Early Wednesday morning, KGVO spoke to Senator Steve Daines on the phone from his office in Washington, D.C.
The first topic covered was the dramatic verdict announcement for Derek Chauvin in the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis.
“Let’s not forget that what happened to George Floyd was absolutely tragic,” said Senator Daines. “The jury has rendered a verdict. But also, let’s not forget the members of law enforcement in this country who are the victims of violence on virtually a daily basis, and I just hope we can take the temperature down. Protesting is fine, but the rioting and violence must stop.”
Daines referenced a speech on the floor of the Senate recently where Majority Leader Chuck Schumer ridiculed Montana’s newly passed voter ID laws.
“He called us despicable,” he said. “He called these new Montana laws despicable. I tell you, he needs to look at the facts. “The law we just passed in Montana was requiring voter ID. If you want to go down and get a fishing license or a hunting license, you’re required to have an ID. If you want to get a rental car, you must have an ID. It only seems logical and right that if you’re going to vote, they should have to have a photo ID, as well.”
Daines also brought up the continuing effort to force the Green New Deal onto the country.
“The Green New Deal so radical,” he said, “It means shutting down all conventional sources of energy such as oil, natural gas and coal. These are just radical ideas, and sadly, these now have become mainstream within the Democrat Party. This is one of the battles we face, but when I look at Montana I ask; what do we want to see in our state? We want to see common sense and balance.”
Daines also supports a new bill to allow the newly passed recreational marijuana industry access to the nation’s financial system.
“It allows the cannabis industry to have access to our banking systems,” he said. “Right now they’re prohibited from doing so, and anytime you have an industry that is not allowed to get into the banking system, it make it a cash only kind of business. Our attorneys general across the country urge Congress for the sake of public safety to pass this bill because when you’ve got literally suitcases of cash going in and out of cannabis businesses, it is a dangerous situation that invites crime.”
Senator Daines was recently at the southern border and reported what he saw and heard to KGVO.