WASHINGTON, June 2 -- Sen. Jon Tester, D-Montana, issued the following news release: As part of his continued push to protect America's food security and national security, U.S. Senator Jon Tester pressed officials at a Senate Banking Committee hearing on their ability to enforce his bipartisan legislation that would ban China and other foreign adversaries from purchasing U.S. farmland. At the beginning of his remarks, Tester highlighted how feedback he's heard directly from Montanans led to h  more

WASHINGTON, June 2 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following Legal Sidebar white paper (No. LSB10972) on Montana's TikTok ban and pending legal actions on June 1, 2023, by legislative attorney Madeline W. Donley and assistant director Sanchitha Jayaram: * * * Montana's TikTok Ban and Pending Legal Actions On May 17, 2023, Montana's governor signed into law a ban on TikTok's operations in the state. According to media reporting, while a number of states have some type of prosc  more

WASHINGTON, June 2 -- Rep. Ryan Zinke, R-Montana, issued the following statement on June 1, 2023: * * * Western Montana Congressman Ryan Zinke voted against H.R.: 3746: The Fiscal Responsibility Act, which would've suspended the debt ceiling until 2025. The bill passed the House and is now before the Senate for consideration. Congressman Zinke said: "The bill was not all bad. It contained modest but needed work on permit reforms and negotiated spending reductions. The problem is that it is j  more

WASHINGTON, June 2 -- Rep. Ryan Zinke, R-Montana, issued the following statement on June 1, 2023: * * * Western Montana Congressman Ryan Zinke voted to secure our nation's borders through the passage of House Republican's H.R. 2: the Secure the Border Act. The passage of H.R. 2 comes the day before the expiration of Title 42, an existing authority that allows the President to expel individuals illegally crossing the border for the duration of COVID-19. The passed legislation directs border wal  more

WASHINGTON, June 1 -- Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto, D-Nevada, issued the following news release: U.S. Senators Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) and Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.) announced that the U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is awarding $12 million to fund sagebrush restoration and wildfire fuels reduction in the Montana Mountains in Humboldt County and the Upper Humboldt/O'Neil basin in Elko County. These grants are funded through the Inflation Reduction Act and will leverage additional funds fr  more

WASHINGTON, June 3 -- Sen. Steve Daines, R-Montana, issued the following statement on June 1, 2023: * * * U.S. Senator Steve Daines released the following statement after voting against the debt ceiling deal: "Washington, D.C. has a spending problem and as a result, our country faces an existential crisis of a nearly $32 trillion national debt and record inflation. Solving this crisis will require real and meaningful spending reform. "Failure to do so will result in terrible consequences for  more

WASHINGTON, June 2 -- Sen. Steve Daines, R-Montana, issued the following news release on May 31, 2023: U.S. Senator Steve Daines today voted to block the Biden administration's unconstitutional and irresponsible student loan bailout through a Congressional Review Act (CRA) joint resolution of disapproval. "President Biden's student loan plan is unconstitutional and irresponsible--it needs to be stopped. The President's claim that he has the authority to cancel $400 billion in debt is a complet  more

WASHINGTON, June 3 -- Sen. Steve Daines, R-Montana, issued the following news release on June 1, 2023: U.S. Senators Steve Daines (R-Mont.) and Ed Markey (D-Mass.) today announced their bipartisan Senate resolution designating May 2023 as "National Brain Tumor Awareness Month" passed the United States Senate. "I'm pleased to designate May as 'National Brain Tumor Awareness Month' for the sixth year in a row to help promote public awareness of brain tumors, including the opportunities for advan  more

WASHINGTON, June 2 -- Sen. Jacky Rosen, D-Nevada, issued the following news release: U.S. Senators Jacky Rosen (D-NV) and Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV) announced that the U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is awarding $12 million to fund sagebrush restoration and wildfire fuels reduction in the Montana Mountains in Humboldt County and the Upper Humboldt/O'Neil basin in Elko County. These grants are funded through the Inflation Reduction Act and will leverage additional funds from the Bipartis  more

WASHINGTON, June 3 -- Rep. Matt Rosendale, R-Montana, issued the following news release on June 2, 2023: Congressman Matt Rosendale (MT-02) and Congresswoman Chrissy Houlahan (PA-06) issued a joint statement after introducing the Industrial Hemp Act in the U.S. House of Representatives. "Industrial hemp is a staple commodity crop for many Montana farmers," said Rep Rosendale. "Unfortunately, burdensome regulations are preventing hardworking farmers from taking full advantage of this booming ag  more

WASHINGTON, May 29 -- Rep. Matt Rosendale, R-Montana, issued the following statement on May 28, 2023, and a letter: * * * Congressman Matt Rosendale (MT-02) released the following statement on the Fiscal Irresponsibility Act. "The D.C. Swamp has proposed the largest debt ceiling increase in our nation's history, adding $4 trillion to the existing $31 trillion national debt," said Rep. Rosendale. "The Fiscal Irresponsibility Act fails to cut spending and continues to fund the Democrats' and Bi  more

WASHINGTON, June 2 -- Rep. Matt Rosendale, R-Montana, issued the following news release on May 31, 2023: Congressman Matt Rosendale (MT-02) voted against H.R. 3746. "The Fiscal Irresponsibility Act shows the D.C. Swamp on full display," said Rep. Rosendale. "Last month, House Republicans worked together to pass the Limit, Save, Grow Act which reduces spending, grows the economy, and funds the federal government responsibly - while protecting Social Security, Medicare, and veterans' benefits. I  more

