WASHINGTON, Feb. 7 -- The Government Accountability Office has issued a report on election security. The report (GAO-20-267) is entitled "DHS Plans Are Urgently Needed to Address Identified Challenges Before the 2020 Elections". The report was sent to Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-West Virginia, chairwoman, Sen. Jon Tester, D-Montana, ranking member of the Senate Appropriations subcommittee on Homeland Security, Rep. Lucille Roybal-Allard, D-California, chairwoman, and Rep. Chuck Fleischmann, R-  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 7 -- The House Natural Resources subcommittee for Indigenous Peoples of the U.S. issued the following testimony on Feb. 5 by Ervin Carlson, president of the InterTribal Buffalo Council, at a hearing on the Indian Buffalo Management Act (H.R. 5153): My name is Ervin Carlson and I am a member of the Blackfeet Nation in Montana and serve as the President of the InterTribal Buffalo Council (ITBC). Please accept my sincere appreciation for this opportunity to submit testimony to the  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 4 -- Rep. Greg Gianforte, R-Montana, issued the following news release: Congressman Greg Gianforte (R-Mont.) on Friday honored three Montana veterans for their service to country and their communities. At the American Legion Post #2 in Helena, Gianforte presented the 2019 Montana Congressional Veteran Commendation to U.S. Army veteran Dave Cogley of Clancy, U.S. Air Force veteran Karen Semple of Montana City, and U.S. Army veteran Bill White of Helena. "Dave, Karen, and Bill   more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 7 -- Rep. Greg Gianforte, R-Montana, issued the following statement regarding the Senate acquitting President Trump partisan articles of impeachment: "The Senate's acquittal of President Trump closes the door on Nancy Pelosi's hyper-partisan impeachment sham. "Working to overturn the results of the 2016 election, Nancy Pelosi, Adam Schiff, and House Democrats pushed their partisan impeachment through the House and failed to make their flimsy case in the Senate. "Now that this  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 7 -- Rep. Greg Gianforte, R-Montana, issued the following statement, which was published in the Congressional Record on Feb. 6, entitled "Recognizing Emily Hergenrider of Laurel": I rise today to honor Emily Hergenrider of Laurel for her resilience as she faces life's challenges and her leadership. A senior at Laurel High School, Emily was born with 16 congenital heart defects and has had seven open-heart surgeries. They are a huge part of Emily's life, but she has not let the  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 6 -- Rep. Greg Gianforte, R-Montana, issued the following news release on Feb. 4: Congressman Greg Gianforte (R-Mont.) responded to President Trump's State of the Union address, describing it as "a clear, optimistic message that resonates with so many Americans." "President Trump has kept his promises and brought the American dream into greater reach for more Montanans. How do we know?" Gianforte asked. "Our economy is growing stronger. We're getting better trade deals for Ame  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 4 -- Rep. Greg Gianforte, R-Montana, issued the following news release: * * * - Gianforte Questions "Misplaced Priorities" of Legalizing Marijuana Over Addressing Addiction * * * At a recent hearing of the Energy and Commerce Committee's Health Subcommittee, Congressman Greg Gianforte urged lawmakers to focus on addressing addiction and questioned a leading expert about the connection between marijuana and mental health. "To consider making any Schedule I drug legal and mor  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 7 -- Rep. Greg Gianforte, R-Montana, issued the following news release: Congressman Greg Gianforte (R-Mont.) and Congresswoman Anna G. Eshoo (D-Calif.), chair of the Health Subcommittee of the Energy and Commerce Committee, introduced legislation to expand telehealth services throughout the country. Their bipartisan National Telehealth Strategy and Data Advancement Act will increase access to care, reduce health care costs, collect critical information to improve policymaking,  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 7 -- Rep. Greg Gianforte, R-Montana, issued the following news release: The Republican Study Committee (RSC) released Power, Practices, Personnel: 100+ Commonsense Solutions to Better Government (click here to download the full report). Spearheaded by RSC Government Efficiency, Accountability, and Reform (GEAR) Task Force Chairman Greg Gianforte (R-Mont.) and RSC Chairman Mike Johnson (R-La.), the solutions-oriented plan is a conservative blueprint for reforming the federal bur  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 3 -- In the Senate impeachment trial of President Trump, Sen. Steve Daines, R-Montana, sent a question to the Chief Justice for review by the Senate: The CHIEF JUSTICE. Thank you. The question from Senators Daines, Lankford, and Hawley is for counsel for the President: Over the past 244 years, eight judges have been removed from office by the U.S. Senate but never a President. The eight judges have been removed for bribery, perjury, tax evasion, waging war against the United S  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 5 -- Sen. Steve Daines, R-Montana, issued the following statement after President Trump's State of the Union Address: Daines' special guest for this year's SOTU was his wife of 33 years, Cindy. Daines' remarks as prepared for delivery: "Tonight, President Trump sent a clear message to Montanans, and all Americans. The state of our union is strong. "Our economy is booming. "We have the lowest unemployment in over 50 years. Middle class wages are at an all-time high. "We ae  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 6 -- Sen. Steve Daines, R-Montana, issued the following news release: U.S. Senator Steve Daines voted to acquit President Donald J. Trump of two partisan impeachment articles. President Trump was acquitted by the U.S. Senate on both articles of impeachment. "I voted to acquit President Trump of the most partisan