Senator John Thune today praised a study released by the State of Minnesota and the Renewable Fuels Association, which demonstrates that increasing the percentage of ethanol in gasoline to 20 percent does not present compatibility problems for current vehicles and provides performance similar to the10 percent ethanol (E10) that is... Continue Reading
Senator John Thune has sent a letter to Dirk Kempthorne, Secretary of the U.S. Department of the Interior, requesting that the Interior Department allocate additional funding for tribal law enforcement in South Dakota. The Interior Department received over $26 million more in Fiscal Year 2008 than Fiscal Year 2007 for... Continue Reading
President Bush today posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor to Master Sergeant Woodrow Keeble in recognition of his service during the Korean War. Master Sergeant Keeble was a member of the Sisseton-Wahpeton Oyate Tribe and is the first Dakota Sioux to receive the Medal of Honor. Senator John Thune was... Continue Reading
President Bush today signed a bill (H.R. 5270) to temporarily extend the authorization and funding for the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) through June 30th, 2008. The bill includes Senator John Thune’s bipartisan provision to restore commercial air service to Brookings, South Dakota and two other airports through September 30th, 2008.... Continue Reading
U.S. Senator John Thune was awarded the 2008 Congressional Partnership Award by the National Association of Development Organizations. The award was presented to Senator Thune today by Dick Edenstrom, Executive Director of the First District Association of Local Governments, and Lynn Keller, Executive Director of the South Eastern Council of... Continue Reading
With Governor Mike Rounds in Washington, DC for the National Governors Association Annual Meeting, Senator Tim Johnson invited the Governor, Senator John Thune, and Representative Stephanie Herseth Sandlin to his office for a joint meeting on budget priorities for the state. “The future of farming, an adequate water supply and... Continue Reading
The U.S. Senate today passed by a vote of 83 to 10 the Indian Health Care Improvement Act (S. 1200). The bill includes Senator Thune’s amendment to improve tribal justice systems and law enforcement as well as provisions to prevent the scheduled reduction of hours at the IHS Wagner Service... Continue Reading
U.S. Senator John Thune announced today that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) will host grant workshops in South Dakota to assist fire departments in planning and applying for the 2008 Assistance to Fire Fighters Grant (AFG) Program, Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) grant program, and the... Continue Reading
U.S. Senator John Thune announced tonight that his amendment to the Indian Health Care Improvement Act (S. 1200), which would direct the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to complete an in-depth study of the tribal justice systems in North and South Dakota, has been included in the bill. The goal of... Continue Reading
Senators from North Dakota and South Dakota today announced that Master Sgt. Woodrow Wilson Keeble has been posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor, the highest tribute our nation can bestow on a member of the military. He is the first member of any of the Sioux tribes to earn that... Continue Reading
Senator John Thune stated today that he is assessing the facts behind Sunday’s nationwide 143 million pound beef recall, the largest in U.S. history. This recall affects beef products processed and distributed by the Hallmark/Westland Meat Packing Company located in California. “I have no doubt in my own mind that... Continue Reading
Today Senator John Thune made the following comments regarding the release of a letter signed by more than 40 leading agriculture organizations criticizing the latest House Farm Bill proposal: “I applaud these groups for speaking up on behalf of the family farmers and ranchers they represent. The latest House Farm... Continue Reading
