Press Releases

EPA Meets Daines’ Request, Includes Montana Among Targeted Superfund Sites

U.S. SENATE — U.S. Senator Steve Daines today made the following statement after the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) included both Montana’s Silver Bow Creek/Butte Area and Anaconda Co. Smelter Superfund sites in its list of sites that Administrator Scott Pruitt has targeted for immediate and intense attention. This comes in response to a letter Senator Daines sent to Pruitt urging the agency to do so. “By including the Silver Bow Creek/Butte Area and Anaconda Co. Smelter sites among the EPA’s targeted Superfund sites, these sites will now receive the attention, focus and prioritization that these communities deserve,” said Daines. “With an additional sixteen National Priority List sites still in Montana, I will continue to work with the EPA to clean up

Daines Announces 2017 Montana Student U.S. Military Academy Nominations

U.S. SENATE — U.S. Senator Steve Daines today announced his nominations of 22 Montana students who are applying for enrollment into U.S. military academies. A congressional nomination is a critical step in the process for Montanans seeking admission to one of the nation’s four military academies: the U.S. Air Force Academy at Colorado Springs, the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, the U.S. Naval Academy at Annapolis or the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy at Kings Point. “It is an honor and a privilege to nominate some of Montana’s most capable and brightest young people to attend one of our nation’s military academies,” Daines said. “I

Daines Honors Montanan of the Week: June Rychalski of Lewis and Clark County

U.S. SENATE —U.S. Senator Steve Daines today recognized June Rychalski of Lewis and Clark County for her distinguished 35-year career in the Montana Department of Military Affairs. Daines’ recognition in the Congressional Record is available here. Through his “Montanan of the Week” initiative, Daines each week will highlight 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

Daines Introduces Legislation to Protect Public Use of Public Lands

U.S. SENATE — U.S. Senator Steve Daines today introduced legislation, the Protect Public Use of Public Lands Act, to protect public access and use of Montana’s public lands by implementing the Forest Service’srecommendation to release 449,500 acres of Wilderness Study Areas (WSA) in Montana. “As a fifth-generation Montanan and an avid outdoorsman, I know how important public use of our public lands is to Montanans,” Daines stated. “Forty years of DC paralysis has frozen our access and use of public lands. It’s time to keep public lands in public hands.”  This bill follows bottom-up requests from the state legislature and local communities. Implementing the Forest Service recommendation for these WSAs will increase the

Daines Pushes Intelligence Community to Combat Cyber Attacks

U.S. SENATE — U.S. Senator Steve Daines today questioned members of the intelligence community on what actions they are taking to combat cyber-attacks against Americans and to keep America safe.  Click HERE to watch Daines’ remarks. Click HERE to download Daines’ remarks. In his questions, he highlighted the recent attack on Montana’s Columbia Falls School District, which affected over fifteen thousand students and forced the closure of several schools.  Daines attended a Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee hearing where members discussed what actions must be taken to protect Americans from cyber-attacks by terrorists and other extremist groups online, while also protecting Americans’ constitutional liberties. ###  

Daines Speaks at National Lighting of the Montana Christmas Tree

U.S. SENATE — This evening, U.S. Senator Steve Daines spoke at the U.S. Capitol’s National Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony. This year’s tree traveled over 3,600 miles from Montana’s Kootenai National Forest.     Click HERE to watch Daines’ remarks. Click HERE to download Daines’ remarks. If you would like to learn more about the tree and its journey to the Capitol, click HERE.  ###

Daines Bill to Help Tribal Victims Passes Out of Committee

U.S. SENATE — U.S. Senator Steve Daines today released the following statement after bipartisan legislation he co-sponsored, the Securing Urgent Resources Vital to Indian Victim Empowerment (SURVIVE) Act, passed out of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs. “I am committed to ensuring that tribal members’ public safety needs are met,” said Daines. “The SURVIVE Act will provide victims with greater access to the resources and support they need to heal.” The SURVIVE Act will increase needed tribal victim assistance by creating a tribal grant program within the Department of Justice’s Office for Victims of Crime. The bill requires a five percent allocation from the Crime

Daines Delivers Montana Veterans Stories To Library of Congress

U.S. SENATE — U.S. Senator Steve Daines today presented a collection of 50 veterans’ interviews who served in the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marines to be preserved in Library of Congress as part of the Veterans History Project (VHP). To watch a video of Senator Daines’ remarks, clickHERE.   “The sacrifices and heroism of Montana’s veterans must not be lost with the passage of time,” said Daines. “Our future generations must recognize and appreciate what our men and women in uniform did to keep America safe and free.”   Background: The U.S. Congress created VHP in 2000 to preserve and make available personal interviews

Daines Statement on Senate Confirmation of DHS Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen

U.S. SENATE — U.S. Senator Steve Daines today released the following statement after the U.S. Senate confirmed President Donald J. Trump’s nominee Kirstjen Nielsen for the position of Secretary of Homeland Security.   “Secretary Nielson understands the increasing threats facing our country and has the experience to do what is necessary to keep Americans safe,” said Daines. “With her confirmation, she can now focus on taking swift action to protect our national security, including securing our border and strengthening our cybersecurity.” Background: Daines is a member of the U.S. Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, which has jurisdiction for the Department of