In The News

Senate Republicans wrote to Mitch McConnell (R-KY) and said that having the Senate stay open on Fridays and possibly the weekends is not good enough. Republican lawmakers urged the Senate Majority Leader to “turn the Senate on full time, 24/7, to advance the president’s agenda.” Nine Republican senators sent a letter to Senate Majority Mitch McConnell after McConnell finally cracked under pressure from conservatives and populists alike and decided to extend the Senate’s workweek into Fridays and even possibly the weekend. The nine Republican senators includes: Sens. Mike Rounds (R-SD), Luther Strange (R-AL), Joni Ernst (R-IA), Ron Johnson (R-WI), Steve

GOP Sen. Steve Daines (Mont.) is set to troll Democrats for a second time this year over whether or not they support a single-payer health-care system. The GOP senator has filed an amendment to the fiscal year 2018 budget, which is currently being debated in the Senate, on creating a Medicare for all program favored by progressive lawmakers and outside groups. The amendment supports “establishing a single payer health care system, which may include a Medicare-for-all national health care insurance program” as long as it doesn’t increase the deficit over a four-year or 10-year period. Daines doesn’t support a single-payer

Technology is the great equalizer. There’s no reason Missoula can’t compete with Silicon Valley and that’s the message we heard at the Montana High Tech Jobs Summit. Last week, close to 700 Montanans came out to the University of Montana to talk about the growth of high tech jobs in our state. Technology has removed geography as a constraint to doing business and the opportunities are endless. Our big sky and Montana way of life are our greatest recruiting tools as Montana takes hold of the future – a future we know lies in technology. We had a first-class lineup

Now that the dust has settled on President Donald Trump’s tax reform plans, Montana’s congressional delegation likes what it sees, though not without a few changes. Sens. Jon Tester and Steve Daines, along with Montana’s lone U.S. Rep. Greg Gianforte say they will support tax cuts if done right. For Tester, a Democrat, that means more tax relief for the middle class and small businesses. “There are some things in here, once it gets hammered out, that could be possible, but I’m looking at it as ‘Is it simplified? Does it benefit small businesses and middle-class families?’” House and Senate

MISSOULA – At the University of Montana on Monday, high powered lawmakers and company executives took a hard look at how Montana can play a role in the future of rural America’s potential for growth in the high tech industry. At the Montana High Tech Jobs Summit, the president of Microsoft, Brad Smith, said that investing in digital and computer science education in rural schools is an investment in future job growth. Smith said that their efforts to promote high tech jobs begins with training their future job applicants. “I think the strategic plan starts with educating people, so that

MISSOULA, Mont. – Facebook hosted a free workshop on Tuesday in Missoula to help small businesses learn how to better utilize Facebook and expand their online presence.  The seminar kicked off with remarks from U.S. Sen. Steve Daines, followed by presentations from Facebook small business experts, along with question and answer sessions. There were several small businesses that participated on the panel, such as Big Sky Resort, ReStyle Clothing Exchange, Blackfoot Telecommunications and My Montana Roots. “Facebook plays a critical role in connecting customers to businesses across Montana. I’m excited to welcome Facebook to Montana to help our businesses grow

Microsoft President Brad Smith’s thoughts on the value of high speed internet is as bold as it is brief: “Broadband has become a necessity of life.” Giants from the tech sector converged on Missoula this weekend to talk about getting rural Montana online, the future of agriculture, and job creation. Edward O’Brien brings us the highlights from the second biennial Montana High Tech Job Summit. Smith was the keynote speaker at the second and final day of the Montana High Tech Job Summit in Missoula. This is the second biennial summit hosted by Senator Steve Daines, which brings national tech

Decrying the lack of accessibility to high-speed internet in rural areas and calling for a more diversified economy, lawmakers and a long list of heavy hitters in the technology industry gathered at the University of Montana on Sunday and Monday for the Montana High Tech Jobs Summit. The event was co-sponsored by U.S. Sen. Steve Daines, R-Mont., and a host of other businesses and government organizations. The focus, as the name implies, was on how to attract tech companies to this state, how to remove barriers to business and job creation, and how to improve broadband access in rural Montana,

Back in the 1970s when Steve Daines was on a family trip to Disneyland, a woman asked him about life back home. Her impression of Montana was stereotypical at best – a third-world state far removed from economic prosperity. Kicking off the Montana High Tech Jobs Summit on Monday, Daines, now a U.S. senator representing the state, said times have changed. Technology has removed the barriers of geography, and Montana’s booming tech sector competes at the enterprise level with the world’s top firms. “A few decades ago, virtually all technology companies were based in the infamous Silicon Valley, but there’s