Author: Reilly Lowery

Daines, Tester Call for Hearing on Bipartisan Bill to Help Clean Up Abandoned Montana Mines

U.S. SENATE – U.S. Senators Steve Daines and Jon Tester last week urged the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee to hold a hearing on their bipartisan bill to help clean up and improve water quality in and around abandoned hardrock mines across Montana. “There are over 140,000 abandoned mine features on Federal, State, Tribal and private lands which pose risk to human health and the environment… Unfortunately, liability risks under the Clean Water Act, as well as the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act, prevent volunteer cleanup by leaving Good Samaritans legally responsible for the mine pollution, even if they have made the mines safer,” the Senators wrote.    “These permits

Three Major Daines Bills One Step Closer to Becoming Law

U.S. SENATE – Today three bills sponsored by U.S. Senator Steve Daines passed out of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources (ENR) Committee, including one of Daines’ top forest management priorities that would stop frivolous litigation from holding up forestry projects. Download Daines’ remarks HERE.  “My bipartisan bill would put an end to a procedural loophole being abused by fringe groups in the courts to block important forest restoration work that is critical for what I like to call the 4 W’s: reducing wildfire, protecting wildlife, improving watersheds, and supporting workers,” Daines said. Daines’ bill to reverse the disastrous Cottonwood decision will help increase active

Daines Statement on Biden, Democrats’ Renewed Call for Climate Emergency Declaration

U.S. SENATE – U.S. Senator Steve Daines today issued the following statement on reports that President Biden is working to issue a “climate emergency.” “President Biden needs to wake up and address the real emergencies Montanans are facing under his Administration. Montanans are being crushed under the weight of the highest inflation in over 40 years, gas that is nearly $5 a gallon, American energy production is being stifled as Biden looks to Saudi Arabia instead, and the southern border is wide open to illegal immigrants and illegal drugs that are devastating Montana communities. So no, we aren’t facing a climate emergency – we’re facing an

Daines, Colleagues Demand VA Do a Better Job of Providing Community Care to Veterans

U.S. SENATE – U.S. Senator Steve Daines led a group of his colleagues today to demand the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) reaffirm its commitment to veterans and ensure they have access to quality health care in a timely manner. “Veterans deserve access to quality health care in a timely manner and the VA’s failure to do so and willful disregard for established standards is unacceptable,” the Senators wrote.   Daines is joined by Senators Mike Braun (R-Ind.), John Thune (R-S.D.), Rick Scott (R-Fla.), Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), Roger Marshall (R-Kan.), Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.), and Ted Cruz (R-Texas). The MISSION Act created commitments to veterans’ quality of care for the VA – this letter demands answers as to why the VA fell short of their promises. Read the full

Daines, Feinstein, Kuster Introduce Bipartisan, Bicameral Bill to Bolster Hydropower

U.S. CONGRESS – U.S. Senators Steve Daines (R-Mont.) and Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) and U.S. Congresswoman Ann McLane Kuster (D-N.H.) today introduced a bipartisan, bicameral bill to support an all-of-the-above energy portfolio and help develop hydropower on non-powered dams.    “Energy security is national security, and in Montana, we know how important it is to grow clean, renewable hydropower,” Daines said. “Increasing power at Montana’s existing dams will strengthen our grid, provide reliable sources of energy for Montana families, and support Montana energy jobs.”   “There are more than 200 dams in the United States that could be retrofitted to provide hydropower but the approval process is

Daines Seeks Answers on Defunct Bozeman Post Office

U.S. SENATE – U.S. Senator Daines today sent a letter to Postmaster General Louis DeJoy seeking answers on the reported severe delays and interruptions of postal service to Montanans in the Bozeman area.   “Hundreds of my constituents have not received any mail in over seven days and cannot reach any full-time USPS employee in the area. Rural and urban Montanans rely upon the USPS for the timely delivery of everything from essential prescriptions, jury summons, bills, and letters that enable rural small businesses to compete on the global stage and keep families connected,” Daines wrote. Daines continued, “I respectfully ask that you rectify the interruption as

Daines, Tester Push for Hearing on Bipartisan St Mary’s Rehabilitation Legislation

U.S. SENATE – U.S. Senators Steve Daines and Jon Tester today urged the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources (ENR) to hold a hearing on their St. Mary’s Reinvestment Act, which will provide critical resources to North Central Montana and make rehabilitating the St. Mary’s Diversion Dam more affordable. In a letter to ENR Chair Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) and Ranking Member John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), Daines and Tester said the project is critical to ensuring the Milk River Project can continue providing water to farmers, ranchers, and Tribes in Northcentral Montana that depend on it. “St. Mary’s Diversion Dam is the

Daines Introduces Bill to Protect Montanans’ Second Amendment Rights

U.S. SENATE – U.S. Senator Steve Daines today introduced a bill to protect Montanans’ right to conceal carry firearms across state lines.  “The right to keep and bear arms is guaranteed under our Constitution—no state should be able to take that right away. My bill would ensure that every state honors Montanans’ right to self defense and the Second Amendment through concealed carry reciprocity,” Daines said.  Daines’ “Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act” would allow for those who live in a concealed carry or Constitutional carry state to carry in other states. “Senator Daines’ Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act is a critical piece of legislation that will empower gun owners

Daines Statement on New Record Inflation Numbers

U.S. SENATE – U.S. Senator Daines today issued the following statement after the latest inflation numbers came out higher than expected at 9.1%, breaking a new 41-year record. “Yet another month of crushing inflation numbers breaking the bank for families across Montana. Montanans cannot afford President Biden’s disastrous economy and policies,” Daines said.  Contact: Rachel Dumke,  Blake Kernen  

Daines Working to Protect Montana Children from “Gender Reassignment” Surgery

U.S. SENATE – U.S. Senator Daines helped introduce a bill to assist Montana children subjected to dangerous and potentially irreversible gender-transition procedures seek justice in court.  “The Left’s radical gender ideology is harming our children and leaving them with physical and mental damage. Gender-transition procedures are irreversible and potentially life-threatening – medical personnel who perform these procedures on minors must be held accountable for their medical malpractice. I’m glad to stand with my colleagues against the lifelong effects of these debilitating experiments on our kids and the doctors who perpetrate the politics of gender ideology through their profession,” Daines said.  Senator Daines joined Senators Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), Josh Hawley (R-Mo.), Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), and James Lankford (R-Okla.) in introducing this bill.