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Steve Daines on Foreign Policy

 

 


We need to press Iran to ensure we have regime change

Daines on Fox Business: "Iran's Nuclear Program Will Never Be Peaceful":

And I think we need to continue the full-court press here to ensure we have a regime change. Not led by the Americans but led by the Iranian people. But there needs to be a regime change in Tehran. The Iranian people want to see a regime change. That needs to be done by the people, but we should keep economic sanctions tightened up, as well as ensuring that we're in positions of strength with Israel and the United States.

Source: Senate press release "Iran" on 2026 Montana Senate race , Jul 24, 2025

Congressional support for Israel is bipartisan & strong

Daines said support for Israel is definitely bipartisan in Congress. "There are few issues that unite the US Congress any more, but one of them is our policy in support of Israel," he said. "They are our strongest ally in the Middle East, they are the strongest democracy in the Middle East. They are a force of stability, and that does tie directly to our national interests."

[Returning from a trip to Israel], Daines said the PLO wants a Palestinian state, while Israel is insisting that the Palestinians recognize the legitimacy of the Jewish state of Israel. He said there's some optimism that the latest peace talks could move toward resolving the issues, but Daines said "it's also couched in historical reality, that we are still a long ways away from that solution."

"The main issue for Israel is their security as well as the recognition of Israel," Daines said.

Source: Ravalli Republic coverage of 2014 Montana Senate debate , Aug 20, 2013

Condemn China's organ harvesting from Falun Gong prisoners.

Daines signed Resolution on Falun Gong

RESOLUTION expressing concern over persistent and credible reports of systematic, state-sanctioned organ harvesting from non-consenting prisoners of conscience, in the People`s Republic of China, including from large numbers of Falun Gong practitioners imprisoned for their religious beliefs, and members of other religious and ethnic minority groups.

    Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
  1. calls on the Government of the People`s Republic of China to immediately end the practice of organ harvesting from all prisoners, and particularly from Falun Gong prisoners of conscience and members of other religious and ethnic minority groups;
  2. calls for a full and transparent investigation into organ transplant practices;
  3. demands an immediate end to the 14-year persecution of the Falun Gong spiritual practice;
  4. recommends that the United States State Department issue a travel warning for US citizens traveling to China for organ transplants informing them that the organ source for their operation may be a prisoner of conscience; and
  5. recommends that the US Government publicly condemn organ transplantation abuses in China and ban the entry of those who have participated in illegal removal of human tissues and organs.
Source: H.Res.281 14_HRes281 on Jun 27, 2013

Disallow Palestine from joining ICC to threaten Israel.

Daines signed disallowing Palestine from joining ICC to threaten Israel

Excerpts from Letter from 73 Senators to Secretary of State Kerry We are deeply concerned by the decision of the Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to seek membership in the International Criminal Court (ICC), because the Palestinian Authority is not a state and its express intent is to use this process to threaten Israel.

Pres. Abbas` effort contravene the spirit of earlier agreements between Israel and the Palestinian Authority and erodes the prospect for peace. Therefore, the US must make clear that joining the ICC is not a legitimate or viable path for Palestinians.

Israel is a major strategic partner of the US and is facing increasing pressure from those who seek to delegitimize its very existence. The only realistic and sustainable path to resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is through direct negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians.

Supporting argument: (Heritage Foundation, `U.S. Should Not Join the ICC,` Aug. 18, 2009): The ICC prosecutor is exploring a request by the Palestinian National Authority to prosecute Israeli commanders for alleged war crimes committed during the recent actions in Gaza. Palestinian lawyers maintain that the Palestinian National Authority can request ICC jurisdiction as the de facto sovereign even though it is not an internationally recognized state. By countenancing Palestine`s claims, the ICC prosecutor has enabled pressure to be applied to Israel over alleged war crimes, while ignoring Hamas`s incitement of the military action and its commission of war crimes against Israeli civilians. Furthermore, by seemingly recognizing Palestine as a sovereign entity, the prosecutor`s action has created a pathway for Palestinian statehood without first reaching a comprehensive peace deal with Israel. This determination is an inherently political issue beyond the ICC`s authority.

Source: Palestinian Bid to ICC 14LTR-ICC on Jan 29, 2015

Two-state solution despite Israeli settlements on West Bank.

Daines signed two-state solution despite Israeli settlements on West Bank

Congressional Summary: S.Res.6/H.Res.11 objects to U.N. Security Council Resolution 2334, which characterizes Israeli settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem as illegal and demands cessation of settlement activities.

Opposing argument: (Cato Institute, Dec. 19, 2003): In principle, separation seems the best answer to stop the killing. For this reason, a security fence makes sense--if it actually separates Jew from Arab. Unfortunately, to protect a number of disparate Israeli settlements erected in the midst of Palestinian communities, Israel currently is mixing Jew and Arab and separating Arab from Arab. Thus are sown the seeds for conflict. After 36 years of occupation, the land remains almost exclusively Arab. The limited Jewish presence is the result of conscious colonization. The settlements require a pervasive Israeli military occupation, imposing a de facto system of apartheid. Separation offers the only hope, but separation requires dismantling Israeli settlements.

Source: S.Res.6 & H.Res.11 17-SRes6 on Jan 3, 2017

Sponsored bill to monitor forced Uyghur labor in Xinjiang.

Daines co-sponsored Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act

Legislative summary: The Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act: