WASHINGTON, June 19 -- Sen. Jon Tester, D-Montana, issued the following news release: Amid the ongoing coronavirus crisis, U.S. Senator Jon Tester secured nearly $300,000 to help Fort Peck bolster its public health services. Tester secured the $286,136 grant through the Coronavirus Preparedness and Response Supplemental Appropriations Act which will benefit Fort Peck's Tribal health care, and enable the Tribe to better respond to and prevent further spread of COVID-19. "Tribal communities in   more

WASHINGTON, June 19 -- The House Natural Resources subcommittee on National Parks, Forests, and Public Lands issued the following testimony by Bryan Wells, chairman of the B-47 Memorial Committee and owner of Emigrant Creek Cabins, for a remote hearing on B-47 Ridge Designation Act (H.R. 1267) on June 18: My name is Bryan Wells and I am the Chairman of the B-47 Memorial Committee and owner of Emigrant Creek Cabins located at the base of Emigrant Peak in Paradise Valley, Montana. On the evening  more

WASHINGTON, June 16 -- Sen. Jon Tester, D-Montana, issued the following news release: After leading the charge to expand access to telehealth in response to the coronavirus outbreak, U.S. Senator Jon Tester is now urging the Senate to make those expansions permanent. In a letter to Senate leadership, Tester and a bipartisan group of his colleagues wrote that telehealth increases access to health care, and leads to better health outcomes while saving patients time and money. "Telehealth has pr  more

WASHINGTON, June 18 -- Rep. Greg Gianforte, R-Montana, issued the following news release: Congressman Greg Gianforte (R-Mont.) announced his support for the Great American Outdoors Act. "Senator Steve Daines has done what no other senator, Republican or Democrat, has been able to do - advance meaningful legislation that invests in our existing public lands, increases public access, boosts our recreation economy, creates Montana jobs, promotes energy development, and provides much needed mainte  more

WASHINGTON, June 19 -- Rep. Greg Gianforte, R-Montana, issued the following news release: Congressman Greg Gianforte (R-Mont.) recognized Cindy O'Boyle of Kalispell for encouraging, empowering, and uplifting women throughout Montana through the Montana Woman Foundation (MWF). Sixteen years ago, Cindy founded MWF and serves as its executive director. The 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization's mission is to help all Montana women reach their full potential through mentorship, workshops, and scholars  more

WASHINGTON, June 20 -- Rep. Greg Gianforte, R-Montana, issued the following news release: Congressman Greg Gianforte (R-Mont.) and a group of 21 lawmakers urged House Armed Services Committee leaders to exclude anti-border security provisions in the upcoming national defense budget. "As you begin consideration of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021, we urge to not include any provisions that undermine security operations on our southern border," Gianforte wrote with law  more

WASHINGTON, June 18 -- Rep. Greg Gianforte, R-Montana, issued the following news release: Citing the impact of the closure of the U.S.-Canada border on Montanans and the economy, Congressman Greg Gianforte (R-Mont.) urged President Trump to reopen the border in areas with low rates of COVID-19 infections. "Cross border travel and tourism is vital for Montana communities along the Canadian border. Montana and its three bordering Canadian provinces have had significantly lower rates of COVID-19   more

WASHINGTON, June 19 -- Rep. Greg Gianforte, R-Montana, issued the following news release: Congressman Greg Gianforte (R-Mont.) and Bryan Wells, chairman of the B-47 Memorial Committee and a resident of Emigrant, testified before a House Natural Resources subcommittee to advocate for the advancement of Gianforte's bipartisan B-47 Ridge Designation Act, H.R. 1267. Today's hearing is the bill's first in the U.S. House of Representatives. "This bill would designate an unnamed mountain ridge locat  more

WASHINGTON, June 19 -- Sen. Steve Daines, R-Montana, issued the following news release: Senator Daines cosponsored a bill to ban no-knock warrants federally and incentivize states and localities to stop using the tactic by restricting grant eligibility. "No-knock warrants are an unconstitutional tool that often puts the lives of both law enforcement and individuals in danger. It's time that we follow the constitution and end this practice all together," said Daines. This bill would require fe  more

WASHINGTON, June 18 -- Sen. Steve Daines, R-Montana, issued the following news release: U.S. Senator Steve Daines voted for and secured Senate passage of his bipartisan bill, the Great American Outdoors Act. Daines' bill requires full, mandatory funding of the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) and addresses the maintenance backlog facing the nation's national parks and public lands. "Today, we passed the most important conservation bill for Montana and the nation in decades - one that wi  more

WASHINGTON, June 20 -- Sen. Steve Daines, R-Montana, issued the following news release: U.S. Senator Steve Daines announced he will be introducing a bill that would increase the penalties for landing any unauthorized aerial vehicles on designated wilderness areas in national forests. His bill will raise the maximum penalty to $20,000. "Montana's wilderness shouldn't be taken advantage of and exploited as a playground for the rich and famous," Daines said. "Montanans value wilderness for the so  more

