In The News

After a tumultuous week on Capitol Hill, Sen. Steve Daines, R-Montana, has some advice for his colleagues: “Turn the temperature down a little bit.” Daines met one on one with Supreme Court nominee Neil Gorsuch this morning while Gorsuch was in the spotlight for telling Sen. Richard Blumenthal that President Donald Trump’s attacks on the judiciary are “disheartening” and “demoralizing.” Daines told ABC News’ Jonathan Karl and Rick Klein on this week’s “Powerhouse Politics” podcast that he came away from the meeting with complete confidence in Gorsuch’s ability to be an independent judge, and said that Gorsuch’s conversation with Blumenthal doesn’t rattle him a bit. “It tells me this guy’s

Republican senators who hail from states that expanded Medicaid are meeting about the future of the program as their party moves ahead with the repeal of ObamaCare. The senators had their first meeting on Wednesday in the office of Sen. Rob Portman (R-Ohio), who is from a state that expanded Medicaid and whose Republican governor, John Kasich, has been a vocal defender of it.  Asked if the senators were trying to preserve the expansion of Medicaid, Portman told The Hill: “We’re trying to get a sense of where everybody is right now; we’re not decided on anything.” “We found out, not surprisingly,

Western Republicans are hoping to get President Trump behind the long-standing push to split the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals into two appellate courts. Breaking up the 9th Circuit — the most populous and geographically largest of the 13 federal appellate courts — has been a priority for decades for some Westerners, who say judges on the 9th Circuit are overburdened by the caseload, thereby delaying citizens’ access to courts and ultimately justice. “If you look at every single stat, if you’re in the 9th Circuit, you get justice later than anyone else,” Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska) said in

GREAT FALLS – On Wednesday, the U.S. Senate Indian Affairs Committee approved a bill granting federal recognition to Montana’s Little Shell Tribe of Chippewa Indians. U.S. Senators Steve Daines (R-MT) and Jon Tester (D-MT) introduced ‘The Little Shell Tribe of Chippewa Indians Restoration Act of 2017’ into committee on Sunday.  The act grants the tribe the ability to exercise self-governance and the eligibility to receive federal grants. The tribe was recognized by the state of Montana in 2000, but has been fighting a decades-long battle for federal recognition. The bill also requires the U.S. Department of Interior to provide 200 acres

BILLINGS — Montana U.S. Steve Daines gaveled down Democratic superstar Elizabeth Warren on Tuesday night, cutting off the senator from Massachusetts in mid-debate and ordering her to take her seat. The censure has became a cause celebre as on social media, and Daines, a little-known freshman senator from Montana, drew attention for silencing Warren, a likely Democratic presidential candidate in 2020. Daines was chairing a debate about attorney general nominee Jeff Sessions, an Alabama senator with a civil rights record that Democrats have objected to for decades. Daines told The Billings Gazette it just happened to be his turn chairing

Through his “Montanan of the Week” initiative, Sen. Steve Daines, R-Mont., each week spotlights a Montanan by submitting a statement of recognition in the official Congressional Record, the document that reflects the official proceedings of Congress.  Daines welcomes anyone to nominate fellow Montanans for Daines’ “Montanan of the Week” program by calling Daines’ office at 202-224-2651 or by filling out the contact form on Daines’ website: http://www.daines.senate.gov/connect/email-steve. This week’s honor goes to Belle Wendelburg of Ekalaka for her continued work in serving her community all the way to the age of 95.  Belle retired from Dahl Memorial Nursing Home in Ekalaka

WASHINGTON (Gray DC) — Haleigh Almquist knows what it’s like to travel with a newborn. “Getting through TSA is probably the hardest part. We always say, ‘Ok we just need to get through security and then we can just relax’” Almquist said. But getting through security isn’t always easy. Almquist said she’s been stopped by TSA agents with her formula or food for her son, Axel. She said, while she knows she’s allowed through with those things, many other parents may not. “Sometimes if there is push back and they don’t know any better they just reluctantly let that go and then

President Donald Trump signed an executive action to move forward with the Keystone XL pipeline on Jan 24. He also indicated movement on the Dakota Access oil pipeline, though timelines and other details remain unclear at press time. Trump told reporters in the Oval Office that the moves on the pipelines will be subject to the terms and conditions currently being renegotiated by the government. Senator Steve Daines praised Trump: “The Keystone XL pipeline will create good-paying Montana union and tribal jobs,” he said, adding, “After years of talk and political nonsense, I couldn’t be more thrilled that President Trump has heeded my call

Students from Bozeman and Glendive have been chosen to attend the 55th annual U.S. Senate Youth Program in Washington, D.C. Allison Reinhardt of Bozeman and Mason Hutchinson of Glendive were among 104 students selected from across the U.S. for the weeklong convention, to be held March 4-11. Montana Sens. Jon Tester and Steve Daines praised both students in the announcement. The students will learn about the federal government and the political process.  Hutchinson, a senior at Dawson County High School, is the Montana District Governor of Key Club International and is an accredited news media representative of the Montana Newspaper