WASHINGTON, April 4 -- Sen. Steve Daines, R-Montana, issued the following statement on April 3, 2023: * * * Senator Daines today issued the following statement after a new report indicates that the Chinese spy balloon that travelled over Malmstrom Air Force Base, Montana's ICBMs and the rest of the country was collecting intelligence and sending information back to China despite the Biden administration's denial that was occurring. "The Chinese Communist Party didn't send a spy balloon over o  more

WASHINGTON, April 4 -- Sen. Steve Daines, R-Montana, issued the following news release: U.S. Senators Steve Daines (R-Mont.), Michael Bennet (D-Colo.) and Roger Marshall (R-Kan.) reintroduced the "Voluntary Public Access Improvement Act of 2023." This bill would expand opportunities for hunting, fishing, hiking and other wildlife-dependent activities in America. "As a lifelong sportsman, I grew up hunting, fishing and backpacking and it's a family tradition that I'll pass down to my children,   more

WASHINGTON, April 6 -- Sen. Steve Daines, R-Montana, issued the following news release on April 5, 2023, and letter: U.S. Senator Steve Daines (R-Mont.) today joined Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.) and a group of their colleagues in formally requesting the withdrawal of a pending Biden administration rule to eliminate moral exemptions established to protect individuals and entities who object to some or all contraceptives, including those that can destroy human life. "As Members of Congress  more

WASHINGTON, April 7 -- Sen. Jon Tester, D-Montana, issued the following news release on April 6, 2023: Continuing his efforts to hire more law enforcement officers and keep Montana communities safe, U.S. Senator Jon Tester last week re-introduced his bipartisan Invest to Protect Act which will create a special COPS grant to support hiring and resources for local law enforcement agencies with under 200 officers. Tester was joined by Senators Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa.), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-N  more

WASHINGTON, April 6 -- Sen. Steve Daines, R-Montana, issued the following news release: As skyrocketing inflation continues to crush Montana families, U.S. Senator Steve Daines released the next video in a series chronicling its impact on Montanans. This week, Senator Daines is highlighting Brady Tabish, a student at Montana State University. Brady is paying three to four times more at the grocery store now than he was a couple years ago. Bidenflation is putting a strain on his weekly budget.   more

WASHINGTON, April 4 -- Sen. Jon Tester, D-Montana, issued the following news release on April 3, 2023: * * * Chairman championed 2021 law to deliver copayment relief for Native veterans seeking earned health care; make copayments retroactive to January 2022 * * * The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) announced today that eligible American Indian and Alaska Native Veterans are no longer required to make copayments for health care and urgent care received through the Department as directed b  more

WASHINGTON, April 7 -- Sen. Jon Tester, D-Montana, chairman of the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee, issued the following news: This Sexual Assault Awareness Month, Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee Chairman Jon Tester (D-Mont.), U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), and Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (D-Maine) are teaming up to introduce bipartisan, bicameral legislation to improve military sexual trauma (MST) survivors' access to care and benefits, as well as bolster MST claims processing  more

WASHINGTON, April 5 -- Sen. Jon Tester, D-Montana, issued the following news release: In his continued push to support Montana farmers and ranchers, U.S. Senator Jon Tester pressed U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Tom Vilsack on staffing issues at the Farm Service Agency (FSA) and on suspending Brazilian beef imports to the United States. Tester grilled Secretary Vilsack on staffing issues at FSA, and blamed uncompetitive pay for the number of vacancies at Montana's FSA offices.  more

WASHINGTON, April 8 -- Sen. Jon Tester, D-Montana, issued the following news release on April 7, 2023: U.S. Senator Jon Tester secured more than $1.6 million for timber projects in Montana through his bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA). This funding will support wood-processing facilities that purchase and process byproducts from forest management work on federal or Tribal lands, and allow for the implementation of new timber water crossings. Tester negotiated the IIJA an  more

WASHINGTON, April 6 -- Sen. Jon Tester, D-Montana, issued the following news release: * * * Lawmakers introduce bipartisan bill to strengthen MST survivors' care and benefits during Sexual Assault Awareness Month * * * This Sexual Assault Awareness Month, Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee Chairman Jon Tester (D-Mont.), U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), and Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (D-Maine) are teaming up to introduce bipartisan, bicameral legislation to improve military sexual t  more