ICYMI: Montana Newspaper Editorial Board Tells Daines To Be “Straight Up With Constituents”

Havre Daily News Editorial Blasts Daines For Being Dishonest with Constituents About Coronavirus Relief Bills

In a new editorial, the Havre Daily News Editorial Board slams Senator Steve Daines for his “disingenuous” claims taking credit for relief measures that Republicans opposed. The editorial board also called on Daines “to start being straightforward with [his] constituents.”

This isn’t the first time the vulnerable incumbent has been called out for misleading his constituents. Daines was caught bragging about unemployment benefits he opposed, even going as far as to say that he “fought to secure” the additional $600 in unemployment benefits, when in reality he voted for an amendment “that would have capped unemployment benefits and denied some people the extra $600.” Daines then tried to take credit for funding for hospitals and testing that if up to Republicans, would not have been in the most recent relief package. The reality is that Daines and Senate Republicans “resisted” funding these urgent needs.

Daines’ history of misleading comments have earned him blistering reviews in local papers. In addition to the Havre Daily News editorial, Daines has been warned that “Montanans won’t forget his dishonesty come November” in the Missoulian. 

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT:

Havre Daily News Editorial: Our View: Daines, Gianforte need to be straight up with constituents

April 27, 2020

Key Points:

• Two of Montana’s federal lawmakers need to start being straightforward with their constituents.

• U.S. Sen. Steve Daines, R-Mont., and U.S. Rep. Greg Gianforte, R-Mont., both have been telling constituents what assistance is being provided by federal COVID-19 aid bills, without telling them some of that aid was added when Democrats delayed passage of the bills containing it to add to the bills..

• Both Daines and Gianforte have blasted the Democrats in Congress for delaying the CARES Act that passed March 27, and the additional funding in the Paycheck Protection Program bill that passed Thursday.

• What they aren’t telling voters is the bills may not have had the aid they are praising without the Democrats delaying the bills, and if the Republicans had agreed to the additional aid immediately, no delay would have occurred.

• The bill passed after 72 hours of negotiations. Not all of what Democrats asked for was included, but more was in the bill than the original draft. Then both Daines and Gianforte praised funding in the bill that was added during the negotiations and may not have been there without the delay.

• Daines, who worked on adding extra unemployment to the bill, voted unsuccessfully to limit one of the additions to the CARES Act, which provided $600 in extra unemployment payments to people who the COVID-19 pandemic sent home. Daines voted to limit the benefits if they paid the person more than they normally earned. He then praised the additional payments without noting that he had tried to limit what passed.

• Both Daines and Gianforte bashed the Democrats for delaying passage of the bill, saying it needed to be passed immediately because PPP was out of funding, and the additional aid could be added later. Then both praised what the Democrats delayed passage to add, including additional funding for the Small Business Administration’s Emergency Economic Injury Grant Program, additional funding for hospitals and additional funding for COVID-19 testing as well as increasing the PPP funding from $250 billion to $310 billion.

• If Montana’s federal lawmakers oppose what Democrats are trying to add, that is fine and they should tell their constituents about it. But then taking credit for what the Democrats add is more than a little disingenuous. Come on, be straight with your constituents.

Read the full editorial here.

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