Congressman Denny Rehberg

WASINGTON, D.C. – Montana’s Congressman, Denny Rehberg, today issued the following statement following the Department of the Interior announcing the decision to list the greater sage-grouse endangered status as “warranted but precluded from ESA protection.”  According to the Montana Sage Grouse Work Group, the state of Montana currently supports an estimated 27 million acres of greater sage grouse-inhabited grasslands, while the group’s management plan puts into effect several measures for conserving and improving the bird’s habitat.  The determination to classify a species as warranted but precluded occurs when the appropriate agency has found that a species merits listing as either endangered or threatened under the ESA, but that practically, the listing cannot occur because of other pending proposals to list species.  Each warranted but precluded determination must be updated annually to show expeditious progress in listing those species.

“For our ranchers, farmers and anyone who makes a living off the land, the ESA can be a four-letter word.  Every week, the Interior Department is taking drastic steps to interfere in the proven efforts of the local land owners and managers who are personally invested in safeguarding precious resources like sage-grouse.”

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Montana’s Congressman, Denny Rehberg, has signed on as an original cosponsor to the “Regulations From the Executive in Need of Scrutiny (REINS) Act.”  A wave of new Executive Branch regulations, including the regulation of carbon dioxide by the Environmental Protection Agency, indicates that the Obama Administration is willing to circumvent Congress’ Constitutional responsibility “to make all laws which shall be necessary and proper for carrying into execution the foregoing powers.”

“The Constitution puts the authority to pass laws in the hands of Congress because we must answer directly to the will of the people,” said Rehberg, a member of the Congressional Liberty Caucus.  “An agency, whether it be the Environmental Protection Agency or the Secretary of the Interior, has no such responsibility to the people.  When Congress abdicates its role to legislate, it undermines the very notion of a government by the People.  This legislation would restore the Constitutional checks and balances.”

Rehberg pointed out that rules and regulations authored by non-elected Washington, D.C. bureaucrats can have the same harmful consequences as those passed by Congress.  The REINS Act requires a vote on every new major rule, which will ensure Congress resumes the legislative accountability granted by the Constitution and the responsibility for Congressional decisions intended by our founders.

“This isn’t about which President happens to be in the White House today,” said Rehberg.  “The fact is, whether it’s a Republican or a Democrat, Congress has been too willing to sacrifice our authority.  Our authority, ultimately, is the authority of the American people, and our duty is to protect it.”

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Montana’s Congressman, Denny Rehberg, today introduced legislation that would exempt the State of Montana from the provisions of the Antiquities Act, which allow the President to circumvent public opposition and congressional oversight to designate land as a National Monument.  The introduction comes after the discovery of an internal memo from the U.S. Department of Interior, which outlined plans to misuse the Antiquities Act to designate 13 million acres in 11 Western States.  This figure includes 2.5 million acres in Montana.

“For more than a century, the Antiquities Act has served a valuable function in the preservation of America’s natural treasures, making it all the more tragic that it’s now being misused for a 13 million-acre land-grab,” said Rehberg, a member of the House Western Caucus.  “When it comes to land in Montana, we’ve got a long-standing tradition of working together to find consensus-based solutions.  Circumventing that tradition by unilaterally carving out millions of acres with the stroke of a pen is not the American way.  The President is not a king, and we are not his subjects, which is why congressional checks and balances are so important.”

Rehberg, who recently sent a letter to Interior Secretary Salazar demanding details on the proposals, introduced H.R. 4754, which requires congressional approval of new National Monument designations in Montana.  This requirement isn’t unprecedented; the current law prohibits the extension or establishment of any National Monument in Wyoming without the express authorization of Congress.

“This isn’t about undermining a good law,” said Rehberg.  “It’s about preventing a good law from being abused.  It’s about ensuring Montanans are heard and preventing a bureaucratic overreach.  It’s about making sure that we aren’t rendered landless in our own state because a big-city politician thought it would be fun to shut us out of our land.”

The Department of Interior Memo can be found here: http://robbishop.house.gov/UploadedFiles/states_for_designation.pdf

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Montana’s Congressman, Denny Rehberg, today served as the Ranking Member in a Labor, Health and Human Services Appropriations Subcommittee Hearing to address Health Care Fraud and Abuse Prevention.

“We must hold agencies accountable for improper payments, and we must identify, pursue and prosecute those who would defraud the American taxpayer,” said Rehberg in his opening statement.  “I’m glad to see that the Administration is taking this seriously.  It would be my hope that the savings that are recovered are used to shore up the Medicare trust funds and not immediately spent on something else.”

