News

Daines Responds to President Obama’s Address to the Nation

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Following President Obama’s address to the nation, Senator Steve Daines today released the following statement: “Cindy and I are deeply saddened by the acts of terrorism that took place in San Bernardino this past week. It is abundantly clear that we need a strong and aggressive strategy to extinguish the growing threat of Islamic extremism both here at home and overseas. I am disappointed that once again, President Obama is choosing to lead from behind. Rather than establishing a clear strategy to defeat ISIS, the President is using this tragedy to pursue misguided firearm restrictions that would undermine

Billings Gazette: Daines, Tester, Zinke oppose reduced hours for Canadian border crossing

Montana’s only 24-hour port of entry with Saskatchewan plans to cut its overnight hours, but politicians are urging officials to reconsider. U.S. Customs and Border Protection announced in November that operations at the Raymond border station would not be continuously open by late December. The new hours will be 8 a.m. to midnight, according to a release from U.S. Customs, reducing the operation by eight hours. Under the plan, the next nearest 24-hour entry point would be at Portal, N.D., which is 111 miles from Raymond. The closest 24-hour crossing in Montana would be at Sweetgrass, which is more than

Associated Press: North Dakota, Montana senators make friendly wager on game

BISMARCK, N.D. — North Dakota U.S. Sen. John Hoeven and Montana U.S. Sen. Steve Daines have placed a friendly wager on the outcome of Saturday’s playoff football game between North Dakota State and Montana. Hoeven is betting North Dakota-made Dakota Growers pasta, and Daines is putting Montana-made Moose Drool beer on the line. NDSU is the four-time defending Football Championship Subdivision champions. The Bison host Montana in an FCS second-round game Saturday afternoon at the Fargodome. The game is a rematch of the season opener, won by the Grizzlies 38-35 in Missoula.

Daines Honors Montanan of the Week: Rick Young of Forsyth

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Senator Steve Daines today honored Rick Young of Forsyth, a U.S. Marine, for his dedicated efforts to expand quality health care for all Montana veterans. Despite suffering from a serious illness himself, Rick was able to successfully advocate for area veterans to receive long-term care through the Rosebud Health Care Center (RHCC) in Forsyth. RHCC recently established a contract with the VA, which now allows for veterans to receive long-term care in Forsyth rather than having to travel a greater distance to the approved Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) facility in Glendive. Through his “Montanan of the Week” initiative, Daines each week

Daines, Zinke Urge Canadian PM to Prioritize Montana Issues

WASHINGTON, D.C. —Montana Senator Steve Daines and Representative Ryan Zinke are reaching out to newly elected Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to emphasize Montana priorities and ensure continued economic growth on both sides of the northern border.  In a letter, Daines and Zinke congratulated Trudeau on his recent election and underscored the treasured and crucial relationship between Canada and Montana. “The state of Montana has a great appreciation for the conducive working relationship we have fostered with our neighbors to the North,” Daines and Zinke wrote. “We not only share a border, but we frequently work together to address pertinent

Daines Challenges Hoeven to Friendly Wager on Upcoming Griz, Bison Football Game

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Senator Steve Daines and North Dakota Senator John Hoeven have entered into a wager on Saturday’s second round, Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) playoff game between the University of Montana Grizzlies and the North Dakota State University Bison.   If the Grizzlies win the game, Daines will receive Dakota Growers pasta made from North Dakota durum wheat. If the NDSU Bison win, Hoeven will be drinking Moose Drool beer from Missoula’s Big Sky Brewing.   “Every Montanan knows that a bison is no match for a grizzly bear – I’m confident that Saturday’s game will be no exception,” Daines stated. “I look forward

Daines Applauds Passage of Multi-Year Highway Bill

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Senator Steve Daines today applauded the passage of a multi-year highway bill that provides Montanans much-needed certainty in infrastructure investments:  “The long-overdue passage of a multi-year highway bill is great news for Montana and a critical step forward in providing our state with the certainty needed to make long-term infrastructure investments,” Daines stated. “Our transportation infrastructure is a critical component of our state’s economy and given Montana’s short construction season, it’s imperative that communities and contractors alike have the certainty needed to move forward with badly-needed infrastructure improvement projects.  This bill ends Congress’s irresponsible trend of short-term Band-Aids and temporary extensions

Daines Upholds Promise to Montanans to Repeal Obamacare

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Senator Steve Daines today hailed the passage of legislation that repeals the President’s failed health care law and puts states on a glide path toward creating locally driven health care solutions, upholding the promise Daines made to Montanans to continue fighting to repeal Obamacare. “Last year, when I decided to run for Montana’s open Senate seat, I promised the people of Montana that I would work tirelessly to repeal Obamacare. Today, I upheld that promise and voted to repeal President Obama’s broken health care law,” Daines stated. “President Obama will now have to decide whether to put the American people

Billings Gazette: House vote stops coastal Indians from blocking port for Montana coal

Plans for a controversial port in Puget Sound for Montana coal will advance under a House rider preventing coastal Indians from stopping the project. House lawmakers lead by Rep. Ryan Zinke, R-Mont., voted to keep the permitting process going for the Gateway Pacific Terminal near Bellingham, Wash. The Lummi Nation, which has fishing waters next to Cherry Point, had asked the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to abandon its review of the port proposal. The Lummi argued that its treaty rights would be violated by the terminal. However, Montana’s Crow Tribe made a counter argument that its treaty rights to