WASHINGTON, Feb. 29 -- Sen. Jon Tester, D-Montana, issued the following news release on Feb. 28: As part of his commitment to safeguarding American families from dangerous food imports, U.S. Senator Jon Tester slammed the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) for their decision to lift a ban on the import of Brazilian beef--which has consistently failed U.S. import standards. For years, Tester has worked tirelessly to ensure that USDA is holding Brazil accountable for their unsafe trading prac  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 29 -- Sen. Steve Daines, R-Montana, issued the following news release: U.S. Senator Steve Daines expressed serious concerns with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Food Safety and Inspection Service's (FSIS) decision to lift its ban on Brazilian raw beef imports. Daines stressed the decision could put food safety standards at risk and questioned how USDA would monitor beef imports from Brazil moving forward. "In 2017, USDA FSIS refused entry to approximately 2 million p  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 26 -- Sen. Steve Daines, R-Montana, issued the following news release on Feb. 25: U.S. Senator Steve Daines voted for two critical pro-life bills, the Pain Capable Unborn Child Protection Act and the Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act. Daines is the Founder and Chair of the U.S. Senate Pro-Life Caucus. Daines issued the following statement after the votes: "Today, I voted to protect innocent babies and for basic human rights," Daines said. "It's astonishing that Sena  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 27 -- Sen. Jon Tester, D-Montana, issued the following news release on Feb. 26: * * * - Department of Education arbitrary decision to change rural school funding will cause 65 percent drop in eligibility in Montana Senator: "This change won't do a thing but hurt Montana kids and rural schools" * * * U.S. Senator Jon Tester announced he will introduce legislation to reverse an arbitrary decision by the U.S. Department of Education to change eligibility for rural schools recei  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 29 -- Sen. Jon Tester, D-Montana, issued the following news release: * * * - Tester-backed bill would help rural wireless carriers replace untrustworthy foreign technology with secure equipment * * * U.S. Senator Jon Tester applauded the Senate's quick passage of the Secure and Trusted Communications Networks Act, which will help rural broadband providers rip and replace Chinese telecommunications infrastructure that could pose a national security threat to the United States  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 28 -- Sen. Jon Tester, D-Montana, issued the following news release: * * * - Legislation would provide detection and prevention training to school staff, parents, teachers, and students * * * U.S. Senator Jon Tester is backing the bipartisan Human Trafficking and Exploitation Prevention Training Act to create a grant program to help non-profit organizations and schools train teachers, students, staff, and parents to recognize, respond to, and prevent human trafficking. "Hum  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 28 -- Sen. Jon Tester, D-Montana, issued the following news release: * * * - Grant will help Opportunities, Inc. obtain and provide childcare and early education opportunities * * * As part of his continued effort to increase access to childcare and early education for families across Montana, U.S. Senator Jon Tester announced a $4,789,918 grant for Opportunities, Inc. Head Start and Early Head Start programs in Great Falls. "All parents should have peace of mind knowing th  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 27 -- Sen. Jon Tester, D-Montana, issued the following news release: * * * - Senator: Public education is "key to ensuring the future remains bright for the 90 percent of children who attend public schools in America" * * * U.S. Senator Jon Tester this week teamed up with a bipartisan group of 44 of his colleagues to declare this week, February 24 - 28, as Public Schools Week and to celebrate the importance of public school teachers, administrators, parents, and students. A  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 26 -- Sen. Jon Tester, D-Montana, issued the following news release: * * * - U.S. Army Corps of Engineers provides funding for Whitehall Treatment Plant * * * U.S. Senator Jon Tester announced that Jefferson County will receive $240,000 for improvements to the Whitehall Treatment Plant. "Whether it's for our crops, our livestock, or our families, clean water is critical to Montana's frontier communities," said Tester. "This investment will help Whitehall improve conditions  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 26 -- Sen. Jon Tester, D-Montana, issued the following news release: * * * - U.S. Army Corps of Engineers provides funding for Whitefish Wastewater Treatment System * * * U.S. Senator Jon Tester announced that Flathead County will receive $270,000 for improvements to the Whitefish Wastewater Treatment System. "Whether it's for our crops, our livestock, or our families, clean water is critical to Montana's frontier communities," said Tester. "This investment will help White  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 26 -- Sen. Jon Tester, D-Montana, issued the following news release: * * * - U.S. Army Corps of Engineers provides funding for Sweet Grass County Flood District * * * U.S. Senator Jon Tester announced that Sweet Grass County will receive $280,000 for improvements to the Sweet Grass County Flood District. "Whether it's for our crops, our livestock, or our families, clean water is critical to Montana's frontier communities," said Tester. "This investment will help Sweet Gras  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 