Senator John Thune made the following comment today regarding the Iraq Study Group report: “I welcome the ideas put forth today by the Iraq Study Group and as a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee I will be studying them further. Our fight in Iraq is not an easy... Continue Reading
Today Senator Trent Lott of Mississippi, the incoming Senate Republican Whip, announced that Senator John Thune of South Dakota will serve as Chief Deputy Whip in the Senate Republican Whip organization for the 110th Congress. “In his first term in the Senate, John has demonstrated outstanding leadership skills, and I... Continue Reading
Senator John Thune (R-SD) today issued the following statement regarding his participation in the Senate Armed Services Committee nomination hearing of Dr. Robert Gates, nominee for U.S. Secretary of Defense: “Dr. Gates’ testimony today was as impressive as it was forthright and honest. He handled a wide range of challenging... Continue Reading
Senator John Thune today spoke on the Senate floor, urging his colleagues to support an amendment to the Fiscal Year 2007 Agriculture Appropriations bill that would provide emergency agriculture disaster assistance to farmers and ranchers who have been hit by a multi-year drought. The measure failed to get the three-fifths... Continue Reading
Senator John Thune today announced the U.S. Air Force Air Combat Command (ACC) has decided to consolidate two air traffic control centers (currently operated on both Minot Air Force Base and Ellsworth Air Force Base) onto Ellsworth, which is yet another mission that elevates Ellsworth’s profile nationally and anchors the... Continue Reading
Senator John Thune today issued the following statement regarding today’s observance of National Methamphetamine Awareness Day: “A growing challenge in South Dakota that threatens the safety of communities throughout the state is the rapidly spreading methamphetamine abuse problem. Last year in South Dakota, more than 700 meth-related arrests were made... Continue Reading
Senator John Thune (R-SD) today issued the following statement regarding the continued refusal of one or more Senate Democrats to remove anonymous holds on legislation he and Sen. Ken Salazar (D-CO) introduced to greatly increase access to ethanol and other home-grown renewable fuels for consumers across the country: “With the... Continue Reading
Senators Kent Conrad (D-ND), Byron Dorgan (D-ND), Tim Johnson (D-SD), and John Thune (R-SD) are bringing a bit of football to Capitol Hill. The Senators have placed a friendly wager of North Dakota wine and South Dakota ice cream on Saturday’s game between the North Dakota State University Bison and... Continue Reading
Senator John Thune, member of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee, today issued the following statement regarding the approval of record funding for the Department of Veterans Affairs, as passed by the Senate in the Military Construction/Veterans Affairs Appropriations Act. This funding bill must still be agreed to by the House... Continue Reading
Senator John Thune today signed on as an original cosponsor of legislation to provide emergency agriculture disaster assistance (S. 3991), which was offered as an amendment to the Fiscal Year 2007 Military Construction Appropriations bill in hopes of passing drought relief before the adjournment of the 109th Congress. “I remain... Continue Reading
Senator John Thune announced today that two amendments he filed yesterday to the Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Appropriations Bill were passed by the Senate and may result in funding projects in South Dakota. The Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Appropriations Bill now goes to conference with the House to... Continue Reading
Senator John Thune today filed three separate amendments to the Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Appropriations Bill that would fund projects in South Dakota. The first amendment would make available up to $500,000 for the Wagner Service Unit (WSU) Emergency Room for fiscal year 2007, pending implementation of a business... Continue Reading
