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MISSOULA, Mont. — All three members of Montana’s Congressional delegation attended the inauguration of President Joe Biden, the 46th president of the United States, and Vice President Kamala Harris, the nation’s first woman and first person of color elected to that position. “You know, as Joe (Biden) said — don’t tell me things can’t change, because things have changed. And hopefully this is the first of many women that will be in the executive branch, whether it’s vice president or president,” Sen. Jon Tester said. “I just think it’s a great sign for the country.” “Kamala Harris was also —

Health insurers no longer will be immune from federal antitrust laws that prohibit collusion and price-rigging under a bill that President Donald Trump signed into law last week. U.S. Sen. Steve Daines, R-Montana, was among a bipartisan group of lawmakers who backed the legislation, known as the Competitive Health Insurance Reform Act. It removes a 75-year-old exemption for health insurance carriers in federal antitrust laws that apply to nearly all other sectors of the economy. Supporters say it will deter anticompetitive practices that lead to artificially high premiums and harmful policy exclusions, saving Americans potentially billions of dollars in health-care

News from Senator Daines U.S. SENATE — U.S. Senator Steve Daines today applauded the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service on their proposed rule to strike down a burdensome requirement resulting from the Cottonwood decision that yields no conservation benefit and has delayed forest projects while killing Montana timber jobs. The change comes as a result of Daines’ work and efforts.  “This is a great step in reducing unnecessary red tape that has tied the hands of our land managers and diverted resources for a paperwork exercise that has no real conservation benefits,” Daines said. “This change will help improve the

On Jan. 19, Sen. Steve Daines wrote a letter to President Joe Biden urging him to support the completion of the Keystone XL Pipeline. Daines states that the project will provide 11,000 direct high-paying jobs and 60,000 indirect jobs, generate tax revenue, increase renewable-energy demand, reduce emissions and strengthen North American energy independence. He says the completion of the pipeline is critical to rural, energy producing states like Montana.

Even climate guru Al Gore was impressed with how President Biden wasted no time Wednesday in delivering sweeping executive orders on global warming. pOn his first day in office, Mr. Biden signed orders to rejoin the Paris climate agreement; revoke the cross-border Keystone XL pipeline permit; direct agencies to consider tightening greenhouse gas emissions standards on vehicles and appliances; and reestablish the Interagency Working Group on the Social Cost of Greenhouse Gases, which former President Trump disbanded in 2017. There was more. Mr. Biden also placed a “temporary moratorium on all oil and natural gas leasing activities in the Arctic

Five Senate Republicans are calling on President-elect Joe Biden to allow construction on the Keystone XL pipeline from Canada into the United States to proceed. Their plea was likely too late, with Biden planning to issue an executive order as soon as this afternoon, following his inauguration, that would halt the controversial project. Still, the lawmakers’ letter, sent yesterday, put down an important marker as the GOP seeks to assert itself on energy policy in a narrowly divided government as a new administration is set to come in. “Mr. President-elect, during the campaign you challenged America to ‘Build Back Better’ by

WASHINGTON, D.C. – On the West Front of the U.S. Capitol Building, Joe Biden, the 46th President of the United States, looked out over a sea of American flags filling the National Mall instead of the usual crowds that traditionally flock to presidential inauguration ceremonies. The 2021 inauguration of President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris looked different from past years, lacking crowds, featuring heightened security and including attendees all sporting personal protective equipment. The president and vice president were sworn in shortly before noon EST and the president addressed the nation. Montana politicians attending the event included U.S. Sen.