Press Releases - Senator John Thune

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

Thune Unveils Interactive Map Highlighting South Dakota’s 125-Year History

U.S. Senator John Thune (R-South Dakota) today unveiled a new interactive map on his website displaying dozens of old maps and photos from towns and cities across the state in honor of South Dakota’s 125th anniversary of statehood. The interactive map uses images digitally archived at the Library of Congress... Continue Reading

Thune Introduces Bill to Block Most Costly and Burdensome EPA Regulation in History

U.S. Senator John Thune (R-South Dakota) today introduced a bill to block the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) from implementing what is expected to be its most costly regulation in the EPA’s history, setting the ground-level ozone standard at an unprecedented low level. Thune’s bill, The Clean Air, Strong Economies (CASE)... Continue Reading

Thune STB Reform Bill Passes Commerce Committee

U.S. Senator John Thune (R-South Dakota), Ranking Member of the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee, today praised the committee’s bipartisan passage of his Surface Transportation Board (STB) reform bill, which he introduced along with Commerce Committee Chairman Jay Rockefeller (D-West Virginia). Thune and Rockefeller’s bill, the STB Reauthorization Act... Continue Reading

Rockefeller, Thune Issue Joint Statement on Committee Passage of the Satellite Television Access and Viewer Rights Act

Senators John D. (Jay) Rockefeller IV (D-WV) and John Thune (R-SD), Chairman and Ranking Member of the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee, today issued the following statement following the Committee passage of the Satellite Television Access and Viewer Rights Act (STAVRA): “We are pleased that the committee today advanced... Continue Reading

Johanns, Thune Introduce Bill to Stop EPA from Bypassing Courts to Garnish Americans’ Wages

U.S. Senators Mike Johanns (R-Nebraska) and John Thune (R-South Dakota) today introduced legislation to prohibit the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) from garnishing Americans’ wages without a court order. Johanns said, “Federal overreach has been a theme of this Administration and keeping agencies accountable is a constant, ongoing process. With the... Continue Reading

Thune Announces Commerce Committee Markup of STB Reform Bill

Following last week’s rail service hearing before the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, U.S. Senator John Thune (R-South Dakota), Ranking Member of the Senate Commerce Committee, reiterated the committee’s plan to formally pass his legislation to reform the Surface Transportation Board (STB) on Wednesday, September 17, 2014. Thune’s... Continue Reading

Thune Statement on 13th Anniversary of 9/11 Attacks

U.S. Senator John Thune (R-South Dakota) today issued the following statement on the 13th anniversary of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks: “While it’s been 13 years since the deadly terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, and Flight 93, the memories of 9/11 remain strong today. Attacks... Continue Reading