WASHINGTON, March 5 -- Sen. Jon Tester, D-Montana, issued the following news release: A critical bipartisan amendment U.S. Senator Jon Tester championed to protect veterans' access to legal firearms has been included in the government funding legislation, following his call to Senate leadership to include the provision. "It's flat wrong that a DC bureaucrat could take away a veteran's legal right to firearms simply because they need assistance managing their finances,"Tester said. "We need to  more

WASHINGTON, March 5 -- Sen. Jon Tester, D-Montana, chairman of the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee, issued the following news: A critical bipartisan amendment U.S. Senator Jon Tester championed to protect veterans' access to legal firearms has been included in the government funding legislation, following his call to Senate leadership to include the provision. "It's flat wrong that a DC bureaucrat could take away a veteran's legal right to firearms simply because they need assistance managi  more

WASHINGTON, March 8 -- The Congressional Budget Office issued the following cost estimate on March 7, 2024, for the Montana Sportsmen Conservation Act (S. 2216): * * * S. 2216 would direct the Bureau of Land Management and the Forest Service to modify the land management of three wilderness study areas: the Middle Fork Judith, Hoodoo Mountain, and Wales Creek Wilderness Study Areas in Montana. The bill would release the parcels from their current status as wilderness study areas and require th  more

WASHINGTON, March 7 -- Sen. Mike Crapo, R-Idaho, issued the following news release on March 6, 2024: U.S. Senator Mike Crapo (R-Idaho) spoke Tuesday evening at a news conference to urge inclusion of the Major Richard Star Act in the upcoming Fiscal Year 2025 National Defense Authorization Act. Crapo was joined at the news conference by U.S. Senator Jon Tester (D-Montana), U.S. Representative Gus Bilirakis (R-Florida) and Tonya Star, wife of the late Richard Star. Senators Crapo and Tester are  more

WASHINGTON, March 6 -- Sen. Mike Crapo, R-Idaho, issued the following news release: U.S. Senator Mike Crapo (R-Idaho) spoke Tuesday evening at a news conference to urge inclusion of the Major Richard Star Act in the upcoming Fiscal Year 2025 National Defense Authorization Act. To view the entirety of the 18-minute news conference, click HERE or the image above. To view just Senator Crapo's remarks, click HERE. Crapo was joined at the news conference by U.S. Senator Jon Tester (D-Montana), U.  more

WASHINGTON, March 9 -- Sen. Steve Daines, R-Montana, issued the following news release: Senator Steve Daines today joined his colleagues in introducing a resolution slamming Congress' obsession with reckless earmarks. "Earmarks represent the worst of Congress. They are slimy backroom deals that make lobbyists rich on the taxpayer's dime. Washington must reject these toxic deals and return to fiscal sanity." said Daines. The resolution condemns the use of "congressionally directed spending" an  more

WASHINGTON, March 9 -- Sen. Steve Daines, R-Montana, issued the following news release on March 7, 2024: U.S. Senator Steve Daines delivered the following remarks at a Senate Banking Committee hearing today with Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell. Daines pointed out that Montana families are still struggling under the burden of inflation due to the Biden administration's out-of-control spending. He also noted that he is encouraged that there will be changes to the Basel III Endgame proposal  more

WASHINGTON, March 9 -- Sen. Steve Daines, R-Montana, issued the following news release on March 7, 2024: * * * Senator Steve Daines today issued the following statement ahead of President Biden's State of the Union address. "Tonight's State of the Union should be the kick off of Joe Biden's apology tour. The first three words out of his mouth should be 'I'm sorry, America.' From the wide-open southern border to sky-high prices to emboldening our enemies abroad, the state of our union is in cr  more

WASHINGTON, March 7 -- Sen. Steve Daines, R-Montana, issued the following news release on March 6, 2024: U.S. Senator Steve Daines and Congressman Ryan Zinke (MT-01) today blasted President Biden's Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) for prioritizing a woke agenda instead of focusing on the care of our nation's veterans. Daines and Zinke sent a letter to VA Secretary Denis McDonough demanding accountability after an official VA memorandum directing the removal of the iconic V-J Day in TimesSqua  more

WASHINGTON, March 8 -- Rep. Ryan Zinke, R-Montana, issued the following news release on March 6, 2024: Today, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Consolidated Appropriations Act which provides FY2024 funding for nearly half the federal government and includes more than $31 million in direct funding for western Montana infrastructure, rural development, and public safety projects. The bill combines funding for the Departments of Agriculture, Interior, Veterans Affairs, Transportation, H  more

