Press Releases

U.S. Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) today applauded the administration’s decision to only consider the most relevant nutritional science in determining the 2015 dietary guidelines, which is consistent with statutory guidelines, and reject the advisory committee’s earlier inconsistent conclusions and recommendations regarding the role of lean red meat in a healthy... Continue Reading

U.S. Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) issued the following statement after the Senate passed the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) on a bipartisan basis: “As conflict spreads throughout the Middle East, we need a military that is strong, ready, and well-equipped. The bipartisan defense bill the Senate passed today is critical... Continue Reading

U.S. Sens. John Thune (R-S.D.) and Bob Casey (D-Pa.) today reintroduced the Family Health Care Accessibility Act, legislation to remove barriers currently preventing health care professionals from volunteering their services at cost-effective, high-quality primary and preventative health care facilities, known as Community Health Centers (CHCs). The Family Health Care Accessibility... Continue Reading

U.S. Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.), chairman of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, today received an update from Dr. Nigel Lockyer, director of the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory (Fermilab), based in Batavia, Illinois, on the progress of the Long-Baseline Neutrino Facility (LBNF) that will facilitate the Deep Underground... Continue Reading

U.S. Sens. John Thune (R-S.D.) and John Hoeven (R-N.D.) today placed a friendly wager on this weekend’s matchup between the South Dakota State University (SDSU) Jackrabbits and the North Dakota State University (NDSU) Bison football teams. The Division I rivalry game has become known as the Dakota Marker game, and... Continue Reading

U.S. Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) today denounced the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) release of a final rule to lower the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) for ground-level ozone, or smog. The new standard would be set at an unprecedented 70 parts-per-billion (ppb), down from the 75 ppb standard set... Continue Reading

U.S. Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) issued the following statement after Senate Democrats blocked H.R. 2029, a bill that funds veterans’ health services and benefits, military housing and family support, and hospital and military construction.    “This legislation has historically been one of the most bipartisan of all the funding bills... Continue Reading

 U.S. Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) today paid tribute to former South Dakota Gov. Walter Dale Miller, who passed away on Monday. Miller was the 29th governor of South Dakota. He served from 1993-1995.

Two Senate committee chairmen, U.S. Sens. John Thune (R-S.D.) and Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.), urged the administration to immediately adopt stage two modifications for the federal government’s program to require doctors and hospitals to create electronic health records systems and make the rules for stage three final no sooner than January 1,... Continue Reading

 U.S. Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) issued the following statement on the passing of former South Dakota Gov. Walter Dale Miller: “Kimberley’s and my thoughts and prayers are with former Gov. Miller’s family and friends. Gov. Miller served during a difficult time in our state’s history, but thanks to his service,... Continue Reading