Senator John Thune today introduced legislation that would provide immediate relief at the gas pump to American consumers. The Gas Price Reduction Act of 2006 would suspend the 18.4 cents per gallon federal gas tax through the end of September. The lost revenues would be reimbursed by a temporary suspension... Continue Reading
Senator John Thune (R-SD) today issued the following statement applauding President Bush’s nomination of U.S. Trade Representative Rob Portman to the position of Director of the Office of Management and Budget: “Rob is an excellent nominee for Budget Director. Someone with his expertise and demonstrated commitment to fiscal discipline is... Continue Reading
Senators John Thune and Tim Johnson and Representative Stephanie Herseth today issued the following statements regarding the United States Postal Service’s (USPS) decision to grant their request to conduct an audit on services currently offered by the USPS processing and distribution center in Aberdeen. This audit would give Aberdeen residents... Continue Reading
Senator John Thune today issued the following statement regarding the transfer of ownership of Homestake gold mine to the state of South Dakota: “The transfer of ownership of the Homestake mine to the state of South Dakota will answer a variety of legal and liability questions that have been surrounding... Continue Reading
Senator John Thune sent a letter to the Acting Secretary of the Department of the Interior expressing his support for the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe’s application to the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) for $1 million. This funding would be used for a critically needed access road, which leads to... Continue Reading
Senator Thune today announced the U.S. Air Force has selected Ellsworth Air Force Base over several other candidate bases as the best site to locate the consolidated Air Force Financial Services Center (AFFSC). This action will result in more than 775 additional military and civilian jobs at Ellsworth. The award... Continue Reading
Senators John Thune (R-SD) and Barack Obama (D-IL) today introduced S. 2614, the Alternative Energy Refueling System Act of 2006. The bill would provide incentives for gas station owners across the country to install alternative fuel tanks, giving consumers greater opportunities to opt for cleaner, more environment-friendly fuels such as... Continue Reading
Senator John Thune testified today before the Senate Energy Subcommittee on Water and Power concerning (S.2205) the “Blunt Reservoir and Pierre Canal Land Conveyance Act of 2006.” This legislation would officially decommission the Blunt Reservoir and Pierre Canal features of the Oahe Irrigation Project that was planned by the federal... Continue Reading
United States Senator John Thune (R-SD), Senator Ken Salazar (D-CO), and a bipartisan group of their colleagues, introduced legislation today that would establish the position of an Assistant Secretary of Veterans’ Affairs for Rural Veterans within the Department of Veterans’ Affairs (VA), and take additional steps to expand access to... Continue Reading
Senator John Thune announced today that the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation will be able to continue receiving important law enforcement funding through the Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) program. Until today’s decision, regulations required Pine Ridge to match COPS grants with tribal money in order to receive funding. Pine Ridge... Continue Reading
Senator John Thune was presented the 2006 Telehealth Leader of the Year award by the Center for Telehealth and E-Health Law (CTeL) during their Fifth Annual Telehealth Leadership Conference in Washington, D.C. CTeL recognized Senator Thune for his “leadership and continued support of telehealth.” “I am pleased to be able... Continue Reading
Senator John Thune met yesterday with Dr. Charles Grim, Director of the Indian Health Service (IHS) to discuss the emergency room service at the Wagner Service Unit, among other health issues relating to the Native American community in South Dakota. “I had a productive meeting with Dr. Grim,” Thune said.... Continue Reading