WASHINGTON, June 16 -- Sen. Steve Daines, R-Montana, issued the following news release: U.S. Senator Steve Daines today sent a bipartisan letter to Senate Leadership urging them to make permanent provisions in previous COVID-19 legislation that expanded telehealth services for Medicare beneficiaries. "Telehealth has proven to be pivotal for many patients during the current pandemic, ensuring they receive the care they need while reducing the risk of infection and the further spread of COVID-19  more

WASHINGTON, June 18 -- Sen. Steve Daines, R-Montana, issued the following news release: U.S. Senator Steve Daines secured Senate passage of his bipartisan conservation bill, the "Great American Outdoors Act" out of the Senate. Daines' bill provides full, mandatory funding of the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) and addresses the national park and public lands maintenance backlog. Here's what Montana conservation, sportsmen and public lands leaders and stakeholders are saying about the pa  more

WASHINGTON, June 20 -- Sen. Jon Tester, D-Montana, issued the following news release: As part of his ongoing efforts to ensure that every student can access a quality education throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, U.S. Senator Jon Tester led a group of colleagues in demanding that Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Minority Leader Chuck Schumer work to invest an additional $175 billion into education stabilization. The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act dedicated about $1  more

WASHINGTON, June 20 -- Sen. John Tester, D-Montana, ranking Democratic member of the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee, issued the following news release: Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee Ranking Member Jon Tester held a roundtable discussion with Chairman Jerry Moran (R-Kans.), stakeholders, and veterans' advocates to address longstanding issues associated with the effects of toxic exposures on our nation's servicemembers and veterans. At the roundtable, Tester questioned Veterans Health A  more

WASHINGTON, June 19 -- Sen. Jon Tester, D-Montana, issued the following news release: Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee Ranking Member Jon Tester held a roundtable discussion with Chairman Jerry Moran (R-Kans.), stakeholders, and veterans' advocates to address longstanding issues associated with the effects of toxic exposures on our nation's servicemembers and veterans. At the roundtable, Tester questioned Veterans Health Administration Chief Consultant on Post-Deployment Health Services, Dr.  more

WASHINGTON, June 17 -- Sen. Jon Tester, D-Montana, issued the following news release: Following his vote to confirm President Trump's nominee to serve as Chief of Staff of the United States Air Force, U.S. Senator Jon Tester is inviting General Charles Q. Brown to Great Falls to discuss critical defense priorities in Montana. "You are going to be leading the Air Force during a critical period of change and modernization for our military forces, and I look forward to working closely with you on  more

WASHINGTON, June 19 -- Sen. Jon Tester, D-Montana, issued the following news release: As the Trump Administration continues its assault on Inspectors General (IGs), U.S. Senator Jon Tester is leading a push to bolster protections for these critical watchdogs tasked with safeguarding Montanans' taxpayer dollars. Tester is cosponsoring the bipartisan Securing Inspector General Independence Act, which beefs up a 2008 law by requiring any Administration to report to Congress "detailed and case-spe  more

WASHINGTON, June 17 -- Sen. Jon Tester, D-Montana, issued the following news release: As businesses across Montana continue to cope with coronavirus fallout, U.S. Senator Jon Tester is pushing to cut red tape for a critical small business relief program. Tester urged Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and Small Business Administration chief Jovita Carranza to streamline the cumbersome and complex forgiveness application for the smallest businesses participating in the Paycheck Protection Progra  more

WASHINGTON, June 19 -- Sen. Jon Tester, D-Montana, issued the following news release: As part of his ongoing fight to ensure Montana small businesses aren't left behind due to the COVID-19 pandemic, U.S. Senator Jon Tester questioned Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell on the effectiveness of programs available to businesses in rural areas during a recent Senate Banking Committee hearing. "The unemployment rate is 13.3 percent...and since we've got a lot of poverty in rural America, would y  more

WASHINGTON, June 18 -- Sen. Jon Tester, D-Montana, issued the following news release on June 17: Completing his years-long efforts to grant full, permanent funding for the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF), U.S. Senator Jon Tester led the Senate in passing the Great American Outdoors Act--legislation that will fund LWCF at $900 million annually and allocate $9.5 billion to address maintenance backlogs on public lands across the United States. "Today, we made history," said Tester. "This   more

WASHINGTON, June 17 -- Sen. Jon Tester, D-Montana, issued the following statement on June 16 after a D.C. Court decision to overturn a lower court ruling that had reinstated the Solenex lease on the sacred Badger-Two Medicine area: "There are some places you just shouldn't drill, and the Badger-Two Medicine is one of those places. That's why today's ruling is a huge win for our public lands that would not have been possible without tireless work by the Blackfeet Tribe and folks on the ground wh  more