U.S. Senator Steve Daines appeared on Fox Business to discuss recent fraud cases in Minnesota and energy policy changes under the Trump administration.
Addressing reports of fraud in Minnesota, Daines said, “It’s scandalous, it’s outrageous, and notice it’s focused on blue states, where you’ve got leaders who are looking the other way, pretending it’s not happening. It’s fake nonprofits, fake food banks, fake homeless shelters, fake daycares. This absolutely undermines the trust of the American people in these institutions. That’s why heads need to roll. Prosecutions need to happen. I’m thankful for President Trump, for Attorney General Bondi, for taking action and bringing these folks to justice.”
On energy policy, Daines criticized previous approaches and highlighted the need for reliable power sources. He stated: “One of the most important questions we have as a nation is getting our energy policies, our energy strategy right. Look who got it wrong. It was Europe. You had the Europeans, the Germans who shut down baseload power, shut down coal plants, shut down nuclear plants, at a time when we need more baseload power. We estimate in the next 25 years, America will need 80 percent more electricity than we need today. Think about that. That’s nearly double the amount of electricity that we currently consume today. We need more baseload power. Intermittent sources of energy will not cut it. I’m not opposed to renewables like wind and solar, but the sun doesn’t always shine, the wind doesn’t always blow. You’ve got to have baseload power. You’ve got to have coal. You’ve got to have nuclear. You’ve got to have hydro. You’ve got to have instantaneous power in real time when you need it. And that’s the scam of the Green New Deal. They were on this green hallucination that somehow we could build this economy on windmills and solar panels. And again, I’m not opposed to them. You just can’t build the economy on them…”
He also spoke about Montana’s role in national energy production: “We’ve been blessed in Montana with truly all-of-the-above energy. We have more recoverable coal than any state in the United States. You think of Montana, you think of beautiful fly fishing streams and the mountains. That’s absolutely true. But we have more coal than any other state in the United States, and the good Lord placed it in a place we can get it very easily.” Daines added that Montana also has significant hydroelectric resources.
Daines represents Montana as a U.S Senator and is involved with constituent services such as assistance with federal agencies and veterans resources according to his official website. He grew up in Bozeman as a fifth-generation Montanan and earned a Bachelor of Science degree in chemical engineering from Montana State University (source). Daines has received recognition from organizations such as the Congressional Management Foundation for transparency and staff support (source).