WASHINGTON, March 7 -- Rep. Matt Rosendale, R-Montana, issued the following news release on March 6, 2024: Today, Congressman Matt Rosendale (MT-02), announced Larry Mayer will be his guest for the State of the Union this week. Larry is a Billings Gazette photographer who was the first person to take a picture of the CCP spy balloon that flew over Montana and eventually was shot down over South Carolina on February 4th, 2023. "It is an absolute honor to have Larry Mayer as my guest to the Stat  more

WASHINGTON, March 8 -- Rep. Matt Rosendale, R-Montana, issued the following news release: Today, Congressman Matt Rosendale (MT-02), took to the House Floor to honor our veterans and recognize Governor Gianforte's Invest in Veterans Week initiative. "Today, I rise to celebrate this week as Invest in Veterans Week, as proclaimed by Montana Governor Gianforte. Currently, nearly 9% of the Treasure State's population is made up of veterans. There are over 78,000 veterans in Montana, the fifth-high  more

WASHINGTON, March 6 -- Rep. Matt Rosendale, R-Montana, issued the following news release: Today, Congressman Matt Rosendale (MT-02), delivered remarks at the Joint House and Senate Veterans' Affairs Hearing titled: "Legislative Presentation of the Veterans of Foreign Wars & Multiple VSOs: PVA, WWP, NASDVA, MRC, BSF, IAVA, BVA, SWAN, SVA, AMVETS." In this hearing, Congressman Rosendale discussed how the VA can adopt a more efficient and personalized model for veterans that would empower them t  more

WASHINGTON, March 7 -- Rep. Matt Rosendale, R-Montana, issued the following news release on March 5, 2024: Today, Congressman Matt Rosendale (MT-02), visited with representatives from the Wounded Warrior Project (WWP). Two representatives from the group, Christopher Richard and Anton Johnson, came to D.C. from the Treasure State. The group discussed veterans' mental health, the importance of receiving treatment, and improving employment opportunities for veterans. Christopher and Rep. Rosenda  more

WASHINGTON, March 6 -- Rep. Matt Rosendale, R-Montana, issued the following news release: Today, Congressman Matt Rosendale (MT-02), voted against H. Res. 1061, The 2024 Consolidated Appropriations Act. This bill was another continuation of Nancy Pelosi's budget and Joe Biden's policies that costs over a trillion dollars and included hundreds of pages of earmarks. You can hear Rep. Rosendale's remarks on the bills' passage by clicking on the picture below: "I just walked off of the floor of   more

WASHINGTON, March 7 -- Rep. Matt Rosendale, R-Montana, issued the following news release: Today, Congressman Matt Rosendale (MT-02), released the following statement after President Biden's State of the Union address. Please click on the picture below to view his remarks: "Just now leaving the State of the Union address, after sitting there listening to the President deliver his speech. I could tell you, by far, the highlight of the evening for me was having my friend Larry Mayer, a journalis  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 27 -- Rep. Gabriel Vasquez, D-New Mexico, issued the following news release: On February 27, 2024, U.S. Representative Gabe Vasquez announced the introduction of the bipartisan Public Lands in Public Hands Act. Vasquez partnered with Republican U.S. Representative Ryan Zinke from Montana on the legislation. The Public Lands in Public Hands Act follows Vasquez's commitment to maintaining public access to public land by banning the sale or transfer of most public lands managed   more

WASHINGTON, March 8 -- Rep. Ryan Zinke, R-Montana, issued the following news release on March 6, 2024: Yesterday, Montana Congressman Ryan Zinke led a bipartisan group of colleagues including Democrat Rep. Mary Peltola (AK-01) and Republican Reps. Harriet Hageman (WY-01), Juan Ciscomani (AZ-6), and Western Caucus Chairman Dan Newhouse (WA-4) in sending a letter to Department of the Interior (DOI) Secretary Deb Haaland demanding answers as to why the Department failed to obligate nearly $19 mill  more

WASHINGTON, March 7 -- Sen. Jon Tester, D-Montana, issued the following news release: U.S Senator Jon Tester, Chairman of the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee, announced he will bring Fred Hamilton of Columbia Falls as his guest to Thursday's State of the Union address. Hamilton is an Air Force veteran who served in Vietnam where he was exposed to toxins during his service and is now receiving long-overdue Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) benefits as a direct result of Senator Tester's Ser  more

