U.S. Senators John Thune (R-South Dakota) and Heidi Heitkamp (D-North Dakota) today led a bipartisan effort to support farmers who are prevented from planting crops due to adverse weather by sending a letter to U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Tom Vilsack requesting that approved prevented planting acres are included... Continue Reading
U.S. Senator John Thune (R-South Dakota), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, released the following statement today on the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) announcement regarding additional enforcement actions designed to combat call completion issues in rural areas: “I applaud the FCC for taking action to... Continue Reading
Following ongoing reports of waiting lists, delayed care, and gross mismanagement at Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) health care facilities, U.S. Senator John Thune (R-South Dakota) joined Senators John McCain (R-Arizona), Richard Burr (R-North Carolina), Tom Coburn (R-Oklahoma), and Jeff Flake (R-Arizona) in cosponsoring their legislation to improve veterans’ health... Continue Reading
Following the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) announcement it would be imposing costly new regulations on existing power plants, U.S. Senator John Thune (R-South Dakota) today joined a number of his GOP colleagues in cosponsoring legislation introduced by Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Kentucky) to block the EPA’s proposal unless it... Continue Reading
U.S. Senator John Thune (R-South Dakota) today sent a letter to U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack calling on the Forest Service (FS) to accept responsibility for the April 3, 2013, Pautre Fire, and to approve damage claims from individuals who lost buildings, trees, bales of forage, and fences... Continue Reading
U.S. Senator John Thune (R-South Dakota) this morning made the following comment regarding the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) proposed regulations on existing power plants: “Make no mistake, the administration’s proposed rule is nothing more than a national energy tax that will be yet another sucker punch to middle-class families throughout... Continue Reading
U.S. Senator John Thune (R-South Dakota) made the following statement regarding the resignation of Veterans Affairs (VA) Secretary Eric Shinseki: “Secretary Shinseki’s resignation is a necessary first step, but the VA crisis is bigger than any one person at the top. We must hold accountable all who played a role... Continue Reading
Following the release today of the interim Veterans Affairs (VA) inspector general (IG) report, which concludes that misreporting veteran wait times is systemic throughout the Veterans Health Administration, U.S. Senator John Thune (R-South Dakota) again called for a nationwide IG investigation of all VA medical facilities. Of the hundreds of... Continue Reading
This morning, U.S. Senator John Thune (R-South Dakota) joined CBS’s “Face the Nation” to discuss the ongoing nationwide crisis at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). Excerpts of Thune’s interview are available below and video of Thune’s interview on the VA crisis is available here. On the Obama administration’s... Continue Reading
Senators Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.), John Thune (R-S.D.), Richard Burr (R-N.C.), Mike Enzi (R-Wyo.) and Pat Roberts (R-Kan.) welcomed the administration’s reversal this week on electronic health records deadlines, after officials earlier this year refused to grant providers additional time to comply with regulations as groups nationwide requested. In a proposed... Continue Reading
U.S. Senators John Thune (R-South Dakota), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, and Amy Klobuchar (D-Minnesota) applauded the Senate’s bipartisan approval of their legislation to minimize future propane and heating fuel shortages and regional supply disruptions. A slightly modified version of Thune and Klobuchar’s Reliable... Continue Reading
Following the Internal Revenue Service’s (IRS) announcement today that it will revise previously proposed rules for 501(c)4 organizations, U.S. Senator John Thune (R-S.D.), Chairman of the Senate Republican Conference and member of the Senate Finance Committee, issued the following statement: “I am pleased that the IRS has listened to those... Continue Reading
