Senator John Thune (R-S.D.) introduced the Emergency Forest Rehabilitation and Restoration Act, (S. 661) as another effort in his continuing battle to address the pine beetle infestation in the Black Hills National Forest and to improve the health of federally-owned forest land. Thune’s legislation includes a requirement that the Secretary of... Continue Reading
Senator John Thune (R-S.D.), Chairman of the Senate Republican Conference, issued the following statement today regarding the third anniversary of the signing of ObamaCare: “Three years after its enactment, the president’s health care legislation has proved to be a house of cards already beginning to collapse. Bipartisan majorities in both... Continue Reading
Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation Ranking Member John Thune (R-SD) and House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure Chairman Bill Shuster (R-PA) wrote today to Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, expressing concerns about the potential impact on aviation safety due to the Administration’s choice to close 149 contract towers around... Continue Reading
Senator John Thune (R-S.D.) issued the following statement tonight after Democrats rejected his amendment (#307) to permanently abolish the federal death tax during the consideration of S. Con. Res. 8, the Senate Democrat budget: “A death in the family should not be a taxable event. Unfortunately, a majority of Senate... Continue Reading
Senator John Thune (R-S.D) and Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) today re-introduced legislation to expand the use of telehealth technology under Medicare to reduce hospital re-admissions in rural and underserved communities across the nation. The bipartisan Fostering Independence Through Technology (FITT) Act (S. 596) would create a pilot program to provide... Continue Reading
U.S. Senators Tim Johnson and John Thune announced today that legislation to allow construction of a visitor center at the Minuteman Missile National Historic Site cleared an important hurdle after it was reported out of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee. Johnson and Thune’s legislation would transfer approximately 29... Continue Reading
Senator John Thune (R-S.D.) today led a bipartisan group of Senators in sending a letter to the Federation of State Medical Boards (FSMB). The letter encourages the development of a comprehensive system that allows states to retain control of medical licensure and ensure the safety of patients while allowing physicians... Continue Reading
Senator John Thune (R-S.D.), Chairman of the Senate Republican Conference, issued the following statement regarding the budget proposal unveiled by Senate Democrats this evening: “After four years and nearly $6 trillion added to our national debt, today the Senate Democrats finally unveiled their budget blueprint. Republicans hoped that the Democrats’... Continue Reading
WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senator John Thune (R-SD), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation delivered the following prepared remarks at today’s Federal Communications Commission oversight hearing: Mr. Chairman, thank you for holding this important hearing. I join you in welcoming Chairman Genachowski and each of the... Continue Reading
Senator John Thune (R-S.D.), Chairman of the Senate Republican Conference, today re-introduced legislation that would require federal agencies to rely on the private sector when providing goods and services that are readily available. Thune’s legislation, the Freedom from Government Competition Act (S. 523), would ensure private enterprises performing activities duplicated... Continue Reading
Senator John Thune (R-S.D.) today sent a letter to National Park Service (NPS) Director Jonathan Jarvis questioning whether the NPS is playing politics in deciding to close Wind Cave National Park’s 64-site Elk Mountain Campground. The NPS decision to close the Elk Mountain Campground came following the implementation of sequestration... Continue Reading
Senator John Thune (R-S.D.) today sent a letter along with several of his colleagues to President Obama questioning the White House’s decision to suspend public tours due to the across-the-board spending cuts known as the sequester. Joining Thune in sending this letter were Senators John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), Roy Blunt (R-Mo.),... Continue Reading
