WASHINGTON, April 19 -- Sen. Jon Tester, D-Montana, chairman of the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee, issued the following news: Following efforts from U.S. Senator Jon Tester, President Joe Biden signed an Executive Order today to expand access to high-quality home care and support for veterans and caregivers of all ages. "This is great news for our aging and disabled veterans who deserve and have earned access to quality home-based care," said Tester. "Ensuring these men and women have acc  more

WASHINGTON, April 19 -- Sen. Jon Tester, D-Montana, issued the following news release on April 18, 2023: Following efforts from U.S. Senator Jon Tester, President Joe Biden signed an Executive Order today to expand access to high-quality home care and support for veterans and caregivers of all ages. "This is great news for our aging and disabled veterans who deserve and have earned access to quality home-based care," said Tester. "Ensuring these men and women have access to convenient, long-te  more

WASHINGTON, April 19 -- Sen. Mike Crapo, R-Idaho, issued the following news release on April 18, 2023: U.S. Senators Mike Crapo and Jim Risch (both R-Idaho) joined Senator Steve Daines (R-Montana) to introduce legislation to prohibit the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) and the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) from banning the use of traditional lead ammunition or tackle on public lands unless such action is supported by the best available science and state   more

WASHINGTON, April 20 -- Sen. Steve Daines, R-Montana, issued the following news release on April 18, 2023: Senator Steve Daines (R-MT), a member of the Senate Banking Committee, today criticized Jared Bernstein, nominee to be Chairman of the Council of Economic Advisors, for his claim at the administration has a "top track record" on domestic energy production. Under questioning from Daines about the unsustainability of the administration's climate policies. Bernstein claimed the administration  more

WASHINGTON, April 21 -- Sen. Steve Daines, R-Montana, issued the following news release on April 20, 2023: Senator Steve Daines spoke on the floor of the U.S. Senate today about the fentanyl epidemic that is a direct result of the Biden administration's failure to secure the southern border. Specifically, he highlighted Reilly Schrapps, a 24 year old from Butte who died after taking a pill laced with fentanyl last summer. Excerpts from Daines' remarks as prepared for delivery: "When most peop  more

WASHINGTON, April 22 -- Sen. Steve Daines, R-Montana, issued the following news release on April 21, 2023: U.S. Senator Steve Daines introduced the bipartisan "Civilian Conservation Center Enhancement Act" to direct the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) to offer specialized training, specifically wildland firefighter training, to Job Corps Civilian Conservation Center students. This would create a pipeline for young Montanans to enter into caree  more

WASHINGTON, April 20 -- Sen. Steve Daines, R-Montana, issued the following news release and letter: U.S. Senator Steve Daines led a group of his Republican colleagues today in calling on the Department of Energy (DOE) to remove the proposed rule that would ban at least 50 percent of gas stoves in the United States. "Consumers deserve choice. Consumers deserve the ability to decide what appliances are in their homes. We strongly urge you to reject this approach and work towards more reasonable,  more

WASHINGTON, April 20 -- Sen. Steve Daines, R-Montana, issued the following news release on April 19, 2023: U.S. Senator Steve Daines, along with a group of Republican senators, reintroduced the "Stop Fentanyl Border Crossings Act," that would add large-scale drug smuggling as an additional basis for Title 42 expedited removal immigration authority. Montana has seen a 1,100 percent increase in fatal overdoses linked to fentanyl since 2017. "The fentanyl that is coming through President Biden's   more

WASHINGTON, April 20 -- Sen. Steve Daines, R-Montana, issued the following news release on April 19, 2023: U.S. Senator Steve Daines today at a Senate Finance hearing secured a commitment from Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Commissioner Danny Werfel to end improper audits of disabled first responders. Daines' bipartisan bill to end these wrongful audits was signed in to law last year, but does not take effect until 2026. Because of this delay many disabled first responders could still be subjec  more

WASHINGTON, April 20 -- Sen. Steve Daines, R-Montana, issued the following news release on April 19, 2023: U.S. Senator Steve Daines led a group of 23 of his colleagues to introduce a bill to prohibit the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), U.S. Forest Service (USFS) and the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) from banning the use of traditional lead ammunition or tackle on public lands unless such action is supported by the best available science and state wildlife and fish agencies. "Sportsmen  more

WASHINGTON, April 22 -- Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, issued the following news release on April 20, 2023: U.S. Senators Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) and Jon Tester (D-Montana) introduced the Family Farm and Small Business Exemption Act to reverse recent changes to the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) process that could reduce or even eliminate access to need-based student aid for farm families and small business owners. "Parents should not be forced to leverage their business to ensure thei  more

