WASHINGTON, March 10 -- Rep. Ryan Zinke, R-Montana, issued the following news release on March 9, 2023: Western Montana Congressman Ryan Zinke announced his co-sponsorship of H.R. 5, the Parents Bill of Rights Act. The legislation provides legal protections for parents to know what their kids are being taught and clear guidelines for school systems to follow so our children's education is accurate, relevant and transparent. "Parents have rights and it's necessary that any school that receives   more

WASHINGTON, March 10 -- Rep. Ryan Zinke, R-Montana, issued the following news release on March 9, 2023: Western Montana Congressman Ryan Zinke voted to nullify the rule titled Revised Definition of "Waters of the United States," which was submitted by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on January 18, 2023. The rule specifies which bodies of water fall under the scope of the Clean Water Act and are thereby under federal jurisdiction. The 2023 rule repl  more

WASHINGTON, March 10 -- Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Arkansas, issued the following news release on March 9, 2023: Senator Tom Cotton (R-Arkansas) today introduced the Preventing Violence Against Female Inmates Act, legislation to prohibit the Bureau of Prisons from housing prisoners with persons of the opposite sex. The legislation would require the Bureau of Prisons to house federal inmates according to their biological sex and would withhold certain federal grants from states that fail to do the same.  more

WASHINGTON, March 9 -- Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Arkansas, issued the following news release: Senator Tom Cotton (R-Arkansas) introduced the Taylor Force Martyr Payment Prevention Act, legislation aimed at eliminating Palestinian "martyr payments," otherwise known as the "pay to slay" program. The bill would deter foreign banks from processing these payments for the Palestinian Authority by cutting off their access to the United States financial system. Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-Tennessee), Senator  more

WASHINGTON, March 9 -- Sen. Steve Daines, R-Montana, issued the following remarks on March 7, 2023: * * * U.S. Senator Steve Daines today delivered the following remarks at the weekly Republican Senate Leadership press conference where he focused on the consequences of President Biden's runaway inflation, including the fact that over the next ten years, the total amount spent on interest on our national debt will exceed the total amount spent on defense. "When I'm back home in Montana, the to  more

WASHINGTON, March 11 -- Sen. Jon Tester, D-Montana, issued the following news release on March 10, 2023: U.S. Senator Jon Tester today held a press conference with health care and community leaders at Logan Health in Kalispell to discuss the significant health care savings for Montana seniors in the Inflation Reduction Act, and his continued efforts to cut costs for Montanans. "Too many politicians in Washington don't understand the challenges Montana families face - and for years they've prom  more

WASHINGTON, March 9 -- Rep. Ryan Zinke, R-Montana, issued the following news release on March 8, 2023: Western Montana Congressman Ryan Zinke served as interim Chairman of the House Appropriations Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies subcommittee hearing for American Indian and Alaska Native Public Witness Day. During that session, the Committee heard testimony from representatives from the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes (CSKT), the Blackfeet Nation, Fort Belknap Indian Communit  more

WASHINGTON, March 8 -- Rep. Matt Rosendale, R-Montana, issued the following news release and letter on March 7, 2023: Recently, Congressman Matt Rosendale sent a letter to the Executive Director of the Montana VA Healthcare System, Dr. Judy Hayman, requesting answers after a veteran was denied care at the Benjamin Charles Steele VA Clinic in Billings for refusing to wear a mask. "Denying anyone, particularly a veteran, medical care over a personal decision is outrageous and violates the Hippoc  more

WASHINGTON, March 10 -- Rep. Matt Rosendale, R-Montana, issued the following news release on March 9, 2023: Congressman Matt Rosendale's Restore Onshore Energy Production Act was included in the Transparency, Accountability, Permitting, and Production (TAPP) of American Resources Act that passed out of the House Committee on Natural Resources today. Rosendale's provision would require the Biden administration to immediately resume onshore oil and gas lease sales in compliance with the Mineral L  more

WASHINGTON, March 9 -- Sen. Steve Daines, R-Montana, issued the following news release on March 7, 2023: As skyrocketing inflation continues to crush Montana families, U.S. Senator Steve Daines released the next video in a series chronicling how inflation is impacting Montanans. This week, Senator Daines is sharing Gracie Tooke's experience with the crushing inflation that affected her ability to live a balanced life while also attending school at MSU. Gracie is a junior Medical Laboratory Sc  more

WASHINGTON, March 7 -- Sen. Jon Tester, D-Montana, chairman of the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee, issued the following news on March 9, 2023: U.S. Senator Jon Tester, Chairman of the Defense Appropriations Subcommittee, led a hearing today to evaluate the Department of Defense's (DoD) health care program. During the hearing, Tester pressed DoD officials on TRICARE issues recently discussed at a roundtable he hosted with Montana servicemembers, veterans, and health care providers in Great F  more