impeachment in our nation's history. Never has the Senate been faced with articles of impeachment against a President that allege no crimes and never have we seen such  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 5 -- Sen. Deb Fischer, R-Nebraska, issued the following news release: U.S. Senator Deb Fischer (R-Neb.), a member of the Senate Agriculture Committee, joined her Senate colleagues in signing a letter urging U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue to take immediate action in implementing a provision designed to support sugarbeet farmers affected by adverse weather. "The past two years have been devastating for Cooperative farmers working in Colorado, Montana, Nebr  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 6 -- Sen. Jon Tester, D-Montana, issued the following news release: * * * - Ranking Member stresses concerns over VA vacancies, referrals & payments; Urges VA to better meet the needs of rural veterans under the VA MISSION Act * * * During a Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee hearing today, U.S. Senator Jon Tester called on the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to "do better" in rolling out the new Veterans Community Care Program, which is aimed at providing efficient  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 6 -- Sen. John Tester, D-Montana, ranking Democratic member of the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee, issued the following news release on Feb. 5: * * * - Ranking Member stresses concerns over VA vacancies, referrals & payments; Urges VA to better meet the needs of rural veterans under the VA MISSION Act * * * During a Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee hearing, U.S. Senator Jon Tester called on the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to "do better" in rolling-out the   more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 8 -- Sen. Jon Tester, D-Montana, issued the following news release: As part of his ongoing effort to ensure every Montana kid has the resources they need to get a quality education, U.S. Senator Jon Tester announced that he is donating twenty-five Senate computers to five schools across the state. "All too often, Montana kids lack the tools they will need to thrive in tomorrow's world," said Tester, a former teacher and School Board member. "It's critical that kids are able to  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 3 -- In the Senate impeachment trial of President Trump, Sen. Jon Tester, D-Montana, sent a question to the Chief Justice for review by the Senate: The CHIEF JUSTICE. Thank you. Senator Tester asks the House managers: Yesterday Mr. Derschowitz stated, "If a President does something which he believes will help him get elected in the public interest that cannot be the kind of quid pro quo that results in impeachment." Do you believe there is any limit to the type or scope of qu  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 5 -- Sen. Jon Tester, D-Montana, issued the following statement in advance of the vote on the articles of impeachment against President Trump: "Montanans sent me to the U.S. Senate to hold government accountable. I fought to allow this trial to include documents and testimony from witnesses with firsthand knowledge of the allegations against the President--regardless of whether they were incriminating or exculpatory--so the Senate could make its decision based on the best infor  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 7 -- Sen. Jon Tester, D-Montana, issued the following news release on Feb. 6: In response to the rapid spread of the 2019 Novel Coronavirus, Ranking Member Jon Tester is leading six colleagues on the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee to ensure the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is taking a comprehensive approach to protect the nation's veterans and staff who provide their care. In a letter to VA today, the Senators wrote: "Given the emergent nature of the virus, we want   more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 7 -- Sen. John Tester, D-Montana, ranking Democratic member of the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee, issued the following news release on Feb. 6: * * * - Following surge in coronavirus cases, Senators lead effort to ensure preparedness and response from Veterans Health Administration * * * In response to the rapid spread of the 2019 Novel Coronavirus, Ranking Member Jon Tester is leading six colleagues on the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee to ensure the Department of V  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 5 -- Sen. Michael B. Enzi, R-Wyoming, issued the following news release: U.S. Senators Mike Enzi and John Barrasso, both R-Wyo., signed a letter urging U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue to take immediate action in implementing a provision designed to support sugar beet farmers affected by adverse weather. "The past two years have been devastating for Cooperative farmers working in Colorado, Montana, Nebraska and Wyoming due to significant weather events," t  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 4 -- Sen. Jon Tester, D-Montana, issued the following news release: * * * - Disaster declaration comes on the heels of legislation authored by Senator Tester expanding assistance eligibility for farmers facing quality loss and excessive moisture * * * After a months-long push by U.S. Senator Jon Tester to provide relief for farmers in Eastern Montana, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) issued a disaster declaration for 17 Montana counties, clearing the way for produce  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 8 -- Rep. Greg Gianforte, R-Montana, issued the following news release: Congressman Greg Gianforte (R-Mont.) and Congresswoman Anna G. Eshoo (D-Calif.), chair of the Health Subcommittee of the Energy and Commerce Committee, on Wednesday introduced the National Telehealth Strategy and Data Advancement Act, H.R. 5763, to expand telehealth services throughout the country. Industry and thought leaders have advocated expanding telehealth services for years. Read below to see what t  more