Press Releases - Senator John Thune

Thune & Shuster Call for Travel Ban in Response to Ebola Outbreak

To help contain the current outbreak of the Ebola virus, Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee Ranking Member John Thune (R-South Dakota) and House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman Bill Shuster (R-Pennsylvania) today called for a temporary travel ban from affected West African countries. Additionally, Thune and Shuster have asked the... Continue Reading

Thune, Noem to FWS: Listing Bat as Endangered Threatens Forest Health, Jobs

U.S. Senator John Thune (R-South Dakota) and Representative Kristi Noem (R-South Dakota) today sent a letter to U.S. Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) Director Dan Ashe calling on the FWS to withdraw its proposed listing of the northern long-eared bat (NLEB) as... Continue Reading

Heitkamp, Thune Lead Bipartisan Group of Senators in Calling for Administration to Consider Rural Impact Before Finalizing Health Care Policies

U.S. Senators Heidi Heitkamp (D-North Dakota) and John Thune (R-South Dakota) today led a bipartisan group of 33 senators in sending a letter to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Director Marilyn Tavenner expressing concern that federal regulations for health care facilities do not adequately consider the impact... Continue Reading

Thune Calls on Interior and Commerce Departments to Withdraw Endangered Species Act Rules

Today, U.S. Senator John Thune (R-South Dakota), Ranking Member of Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee, along with a number of committee and subcommittee leaders, sent a letter to U.S. Secretary of Interior Sally Jewell and U.S. Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker requesting the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS)... Continue Reading

Thune Applauds New STB Transparency Reporting Requirements For Railroads

U.S. Senator John Thune (R-South Dakota), Ranking Member of the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee, made the following statement today regarding the Surface Transportation Board’s (STB) new data reporting requirements: “I welcome the additional transparency the STB is seeking from the nation’s largest freight railroads as service delays continue... Continue Reading

Thune, Klobuchar Request Update on Implementation of Home Heating Fuel Bill

U.S. Senators John Thune (R-South Dakota), Ranking Member of the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee, and Amy Klobuchar (D-Minnesota) sent a letter today to the acting administrator of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), Scott Darling, and the administrator of the Energy Information Administration (EIA), Adam Sieminski, calling... Continue Reading

Thune’s Office Accepting Spring Internship Applications

Senator John Thune (R-South Dakota) is currently seeking intelligent, hard-working college students to serve as spring interns in his office in Washington, D.C., as well as in his offices in Aberdeen, Rapid City, and Sioux Falls. Interns in Thune’s state offices will participate in constituent service and state outreach activities,... Continue Reading

Thune, Klobuchar Call on USDA to Report on Economic Impact of Rail Service Challenges

U.S. Senators John Thune (R-South Dakota), Ranking Member of the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee, and Amy Klobuchar (D-Minnesota) today sent a letter to U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Tom Vilsack calling on USDA to conduct an economic analysis of the rail service challenges facing agricultural shippers. Thune... Continue Reading

Delegation Invites South Dakotans to Apply to U.S. Service Academies

Senators John Thune (R-South Dakota) and Tim Johnson (D-South Dakota) and Representative Kristi Noem announced today that South Dakota young people interested in being nominated to one of the four U.S. Service Academies for the Class of 2019 should apply by November 1, 2014. South Dakota residents between the ages... Continue Reading

Senate Passes Thune-Supported Bill to Exclude Tribal Benefits from Taxable Income

U.S. Senator John Thune (R-South Dakota) praised the Senate’s bipartisan passage of a bill to exclude tribal benefits, such as healthcare, education, and housing, from any individual’s gross taxable income. The Tribal General Welfare Exclusion Act (H.R. 3043) would amend the Internal Revenue Code to ensure the Internal Revenue Service... Continue Reading

Senate Passes Thune, Johnson Resolution Celebrating 125th Anniversary of South Dakota Statehood

U.S. Senators John Thune (R-South Dakota) and Tim Johnson (D-South Dakota) praised the Senate’s bipartisan passage of their resolution celebrating South Dakota’s 125th anniversary of statehood. “Nearly 125 years ago, our great nation formally welcomed South Dakota into the Union,” said Thune. “Since then, millions of Americans have enjoyed the... Continue Reading

Thune Calls for President to Finally Approve Keystone XL Ahead of Sixth Anniversary

U.S. Senator John Thune (R-South Dakota) joined a number of his Senate Republican colleagues today at a press conference calling for President Obama to finally approve the Keystone XL pipeline ahead of the sixth anniversary of TransCanada’s original application. Thune made the following remarks at today’s press conference, “For South... Continue Reading