Thune Leads Colleagues in Urging USDA to Provide Timely Livestock Disaster Assistance Following Severe Weather Events

U.S. Sens. John Thune (R-S.D.), Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.), Steve Daines (R-Mont.), Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), John Hoeven (R-N.D.), Jerry Moran (R-Kan.), Mike Rounds (R-S.D.), and Jon Tester (D-Mont.) today urged U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Sonny Perdue to provide Livestock Indemnity Program (LIP) assistance as quickly as... Continue Reading

Thune, Stabenow Reintroduce Legislation to Preserve Rural Access to Therapy Services

U.S. Sens. John Thune (R-S.D.) and Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.) today reintroduced the Rural Hospital Regulatory Relief Act (S. 895), legislation that would permanently prohibit the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) from enforcing its direct supervision policy for certain outpatient therapeutic services, a harmful regulation that would jeopardize access... Continue Reading

Ellsworth Air Force Base to Welcome B-21 Training and Operational Squadron to Its Fleet

U.S. Sens. John Thune (R-S.D.) and Mike Rounds (R-S.D.), U.S. Rep. Dusty Johnson (R-S.D.), and Gov. Kristi Noem (R-S.D.) today issued the following statements after the U.S. Air Force announced that Ellsworth Air Force Base has officially been selected to receive the new B-21 training and operational squadron, which means... Continue Reading

Thune: Democrats Refuse to Go on the Record on Their Green New Deal

U.S. Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) released the following statement today after Senate Democrats failed to support their own Green New Deal agenda on the Senate floor. “Weeks ago, Democrats in Congress were practically tripping over themselves to support the costly, ineffective Green New Deal. But today, they banded together in... Continue Reading

The South Dakota Seal

Last week, the state seal of South Dakota was added to the ceiling of Sen. John Thune’s (R-S.D.) majority whip office. This carries on a tradition that the occupant of the Republican whip office add his or her home state’s seal to the space. The South Dakota state seal was... Continue Reading

Thune, Wyden Reintroduce Bill to Protect Innovative Digital Goods and Services from Multiple and Discriminatory Taxes

U.S. Sens. John Thune (R-S.D.), a member of the Senate Finance Committee, and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), ranking member of the Senate Finance Committee, today reintroduced legislation to prevent discriminatory and duplicative taxes on digital goods and services, including online downloads of music, literature, movies, mobile apps, and cloud computing services.... Continue Reading

Thune Leads Subcommittee Hearing on Broadband in Rural America

U.S. Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.), chairman of the Commerce Committee’s Subcommittee on Communications, Technology, Innovation, and the Internet, today convened the subcommittee’s first hearing of the year titled, “The Impact of Broadband Investments in Rural America.” The subcommittee discussed opportunities and investments to support carriers in rural America, efforts to prevent overbuilding... Continue Reading

Thune Applauds the EPA’s Decision to Permit Year-Round E15 Fuel Sales

U.S. Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.), a longtime member of the Senate Agriculture Committee, today applauded Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) proposal to permit the year-round sale of E15 fuel (15 percent ethanol-blended fuel) in the United States, a win for consumer choice and energy security that Thune has sought for nearly... Continue Reading

Thune Joins Colleagues in Reintroducing POW/MIA Flag

U.S. Sen. John Thune this week joined Sens. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), and Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.) in reintroducing the National Prisoners of War (POW)/Missing in Action (MIA) Flag Act, which would require the POW/MIA flag to be displayed whenever the American flag is displayed on prominent federal properties, including the U.S. Capitol,... Continue Reading

Thune Reintroduces Bill to Add Certainty to Worker Classification Rules

U.S. Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.), a member of the tax-writing Senate Finance Committee, today reintroduced the New Economy Works to Guarantee Independence and Growth (NEW GIG) Act (S. 700), legislation that addresses the classification of workers – independent contractors versus employees – and creates a safe harbor for those who... Continue Reading

Thune, Murphy Reintroduce Bill to Encourage Healthy Living

U.S. Sens. John Thune (R-S.D.) and Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) today reintroduced the Personal Health Investment Today (PHIT) Act (S. 680), legislation that would encourage more physical activity in the United States and incentivize healthier living by allowing Americans to use a portion of the money saved in their pre-tax health... Continue Reading

Thune: Economic Growth is the Result of Pro-Growth Republican Policies

U.S. Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) today discussed the state of the U.S. economy. From the fourth quarter of 2017 to the fourth quarter of 2018, the economy had its strongest annual growth in 10 years, which was the result of pro-growth Republican policies like reforming the tax code and lifting... Continue Reading