Tag: Terrorism

Belgrade News: A foreshadowing and foreboding trip

KAREN E. DAVIS Staff writer Jan 24, 2024 Updated Jan 24, 2024 It was August 2023. Belgrade resident and U.S. Sen. Steve Daines, R-Montana was standing on the border of northern Israel and Lebanon. Israel Defense Forces (IDF) soldiers were giving him a tour of a tiny piece of the massive underground tunnel system Hezbollah had dug south from Lebanon, under Israel’s northern border. Hezbollah is an Iranian-backed militant group and is designated as a terrorist organization by the U.S. government, Daines explained. (In a May 18, 2021 article, The Times of Israel estimated this tunnel system to be hundreds of kilometers

Daines Sounds Alarm on Possible Terror Threats in the U.S.

“Think what’s happened in the Middle East can’t happen here? Think again.” U.S. SENATE – U.S. Senator Steve Daines today delivered remarks at the weekly Republican Senate Leadership press conference where he highlighted the increased risk of terror attacks on U.S. soil partly due to the wide-open southern border that has seen a spike in illegal crossings from countries designated as state sponsors of terrorism. To watch Daines’ remarks, click HERE. “The idea of a potential terror attack occurring in the United States is no longer just a what if — it is a when. With a war in the Middle East emboldening violent extremists and a wide-open

Daines Introduces Legislation to Permanently Ban Guantanamo Transfers to U.S. and Suspend International Releases

Legislation Would Also Prohibit The Closure or Transfer to Cuba of U.S. Naval Station Guantanamo  U.S. SENATE —Following yesterday’s announcement that the Obama administration had released two more Guantanamo Bay detainees, Senator Steve Daines today introduced a bill that would permanently ban the transfer of Guantanamo detainees to the U.S. and would suspend the release of Guantanamo detainees internationally until September 30, 2017. Daines’ bill the Detaining Terrorists to Protect Americans Act of 2016, would permanently prohibit the closure or transfer of U.S. Naval Station Guantanamo Bay.  “Terrorists captured by U.S. forces belong in Guantanamo, a location that has played a pivotal role for collecting intelligence

Senators Introduce Resolution to Detain ISIL Fighters in Guantanamo

U.S. SENATE — Following the recent announcement that U.S. Special Forces captured an Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) leader while carrying out Operation Inherent Resolve, Senator Steve Daines (R-MT) today led 14 Senators in introducing a resolution to detain ISIL fighters at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.  Cosponsors of the resolution include Senators Jerry Moran (R-KS), Cory Gardner (R-CO), Tom Cotton (R-AR), Marco Rubio (R-FL), Mark Kirk (R-IL), Ted Cruz (R-TX), Orrin Hatch (R-UT), Joni Ernst (R-IA), Johnny Isakson (R-GA), John Boozman (R-AR), Pat Roberts (R-KS), Jim Inhofe (R-OK), Tim Scott (R-SC) and David Vitter (R-LA).  As the United

Daines: Terrorists Don’t Belong in Americans’ Back Yards

U.S. SENATE — Senator Steve Daines today released the following statement on President Obama’s announcement to transfer terrorists from Guantanamo Bay to facilities within U.S. Borders.  “Since 2009, Congress has repeatedly acted to prevent the transfer of terrorists from Guantanamo Bay to American soil. The President’s plan violates laws passed by Congress—including many that bear the President’s own signature—that directly prohibit funds from being used to move enemy combatants from Guantanamo Bay to U.S. facilities. This action is just the latest in long list of President Obama’s propensity of executive overreach and disregard for the will of the American people.  “Moving these

Daines to Kerry: Congress Doesn’t Make Laws With Iranian Interests in Mind

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Senator Steve Daines today criticized Secretary of State John Kerry for his recent attempts to placate Iran’s concerns over the United States’ Visa Waiver Program (VWP) restrictions. Daines also called on Kerry to press the Iranian government, the largest state sponsor of terrorism, to cease its support for terrorist activity and provide tangible evidence of such action.  In a letter to Secretary Kerry, Daines and 13 of his colleagues ask the Secretary to make clear to Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif that U.S. national security interests, not Iranian interests, were the impetus for changes to the VWP. The letter is

Daines: Capture of U.S. Navy Boats is Further Proof Iran Can’t Be Trusted

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Senator Steve Daines tonight released the following statement regarding the recent capture of U.S. Navy boats by Iranian military forces: “This is yet another reminder that the Iranian regime cannot and should not be trusted. Given this latest provocation, it is unthinkable to lift any sanctions on Iran. We cannot placate Iran — the world’s biggest state sponsor of terrorism — with its current leadership in place. It should outrage all Americans that President Obama intends to completely ignore this serious issue during his State of the Union remarks tonight and has provided no confidence in his ability

Daines Works to Protect American Energy Security

Click here to watch Daines’ remarks. Click here to download Daines’ remarks. Senator Steve Daines today spoke out about the critical role that American energy independence holds in winning the war on terrorism and strengthening American security both at home and abroad.  “Our national security—protecting our families from terrible acts of terrorism—I can tell you is on many Montanans’ minds every day as I travel around the state. It’s telling to us today how important American energy independence and security is to our safety and prosperity—not just ours, but the world’s.” During a Senate Energy and Natural Resources hearing on examining terrorism and global

Daines Responds to President Obama’s Address to the Nation

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Following President Obama’s address to the nation, Senator Steve Daines today released the following statement: “Cindy and I are deeply saddened by the acts of terrorism that took place in San Bernardino this past week. It is abundantly clear that we need a strong and aggressive strategy to extinguish the growing threat of Islamic extremism both here at home and overseas. I am disappointed that once again, President Obama is choosing to lead from behind. Rather than establishing a clear strategy to defeat ISIS, the President is using this tragedy to pursue misguided firearm restrictions that would undermine

Daines Statement on 9/11 Anniversary

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Senator Steve Daines today released the following statement in remembrance of the September 11, 2001 terror attacks on the United States: “Today, I join my fellow Montanans in pausing to remember and honor those who lost their lives in the September 11 terrorist attacks. We continue to honor the heroism and bravery of the first responders, firefighters, law enforcement officials and civilians who worked to save the lives of others. “We also pause to honor the memory of the four Americans lost in the terrorist attack on the U.S. Embassy in Benghazi.  May we always remember Ambassador Christopher