Washington Post: Senate Republicans go ‘nuclear,’ pave the way for Gorsuch confirmation to Supreme Court
Republicans on Thursday cleared the way for Judge Neil Gorsuch to be confirmed to the U.S. Supreme Court, overcoming a historic Democratic blockade by changing the rules of the U.S. Senate — a move that highlighted the fierce partisanship that has seized Congress. The long-anticipated rules change now means that all presidential nominees for executive branch positions and the federal courts need only a simple-majority vote to be confirmed by senators. The GOP decision to ram through the rules change is also likely to further divide an increasingly partisan Senate. Several senators openly fretted that eliminating the minority party’s right
Daines, Hirono Pass Resolution to Celebrate National Park Week
U.S. SENATE —U.S. Senators Steve Daines (R-MT) and Mazie Hirono (D-HI) today celebrated the unanimous U.S. Senate passage of their resolution to mark April 15 through April 23 as National Park Week. This resolution is a reflection that National Parks bridges the political divides and makes the nation uniquely American. During the National Park Centennial the parks attracted record-breaking 331,000,000 recreational visits in 2016. The resolution encourages Americans and folks from across the world to visit and experience the treasured national parks of the United States. “As a fifth generation Montanan who grew up just a short drive from Yellowstone
Daines, Tester Lead Senators in Asking Trump to Prioritize Opening Chinese Markets to U.S. Beef
39 Senators Sign Letter to President U.S. SENATE —U.S. Senators Steve Daines and Jon Tester today led 37 Senators in a letter to President Donald J. Trump asking him to prioritize reopening China’s market to U.S. beef in his discussions with Chinese President Xi Jinping this week. “Opening this market to U.S. producers would create substantial opportunities for farmers and ranchers across the country as China has an import market in excess of $2.5 billion and is the second largest importer of beef in the world,” the Senators wrote. “The current environment of low commodity prices further emphasizes the significance
Daines: Senate Will Confirm Judge Gorsuch this Week
U.S. SENATE —Just days before the U.S. Senate is set to confirm Judge Neil Gorusch to the U.S. Supreme Court, U.S. Senator Steve Daines today took to the Senate floor in support of Gorsuch’s nomination. Click here to watch Daines’ floor remarks. Click here to download Daines’ floor remarks. Daines’ remarks as prepared are available below: “Today, I’m joining my colleagues on the floor with a bit of confusion, a bit of disappointment and a lot of questions. I’m referring to the confirmation of Neil Gorsuch as the next Supreme Court Justice. As a U.S. Senator, one of the most
Montana Shooting Sports Association Endorses Judge Neil Gorsuch
U.S. SENATE —U.S. Senator Steve Daines today announced that Judge Neil Gorsuch secured the endorsement of the Montana Shooting Sports Association to be the next U.S. Supreme Court Associate Justice. “Montana gun owners support and encourage confirmation of Judge Neil Gorsuch to the U.S. Supreme Court,” Gary Marbut, President of the Montana Shooting Sports Association. “We are frustrated with judges who believe the Constitution is an archaic piece of paper, meaningless, and to be ignored or circumvented with tortured reasoning. We don’t like judges who adopt new meanings for critical words in the Constitution in order to skew its meaning
Bozeman Daily Chronicle: Grouch a supreme nominee to serve our country
One of the most important votes a U.S. senator casts is a vote for a U.S. Supreme Court nominee. An associate justice for the Supreme Court is a lifetime appointment. That’s why a decision on who to vote for, who to stand behind, and who to stand with is so important — not only to me but to our children and grandchildren. We want a Supreme Court justice who upholds the rule of law and follows the Constitution. We want a Supreme Court justice who doesn’t legislate from the bench. We want a Supreme Court justice with superb academic credentials
Ravalli Republic: New internet privacy rules won’t impact local ISP customers
New rules that allow internet service providers to collect and share their client’s information with a third party won’t change a thing for customers of smaller ISPs like Stevensville-based Rocky Mountain Internet. “None of our client’s information is ever exposed to the outside world,” said Martha Weifenberger, who owns the ISP with her husband, Terry. On Monday, President Donald Trump approved a resolution that repealed protections requiring internet service providers to seek permission from their customers before collecting and sharing data. Those protections were approved by the Federal Communications Commission in the final days of the Obama administration, but had
Washington Examiner: Illegal crossings cut 67% under Trump, border wall price set at $5-$8 billion
A top border expert said Tuesday that illegal border crossings since President Trump took office have been cut 67 percent. Former Border Patrol chief David Aguilar revealed the new numbers at a Senate hearing. Previous reports said that the crossings had been cut 40 percent. At a Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee hearing focused on building the wall, Montana Sen. Steve Daines pointed to a recent Border Patrol press release about the 40 percent drop, when Aguilar noted the changes. “Let me just update that March 8” release, he said, “as of the 31st of March, five days
Senators, Representatives Praise Halt of Harmful Federal Coal, Oil and Gas Valuation Rule
U.S. SENATE —U.S. Senators Steve Daines (R-MT), Mike Enzi (R-WY), John Barrasso (R-WY) and John Kennedy (R-LA) and U.S. Representatives Steve Scalise (R-LA), Scott Tipton (R-CO) and Rob Bishop (R-UT) today applauded the U.S. Department of the Interior for working to rescind the Consolidated Federal Oil and Gas, Federal and Indian Rule. “We need forward looking policies that encourage energy innovation to create American energy dominance,” Daines stated. “This rule would have harmed hardworking Montana families.” “The Trump Administration should be applauded for moving to overturn this harmful rule that was aimed at discouraging energy production,” Enzi said. “This rule