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On March 2, all five FCC Commissioners testified before the Commerce Committee. During the hearing, Montana Senator Steve Daines asked the commissioners to ensure an equal distribution of Universal Service funds to help close the gap in broadband access between urban and rural areas. “I see the commission awarding money to entities and areas that already have access to fiber, consistently upgrading speed in urban areas while certainly for many of us who are looking and repressing rural areas, we are undeserved,” said Daines. “Can you really say that is an efficient use for Universal Service funds and should the

Federal wildlife officials recommended lifting protections for the Yellowstone region grizzly bears Thursday, saying the species is recovered and no longer threatened. The long-awaited decision by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service would remove the more than 700 Yellowstone-area grizzlies from the Endangered Species list and could pave the way for state-managed trophy hunting in Wyoming, Idaho and Montana. USFWS director Dan Ashe called it a “proud moment” and said that it was the result of three decades of collaboration between state and federal agencies. “This is a triumph for partnership-driven conservation,” Ashe said. The proposal will be open for

President Barack Obama could easily return the U.S. prison at Guantanamo Bay to Cuba when he visits the country later this month, Sen. Steve Daines told Newsmax TV on Thursday. “With this president, you remain worried on every front in terms of his executive overreach,” the Montana Republican told “Newsmax Prime” host J.D. Hayworth. “His abuse of power, his complete disregard of the Constitution and the Article II powers that are clearly, clearly laid out in our Constitution are something this president continues to violate. Obama will visit Cuba on March 21-22 as part of his efforts to normalize relations with Havana.

On February 29th, Senator Steve Daines went to Cuba to visit the detention facility at Guantanamo Bay. Upon Daines’ return, he took to the Senate floor to state the importance of maintaining the detention center and not bringing detainees to American communities. “Guantanamo Bay was a humble reminder of the services our military provides overseas to get these terrorists off the battle field and ensure that they don’t end up in American’s backyards,” said Daines. “President Obama has signed multiple pieces of legislation into law the explicitly prohibit the transfer of enemy combatants.” During the speech, Daines highlighted the threat

Republicans on a Senate appropriations panel challenged the head of the Interior Department Wednesday on a host of rules and energy assessments the agency is undertaking. During a hearing on the agency’s 2017 budget request, members were most concerned about regional issues, including regulations for offshore drilling in the Gulf and a pause in the federal coal leasing program. “The stakes are a lot higher today than they may have been in the past,” Sen. Steve Daines (R-Mont.) said, arguing the pause on new coal leases on federal land would hurt the economy in parts of his state, where coal