In The News

Health insurers no longer will be immune from federal antitrust laws that prohibit collusion and price-rigging under a bill that President Donald Trump signed into law last week. U.S. Sen. Steve Daines, R-Montana, was among a bipartisan group of lawmakers who backed the legislation, known as the Competitive Health Insurance Reform Act. It removes a 75-year-old exemption for health insurance carriers in federal antitrust laws that apply to nearly all other sectors of the economy. Supporters say it will deter anticompetitive practices that lead to artificially high premiums and harmful policy exclusions, saving Americans potentially billions of dollars in health-care

MISSOULA, Mont. — All three members of Montana’s Congressional delegation attended the inauguration of President Joe Biden, the 46th president of the United States, and Vice President Kamala Harris, the nation’s first woman and first person of color elected to that position. “You know, as Joe (Biden) said — don’t tell me things can’t change, because things have changed. And hopefully this is the first of many women that will be in the executive branch, whether it’s vice president or president,” Sen. Jon Tester said. “I just think it’s a great sign for the country.” “Kamala Harris was also —

HELENA, Mont. – Senator Steve Daines took to Twitter Wednesday, speaking out on President Joe Biden’s actions on day one. Sen. Daines tweeted this thread: On day one, @JoeBiden has already started his attack on American energy projects. — Steve Daines (@SteveDaines) January 20, 2021   First, his disastrous Paris Climate Agreement action. Now his decision to kill the Keystone XL pipeline which will jeopardize American energy security & destroy American JOBS. We must do everything we can to keep construction of the pipeline going. — Steve Daines (@SteveDaines) January 20, 2021   That’s why I’m introducing legislation to reverse

A delegation of Republican western senators are warning Joe Biden against his decision to axe the Trump administration’s permit for the Keystone Pipeline on his first day in office Wednesday. The pipeline, currently running oil from the Canadian province of Alberta to Illinois and Texas, has consistently been a hot political issue since it was proposed more than a decade ago. Its construction was initially blocked by the Obama-Biden White House. Biden, according to CNN, now appears poised to reverse Trump’s approval and bring an end to the project, costing upwards of 11,000 jobs, 8,000 of which are union, and

News from the office of Senator Daines U.S. SENATE — U.S. Senator Steve Daines today announced that beginning this week, Montana small businesses heavily impacted by the pandemic are able to apply for the second round of Paycheck Protection Program loans. “This PPP funding is critical for Montana small businesses who have been hit hard due to the pandemic,” Daines said. “This funding will help keep Montana small businesses open and their workers employed. I’m glad I was able to help secure it.” Montana’s hardest hit businesses can begin applying for their first draw PPP loans, and beginning Jan. 13,

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – A group of Republican senators on Wednesday called on newly sworn-in President Joe Biden to submit his plan to re-engage the United States in the Paris climate agreement to lawmakers for “review and consideration,” moments after Biden signed an executive order to rejoin the accord. Biden’s announcement that he would seek to return the United States to the agreement was the centerpiece of a raft of day-one executive orders aimed at restoring U.S. leadership in combating global warming. However, the senators’ move reflects the deep-seated political divisions over global warming policy that are likely to dog Democrat

WASHINGTON — President Joseph R. Biden Jr. on Wednesday recommitted the United States to the Paris climate agreement, the international accord designed to avert catastrophic global warming, and ordered federal agencies to start reviewing and reinstating more than 100 environmental regulations that were weakened or rolled back by former President Donald J. Trump. The moves represent a first step in healing one of the deepest rifts between the United States and the rest of the world after Mr. Trump defiantly rejected the Paris pact and seemed to relish his administration’s push to weaken or undo major domestic climate policies. Mr.

Montana Governor Greg Gianforte urged Biden to reconsider. “A symbolic gesture for your fledgling, hours-old administration, this decision has real and devastating consequences in Montana,” he said. “With your executive order, gone are the thousands of good-paying American jobs, hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue to support our local communities and schools, the opportunity to advance America’s green energy infrastructure, and America’s energy security.” Gianforte added that the decision itself is counter both to Biden’s campaign slogans to “build back better” and to environmental safety itself. “With its construction terminated, the oil will still reach markets in the U.S.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – On the West Front of the U.S. Capitol Building, Joe Biden, the 46th President of the United States, looked out over a sea of American flags filling the National Mall instead of the usual crowds that traditionally flock to presidential inauguration ceremonies. The 2021 inauguration of President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris looked different from past years, lacking crowds, featuring heightened security and including attendees all sporting personal protective equipment. The president and vice president were sworn in shortly before noon EST and the president addressed the nation. Montana politicians attending the event included U.S. Sen.