WASHINGTON, Oct. 17 -- Sen. Jon Tester, D-Montana, issued the following news release: * * * - Senator hears testimony from Ft. Belknap representative, pushes Bureau of Indian Affairs & Dept. of Housing and Urban Development to approve home loans after long delays * * * After hearing testimony from Fort Belknap Indian Community Councilman Nate Mount at a Senate hearing today on housing challenges in Indian Country, U.S. Senator Jon Tester pressed the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) and Departm  more

WASHINGTON, Oct. 15 -- Sen. Jon Tester, D-Montana, issued the following news release: * * * - Senators' Seeding Rural Resilience Act praised by state-wide and national farming and mental health organizations * * * As the only farmers currently serving in the U.S. Senate, U.S. Senators Jon Tester (D-Mont.) and Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) are receiving praise from farm and mental health organizations across the country for the introduction of their Seeding Rural Resilience Act, which aims to curb   more

WASHINGTON, Oct. 16 -- Rep. Greg Gianforte, R-Montana, issued the following news release: At a congressional hearing today, Gianforte blasted Google for rejecting hunting advertisements under the guise of "animal cruelty," calling its decision "absurd." Gianforte described how the Missoula-based Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation (RMEF) reached out to his office after Google denied one of its paid advertisements. Google rejected the ad, a video about a father and daughter hunting, writing that prom  more

WASHINGTON, Oct. 16 -- Sen. Jon Tester, D-Montana, issued the following news release: * * * - Senator encourages visit to address defense modernization efforts, Montana National Guard and housing challenges for Airmen at Malmstrom Air Force Base * * * Following his vote to confirm President Trump's nominee to serve as Secretary of the Air Force, U.S. Senator Jon Tester is inviting Secretary Barbara Barrett to Great Falls to discuss critical United States Air Force priorities in Montana. "Co  more

WASHINGTON, Oct. 16 -- Sen. John Tester, D-Montana, ranking Democratic member of the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee, issued the following news release: * * * - Senator encourages visit to address defense modernization efforts, Montana National Guard and housing challenges for Airmen at Malmstrom Air Force Base * * * Following his vote to confirm President Trump's nominee to serve as Secretary of the Air Force, U.S. Senator Jon Tester is inviting Secretary Barbara Barrett to Great Falls t  more

WASHINGTON, Oct. 17 -- Sen. Jon Tester, D-Montana, issued the following statement: * * * - Senate had already rejected emergency declaration on bipartisan basis, after Trump veto lacks 2/3 majority to override * * * U.S. Senator Jon Tester today released the following statement condemning the Senate's failure to override President Trump's veto of a bipartisan bill intended to terminate the "emergency declaration" he has used as justification for raiding vital military construction funds to b  more

WASHINGTON, Oct. 17 -- Sen. Jon Tester, D-Montana, issued the following news release: In response to a steady flow of pollution from Canadian mines to waterways in Northwest Montana, U.S. Senator Jon Tester this week called on the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Department of State to work together and identify a path forward to fix the transboundary water issue and protect the Kootenai River watershed. Tester wrote to EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler and Secretary of State   more

WASHINGTON, Oct. 17 -- Sen. Jon Tester, D-Montana, issued the following news release: * * * - Bipartisan legislation aims to close revolving door of lobbyist influence in Washington * * * Aiming to shut the revolving door of lobbyist influence in Washington, U.S. Senators Jon Tester (D-Mont.), Michael Bennet (D-Colo.), and Cory Gardner (R-Colo.) today reintroduced legislation banning members of Congress from becoming lobbyists. "Truly draining the swamp means pulling the plug on politicians  more

WASHINGTON, Oct. 16 -- Sen. John Tester, D-Montana, ranking Democratic member of the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee, issued the following news release: * * * - Pentagon study finds National Guard suicide rate has surpassed Active Duty Servicemembers and Reservists * * * U.S. Senators Jon Tester (D-Mont.), Michael Bennet (D-Colo.), and Jerry Moran (R-Kansas) today led a bipartisan call for the Department of Defense (DoD) to address the increasing suicide rate among members of the National  more

WASHINGTON, Oct. 18 -- Sen. Jon Tester, D-Montana, issued the following news release: * * * - VA awards $75,000 to Horses Sprit Healing, Inc. in Billings and $28,035 to DREAM Adaptive Recreation, Inc. in Whitefish * * * U.S. Senator Jon Tester today announced more than $103,000 has been awarded to help disabled veterans in Montana improve their independence, well-being, and quality of life through adaptive sports and therapeutic arts programs. This funding comes from the U.S. Department of   more

WASHINGTON, Oct. 18 -- Sen. Jon Tester, D-Montana, issued the following news release: Following six months of inaction from the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) on updating its hemp-related guidance, U.S. Senator Jon Tester is demanding that they comply with federal law and cease prohibiting local banks from accepting funds related to hemp farming. "Montana leads the nation in hemp production, planting more than 40,000 acres in 2019," Tester wrote to FinCEN Director Ken Blanco. "Y  more

WASHINGTON, Oct. 15 -- Sen. Jon Tester, D-Montana, issued the following news release: * * * - Senator joins bipartisan letter calling to reauthorize "critical lifelines" PILT and SRS * * * U.S. Senator Jon Tester has joined a bipartisan group of his Senate colleagues in calling for a minimum of a two-year reauthorization for Payments in Lieu of Taxes (PILT) and the Secure Rural Schools and Self-Determination Act (SRS)--two programs critical to Montana counties' balance sheets--in any year-en  more

WASHINGTON, Oct. 16 -- Sen. Jon Tester, D-Montana, issued the following news release: * * * - Pentagon study finds National Guard suicide rate has surpassed Active Duty Servicemembers and Reservists * * * U.S. Senators Jon Tester (D-Mont.), Michael Bennet (D-Colo.), and Jerry Moran (R-Kansas) today led a bipartisan call for the Department of Defense (DoD) to address the increasing suicide rate among members of the National Guard. Recent suicide reports conducted by the DoD found that the sui  more