When Senator John Thune returns to Washington on Monday, he will move up in the world – literally. After spending nearly four months in temporary transition offices in the basement of the Dirkson office building, this weekend Thune’s staff moved into its permanent offices on the third floor of the... Continue Reading
Senator John Thune today announced over $40,000 in Homeland Security grant money for the Murdo Volunteer Fire Department in Murdo, South Dakota. The $43,313 grant was awarded through the Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program’s Operations and Firefighter Safety Program. The funds will go towards training, equipment, personal protective equipment, wellness... Continue Reading
Senator John Thune will welcome home South Dakota troops from Iraq at a special ceremony at 11 am, Thursday in Watertown. Members of the HHS 2nd Battalion, 147th Field Artillery are currently in Fort Still, Oklahoma after serving in Iraq and will return to South Dakota tomorrow. “Our troops served... Continue Reading
Senator John Thune announced today he is co-sponsoring legislation to provide technology grants for Native American colleges and other minority-serving institutions. “These grants will help tribal colleges connect to today’s technology which, in turn, will help them find successful careers,” said Thune, R-SD. “There is a lopsided gap that exists... Continue Reading
“The Social Security Trustees have told us that beginning in the year 2018, a little more than a decade from now; Social Security will begin paying out more in benefits than it is currently taking in. This means that we will need to start dramatically raising taxes, taking on massive... Continue Reading
“I was fortunate to meet with Ambassador Negroponte when I visited Iraq two weeks ago. When I met with the Ambassador, I was impressed by his understanding of the threats facing American troops and the urgency of hunting down terrorists. With America facing threats from many places, Ambassador Negroponte brings... Continue Reading
Senator John Thune announced today over $175,000 in Homeland Security grants for two South Dakota fire departments, including a new fire truck for Custer and fire station improvements for Cresbard. “These federal grants will help keep our towns and our volunteer firefighters safe,” Thune said. “I’m proud to announce these... Continue Reading
U.S. Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, M.D. today appointed Senator John Thune to the Senate Republican High Tech Task Force for the 109th Congress. “The High Tech Task Force reflects Republicans’ commitment to ensuring technology development is a top priority for the United States Senate,” said Frist, R-TN. “And with... Continue Reading
In his second speech on the floor of the U.S. Senate, Senator John Thune today said that Iraqis are making progress towards self-defense, but the U.S. must reject artificial timelines for withdrawal. “We should not attempt to impose an artificial timeline on this goal,” Thune said. “Instead, we should focus... Continue Reading
Senator John Thune announced today over $1.5 million in loans to benefit two South Dakota communities. The USDA Office of Rural Development has approved a loan of $560,000 to be given to the City of Brandon. Through the Community Facility Direct Loan program, Rural Development funds will be used to... Continue Reading
Senator John Thune today applauded the Senate’s passage of legislation that will begin to restore fairness to the judicial system. “We have finally passed class action reform that will begin to restore fairness to the judicial system in this country,” Thune said. “Our tort system is broken. And without the... Continue Reading
Senator John Thune spoke from the Senate floor for the first time this morning, calling on his colleagues to work together in a bipartisan way to solve problems and fix Social Security. Mindful of the Senate tradition of open debate, Thune said senators should “work together to do more than... Continue Reading