WASHINGTON, March 11 -- Sen. Jon Tester, D-Montana, chairman of the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee, issued the following news: Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee Chairman Jon Tester (D-Mont.) and U.S. Senator James Lankford (R-Okla.) are introducing bipartisan legislation to set up servicemembers transitioning out of the military with careers as U.S. Border Patrol agents. The Senators' Veterans Border Patrol Training Act would utilize the Department of Defense's (DoD) SkillBridge program t  more

WASHINGTON, March 11 -- Sen. Jon Tester, D-Montana, chairman of the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee, issued the following statement on March 10, 2023: * * * U.S. Senator Jon Tester, Chairman of the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee, released the following statement today following a report from the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) highlighting a set of reforms for the Electronic Health Record Modernization (EHRM) program: "The men and women who risk their lives to defend our country de  more

WASHINGTON, March 9 -- Sen. Jon Tester, D-Montana, issued the following news release: U.S. Senators Jon Tester (D-Mont.), John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.), Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), and Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) reintroduced the bipartisan Network Equipment Transparency (NET) Act, legislation that would monitor the telecommunications supply chain and identify disruptions that might impact the roll-out of internet infrastructure deployments as part of their continued efforts to strengthen internet a  more

WASHINGTON, March 9 -- Sen. Jon Tester, D-Montana, issued the following news release on March 7, 2023: U.S. Senator Jon Tester, Chairman of the Defense Appropriations Subcommittee, led a hearing today to evaluate the Department of Defense's (DoD) health care program. During the hearing, Tester pressed DoD officials on TRICARE issues recently discussed at a roundtable he hosted with Montana servicemembers, veterans, and health care providers in Great Falls. "I just had a town hall meeting in Mo  more

WASHINGTON, March 8 -- Sen. Jon Tester, D-Montana, issued the following news release and letter: As part of his continued effort to secure America's borders and combat the flow of fentanyl to Montana, U.S. Senator Jon Tester (D-Mont.) sent a bipartisan letter to President Biden calling for additional investments in technology to assist law enforcement in stopping illicit drug trafficking. "Montana families are facing the disastrous consequences of the flow of fentanyl into our state because po  more

WASHINGTON, March 11 -- Sen. Jon Tester, D-Montana, issued the following news release on March 10, 2023: U.S. Senator Jon Tester today secured $43,599,090 from the Bureau of Reclamation's (BoR) Dam Safety Program to upgrade the Milk River's Fresno Dam. Bozeman-based NW Construction has been awarded the contract and will begin the dam modification project next month. Tester was the only member of the Montana congressional delegation to vote for the Fiscal Year 2023 (FY23) Omnibus Appropriations  more

WASHINGTON, March 7 -- Sen. Jon Tester, D-Montana, issued the following statement on March 6, 2023: * * * Following the passing of longtime Montana political reporter Charles "Chuck" Johnson, U.S. Senator Jon Tester released the following statement: "Chuck Johnson was a reporter's reporter - always prepared, and always speaking truth to power. As a journalist, his integrity, commitment to truth, and willingness to hold people accountable earned him the respect of readers and elected officials  more

WASHINGTON, March 10 -- Sen. Jon Tester, D-Montana, issued the following statement on March 9, 2023: * * * U.S. Senator Jon Tester released the following statement on President Biden's Fiscal Year 2024 budget proposal: "Too many people in Washington don't understand the challenges Montana families face. At a time when working families are dealing with rising costs on everything from housing to health care to groceries, I'm demanding that Washington pass a budget that lowers costs. "The last  more

WASHINGTON, March 6 -- Sen. Jon Tester, D-Montana, issued the following statement on March 6, 2023: * * * Following the release of the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) proposed rule which would allow the voluntary "Product of USA" or "Made in the USA" label claim to be used on meat, poultry and egg products only when they are derived from animals born, raised, slaughtered and processed in the United States, U.S. Senator Jon Tester released the following statement: "Montana ranchers pro  more

WASHINGTON, March 10 -- Sen. Jon Tester, D-Montana, issued the following news release: At the last of three joint Senate and House Veterans' Affairs Committee hearing with the nation's leading Veterans Service Organizations (VSOs) yesterday, Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee Chairman Jon Tester questioned leaders of the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) on his legislative efforts to improve the Department of Veterans Affairs' (VA) infrastructure and increase research for medicinal cannabis to pro  more

WASHINGTON, March 11 -- Sen. Jon Tester, D-Montana, issued the following news release: Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee Chairman Jon Tester (D-Mont.) and U.S. Senator James Lankford (R-Okla.) are introducing bipartisan legislation to set up servicemembers transitioning out of the military with careers as U.S. Border Patrol agents. The Senators' Veterans Border Patrol Training Act would utilize the Department of Defense's (DoD) SkillBridge program to connect transitioning servicemembers with   more