In The News

A group of 41 Republican senators want President Trump to issue new regulations that would bar recipients of family planning grants from co-locating with an abortion clinic and promoting or referring clients for abortions. In a Monday letter to Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar, the senators called for an update to regulations governing Title X family planning grants, which are given to organizations that give reproductive healthcare to low-income families and expectant mothers. They say the agency’s current regulations undermine federal law that states federal funding cannot be used in programs in which abortion is a method of

The week of April 21 thru 29 marked National Parks Week, a time to celebrate the natural wonders and unique cultural heritage our parks protect and put on display. This year’s National Parks Week couldn’t come at a more opportune time – that’s because right now proposals in Congress to dedicate funding for deferred maintenance in the National Parks are gaining momentum. It is appearing likely that Congress will this year solve one of the most pressing issues affecting the future of our national parks. Deferred maintenance is a big problem for our parks. Currently there are thousands of scheduled

The Senate just passed Senator Steve Daines’ bill to recognize May 5 as the National Day of Awareness for Missing and Murdered Native Women and Girls. Daines introduced legislation to honor the memory of Hanna Harris, a member of the Northern Cheyenne Tribe who was murdered in 2013. The resolution commemorates the lives of all American Indian and Alaska Native women and girls who have gone missing or been murdered. According to the Department of Justice, in some tribal communities, American Indian women face murder rates that are more than 10 times the national average.

The US Fish and Wildlife Service issues its final ruling, saying the Yellowstone grizzly population is fully recovered and the big bears should no longer be federally protected… The announcement comes 10-months after Fish and Wildlife first proposed “delisting” grizzlies in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, saying the bears had reached the point where they no longer needed the protection under the Endangered Species Act as a “threatened species”. In December, a federal court ordered additional review and public comment in a lawsuit brought by the Humane Society and other conservation groups, as well as Native American tribes in the region. USFWS

GLACIER NATIONAL PARK — This is National Parks Week and to celebrate you can get into Glacier and Yellowstone for free on Saturday.  Yellowstone, the country’s first national park, was established in 1872. Now, 146-years later, there are more than 400 across the country offering countless opportunities for exploration. “National Park Week is a week for all Americans to celebrate our national treasures and our national parks,” said Glacier National Park spokeswoman Lauren Alley. “It’s an opportunity to get out and go to your favorite park or go to a park that maybe you have never been too.” “I challenge you to find

Recognized by a leading research institute, Senator Steve Daines, R-Mont., has one of the top records of bipartisanship in the Senate. “Montanans expect their representatives to work across the aisle to do what’s right for our state and our country,” Daines said. “Some folks in Washington are only concerned about toeing the party line and doing what will secure them re-election. It doesn’t matter to me if you have an ‘R’ or a ‘D’ behind your name – if you have good ideas that help grow jobs, reduce regulatory burdens facing hardworking families, or make our government more efficient, I

Efforts continue in the nation’s capital to raise awareness of the large numbers of Native women and girls who go missing and murdered every year. The work is both symbolic and substantive, reflecting years of advocacy by Native women to call attention to high rates of domestic violence, victimization and other crimes. Their efforts are being boosted by key members of Congress from both parties. “The epidemic of missing and murdered Native women and girls has tragically affected families and communities throughout Indian Country, including those in North Dakota,”  Sen. John Hoeven (R-North Dakota), the chairman of the  Senate Committee on Indian Affairs said

Senator Steve Daines put out a press release Tuesday saying he’s “building momentum” for the U.S. to re-join negotiations for the trade agreement known as the Trans-Pacific Partnership, or TPP. In a White House meeting with Daines and other farm state lawmakers on April 13th President Trump made remarks that some interpreted as a potential policy change towards re-joining TPP talks. Pulling out of the trade agreement was one of Trump’s first actions after being elected, and he spoke strongly against it during his campaign. Shortly after the April 13th meeting though, Trump tweeted that he would only join TPP if the deal were

Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue told senators Tuesday that he’s encouraging President Trump to consider rejoining the Trans-Pacific Partnership, the 11-nation trade deal the president pulled out of days after taking office. Perdue’s comment is the latest mixed signal from the Trump administration over the TPP, which Trump recently told senators he’s open to rejoining, only to subsequently suggest over Twitter that he’s not. The agriculture secretary’s statement came at a Senate Agriculture Committee hearing in response to a question from Sen. Steve Daines (R-Mont.). “When we pull out of the TPP, China increases influence in the region,” Daines said. “Secretary