U.S. Senator John Thune (R-South Dakota) today joined a bipartisan group of 46 senators in sending a letter to Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Gina McCarthy requesting a 120-day public comment period for its proposed regulation of greenhouse gases (GHG) from existing power plants. The EPA is expected to release... Continue Reading
U.S. Senator John Thune (R-South Dakota) today sent a letter to U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Secretary Eric Shinseki calling for independent oversight of the VA’s internal audit and calling for a review of wait times for veterans in South Dakota. “With the credibility of the VA in serious... Continue Reading
Following President Obama’s press conference today regarding the ongoing nationwide scandal at U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) health care facilities, U.S. Senator John Thune (R-South Dakota) issued the following statement: “While I’m glad the president finally acknowledged the VA scandal, it’s completely unacceptable that it took several weeks for... Continue Reading
U.S. Senator John Thune (R-South Dakota), Chairman of the Senate Republican Conference, issued the following statement regarding the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ (CMS) release of a proposed rule this evening to allow providers and hospitals to use Electronic Health Records (EHR) certified in 2011 to qualify for the... Continue Reading
U.S. Senators John Thune (R-South Dakota), Robert Casey (D-Pennsylvania), and John Hoeven (R-North Dakota) today led a bipartisan group of 34 Senators in sending a letter to Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Administrator Marilyn Tavenner calling on CMS to hold off on expanding the CMS Durable Medical Equipment,... Continue Reading
In response to a provision in the 2014 Farm Bill secured by U.S. Senator John Thune (R-South Dakota), the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Forest Service (FS) Chief today announced that 72 contiguous units in the Black Hills National Forest have been designated as priority areas to address insect or... Continue Reading
U.S. Senator John Thune (R-South Dakota), Chairman of the Senate Republican Conference, today questioned the nominee for Secretary of Health and Human Services, Sylvia Burwell, at her confirmation hearing before the Senate Finance Committee about the Obama administration’s decision to exempt certain union plans from the ObamaCare reinsurance tax, leaving... Continue Reading
U.S. Senator John Thune (R-South Dakota) today offered two amendments to the Senate’s legislation to extend certain expiring tax provisions, commonly referred to as tax extenders legislation (H.R. 3474), that would provide relief from the ObamaCare employer mandate for the long-term unemployed and the individual mandate tax penalty. 1) ObamaCare Employer... Continue Reading
U.S. Senator John Thune (R-South Dakota) today condemned an announcement from the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) that it will move forward with a contractor to conduct the Hot Springs VA’s Environment Impact Statement (EIS) in the wake of national reports of secret VA wait lists and preventable deaths. “The... Continue Reading
U.S. Senate Republican leaders, including Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Kentucky), Whip John Cornyn (R-Texas), Conference Chairman and Ranking Member of the Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee John Thune (R-South Dakota), Policy Chairman John Barrasso (R-Wyoming), Conference Vice Chairman Roy Blunt (R-Missouri), and National Republican Senatorial Committee Chairman Jerry Moran (R-Kansas), today... Continue Reading
U.S. Senator John Thune (R-South Dakota) today applauded the inclusion of a provision in the Water Resources and Reform Development Act (WRRDA) conference report prohibiting the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, for a period of 10 years, from moving forward with its highly controversial proposal to restrict access to Missouri... Continue Reading
Following reports of secret waiting lists and delayed care at the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), U.S. Senator John Thune (R-South Dakota), today introduced a bill to require the VA Inspector General (IG) to issue a report to Congress on the wait times veterans are experiencing at VA health care... Continue Reading