WASHINGTON, June 1 -- Sen. Steve Daines, R-Montana, issued the following news release: As fentanyl continues to devastate Montana communities, U.S. Senator Steve Daines released the final video in a series highlighting Montanans affected by the fentanyl crisis. Each week, Daines highlighted a video on his social media channels of a Montanan talking about how President Biden's failure to secure the southern border and stop the flow of fentanyl into Montana communities affects them personally. T  more

WASHINGTON, June 1 -- The Senate Finance Subcommittee on Health issued the following testimony by RiverStone Health President and CEO Jonathan P. Forte involving a hearing on March 29, 2023, entitled "An Oral Health Crisis: Identifying and Addressing Health Disparities": * * * Introduction & Background Chairman Cardin, Ranking Member Daines, and members of the Committee, thank you for the opportunity to testify on such a critical issue. My name is Jonathan Forte, and I am the President and CE  more

WASHINGTON, May 29 -- Sen. Steve Daines, R-Montana, ranking member of the Senate Finance Subcommittee on Health Care, issued the following opening statement at a hearing on May 17, 2023, entitled "Improving Health Care Access in Rural Communities: Obstacles and Opportunities": * * * Thank you, Mr. Chairman. It's great to be here this afternoon to discuss rural health care. It's also a pleasure to be joined by Ms. Erin Aune from Glasgow, Montana. We'll have a more formal introduction soon, but  more

WASHINGTON, June 2 -- Sen. Jon Tester, D-Montana, chairman of the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee, issued the following statement on June 1, 2023: * * * Chairman Jon Tester of the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee released a statement today following a review from the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Office of Inspector General (OIG) on significant shortfalls with its veterans' beneficiary travel reimbursement program, also known as the Beneficiary Travel Self-Service System (BTSSS): "  more

WASHINGTON, June 1 -- Sen. Jon Tester, D-Montana, chairman of the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee, issued the following news on May 31, 2023: During a Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee hearing today, Chairman Jon Tester questioned Tanya Bradsher, the nominee to be the Department of Veterans Affairs' (VA) Deputy Secretary, on her qualifications and ability to serve. If confirmed, Bradsher would be the Department's second highest official and Chief Operating Officer tasked with running the da  more

GREAT FALLS, Montana, May 31 -- Sen. Jon Tester, D-Montana, chairman of the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee, issued the following remarks on May 30, 2023, at a Memorial Day ceremony at the Montana Veterans Memorial: * * * U.S. Senator Jon Tester, Chairman of the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee, today delivered remarks in honor of Montana's fallen at a Memorial Day ceremony alongside veterans, local officials, and community members in Great Falls. "On Memorial Day, we come together to r  more

WASHINGTON, June 3 -- 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 Mike Braun (R-Ind.) this week introduced their bipartisan Veterans Caregiver Application and Appeals Reform Act of 2023 (CARE Act of 2023) to improve operation and oversight of the Program of Comprehensive Assistance for Family Caregivers, also known as the Caregivers Program. "VA has m  more

WASHINGTON, June 1 -- Sen. Jon Tester, D-Montana, issued the following news release on May 31, 2023: U.S. Senator Jon Tester today announced he has secured $26 million in Bureau of Land Management funding for landscape restoration and resilience projects across Montana. Tester secured the funding from his Inflation Reduction Act, which he was the only member of Montana's congressional delegation to support. "Healthy public lands are critical to the thousands of jobs supported by Montana's $7.1  more

WASHINGTON, May 31 -- Sen. Jon Tester, D-Montana, issued the following news release on May 30, 2023: U.S. Senator Jon Tester today announced that he secured $5.7 million in Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) grant funding for six Montana projects to clean up brownfield pollution sites and spur economic development. The funding was delivered through the through the Multipurpose, Assessment, Revolving Loan Fund, and Cleanup (MARC) Grant program and Brownfields Revolving Loan Fund Grant program  more

WASHINGTON, June 2 -- Sen. Jon Tester, D-Montana, issued the following statement on June 1, 2023: * * * Chairman Jon Tester of the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee released a statement today following a review from the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Office of Inspector General (OIG) on significant shortfalls with its veterans' beneficiary travel reimbursement program, also known as the Beneficiary Travel Self-Service System (BTSSS). "Access to travel benefits is essential for veterans   more

WASHINGTON, June 2 -- Sen. Jon Tester, D-Montana, issued the following news release on June 1, 2023: As part of their continued efforts to support law enforcement officers and keep communities safe, U.S. Senators Jon Tester (D-Mont.) and John Hoeven (R-N.D.) today introduced their bipartisan Assisting Narcotics and Trafficking Officers in Interdicting (ANTI) Drugs Act to support law enforcement efforts to combat the drug epidemic and boost border security. The Senators' bipartisan legislation   more

WASHINGTON, June 2 -- Rep. Ryan Zinke, R-Montana, issued the following news release on June 1, 2023: Congressmen Ryan Zinke (R-MT) and Congressman Donald Davis (D-NC), along with twelve additional colleagues including every Navy SEAL in Congress, introduced a bipartisan, bicameral bill to ensure the Department of Veterans Affairs is granting veterans access to life-saving mental health care in their local communities. The legislation streamlines veteran's community-based care by allowing expedi  more