Senator John Thune today addressed the National Congress of American Indians’ (NCAI) mid-year conference hosted in Rapid City. President Theresa Two Bulls, of the Oglala Sioux Tribe located in Pine Ridge, serves as NCAI’s Secretary. “I’m pleased to welcome the National Congress of American Indians’ mid-year meeting to our great... Continue Reading
Senator John Thune today announced that the Air Force has selected Ellsworth Air Force Base as one of two new squadron bed-down locations for personnel operating Remotely Piloted Aircraft (RPA). This new addition is part of a broader effort to increase the number of MQ-1 Predator and MQ-9 Reaper intelligence,... Continue Reading
Senator John Thune today issued the following statement in response to industry reports that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) again delaying the decision on approval of higher blends of ethanol for use in conventional vehicles: “It has been six months since the EPA was statutorily required to announce a decision... Continue Reading
Senator John Thune today criticized the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) renewed effort to regulate the Internet under Title II of the Communications Act. FCC commissioners voted 3-2 along party lines to launch the regulation effort. “Yesterday’s decision by Chairman Genachowski and the other Democratic commissioners to pursue new government control... Continue Reading
Senator John Thune today made the following remarks after the Senate vote of 41 to 57 on his alternative amendment to the Democrats’ Tax Extenders Bill currently before the Senate: “The alternative amendment I proposed was a common sense step toward restoring fiscal sanity to our nation’s runaway spending and... Continue Reading
Senator John Thune today called on all Senators to stand up for energy consumers and manufacturers across the country by voting in favor of Sen. Lisa Murkowski’s (R-AK) privileged bipartisan resolution that would prohibit EPA’s overreaching regulation of greenhouse gas emissions. “I am proud to be one of 40 Senators... Continue Reading
Senator John Thune yesterday introduced the GOP alternative amendment to the Democrats’ Tax Extenders Bill currently before the Senate. Thune’s amendment fully pays for extending important tax provisions and Unemployment Insurance benefits, provides a longer-term physician reimbursement, and cuts wasteful spending. “My amendment sends a strong signal to the American... Continue Reading
Last night the Senate Armed Services Committee concluded its markup of the Fiscal Year 2011 National Defense Authorization Act. The bill authorizes $726 billion in funding for Department of Defense programs as well as funding for the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, and includes authorizations for several South Dakota defense-related... Continue Reading
Senator John Thune today reacted to an announcement by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) that the agency would again delay implementation of the “Red Flags” rule that would require small businesses like doctors’ and dentists’ offices, veterinary clinics, and accounting offices to take the same costly steps as banks and... Continue Reading
Senator John Thune today joined several of his colleagues in sending a letter to Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius criticizing the Health and Human Services department for using taxpayer funds to send a brochure to millions of seniors promoting the recently enacted health care reform bill. The... Continue Reading
Senator John Thune today released the following statement regarding the United States’ national debt reaching the $13 trillion mark: “The red ink being passed on to future generations of Americans has reached an unprecedented level of irresponsibility. The Obama Administration and Democrats in Congress continue to pile up new federal... Continue Reading
Senators John Thune (R-SD) and Mark Begich (D-AK) today introduced a bill to exempt certain small businesses from a regulation by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) that would otherwise require them to undertake costly measures to prevent identity theft. The bipartisan bill would protect small businesses like doctor’s and dentist’s... Continue Reading
