Press Releases - Senator John Thune

House Passes Companion to Thune’s Bill to Preserve Rural Access to Therapy Services

Senator John Thune (R-South Dakota) today praised the House of Representatives’ passage of bipartisan legislation (H.R. 4067) originally authored by Thune, and Senators Jerry Moran (R-Kansas), and Jon Tester (D-Montana), which extends a prohibition on the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) from enforcing a regulation that harms access... Continue Reading

Thune Introduces STB Reform Bill to Improve Rail Service

U.S. Senator John Thune (R-South Dakota), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, today introduced legislation, the STB Reauthorization Act of 2014 (S. 2777), along with Commerce Committee Chairman John D. Rockefeller IV (D-West Virginia) to increase efficiency of the Surface Transportation Board (STB) by changing... Continue Reading

Thune Submits Comments on South Dakota Rail Service Concerns for Fargo STB Hearing

U.S. Senator John Thune (R-South Dakota), Ranking Member of the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee, submitted the following comments to the Surface Transportation Board (STB) for its public hearing in Fargo, North Dakota this morning focused on the region’s rail service issues that continue to negatively impact agriculture producers,... Continue Reading

Thune Announces Commerce Committee Hearing on Rail Service

Following months of rail service delays and backlogs U.S. Senator John Thune (R-South Dakota), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, today announced the committee will hold a hearing on U.S. rail service issues on Wednesday, September 10, 2014, entitled “Freight Rail Service – Improving the... Continue Reading

Following Request from Thune, STB Issues Reporting Requirements to Improve Rail Service

Following Senator John Thune’s (R-S.D.) July 24th letter to the Surface Transportation Board (STB) calling for the inclusion of two additional reporting requirements on weekly grain order reports required by the board from Canadian Pacific (CP) Railway and Burlington Northern Santa Fe (BNSF) Railroad, the STB today announced it will... Continue Reading

Thune Tours Big Stone Power Plant, Discusses Costly New EPA Regulations

U.S. Senator John Thune (R-South Dakota) toured the Big Stone Power Plant in Big Stone City and heard from Otter Tail Power Company and Northwestern Energy representatives about how the costly new regulations proposed by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will increase electricity costs for South Dakotans. Thune also heard... Continue Reading

Thune on NBC’s Meet the Press: Harry Reid Senate a Factory for Show Votes

This morning, U.S. Senator John Thune (R-South Dakota), Chairman of the Senate Republican Conference, joined NBC’s “Meet the Press” to discuss the dysfunction Majority Leader Reid has created in the U.S. Senate, the ongoing conflict in Israel and Gaza, and the importance of acting now on the southern border. Excerpts... Continue Reading

Delegation Calls on New VA Secretary to Visit Hot Springs VA Hospital

U.S. Senators Tim Johnson (D-SD) and John Thune (R-SD) and Representative Kristi Noem (R-SD) today sent a letter to U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Secretary Robert McDonald inviting him to personally visit the VA hospital in Hot Springs, which is a part of the VA Black Hills Health Care... Continue Reading

Thune Introduces Bill to Require Transparency in Unions’ Financial Activities

U.S. Senator John Thune (R-South Dakota) today introduced legislation to require more transparency in labor unions’ financial activities and tackle corruption by restoring three rules that were repealed by the Obama Department of Labor. The rules required unions to disclose financial interests in trusts that receive more than half of... Continue Reading

Delegation Calls on BLM to Continue Funding the Wildfire Community Assistance Program

U.S. Senators John Thune (R-South Dakota) and Tim Johnson (D-South Dakota) and Representative Kristi Noem (R-South Dakota) today sent a letter to the U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Director Neil Kornze calling for the agency to continue funding the Wildfire Community Assistance program, a local-federal cooperative project that hires... Continue Reading

Thune Unveils Rail Service Website

U.S. Senator John Thune (R-South Dakota) today announced the release of a new rail service section on his official website where South Dakota shippers concerned with inconsistent rail service can find the latest South Dakota rail developments. On the site, South Dakota shippers and consumers will find the most up-to-date... Continue Reading

Thune Calls on STB to Include New Metrics on Weekly Rail Grain Order Reports

U.S. Senator John Thune (R-South Dakota) sent a letter to the Surface Transportation Board (STB) today calling for the inclusion of two new metrics on the weekly grain order reports required by the board from Canadian Pacific (CP) Railway and Burlington Northern Santa Fe (BNSF) Railroad. Following increased concerns from... Continue Reading