On Friday on his way to several Memorial Day appearances in western Montana, Senator Steve Daines stopped by for a visit to the KGVO Studio to discuss a wide range of issues.

First, Daines expressed his support and excitement that critically injured Montana Highway Patrol Trooper Wade Palmer had returned to his home to a hero’s welcome on Wednesday.

“I couldn’t believe it,” said Daines. “To see the pictures of Wade, he looked really good. When I saw him just a few weeks after the incident I guess I didn’t envision that by the third week in May that he’s be back in Missoula, in fact he’s back at his home in Stevensville. It’s awesome.”

Daines also recalled a recent visit to Missoula to sit down with Forest Service wildland firefighters and smokejumpers, and said the federal government in 1973 began referring to them as ‘forestry technicians’, what he termed ‘swamp speak’.

“It is swamp speak, folks who frankly have no connection to reality,” he said. “These wildland firefighters, smokejumpers and the hot shot crews on the front lines, they deserve much more respect than that. As we chatted in that round table, these are guys who are not in it for the money, they’re sleeping in the dirt, they’re risking their lives for us, and it’s about time that we stand up for them.”

Daines also talked about the many positive policies enacted by the Trump administration, singling out the recent issue of Iran.

“Look at what he’s dome here confronting Iran that had to be done,” he said. “Do you realize the revenues going to Hezbollah, one of the leading Iranian-sponsored terrorist organizations that are in Lebanon with about 150,000 rockets pointed at Israel, his policies have reduced revenues going to Hezbollah by 70 percent? An article in the Washington Post last week said because of President Trump tightening the noose around those mullahs with these sanctions on Iran, their income has been reduced.”

Daines also spoke of the President’s continuing efforts to build a wall at the southern border, continuing the efforts begun by Presidents Clinton and Obama.

“The greatest thing about it, you go back to President Obama and President Clinton both said they were all for securing the border,” he said. “They talked about it, but President Trump’s actually doing something about it, and because he’s for securing the border, unfortunately a lot of Democrats are saying I’m against it just because Trump is for it, and frankly, that’s ridiculous.”

Daines will be participating in Memorial Day ceremonies in western Montana, including marching in the East Helena Memorial Day parade.

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