Press Releases

BOZEMAN, Mont. —U.S. Senator Steve Daines today announced that SkyWest Airlines has been re-approved as the Essential Air Service (EAS) provider for West Yellowstone for the four-month summer seasons of 2017 and 2018. “SkyWest Airlines provides a critical transportation service for the Greater Yellowstone Region and community,” Daines stated. “By maintaining their service and working with the West Yellowstone community, SkyWest has made it easier for folks to get to and from the region. I’m pleased that their contract has been renewed and that no disruptions will be made to their service.”  SkyWest will continue its service with 12 weekly nonstop round trips

(Montana) – U.S. Senators Jon Tester, Steve Daines, U.S. Representative Ryan Zinke, Governor Steve Bullock and Attorney General Tim Fox are standing together against anti-Semitism and white nationalism in Montana and across the nation.  In an open letter to the nation, Montana’s top elected leaders stood together to send a bipartisan message condemning attacks on the Jewish community. “We stand firmly together to send a clear message that ignorance, hatred and threats of violence are unacceptable and have no place in the town of Whitefish, or in any other community in Montana or across this nation,” Montana’s elected officials wrote. “We say

BOZEMAN, Mont.—U.S. Senator Steve Daines today secured the expansion of wireless broadband access in rural Montana.  After months of hard work by Daines, today the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) provided final regulatory approval for T-Mobile to provide 4G LTE service to areas covering over one million people in Montana and Wyoming.  “Montanans know all too well the feeling of seeing your call dropped, pressing send on text messages that will never get sent in the rural parts of our state,” Daines stated. “Today’s announcement that T-Mobile will be able to expand their coverage to the underserved part of our state is great

U.S. SENATE — U.S. Senators Steve Daines and Jon Tester today announced that two Montanans—Mike Tooley, Director of the Montana Department of Transportation and Brian Sprenger, Director of Bozeman Yellowstone International Airport  —will be advising Congress on how to better enhance air transportation in small communities.  “Air travel makes it easier to do business, travel across our great state and connects our communities,” Daines stated. “Montanans have a unique perspective on the importance of air travel and I look forward to Mike and Brian bringing the Montana ingenuity to a national stage.” “In a state as sprawling as Montana, air travel connects folks,

BOZEMAN, Mont. —U.S. Senator Steve Daines today released the following statement of the U.S. Department of the Interior’s (DOI) Stream Protection Rule:  “The good news is in 31 days President Obama will no longer be in office,” Daines stated. “This final rule will be devastating for hardworking miners in Montana like the Crow tribal members working at the Absaloka Mine and create more challenges to operations at our other federal coal operations which provide critical sources of tax revenue and good-paying jobs throughout our state.”  In a recent letter to President-elect Donald J. Trump, Daines urged the President-elect to halt finalization of the Office of

BOZEMAN, Mont. — U.S. Senator Steve Daines today slammed the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) for failing to relieve small businesses of burdensome regulations found in the FCC’s 317-page “net neutrality” rules. The FCC failed to extend a small business exemption to the so-called “enhanced transparency requirements,” which requires internet service providers to disclose an excess of information about their network performance, some of which may require investing in new equipment and hiring an engineer.  “The FCC’s decision to subject small businesses to the enhanced transparency rules purely for political reasons is inexcusable,” Daines stated. “These small businesses are run by hardworking Americans who

HELENA, Mont. —U.S. Senator Steve Daines today announced legislation to protect wildland firefighters retirement.  Currently, if injured and not able to return to a firefighting position, federal wildland firefighters must switch from the 20-year retirement track authorized for federal employees with certain hazardous jobs to the 30-year retirement track for ordinary federal employees. Daines’ fix will allow wildland firefighters to remain on the 20-year retirement track if they’re injured on the job. Additionally, Daines’ fix requires that overtime pay be considered as income for purposes of calculating worker’s compensation disability benefits since overtime pay constitutes a significant portion of wildland firefighter

HELENA, Mont. — U.S. Senator Steve Daines today met with Dr. Kathy Berger, the director of the Montana VA Healthcare System, to discuss prioritizing Montana veterans and ensuring they receive the care they deserve.  Daines pressed Berger on holding officials at the VA accountable and ensuring those who have served receives the best possible care. They also discussed the unique challenges facing veterans living in rural areas, issues related to Health Net and third party providers, as well as the obstacles that exist in providing quality care, regardless of a veteran’s residence or location. “Dr. Berger has a tall order ahead

GREAT FALLS, Mont. — U.S. Senator Steve Daines released the following statement on Yahoo’s disclosure that more than 1 billion accounts were attacked:  “The Yahoo breach is a glaring example of how vulnerable our digital information is,” Daines stated. “Private companies must uphold the highest standard to combat cyber criminals and prevent future breaches.” In September, Yahoo disclosed that 500 million users were attacked in 2014.  Before serving in Congress, Daines worked in the technology sector for more than twelve years. He served as vice president of Montana-based RightNow Technologies, a global leader in cloud computing and multi-billion dollar technology company that became Bozeman, Montana’s largest commercial employer. ###