WASHINGTON, March 16 (Rep.) -- The Congressional Western Caucus issued the following news release: Congressional Western Caucus Executive Vice Chair Doug LaMalfa (CA-01) introduced H.R. 1586, the Forest Protection and Wildland Firefighter Safety Act of 2023, with Chairman Dan Newhouse (WA-04). Senate Western Caucus Chair Cynthia Lummis (R-WY) introduced a companion bill in the Senate. This bill creates a Clean Water Act exemption for federal, state, local, and tribal firefighting agencies so t  more

WASHINGTON, March 15 -- Sen. Jon Tester, D-Montana, issued the following news release and letter on March 14, 2023: U.S. Senator Jon Tester today sent a letter to U.S. Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) Chairman Martin J. Gruenberg and Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome H. Powell urging federal financial regulators to hold Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) executives accountable and use every tool at their disposal to claw back reported bonuses received by the Bank's leadership. "At a time when  more

WASHINGTON, March 14 -- Rep. Ryan Zinke, R-Montana, issued the following news release on March 13, 2023: Western Montana Congressman Ryan Zinke released the following statement on President Biden's Alaskan Willow Project approval decision. President Biden continued his war on American energy by only approving 3/5 pads for drilling. Disapproving two pads comes as no surprise after the President campaigned on killing domestic production causing Americans to rely on adversaries for energy. "Make   more

WASHINGTON, March 10 -- Sen. Steve Daines, R-Montana, issued the following news release: U.S. Senator Steve Daines today hosted a roundtable discussion with Montana ag and forestry leaders at the Montana State University (MSU) Post Farm to discuss priorities for the upcoming farm bill. Senator Daines also took a tour of the MSU Post Farm with Dr. Sreekala Bajwa, Vice President, Dean and Director of the MSU College of Agriculture to see the exciting work MSU is doing to support ag innovation and  more

WASHINGTON, March 9 -- Sen. Steve Daines, R-Montana, issued the following news release and letter: U.S. Senator Steve Daines joined his colleagues in sending a letter to the Biden Administration urging against the implementation of a drug-pricing scheme selected by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) that would stifle innovation and discourage research for new cures. "By bringing groundbreaking therapies to patients years before these products could otherwise reach the market, th  more

WASHINGTON, March 14 -- Sen. Steve Daines, R-Montana, issued the following news release: U.S. Senators Steve Daines (R-Mont.), Gary Peters (D-Mich.) and Roger Marshall's (R-Kans.) bipartisan bill to require U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to remove personally identifiable information (PII), which includes Social Security and passport numbers, from cargo manifests before public disclosure passed the U.S. Senate. "Montanans' private, personal information should never be jeopardized just  more

WASHINGTON, March 16 -- Rep. Matt Rosendale, R-Montana, issued the following news release on March 15, 2023: Congressman Matt Rosendale (MT-02) honored Billings Gazette photographer Larry Mayer for capturing some of the first images of China's spy balloon and uncovering the national security risks posed by the previously undisclosed surveillance equipment. "Larry pointed his lens skyward when federal regulators shut down Billings Logan International Airport and captured one of the first public  more

WASHINGTON, March 15 -- Sen. Jon Tester, D-Montana, chairman of the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee, issued the following news: Continuing his push to protect veterans' benefits from bad actors, Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee Chairman Jon Tester recently introduced bipartisan legislation to hold unaccredited entities targeting Montana veterans and survivors accountable for their predatory practices. The Senator's Governing Unaccredited Representatives Defrauding (GUARD) VA Benefits Act   more

WASHINGTON, March 16 -- 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 Ranking Member Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) are teaming up to introduce the Veterans' Compensation Cost-of-Living Adjustment (COLA) Act of 2023 to increase the rates of compensation for veterans with service-connected disabilities and military survivors under the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). "I'll  more

WASHINGTON, March 17 -- Sen. Jon Tester, D-Montana, chairman of the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee, issued the following news: This women's history month, Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee Chairman Jon Tester (D-Mont.), Ranking Member Jerry Moran (R-Kan.), U.S. Senator Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.), and U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) are introducing bipartisan legislation to honor the landmark service of the brave women who connected American and French military forces on the front lines  more