WASHINGTON, April 22 -- Sen. Steve Daines, R-Montana, issued the following news release on April 21, 2023: U.S. Senator Steve Daines today issued the following statement after the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) announced future deployments of the new Electronic Health Record (EHR) will be halted until concerning systematic failures are resolved. "After serving our state and our nation, Montana veterans must have access to reliable, efficient health services. I'm glad to see the VA finally  more

WASHINGTON, April 22 -- Sen. Jon Tester, D-Montana, issued the following news release on April 21, 2023: * * * VA takes course of action laid out in Chairman's EHR RESET Act to address system-wide issues on behalf of veterans, VA personnel, and taxpayers * * * Following sustained pressure from U.S. Senator Jon Tester, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) today announced a program reset to address system-wide issues with the Electronic Health Record Modernization (EHRM) program. "This res  more

WASHINGTON, April 20 -- Sen. Steve Daines, R-Montana, issued the following news release on April 19, 2023: U.S. Senator Steve Daines today at a Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources hearing questioned U.S. Forest Service Chief Randy Moore on common sense forest management and the importance of passing his complete and permanent fix to the Cottonwood 9th Circuit Court decision. Senator Daines: "We need to get that Ninth Circuit Cottonwood fix passed because its looming deadline that   more

WASHINGTON, April 19 -- Sen. Jon Tester, D-Montana, issued the following news release on April 18, 2023: U.S. Senator Jon Tester, Chairman of the Defense Appropriations Subcommittee, today pressed Biden Administration officials on funding priorities in response to the Chinese spy balloon, and for answers on the recent classified leaks by an Air National Guardsman. Tester reiterated that he believes the Chinese spy balloon should have been shot down earlier and noted that the Administration's b  more

MISSOULA, Montana, April 18 (TNSres) -- Rep. Ryan Zinke, R-Montana, issued the following news release on April 17, 2023: Today Western Montana Congressman Ryan Zinke announced Ms. Cedar Hunt of St. Ignatius' piece titled Girl on Horse as the winner of the Congressional Art Competition for Montana's First Congressional District. The St. Ignatius High Schooler's art will be displayed in the halls of the United States Congress for the next year along with the top entries in each district around th  more

WASHINGTON, April 22 -- The Senate Indian Affairs Committee issued the following testimony by Kari Jo Lawrence, executive director of the Intertribal Agriculture Council, at an oversight hearing entitled "Native Communities' Priorities for the 118th Congress": * * * Thank you for the opportunity to submit testimony on behalf of the Intertribal Agriculture Council as it relates to agriculture priorities in Native communities in 2023. I am Kari Jo Lawrence, the Executive Director of the Intertri  more

WASHINGTON, April 21 -- Sen. Jon Tester, D-Montana, chairman of the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee, issued the following news: Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee Chairman Jon Tester led a hearing yesterday to examine fraud and scams targeting veterans and their families, and identify mechanisms to hold bad actors accountable. "A historic number of veterans are receiving disability benefits," said Tester. "Unfortunately, more and more bad actors and scammers are seeing these veterans as a p  more

WASHINGTON, April 22 -- Sen. Jon Tester, D-Montana, issued the following news release: Continuing his efforts to ensure Members of Congress are held to the highest possible ethics standards, U.S. Senator Jon Tester joined his colleagues in introducing the Ending Trading and Holdings in Congressional Stocks (ETHICS) Act to ban congressional stock trading. "Too many folks in Washington would rather line their own pockets than lift a finger to help working families," said Tester. "Montanans elect  more

WASHINGTON, April 21 -- Sen. Jon Tester, D-Montana, issued the following news release on April 20, 2023: As part of his continued effort to support emergency services in Montana and keep communities safe, U.S. Senator Jon Tester today passed his bipartisan Fire Grants and Safety Act to reauthorize the Assistance to Firefighters Grants (AFG) Program, and the Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) Grant Program - both of which provide resources for fire service agencies to impr  more

WASHINGTON, April 21 -- Sen. Jon Tester, D-Montana, issued the following news release: * * * At hearing, Tester pushes officials to hold bad actors accountable following 2021 Supreme Court ruling * * * Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee Chairman Jon Tester led a hearing yesterday to examine fraud and scams targeting veterans and their families, and identify mechanisms to hold bad actors accountable. "A historic number of veterans are receiving disability benefits," said Tester. "Unfortunate  more