Daines Slams Spending Deal – Demands Vetting after Missoula Rape
Montana Senator Steve Daines called the KGVO Newsmaker’s Line on Thursday and discussed a variety of topics, from the proposed multi-trillion spending bill, worldwide energy shortages and the lack of vetting that may have led to a Missoula sexual assault.
Daines said the new bill hasn’t even been written yet.
“This is a Bernie Sanders and Nancy Pelosi dream bill,” said Senator Daines. “We haven't seen any framework on it, let alone a bill text on this multi trillion dollar very reckless tax and spending spree that is going to harm Montana farmers, ranchers, workers and our small businesses. This is looking to be one of the largest tax increases in our nation's history; one of the largest spending bills in our nation's history and it is on a purely partisan basis, every single Republican U.S. Senator is opposed to it.”
Daines referenced the Biden cancellation of the Keystone Oil Pipeline and tied it to the massive energy shortages in Europe and Asia.
“What happened is that the Europeans embraced these Green New Deal radical ideas,” he said. “They pushed them forward in their economies, decommissioning nuclear plants decommissioning coal fired plants and they were left with just renewables, and guess what happened? They're running out of energy, and they're not going to have enough energy to keep the people in Europe warm this winter. It's a disaster at the moment right now in Europe and listen, that is coming to our shores if we don't stop this craziness, this insanity that's going on right now, in Washington with the Democrats.”
Daines mentioned that he met with Montana’s Superintendent of Public Instruction Elsie Arntzen and about how the U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland referred to some parents as ‘domestic terrorists’.
“What (AG Merrick) Garland has done is an incredible and frankly chilling overreach, going after parents and somehow criminalizing and calling parents domestic terrorists,” he said. “I spoke in fact with Superintendent Elsie Arntzen of Montana. She was in D.C. yesterday and we had a good face to face meeting. I'm proud of what Elsie is doing to protect our children and allow parents input into what's going on their children's education. She and I fully agree that we need to empower Montana parents, not silence them.”
Governor Greg Gianforte published a letter to President Biden regarding the unacceptable lack of proper vetting of what are termed ‘humanitarian parolees’ that may have led to a tragic sexual assault here in Missoula.
“I stand with Governor Gianforte in calling on President Biden to stop all the Afghan resettlements to Montana until we get clear answers,” he said. “What happened? Who are these individuals? Have they been properly vetted? So we're demanding that the administration tells us exactly what the vetting and screening process is, and what the screening process was for the individual who has been arrested and charged with that rape in Missoula.”
Daines was elected to his second term in 2020.