WASHINGTON, March 15 -- Sen. Jon Tester, D-Montana, issued the following news release: Continuing his push to protect veterans' benefits from bad actors, Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee Chairman Jon Tester recently introduced bipartisan legislation to hold unaccredited entities targeting Montana veterans and survivors accountable for their predatory practices. The Senator's Governing Unaccredited Representatives Defrauding (GUARD) VA Benefits Act would reinstate criminal penalties for unacc  more

WASHINGTON, March 14 -- Sen. Jon Tester, D-Montana, issued the following news release and letter on March 13, 2023: Continuing his efforts to lower the cost of prescription drugs for America's seniors and hold Big Pharma accountable, U.S. Senator Jon Tester today sent a letter to Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Administrator Chiquita Brooks-LaSure pressing the agency to execute oversight to ensure the swift implementation of Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) provisions that will low  more

WASHINGTON, March 14 -- Sen. Jon Tester, D-Montana, issued the following news release and letter on March 13, 2023: U.S. Senator Jon Tester today sent a letter to Walgreens and CVS' executives pressing the companies to take immediate action to ensure that all women, including those in rural areas like Montana, have access to safe and effective health care. Tester's letter is in response to Walgreens' recent decision limiting the sale of mifepristone and misoprostol, even in states like Montana   more

WASHINGTON, March 17 -- Sen. Jon Tester, D-Montana, issued the following news release and letter on March 16, 2023: As part of his continued efforts to bring a Regional Technology and Innovation Hub to Montana, U.S. Senator Jon Tester today urged Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo and the Biden Administration to take into consideration feedback from Montanans on why the state should be selected for a rural Tech Hub. "Too many folks in Washington don't understand the untapped potential of rura  more

WASHINGTON, March 17 -- Sen. Jon Tester, D-Montana, issued the following news release on March 16, 2023: U.S. Senator Jon Tester today announced $38,250,000 in USDA Rural Development loan funding to replace and renovate Mountainview Medical Center in White Sulphur Springs as a result of his 2018 Farm Bill. "As a third-generation farmer who still proudly calls rural Montana home, I know that access to high-quality affordable health care is critical to the success of communities like White Sulph  more

WASHINGTON, March 14 -- Sen. Jon Tester, D-Montana, issued the following news release: U.S. Senator Jon Tester secured $9,752,250 for Bear Paw Development to finance expanded meat and poultry processing in five regions across Montana. In order to reach markets across the state, Bear Paw Development has partnered with Sweetgrass Development Corporation, Great Falls; Headwaters RC&D, Butte; Montana Business Assistance Connection, Helena; and Snowy Mountain Development Corporation, Lewistown. This  more

WASHINGTON, March 15 -- Sen. Jon Tester, D-Montana, issued the following statement on March 14, 2023: * * * U.S. Senator Jon Tester released the following statement on the failure of Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank. "I voted against bailing out Wall Street banks in 2008 and oppose any taxpayer bailouts for Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank now. "We should be focusing on lowering costs for working people, not helping bank executives. "I am in close contact with Treasury officials  more

WASHINGTON, March 18 -- Sen. Jon Tester, D-Montana, issued the following news release on March 17, 2023: Facing a public safety crisis in Indian Country, U.S. Senators Jon Tester (D-Mont) and John Hoeven (R-N.D) today introduced legislation to recruit and retain tribal law enforcement by increasing the pay rates for Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) Officers. "I'll work with anyone to ensure that folks in Indian Country have the resources they need to keep their communities safe," said Tester. "A  more

WASHINGTON, March 16 -- Sen. Jon Tester, D-Montana, issued the following news release: Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee Chairman Jon Tester (D-Mont.) and Ranking Member Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) are teaming up to introduce the Veterans' Compensation Cost-of-Living Adjustment (COLA) Act of 2023 to increase the rates of compensation for veterans with service-connected disabilities and military survivors under the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). "I'll always fight to deliver veterans and their   more

WASHINGTON, March 17 -- Sen. Jon Tester, D-Montana, issued the following news release: This women's history month, Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee Chairman Jon Tester (D-Mont.), Ranking Member Jerry Moran (R-Kan.), U.S. Senator Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.), and U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) are introducing bipartisan legislation to honor the landmark service of the brave women who connected American and French military forces on the front lines of World War I. The Senators' Hello Girls   more