Montana Senators Receive Committee Assignments for 119th Congress
By Micah Drew for the Daily Montanan
Montana’s soon-to-be senior U.S. Senator Steve Daines will keep a key leadership position in the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee in the upcoming Congress, as well as take a new position on the Foreign Relations Committee.
Incoming Senate Majority Leader John Thune of South Dakota on Friday announced the Senate Republican Conference committee assignments for the upcoming 119th Congress beginning next year. Daines also will serve on the Finance and Indian Affairs committees.
“It’s an honor to serve Montanans in the U.S. Senate, and I’m looking forward to working with my colleagues on these crucial committees to fight for our Montana way of life,” Daines said in a prepared statement. “President (Donald) Trump received a mandate from the American people, and with these committee assignments I’ll be working to enact the president’s agenda to unleash American energy, cut taxes, open overseas markets for Montana farmers and ranchers, improve America’s relationships abroad, bring down costs for hardworking families, secure the southern border and stem the flow of deadly drugs.”
Daines has also been the ranking member on the Subcommittee on National Parks, which he will chair in the upcoming Republican-controlled Senate.
Senator-elect Tim Sheehy will serve on the committees on Armed Services, on Commerce, Science and Transportation, and on Veterans’ Affairs.
Sheehy, of Bozeman, won his election to the Senate against incumbent Democrat U.S. Senator Jon Tester, who had chaired the Veterans’ Affairs committee during the last two sessions of Congress.
Montana Independent News Note:
Senator Jon Tester was the ranking Democrat on the Veterans’ Affairs committee beginning in 2017 and became chair of the committee in 2021. While Tester was chairman of the Veterans’ Affairs committee many bills benefitting veterans and active servicemembers were signed into law. A partial list follows: The Wounded Warrior Access Act, Training in High-demand Roles to Improve Veteran Employment (THRIVE) Act, Sgt. Ketchum Rural Veterans Mental Health Act of 2021, Major (VA) Medical Facility Authorization Act of 2021, Puppies Assisting Wounded Servicemembers (PAWS) for Veterans Therapy Act, Veterans and Family Information Act, VA Transparency & Trust Act of 2021, Hire Veteran Health Heroes Act of 2021, Colonel John M. McHugh Tuition Fairness for Survivors Act of 2021, Protecting Moms Who Served Act of 2021, Dr. Kate Hendricks Thomas Supporting Expanded Review for Veterans In Combat Environments Act, Making Advances in Mammography and Medical Options for Veterans Act, Strengthening Oversight for Veterans Act of 2021, Veterans Rapid Retraining Assistance Program Restoration and Recovery Act of 2022, VA Electronic Health Record Transparency Act of 2021, Honoring our PACT Act of 2022, Ensuring the Best Schools for Veterans Act of 2022, (VA) Patient Advocate Tracker Act, Veterans' Compensation Cost-of-Living Adjustment Act of 2022, Supporting Families of the Fallen Act, Veterans Eligible to Transfer School (VETS) Credit Act, Improving Access to the VA Home Loan Benefit Act of 2022, Faster Payments to Veterans' Survivors Act of 2022, Veterans Auto and Education Improvement Act of 2022, Wounded Warrior Access Act, National Guard and Reservists Debt Relief Extension Act of 2023.