Author: Reilly Lowery

Daines, Sinema Introduce Bipartisan Bill to Support Outfitters and Guides, Outdoor Economy

U.S. SENATE – U.S. Senator Steve Daines (R-Mont.), top Republican on the Senate National Parks Subcommittee, and Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.) today introduced a bipartisan bill to support the outdoor economy by exempting outfitters and guides from burdensome overtime hour requirements. “Thanks to Montana’s outfitters and guides, folks from all over the world come to Montana to hunt, fish and explore our great outdoors, and as a result, Montana’s outdoor economy is thriving,” Daines said. “It’s critical we pass my bipartisan bill to help protect Montana sportsmen jobs by cutting burdensome red tape that limits Montana workers and adds unnecessary burdens to Montana small business owners.”  “We’re boosting Arizona’s outdoor recreational tourism industry, fueling job creation and expanding

Daines Introduces Bill to Prevent VA Personnel from Being Used to Mitigate Biden’s Southern Border Crisis

U.S. CONGRESS – U.S. Senator Steve Daines today introduced a bill to prevent the Biden administration from using VA health care professionals to mitigate an expected surge of illegal immigration as a result of the reversal of Title 42. “Montana veterans who selflessly served our nation rely on VA facilities for critical health care services— their care should not be compromised by the Biden administration’s inability to secure our southern border. President Biden created this crisis on his own, and instead of trying to redirect VA personnel and resources to fix it, he needs to accept his failure, reinstate Trump immigration

Daines: Biden Must Stop Putting Illegal Immigrants Over Montanans

U.S. CONGRESS – U.S. Senator Steve Daines today issued the following statement after a federal court blocked the Biden administration from ending President Trump’s Title 42 policy which allowed for the rapid expulsion of illegal immigrants. “Montana is a northern border state with a southern border crisis, and it will only get worse if President Biden gets his way by rescinding Trump’s Title 42 immigration policy. I’ve been pushing back ever since Biden announced his absurd idea to end this immigration policy, and today, I’m glad to see a court temporarily block it from happening. Biden needs to stop putting illegal

Daines to Biden: More Paperwork and More Red Tape Won’t Help Our Forests

U.S. SENATE – U.S. Senator Steve Daines today issued the following statement on President Biden’s Earth Day Executive Order that diverts resources from actual conservation work and sets the stage for further restrictions and prohibitions on public lands.  “Once again, the Biden administration is failing to address the underlying issues affecting Montana’s forests and threatening communities while demonstrating a lack of understanding on the many complexities surrounding effective forest management,” Daines said. “More paperwork and red tape is not the way to create healthier ecosystems, support rural communities, or meet our environmental objectives—the answer is forest management. Sadly, the Biden administration seems

Daines to Biden Admin: Do Not Use VA Personnel to Mitigate Your Southern Border Crisis

U.S. CONGRESS – U.S. Senator Steve Daines is demanding the Biden administration commit to preventing VA health care professionals from being used to facilitate an expected surge of illegal immigration as a result of the reversal of Title 42. “If the Title 42 Order is rescinded, it is necessary that you provide a detailed plan to Congress and that it does not rely on the VA’s “Fourth Mission.” The VA plays an essential role in responding to a crisis when called; however, it must not be part of the response plan to a foreseeable problem when the circumstance is avoidable. The

Following Visit to Ukraine, Daines & Spartz Push Biden to Take More Action

U.S. CONGRESS – U.S. Senator Steve Daines (Mont.) and Congresswoman Victoria Spartz (Ind.) today are pushing President Biden to take additional immediate actions to support Ukraine. This comes after Daines and Spartz were the first United States officials to visit Ukraine and speak with Ukrainian leaders on the ground since Russia’s invasion. “We write following our recent visit to Ukraine where we saw firsthand the devastation and atrocities committed by Russian forces on the Ukrainian people in Bucha and elsewhere. The mass graves, extrajudicial killings, and violence against civilians clearly demonstrated the evil of President Putin’s invasion of Ukraine. These war crimes are

Daines: Biden’s Reversal of 2020 NEPA Modernization Another Blow to Montana, Energy Security

U.S. SENATE – U.S. Senator Steve Daines today issued the following statement in response to President Biden’s changes to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) rule that make projects, including commonsense forest management and Montana mining, harder and more expensive. “I’m very disappointed to see the Biden administration remove commonsense policies that were put in place to modernize the outdated and cumbersome environmental review process which would allow for responsible natural resource development and land management,” Daines said. “This is another step in the wrong direction from Biden especially when we should be doing all we can to increase forest management to mitigate fire risk and expand domestic mining operations for

Daines Statement on Successful Push to Change School District Policy Allowing Emily Pennington to Finish School

U.S. SENATE – U.S. Senator Steve Daines today made the following statement after Billings School District 2 announced a policy change that will allow Emily Pennington to finish school and graduate with her class. “Emily Pennington and her family never backed down in the face of a challenge and last night, their dedication and hard work paid off,” Daines said. “I’m glad to see such a passionate student given the opportunity to finish school and graduate. Congratulations, Emily!” Last month, Daines pushed the district to amend their policy and allow Emily to graduate. He also spoke with Emily’s mom to show his support for the

Daines Announces Updates to Communications Team

U.S. SENATE – U.S. Senator Steve Daines today announced the following updates to his communications staff:  Rachel Dumke, Press Secretary. Dumke has served as Daines’ press secretary since January 2022. She previously worked as Daines’ deputy press secretary after working on his 2020 campaign.  Blake Kernen, Deputy Press Secretary. Kernen joins Daines’ communications team after graduating from the University of Pennsylvania. She previously worked for Senator David Perdue on his official press team and reelection campaign.  Samantha Wiesneth, Press Assistant. Wiesneth has served as Daines’ press assistant since May 2021. Katie Schoettler remains as Daines’ Communications Director & Senior Advisor, and Mallory Walser remains as

Daines Statement on Courts Striking Down Biden’s Travel Mask Mandates

U.S. SENATE – U.S. Senator Steve Daines today issued the following statement after a federal judge struck down President Biden’s mask mandate for Montana travelers. “This is a big victory for Montanans and commonsense,” Daines said. “It’s past time we let families get back to normal and put an end to all of Biden’s unscientific, unconstitutional mandates for good.” This ruling comes after the Center for Disease Control and Prevention announced they would extend the travel mask mandate until May 3, 2022. Background: Daines has been leading efforts in Congress against Biden’s vaccine mandates and while he is pro-vaccine, he is anti-mandate. On March 15, 2022, Daines’