In his statement, Rehberg also cited an OMB study that estimated $10.8 billion in improper payments by Medicare in 2007 and a Washington Post story that reported $47 billion in improper payments last year.

Testifying were:

William Corr
Deputy Secretary, Department of Health and Human Services

Dan Levinson
Inspector General, Department of Health and Human Services

Gary Grindler
Acting Deputy Attorney General, Department of Justice

Julie Rivera
Special Agent, Office of Inspector General, Department of Health and Human Services

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Montana’s Congressman, Denny Rehberg, joined fellow members of the House Western Caucus in sending a letter demanding answers from Interior Secretary Ken Salazar regarding efforts to designate 2.5 million acres of land in Montana – some owned by private citizens – as a newly created National Monument.  The plan was leaked from an internal Department of Interior memo, which lays out plans to federalize potentially millions of acres of private lands in Montana.  The memo also calls for the buy-out of 80,000 acres of private inholdings within the Missouri Breaks National Monument and the Charles M. Russell National Wildlife Refuge, in addition to the acquisition of 39,000 acres of state-administered inholdings in the same area.

“This naked abuse of power is not only a misuse of the Antiquities Act, but an egregious affront to the will of Montanans,” said Rehberg, a member of the House Western Caucus.  “The White House is considering a land-grab of more than three times the acreage with absolutely no regard for the interests or views of the people in Montana.  No wonder folks that I’ve heard from are fed up with how things work in Washington.”

The Antiquities Act authorized the President to designate objects or areas of historic or scientific interest as National Monuments on lands owned or controlled by the United States.  An internal Department of Interior document recently revealed the Administration is considering using this law to create as many as 14 new National Monument designations in the West.  These designations could lock up as many as 13 million acres of land in 11 different Western states, including Montana.

Rehberg has been a vocal opponent of a similar effort to lock up millions of acres through the Northern Rockies Ecosystem Protection Act.  That effort, at least, requires a vote by Congress which gives the impacted people an opportunity to be heard.  Rehberg has testified multiple times on behalf of more than 10,000 Montanans who contacted his office in opposition to this bill.

“When it comes to unilateral federal land grabs, Montanans don’t mince words.  They want bureaucrats to keep their hands off our state,” said Rehberg, citing a Facebook group he launched that has more than 3,000 members, “For the Montanans who work, till, graze, hunt, fish, hike, camp and enjoy this land, conservation is not only a daily personal choice; it’s our way of life.  Real conservation isn’t about making tough decisions for someone else who lives thousands of miles away, yet that’s exactly what the White House is trying to do.”

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WASHINGTON, D.C. – Montana’s Congressman, Denny Rehberg, today released the following statement in response to the “Bipartisan White House Summit” held on February 25. The Summit was held 79 days after the House passed its version of the health care bill written by House Democrats, 63 days after the Senate passed its version of the health care bill written by Senate Democrats and 3 days after the President introduced his “compromise” proposal.

“Today’s bipartisan health care discussion, which was the first time both cameras and Republicans were invited to the table, was at least a step in the right direction. Unfortunately, the legislation has already been crafted in secret, behind closed doors and without public input. This isn’t about Republicans or Democrats, it’s about listening to the American people, like the thousands of men and women I heard from last year at 36 listening sessions across Montana. They want health care reform, and they want it done right. That’s why it’s so important to start over, put partisanship aside, and get to work finding workable solutions for Montana families.”

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Montana’s Congressman, Denny Rehberg, has co-sponsored H.R. 4556, a bill that would forbid the U.S. Department of Justice from spending any money to prosecute individuals involved with the September 11, 2001 terrorists attacks. Consistent with strong public opinion, the legislation aims to prevent the domestic trial of Khalid Sheik Mohammed (KSM) in the heart of New York City. KSM was the mastermind of the attacks that killed thousands of innocent Americans.

“Trying the terrorist masterminds in our regular court system on the very soil of the country they attacked on 9/11 is an outrage,” said Rehberg. “These men are not common criminals, and the act of terrorism they perpetrated is not a common crime. It was an act of war, and it should be appropriately tried in a military tribunal at a secure location like Guantanamo Bay.”

