Senator John Thune issued the following statement today regarding President Obama’s $3.9 trillion budget proposal: “People across this country are facing very uncertain economic times that are forcing some to make very difficult decisions when it comes to their personal, family, and business budgets. During difficult times it should also... Continue Reading
Senator John Thune today filed his bill, the Respecting States’ Rights and Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act (S.371), as an amendment to the so-called DC Voting Rights Bill (S.160). The bipartisan Thune amendment would allow individuals to carry lawfully concealed firearms across state lines, while at the same time respecting the... Continue Reading
Senator John Thune today reintroduced the Fostering Independence Through Technology (FITT) Act, which would expand the use of telehealth technology under Medicare in rural and other underserved communities across the nation. The FITT Act would create a pilot program to provide incentives for home health agencies across the country to... Continue Reading
Senator John Thune tonight made the following remarks after President Obama’s address to a joint session of Congress: “Tonight President Obama shared his vision for addressing the economic situation our country is facing,” said Thune. “It is important that we work together to find sincere, workable, bipartisan solutions for the... Continue Reading
Senator John Thune today made the following comments after he voted against the more than $780,000,000,000 ($780 billion) spending bill: “This stimulus bill is just too much: too much borrowed money, too much pork, too much waste, and too much spending that will stimulate government instead of the economy. In... Continue Reading
Senator John Thune today voted against the more than $1,000,000,000,000 ($1 Trillion) deficit spending bill before the U.S. Senate. Senator Thune made the following comments: “America is facing serious economic challenges that demand real solutions rather than a business-as-usual Washington spending spree. Rather than being a timely, targeted and temporary... Continue Reading
Senator John Thune today introduced an across-the-board middle class tax rebate amendment (S. AMDT #538) to the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. Senator Thune’s amendment would strike the entire $936 billion Senate stimulus bill and replace it with a $936 billion across-the-board-middle-class tax rebate for 182 million Americans.... Continue Reading
Senator John Thune yesterday introduced the House Republican Substitute as an amendment (S. AMDT.#197) to the stimulus bill currently being debated before the Senate. Joining as cosponsors are Senator Jon Kyl (R-AZ), Senator Jim DeMint (R-SC), and Senator Mike Johanns (R-NE). “The debate surrounding the stimulus bill has gone from... Continue Reading
Senator John Thune yesterday introduced the Respecting States’ Rights and Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act (S.371), a bill that would allow individuals to carry lawfully concealed firearms across state lines, while at the same time respecting the laws of the host state. “South Dakota is a state with responsible laws allowing... Continue Reading
Senator John Thune today introduced an amendment (S. AMDT #238) to the Democrat Stimulus bill that would prohibit using money from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 on any new federal government programs created as a result of the stimulus bill. “If the idea of the stimulus plan... Continue Reading
Senator John Thune recently sent a letter to Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lisa Jackson in support of the Big Stone II power plant, which will create over 2,500 jobs in northeast South Dakota. “Energy demand throughout the Upper Midwest, including South Dakota, is rising due to the needs of... Continue Reading
Senator John Thune today voted for Kids First, a comprehensive proposal to reauthorize the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) through 2013. SCHIP was created in 1997 to help states provide health coverage to the children of working-poor families who did not qualify for Medicaid. “We created SCHIP when I... Continue Reading