WASHINGTON, March 7 -- Sen. Jon Tester, D-Montana, issued the following news release on March 6, 2024: Following continued pressure by U.S. Senator Jon Tester, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) announced today that they will completely eliminate their proposed Scope 3 requirements in their 'climate disclosure rule' that would have created burdensome federal reporting requirements for family farmers and ranchers. Tester repeatedly made it clear to SEC Chair Gary Gensler that thes  more

WASHINGTON, March 7 -- Sen. Jon Tester, D-Montana, issued the following news release on March 5, 2024: U.S. Senator Jon Tester, Chairman of the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee, led a press conference today to demand quick Congressional action on the Major Richard Star Act, his bipartisan bill to fix an injustice that prevents combat-injured veterans with less than 20 years of military service from receiving their full military benefits. Tester was joined by veterans, Military and Veterans S  more

WASHINGTON, March 1 -- Sen. Jon Tester, D-Montana, issued the following news release: U.S. Senators Jon Tester (D-Mont.) and Susan Collins (R-Maine) led a bipartisan group of colleagues in celebrating the critical role public school teachers, administrators, parents, and students play in their communities by designating February 26 through March 1 as Public Schools Week. Tester, a former public school teacher, and Collins are Co-Chairs of Public Schools Week, and have fought tirelessly to impr  more

WASHINGTON, March 5 -- Sen. Jon Tester, D-Montana, issued the following news release on March 4, 2024: As a part of his tireless effort to tackle drug trafficking and improve public safety in Indian Country, U.S. Senator Jon Tester today pressed Attorney General Merrick Garland to use the full force of the Department of Justice (DOJ) to combat the Mexican drug cartels preying on Indian reservations in Montana ahead of the Attorney General's Tuesday visit to Montana. "I appreciate you taking th  more

WASHINGTON, March 7 -- Sen. Jon Tester, D-Montana, issued the following news release: As a result of U.S. Senator Jon Tester's bipartisan infrastructure law, Jefferson County will receive $1,000,000 for improvements to the Whitehall Treatment Plant. This funding comes from Tester's bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA). Tester negotiated the IIJA with a group of five Republicans, four Democrats, and President Biden, and was the only member of Montana's congressional delegati  more

WASHINGTON, March 1 -- Sen. Jon Tester, D-Montana, issued the following news release: As a direct result of his bipartisan infrastructure law, U.S. Senator Jon Tester today secured $6,054,264 as part of Glacier Park International Airport's ongoing expansion project. This funding comes from Tester's bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) and is awarded through the Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA) Airport Terminals Program. Tester negotiated the IIJA with a group of five  more

WASHINGTON, March 5 -- Sen. Jon Tester, D-Montana, issued the following news release: Continuing his efforts to protect Montanans' Second Amendment rights, U.S. Senator Jon Tester is urging Senate leadership to include a critical bipartisan amendment he championed to protect veterans' access to legal firearms as the Senate considers legislation to fund the government. In his letter, Tester called on his colleagues, the heads of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee that oversees funding for t  more

WASHINGTON, March 8 -- Sen. Jon Tester, D-Montana, chairman of the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee, issued the following news on March 6, 2024: U.S Senator Jon Tester, Chairman of the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee, announced he will bring Fred Hamilton of Columbia Falls as his guest to Thursday's State of the Union address. Hamilton is an Air Force veteran who served in Vietnam where he was exposed to toxins during his service and is now receiving long-overdue Department of Veterans Aff  more

WASHINGTON, March 7 -- Sen. Jon Tester, D-Montana, chairman of the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee, issued the following news on March 6, 2024: U.S. Senator Jon Tester, Chairman of the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee, led a press conference today to demand quick Congressional action on the Major Richard Star Act, his bipartisan bill to fix an injustice that prevents combat-injured veterans with less than 20 years of military service from receiving their full military benefits. Tester was  more

WASHINGTON, March 8 -- Sen. Jon Tester, D-Montana, chairman of the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee, issued the following news: Continuing his efforts to take his cues directly from veterans, U.S. Senator Jon Tester, Chairman of the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee, led joint hearings of the Senate and House Veterans' Affairs Committees this week to hear from the nation's leading Veterans Service Organizations (VSOs) on their annual legislative priorities for veterans and their families. A  more