Professor John Thune: U.S. Government 101

Hey, parents. I know these are crazy times we’re living in, and many of you have now unexpectedly added “teacher” to your long list of titles, which also likely includes “coach,” “cook,” and “hall monitor.” Hopefully there haven’t been too many visits to the principal’s office. While I don’t have... Continue Reading

Extraordinary Times Require Swift and Bold Action

By now, it would be hard to find any American who hasn’t been affected one way or another by the coronavirus outbreak. Our day-to-day lives have been upended, people around us are anxious, and we’re learning about new terms like “social distancing.” Everyone is wondering how long this outbreak will... Continue Reading

Working Together, We’ll Beat the Coronavirus

The coronavirus is obviously a front-and-center issue for Americans in every corner of the country, and effectively fighting this outbreak will require an all-of-the-above approach. U.S. health officials are working around the clock to continue learning as much as possible about the virus, how to mitigate the spread, and how... Continue Reading

“The Veterans Town” Is Stronger Than Ever

Click here or on the photo above to hear Sen. Thune discuss the importance of the Hot Springs VA facility.   Hot Springs recently received some long-awaited news: their VA medical facility, which so many South Dakota veterans depend on, will stay open. If I’m being honest, it was not the news... Continue Reading

Defending the Defenseless

The Senate recently voted on two commonsense bills that would have gone a long way to help defend the rights of the defenseless. Unfortunately, the Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act and the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act were both defeated, largely on party lines. All Senate Republicans joined a handful... Continue Reading

South Dakota-Inspired Conservation Program Set to Begin

Ask any farmer about his land, and he would be able to describe every inch of it without skipping a beat – the high spots, the low spots, the wet spots, and the dry spots. He could walk you to the corner of his plot that each year, despite even... Continue Reading

A Tale of Two Economies

It’s no secret that the agriculture economy has seen better days. Bad weather, low commodity prices, and protracted trade disputes have created an untenable situation for many folks in the heartland. What’s flyover country to some is home to others, particularly those who help feed the world, and I’ll never... Continue Reading

Let’s Get Back to Business

The U.S. Senate has only confronted a presidential impeachment trial three times in American history. The first was President Andrew Johnson’s trial in 1868, which reflected the lingering divisions of the Civil War. The second was President Bill Clinton’s trial more than 130 years later in 1999. At that time,... Continue Reading

A Bipartisan Win for South Dakota Agriculture

The Republican-led Senate, the Democrat-led House of Representatives, and the president all agree: the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) will modernize the longstanding trade relationship with South Dakota’s top trading partners and help take us further into the 21st century.   I’m relieved that after more than a year of unnecessary delay by House... Continue Reading

New Year, Same Commitment to Fighting for South Dakota

President Ronald Reagan once said, “I’ve always thought New Year’s Day was an especially American tradition, full of the optimism and hope we’re famous for in our daily lives – an energy and confidence we call the American spirit. Perhaps because we know we control our own destiny, we believe... Continue Reading

New Law Finally Puts Illegal Robocallers on Notice

If you’re a Seinfeld fan like me, you probably remember the episode where Jerry receives a phone call from a telemarketer, interrupting his conversation with other characters on the show. Jerry tells the person on the other end of the line that he’s busy, but says that if the telemarketer... Continue Reading

Happy 100th Birthday, Dad

In 1906, two brothers, Nikolai and Matthew Gjelsvik, arrived at Ellis Island from Norway. The only English they knew were the words apple pie and coffee, which they learned on the boat on the way over. The immigration officials at Ellis Island asked them to change their last name because... Continue Reading