KPAX: Montana veteran receives medals nearly 5 decades after service
BOZEMAN – Sunday was an emotional day for a Vietnam war veteran who was officially recognized nearly five decades after serving. U.S. Senator Steve Daines presented Tom Creasey with six medals, 46 years after serving in the Vietnam War. Creasey served in the U.S. Navy on active duty from 1966 until 1969. He received the National Defense Service Medal, the Vietnam Service Medal with Four Bronze Stars and the Vietnam Campaign Medal, among others. Daines said too often veterans returned from Vietnam without the recognition they deserved but that this was better late than never. “It gets lost in the shuffle and that’s
Bozeman Daily Chronicle: Daines throws support behind LWCF permanent reauthorization bill
Montana Republican Sen. Steve Daines has thrown his support behind a bill to make a popular conservation fund permanent. Daines announced late last week that he has signed on as a co-sponsor on a bill to make the Land and Water Conservation Fund permanent, joining Montana’s Democratic Sen. Jon Tester and a cadre of bipartisan sponsors from around the country. The bill, S. 338, was introduced by Sen. Richard Burr, R-North Carolina, in February. It would permanently reauthorize the fund, which Daines said is the main goal. “I think we stand better chances of permanent reauthorization by getting behind the
Daines Announces New Books Program for Montana Schools
WASHINGTON, D.C. —Senator Steve Daines today announced a new partnership with the Library of Congress to donate surplus books to Montana public schools. Through the program, three different Montana schools and libraries will receive books each month to encourage education and learning. The first recipients include: Harlowton Public Library in Wheatland County Troy Public High School in Lincoln County Brockton Public High School in Roosevelt County “As a product of Montana public schools, I know the importance of ensuring our schools have the resources and tools they need to prepare Montana’s students for success,” Daines stated. “I am excited to partner
Missoulian: Tenderfoot Creek drainage land acquired by Forest Service
HELENA – Speakers at the Capitol on Friday celebrated the newest addition to the Lewis and Clark National Forest by rallying behind the uncertain future of the fund that made the acquisition a reality. Gov. Steve Bullock, U.S. Sens. Steve Daines and Jon Tester, and USDA Undersecretary Robert Bonnie were among those who supported reauthorizing the Land and Water Conservation Fund at a celebration for completion of the Tenderfoot Legacy Project. The project was an eight-year, $10.7 million effort between the Bair Ranch Foundation, Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, Tenderfoot Trust and the U.S. Forest Service to place more than 8,200 acres
Roll Call: OPM Hack Snares Senators
Despite a number of congressional hearings and classified briefings, lawmakers are frustrated by the lack of information relating to the recent Office of Personnel Management data breaches, and it is now clear some lawmakers’ records may have been affected. At least two current senators who were not federal employees were notified their information may have been compromised, signaling that retirement records for former House members may have been compromised in the first security breach, which the OPM announced on June 4. Sens. John Boozman, R-Ark., and Steve Daines, R-Mont., received letters from the OPM saying their personal identifiable information such as
Daines Statement on Resignation of OPM Director
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Senator Steve Daines today released the following statement in response to the resignation of Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Director Katherine Archuleta. “Director Archuleta’s resignation is an important first step in restoring accountability at OPM—however, OPM’s consistent failure to properly address and react to these cyber attacks results from a much larger, systemic lack of accountability within the Obama administration,” Daines stated. “It’s time for President Obama to place a higher premium on our nation’s security and the privacy of our federal employees and put qualified, competent leaders in place, including a new Chief Information Officer, instead of
Daines Honors Montanan of the Week: Ben Steele of Billings
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Senator Steve Daines today honored Ben Steele, a World War II veteran of Billings, for his exceptional service to the nation and the Billings community. During the war, Steele served in the Philippines and survived the Bataan Death March. After World War II Steele studied art at the University of Denver and later taught at Montana State University – Billings. Through his “Montanan of the Week” initiative, Daines each week will highlight a Montanan by submitting a statement of recognition in the official Congressional Record, the document that reflects the official proceedings of Congress. Daines’ recognition in
Daines: Latest OPM Report Affirms Need for New Leadership
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Senator Steve Daines today reiterated his calls for new leadership at the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) in light of new reports that more than 21.5 Americans were victims of a mass breach of the OPM’s personnel database. This reported hack is in addition to the more than 4.2 million breached records originally announced by OPM last month. “The systemic failures and lack of accountability at OPM is staggering and completely unacceptable. The breach reported today is five times larger than OPM’s initial reports and not only affects federal employees, but employees’ family and friends, government contractors and countless
Daines Fights to Increase State, Local Role in Schools and Education
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Senator Steve Daines is working to increase local control in Montana students’ education by giving states greater flexibility in allocating federal funds to schools. Earlier today, Daines took to the Senate floor to introduce an amendment to the Every Child Achieves Act of 2015. Daines’ Academic Partnerships Lead Us to Success (A-PLUS) amendment increases states’ ability to allocate federal education funding in a way that best fits students’ unique needs, frees states from burdensome federal regulations, and better ensures academic achievement in schools. Video of Daines’ remarks are available to download here and viewed here. “Increasing educational