Senator John Thune yesterday joined a bipartisan group of his colleagues in sending a letter to Attorney General Eric Holder, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar, and Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius requesting an update on the status of an emergency plan to allocate the $2 billion... Continue Reading
Senator John Thune today released the following statement after the Senate passed the Fiscal Year 2010 Senate Agriculture Appropriations bill by a vote of 80 to 17: “South Dakota’s economy relies on the continued growth and health of our agricultural sector. South Dakota plays a significant role in helping meet... Continue Reading
Senator John Thune, as Ranking Member of the Senate Commerce Surface Transportation Subcommittee, will conduct a Committee hearing on Monday, August 10th, on the subject of improving surface transportation systems in rural areas. The hearing, which is open to the public, will begin at 9:30 AM Central Time in the... Continue Reading
U.S. Senator John Thune (R-SD) released the following weekly Republican address. Full transcript of Senator Thune’s address: “Hello, I’m Senator John Thune of South Dakota. With summer in full swing, children across the country are enjoying vacations and time off from school. Too many of their parents, however, don’t get... Continue Reading
Senator John Thune tonight made the following statement after the Senate passed the Fiscal Year 2010 Senate Energy and Water Appropriations bill by a vote of 85 to 9. The bill appropriates money for several South Dakota projects requested by Senator Thune. “Water systems deliver clean, reliable water service to... Continue Reading
Senator John Thune led a bipartisan group of his colleagues on Friday in sending a letter to Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lisa Jackson regarding the EPA’s pending decision on approving E15 (15 percent ethanol and 85 percent gasoline) for use in non-flex fuel vehicles. “Homegrown biofuels can do even... Continue Reading
Senator John Thune today joined his Republican colleagues on the Senate Agriculture Committee in sending a letter to the chief economist at the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). The letter asks USDA to address concerns arising from the methodology of a study released concerning potential impact on our nation’s... Continue Reading
Last night the U.S. Senate voted 87-7 to approve the National Defense Authorization bill for Fiscal Year 2010. The bill authorizes $680 billion in funding for the Department of Defense and the national security programs of the Department of Energy, including several South Dakota defense related projects. The bill also... Continue Reading
Senator John Thune today announced several provisions in the Defense Authorization bill currently before the Senate dealing with military applications for renewable fuels. Specifically, Senator Thune worked to include research programs at South Dakota State University (SDSU) and the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology (SDSM&T) which would assist... Continue Reading
Senator John Thune today issued the following statement after his bipartisan amendment that would allow individuals to lawfully carry concealed firearms across state lines so long as the laws of the host state are obeyed was defeated by a vote of 58 to 39: “Today, overheated rhetoric and fearmongering overcame... Continue Reading
Senator John Thune today announced he would vote against Supreme Court Nominee Judge Sonia Sotomayor and released the following statement: “Judge Sotomayor has a compelling personal story and I appreciate her meeting with me. I carefully followed last week’s Judiciary Committee hearings as members questioned Judge Sotomayor on her judicial... Continue Reading
Senator John Thune has offered a bipartisan amendment to the Defense Authorization bill (S. 1390) that would help in reducing crime by providing reciprocity for the carrying of concealed firearms. The Thune amendment (#1618) would allow individuals to carry lawfully concealed firearms across state lines, while at the same time... Continue Reading