In addition to the symbolic problems of affording terrorists the protections of the Constitutional Rights they are attempting to destroy, trying dangerous men like KSM in civilian courts subjects American citizens to substantial risks. In fact, the trial, as currently planned in New York City is estimated to cost taxpayers at least $250 million per year — for a total expected cost of more than $1 billion. According to New York Mayor Bloomberg, “It would be great if the federal government could find a site that didn’t cost a billion dollars, which using downtown [New York City] will. [The trial] is going to cost an awful lot of money and disturb an awful lot of people.”

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Montana’s Congressman, Denny Rehberg, today released the following statement following the President’s unveiling of a proposal to bridge the gap between the current House and Senate health care bills. The introduction of the bill comes just three days before he is scheduled to meet with Republican Leaders to hear their ideas, ostensibly to incorporate them into his proposal.

“Montanans aren’t fooled by the fresh coat of paint. This bill is still the same lemon that was soundly rejected by the vast majority of Montanans I heard from last year at 36 public listening sessions across the state. The American people want real health care reform and they deserve an open, bipartisan process that’s done in the light of day. Today’s theatrics are more of the same; a bill crafted in secret behind closed doors and without public input or scrutiny.

“There are better alternatives to lower the cost of health care and increase access, and the President will hear many of those ideas at a bipartisan summit this Thursday. Instead of introducing his proposals three days early, I encourage the President to come to the table with an open mind to find a workable solution that prioritizes the American people.”

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Montana’s Congressman, Denny Rehberg, today issued the following statement following the announcement that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will reverse its policy to suspend the Second Amendment in National Parks, instead deferring to state-specific laws regulating the legal possession of firearms. Rehberg is a long-time advocate for the protection of gun rights on all federal lands, including national parks and wilderness.

“While big city forest administrators have been trained to think anyone with a gun is a threat, Montanans realize that in the wild of a national park, having a firearm can mean the difference between life and death,” said Rehberg. “We don’t give up our rights to freedom of speech or freedom of the press just because we step foot into a National Park, why should the right to bear arms be any different?”

On February 22, 2010, new regulations that allow visitors to possess firearms within a National Park will take effect. These regulations end a long-term ban on firearm possession within the parks.

Under the new regulations, visitors looking to bring a firearm into a National Park will be governed by state law. Visitors to Glacier National Park will be subject to the laws of the State of Montana. While visitors to Yellowstone National Park will be governed by the laws of Idaho, Montana or Wyoming based upon their location within the Park.

Montanans visiting Parks in other states should check with local law enforcement within those communities before attempting to enter the Park while in possession of a firearm.

Here are also some links on the gun laws in Idaho, Wyo. And MT:

Idaho: http://crime.about.com/od/gunlawsbystate/f/gunlaws_id.htm
Wyoming: http://crime.about.com/od/gunlawsbystate/f/gunlaw_wy.htm
Montana: http://crime.about.com/od/gunlawsbystate/a/gunlaws_mt.htm

Schedules Stops in Billings, Laurel, Livingston & Bozeman

BILLINGS, MT – Montana’s Congressman, Denny Rehberg, will be talking jobs in four Montana cities over the next two days. On Wednesday, February 17 he will be in Billings and Laurel, and on Thursday, February 18 he will visit Livingston and Bozeman. At each stop, he will be meeting with local businesses and organizations to discuss the creation of new jobs.

“It’s been more than a year since the ‘so-called’ stimulus was signed into law, and unemployment remains the most pressing barrier to economic recovery,” said Rehberg, a member of the House Appropriations Committee, who supported a true stimulus that was timely, targeted, temporary and transparent. “Montanans understand that jobs don’t come from Washington, D.C. They come from the hard work of small businesses, which is why it’s so important for elected officials to put boots on the ground and learn directly from the horse’s mouth exactly what will stimulate job growth.”

Rehberg’s tour will include:

Wednesday, February 17

9:30 a.m. – 10:30 a.m. – Montana Chamber of Commerce Spirit of Enterprise Award ceremony at Wyo-Ben, Inc. (Billings)
10:45 a.m. – 11:45 a.m. – Tour of the Northern Hotel Project (Billings)
1:15 p.m. – 2:15 p.m. – Visit Beartooth Harley (Billings)
3:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. – Tour Cenex Refinery (Laurel)

Thursday, February 18

9:45 a.m. – 10:45 a.m. – Tour of Printing for Less (Livingston)
11:15 a.m. – 12:15 p.m. – Visit Mystery Ranch (Bozeman)
2:30 p.m. – 3:30 p.m. – Visit the Bozeman Job Service and Workforce Center (Bozeman)

For press inquiries, please contact Tom Schultz:
tom.schultz@mail.house.gov, (406) 543-9550