26 -- Sen. Jon Tester, D-Montana, issued the following news release: * * * - U.S. Army Corps of Engineers provides funding for South Wind Water and Sewer District * * * U.S. Senator Jon Tester announced that Cascade County will receive $310,000 for improvements to the South Wind Water and Sewer District. "Whether it's for our crops, our livestock, or our families, clean water is critical to Montana's frontier communities," said Tester. "This investment will help Cascade Cou  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 26 -- Sen. Jon Tester, D-Montana, issued the following news release: * * * - U.S. Army Corps of Engineers provides funding for Plains Wastewater System * * * U.S. Senator Jon Tester announced that Sanders County will receive $350,000 to improve flood protection for the Plains Wastewater Treatment Facility along the bank of the Clark Fork River. "Whether it's for our crops, our livestock, or our families, clean water is critical to Montana's frontier communities," said Teste  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 26 -- Sen. Jon Tester, D-Montana, issued the following news release: * * * - U.S. Army Corps of Engineers provides funding for Seeley Lake Wastewater System * * * U.S. Senator Jon Tester announced that Missoula County will receive $660,000 for improvements to the Seeley Lake Wastewater District. "Whether it's for our crops, our livestock, or our families, clean water is critical to Montana's frontier communities," said Tester. "This investment will help Seeley Lake improve   more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 26 -- Sen. Jon Tester, D-Montana, issued the following news release: * * * - U.S. Army Corps of Engineers provides funding for Nine Mile Water and Sewer system project * * * U.S. Senator Jon Tester announced that Toole County will receive $665,000 to make improvements to the outdated Nine Mile Water and Sewer system near Sunburst, Montana. "Whether it's for our crops, our livestock, or our families, clean water is critical to Montana's frontier communities," said Tester. "T  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 29 -- Sen. Jon Tester, D-Montana, issued the following news release: * * * - Farm Service Agency will open signup for disaster assistance on March 23 USDA announcement comes on the heels of legislation authored by Senator Tester expanding assistance eligibility for farmers facing quality loss and excessive moisture * * * After months of efforts by U.S. Senator Jon Tester on behalf of Montana farmers in Eastern Montana, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced that  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 26 -- Sen. Jon Tester, D-Montana, issued the following news release: * * * - Senator urged Commission to reject new duties on Canadian Fabricated Structural Steel * * * U.S. Senator Jon Tester secured a huge victory for Montana workers, businesses, and infrastructure when the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) decided not to impose tariffs on Canadian Fabricated Structural Steel (FSS). Senator Tester submitted testimony in January urging the ITC to consider the negati  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 28 -- Sen. Jon Tester, D-Montana, issued the following news release: * * * - Grant will help fund early childhood development programs in 17 Montana counties * * * U.S. Senator Jon Tester announced a $1,382,611 grant for the Action for Eastern Montana Head Start program--which serves 17 counties in the state--as part of his continued effort to expand access to childcare and early education to families across Montana. "In order to secure their futures, kids in Montana's fron  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 25 -- Sen. Jon Tester, D-Montana, issued the following news release: * * * - $3.3 million to improve connectivity & safety in Beaverhead County - Senator was only member of Montana Congressional delegation to support the funding * * * Hundreds of Montanans are slated to receive access to high-speed internet, thanks to a grant announced by U.S. Senator Jon Tester. The $3.3 million grant will create or improve internet access for 142 homes, businesses, farms, ranches, and th  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 26 -- Sen. Jon Tester, D-Montana, issued the following news release: * * * - Acting Homeland Security Secretary before Senator's panel to justify Administration request to divert billions from national security priorities to Southern border wall * * * U.S. Senator Jon Tester pressed Acting Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf on the Trump Administration's plan to divert an additional $2 billion--on top of $15.2 billion already allocated--away from critical homeland security  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 28 -- Sen. Mike Crapo, R-Idaho, issued the following news release: * * * - Would decrease disruptive, duplicative surveys that divert time and care from veterans * * * U.S. Senators Mike Crapo (R-Idaho) and Jon Tester (D-Montana) introduced bipartisan legislation to simplify the inspection process at State Veterans Homes (SVH) to help the nation's veterans continue to receive high quality care by facilities unburdened by bureaucratic overlap. "Idaho's three State Veterans H  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 25 -- Sen. John Thune, R-South Dakota, issued the following news release: U.S. Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.), a longtime member of the Senate Agriculture Committee, applauded the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Farm Service Agency's (FSA's) announcement that the Thune-authored Soil Health and Income Protection Program (SHIPP) pilot will soon be available to producers in South Dakota, North Dakota, Iowa, Minnesota, and Montana. The sign-up for this pilot program starts March 30  more