Mission Act which Senator Daines cosponsored and President Trump signed into law into 2018. "The VA Choice Program was riddled with mismanagement and bureaucracy. It simply did not work for Montana's Veteran population, which is why I cosponsored the VA Mission Act," Daines sai… Continue Reading
01.30.19
Daines to Leadership: Bring Bipartisan Public Lands Package Up for a Vote
U.S. SENATE - U.S. Senator Steve Daines today sent a letter to Senate Leadership to urge a vote on a landmark bipartisan public lands package, which includes permanent reauthorization of the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF). Last Congress, Daines fought for several Montana conservation and lands priorities to be included in a legislative bipartisan public lands package. At the end of 2018, Daines secured commitment from Senate Leadership that the package would be brought to the floor of … Continue Reading
01.29.19
Daines Votes to Advance Slate of Priorities for Montana Tribes
U.S. SENATE - U.S. Senator Steve Daines today voted in the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs to advance a variety of priorities for Montana's tribes, including the federal recognition of the Little Shell tribe, TLOA, and SURVIVE Act, the Tribal Labor Sovereignty Act The Little Shell Tribe of Chippewa Indians Restoration Act grants the Little Shell Tribe of the Chippewa federal recognition. Daines reintroduced the bill earlier this year. Quote below: "It's long overdue that the Little Shell Tr… Continue Reading
01.29.19
Daines Cosponsors Bill to Fully Repeal Death Tax
U.S. SENATE - U.S. Senator Steve Daines today announced that he is cosponsoring the Death Tax Repeal Act of 2019. The bill would fully repeal the federal estate tax, also known as "the death tax." "The death tax hits Montana's farming and ranch families the hardest and often results in the break-up of family farms," Daines said. "Families who are dealing with the death of a loved one shouldn't have to worry about what is going to happen to their land. I'm glad that were able to double the death… Continue Reading
