Montana mining, tax cuts are top priorities
When President Donald Trump was sworn in as the 47th president of the United States last week, it marked a new day in America. Voters rejected former President Joe Biden’s policies that led to unaffordable prices, open borders and weakness abroad, and together with a Republican Congress he is already delivering on his America first agenda.
The president nominated an all-star cabinet, including Marco Rubio for secretary of state, former North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum to run the Interior Department and energy executive Chris Wright to head up the energy department, Pam Bondi to reform the Justice Department, Pete Hegseth to run the Department of Defense and Kash Patel to run the FBI. The Senate is already hard at work confirming these excellent nominees so the president can hit the ground running implementing his agenda.
The president is also wasting no time reversing the devasting policies of Biden. He’s issued executive orders to secure the border, roll back destructive DEI policies and accelerate made-in-America energy.
For the first time in more than 100 years, Montana has an all Republican congressional delegation. Montana’s new senator, Tim Sheehy and new representative Troy Downing join Rep. Ryan Zinke and I as we tackle the job of making the tax cuts Trump delivered for the country in 2017 permanent. If the Democrats have their way, Montanans are staring at a $4 trillion tax hike but we are determined not to let that happen.
As part of the tax bill, I will also be working to ensure passage of the Main Street Tax Certainty Act, which will prevent a 20% tax hike for small companies — a big priority considering 74% of Montana jobs are from small businesses.
In addition, Montanans have felt the horrible effects of the wide-open southern border in the form of fentanyl and human trafficking for years. That’s why I’m pushing bill to crack down on trafficking and to stop DHS from paroling migrants who are known and suspected terrorists. These are commonsense solutions to keep our country safe.
The California wildfires have also brought much-needed attention to the destructive forest management policies of the environmental left. Montanans are tired of breathing in smoke, and the Biden administration’s mismanagement has left wildfires burning across our state and the West. I’ll work for better transparency from the Forest Service and management of Montana’s public lands, and I’ll also continue to support our wildland firefighters and all those who help combat these catastrophic fires.
In addition, our mining jobs are under fire from the radical left. The closure of the Sibayne-Stillwater Mine cost our state 700 jobs. My Crow Revenue Act will keep another critical Montana mine, the Bull Mountains Mine, open, and not only will I fight until this bill is signed into law, I’ll fight to protect all made-in-Montana energy.
Delisting the grizzly bear is another important issue — the Biden administration refused to acknowledge the reality that the populations are well over target. Grizzly bear management belongs in the hands of Montanans and I look forward to working with Burgum, who has pledged to return recovered grizzly population to state management.
An ongoing issue for Montanans has been the need for more farm in the Farm Bill. We need to see crop insurance, agriculture research, drought and disaster relief programs, and conservation programs prioritized and strengthened. Our farmers and ranchers need certainty, and it’s time for Congress to step up and provide support for the people who put food on our tables, rather than wasteful spending that has no impact on the people back home.
This is an exciting time to be an American, and I’m proud to be representing you at such a crucial time. You can count on me to deliver results and always keep fighting for the values that make us the Last Best Place.
U.S. Sen. Steve Daines, R-Montana, lives in Bozeman.