In The News

After hearing from county governments concerned about COVID-19 costs, U.S. Sen. Steve Daines is asking that 45% of federal aid to states automatically go to local governments. There have been problems for the counties with rising health department costs and revenue lost to canceled events, said Joe Briggs, Cascade County commissioner and board member of the National Association of Counties. States have been receiving federal aid, but counties are still waiting for their share. “In almost all jurisdictions, it’s the cities and the counties that operate the health departments, which is where the huge hit expenditures is required for the

Since the end of the Cold War, America has spread its supply-chain across the globe. At the time, many in the elite spheres of Washington and corporate America saw this as a great step towards a more free and interconnected world. They assumed that opening our markets up to China would lead them closer to democracy and to a more peaceful outlook on the world. They were wrong. China used this access to infiltrate our economy, copy our tech, and take control of our medical resources. While many profited off of cheap labor and access to global capital, America’s national

A bipartisan bill introduced this week by U.S. Sen. Steve Daines, R-Mont., and U.S. Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., aims to ease some of the economic pains facing mom-and-pop sized businesses across America. The legislation is intended to assist “very small” businesses with fewer than 20 workers during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The RELIEF for Main Street Act would create a $50 billion fund, operated by the Treasury Department, to seed and scale small business relief funds at the city or county level, according to information from Daines’ office. The assistance would be directed toward businesses with fewer than 20 employees,

In a recent White House Rose Garden announcement, President Trump singled out Montana Senator Steve Daines’ work in helping industry leaders and scientists get the materials they need to develop treatments and a vaccine for COVID 19. “Through an historic series of funding bills my administration is providing roughly $10 billion to support a medical research effort without parallel,” said President Trump. “I especially want to thank Senator Steve Daines of Montana for his incredible work. He has worked so hard to secure additional funding for vaccine development, where he has been right at the forefront.” In addition, Daines was

It wasn’t long after grocers began running low on meat that a little processing shop in Shepherd saw a surge in customer demand. Customers who never before graced the parking lot of Project Meats were stopping beneath the reader board. In all caps, the sign along U.S, Highway 12 read, “Never out of beef. Gotta Love Montana.” The 23-pound, “Home Sweet Home” packages were selling fast during Montana’s stay-home order. Then, the state order was lifted. Restaurants closed by the pandemic started opening back up. Those unable to get meat from their usual vendors also came calling on the local

Senate leaders are preparing for what could be a protracted brawl over government surveillance powers during a rare public debate Wednesday over how to reauthorize key national security tools that lapsed two months ago. The two-day floor debate threatens to start a domino effect across the Capitol and down Pennsylvania Avenue — and the Senate’s civil libertarians are girding for a fight that Republican leaders acknowledge could get ugly. “At this point it’s sort of a Wild West, I would say,” predicted Senate Majority Whip John Thune (R-S.D.), who, like other GOP leaders, is hoping for swift passage of a

The Gallatin Valley YMCA started offering free child care for front-line workers in March. There are now 11 children on the waitlist for that service. The Commons is donating its space for the program for K-8 kids, but it’s still an expensive endeavor for the nonprofit, YMCA CEO Andrea Stevenson said. And now businesses are reopening and more people are going back to work, but schools are staying closed. “As time has gone on, demand has definitely increased,” Stevenson said. The YMCA’s normal summer programming for kids will begin June 15, but the free child care program might not last

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate is expected to vote on whether to extend three surveillance authorities as senators of both parties express concerns that the laws infringe on Americans’ rights. The surveillance provisions expired in March, the month lawmakers fled Washington because of the coronavirus pandemic. House lawmakers passed a bipartisan compromise bill just before leaving town, but Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has not yet been able to push the legislation through the Senate. And it’s unclear if he will be able to do so as he tries again on Thursday. The House legislation also has the backing of

Nearly 120 House members and hundreds of organizations are ramping up pressure on Congress to include mandatory funding for the Land and Water Conservation Fund and billions of dollars to address the backlog in national parks and public lands maintenance in the next round of coronavirus relief legislation. The push shows efforts to enact the bipartisan package remain high on its supporters’ agenda despite having a planned March vote on a package, S. 3422 (116), led by Republican Sens. Cory Gardner of Colorado and Steve Daines of Montana, derailed by the Covid-19 pandemic. “Given the clear bipartisan support in both