Roll Call: Senate Freshmen Aim to Be ‘Force’ Not ‘Faction’
A preacher, a doctor, a historian, a governor, two businessmen, a few veterans and some lawmakers walk into a bar … and the “bear den” is born. Every other week or so, an email will circulate among the Senate Republicans elected in 2014 with a line like, “Hey, you guys want to have a bear den?” The regular morning meetings take place in one of their offices, and the meeting name derives from the hotel bar in Hershey, Pa., where they gathered during their first joint Republican retreat. “I always joke that we should have a grunt as our official greeting or something,” Sen. Cory Gardner, R-Colo., said with a laugh.
Washington Examiner: Bill would reduce reach of liberal court
A pair of Republican senators has resurrected an old idea: splitting the Ninth Circuit, the largest and most liberal court of appeals in the country, into two courts. Sens. Steve Daines, R-Mont., and Dan Sullivan, R-Alaska, aren’t the first to try. The Ninth Circuit dominates the western United States, serving about one-fifth of the population of the country, and the resultant caseload has created a bureaucratic logjam that court-watchers of all stripes dislike. Conservative critics derive extra motivation from the fact that the court, long perceived as being dominated by California, issues reliably liberal decisions that bind a full 20
Daines, Zinke Request USTR to Prioritize Montana Issues with Canadian PM
U.S. CONGRESS — In advance of Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s first state visit to Washington, D.C., Montana Senator Steve Daines and Representative Ryan Zinke are urging the United States Trade Representative (USTR) to prioritize Montana issues in discussions with Canada. In a letter to Ambassador Michael Froman, Daines and Zinke requested that the USTR prioritize Montana issues as they prepare for Prime Minister Trudeau’s upcoming state visit including the renegotiation of the expired Softwood Lumber Agreement and wheat grading. “As Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s state visit to Washington, D.C. on March 10 is rapidly approaching, we request that you prioritize
Daines Statement on Reported Surface-to-Air Missiles on Man-Made Islands in South China Sea
U.S. SENATE — Senator Steve Daines today issued the following statement on reports that surface-to-air missiles have been deployed on man-made islands in the South China Sea: “The new reports of surface-to-air missiles being deployed on man-made islands in the South China Sea are deeply concerning. The deployment of these missiles could have serious adverse impacts not only on the stability of the region, but on global commerce. With over five trillion dollars of global trade passing through the South China Sea, maintaining the integrity of international waters and airspace in the region is critically important.” After last week’s Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense hearing on
Daines Travels to Alaska for Senate Energy Field Hearing
U.S. SENATE — This week, Senator Steve Daines traveled to Alaska to participate in a Senate Energy and Natural Resources field hearing to examine opportunities for innovation in America’s energy industry. Daines was joined by Senators Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), John Barrasso (R-WY), Maria Cantwell (D-WA), Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV) and Angus King (I-ME), in addition to U.S. Secretary of Energy Ernest Moniz, who testified at the hearing. Daines with Murkowski as they prepare to head out from Anchorage to Bethel, Alaska. Click here to watch. Daines, Moniz and fellow senators traveled to Bethel, Alaska where the field hearing would be held. Click here to watch.
Roll Call: Daines Snaps His Way Through Alaska
Sen. Steve Daines, R-Mont., has HOH covered with intel on what members of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee are doing in Alaska. On Monday, the committee held a field hearing on energy technology innovation, deployment and opportunities for Alaska’s energy future. On the way to the hearing in Bethel, Alaska, Daines showed Sens. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska; John Barrasso, R-Wyo.; Maria Cantwell, D-Wash.; Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va.l; Angus King, I-Maine and Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz via Snapchat. Moniz testified at the hearing. Daines showed the five senators jammed into a car in Bethel and then listening to people speak Yupik,
Sidney Herald: Bill originally co-sponsored by Daines to nix Internet taxes is on President’s desk
A bill Montana’s senators have both at one time or another promoted is now on the President’s desk for signing. The measure prohibits taxing the Internet, even in states that already had it. The Senate recently approved the bill, whose overall purpose was revamping trade law, 75 to 20, sending it on its way. Montana is among states that would have imposed an automatic 3.75 percent tax on Internet access if the moratorium had ever been lifted and nearby North Dakota and South Dakota were among seven states that already imposed such a tax. Montana Senators Steven Daines and Jon
Daines, Zinke Commend Extension of Yellowstone Bison Quarantine Plan Comment Period
U.S. CONGRESS — Montana Senator Steve Daines and Representative Ryan Zinke successfully secured a two-week extension of the comment period for the National Park Service’s (NPS) Environmental Assessment of Yellowstone National Park’s Bison Quarantine Plan. The previous deadline for the comment period was February 15, 2016. At Daines’ and Zinke’s urging, NPS recently announced that the comment period would be extended to February 29, 2016. In a letter sent last week to NPS Director Jonathan Jarvis, Daines and Zinke called on the agency to extend the comment period to accommodate the concerns of Montana ranchers,
Daines Statement on Passing of Supreme Court Associate Justice Antonin Scalia
BOZEMAN, Mont. — Senator Steve Daines today released the following statement upon news of the passing of Supreme Court Associate Justice Antonin Scalia. “Our nation has lost a giant of freedom who leaves behind a legacy of tirelessly defending our Constitution and the principles that make our nation great. Justice Scalia was a man of faith and a brilliant legal mind who dedicated himself to our country with a servant’s heart. Cindy and I are praying for his family and are grateful for his service to our country.” U.S. Supreme Court Associate Justice Antonin Scalia was appointed the court in 1986 by President Ronald Reagan. Scalia was unanimously confirmed by the