A provision authored by Senator Ken Salazar (D-CO) and Senator John Thune (R-SD) that would establish an Office of Rural Health Care within the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) was approved by Congress. The provision is part of S. 3421 which authorizes major medical facility projects and major medical facility... Continue Reading
The U.S. Senate today approved legislation authored by Senators Tim Johnson and John Thune that would provide compensation to members of the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe who have suffered land loss or damages as a result of the Pick Sloan projects on the Missouri River. S. 1535, the Cheyenne River... Continue Reading
Today the U.S. Senate passed S.2205 the “Blunt Reservoir and Pierre Canal Land Conveyance Act of 2006.” This legislation would officially decommission the Blunt Reservoir and Pierre Canal features of the Oahe Irrigation Project that was planned by the federal government under the Flood Control Act of 1944. The 190,000... Continue Reading
Senator John Thune made the following comment today regarding the Iraq Study Group report: “I welcome the ideas put forth today by the Iraq Study Group and as a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee I will be studying them further. Our fight in Iraq is not an easy... Continue Reading
Today Senator Trent Lott of Mississippi, the incoming Senate Republican Whip, announced that Senator John Thune of South Dakota will serve as Chief Deputy Whip in the Senate Republican Whip organization for the 110th Congress. “In his first term in the Senate, John has demonstrated outstanding leadership skills, and I... Continue Reading
Senator John Thune (R-SD) today issued the following statement regarding his participation in the Senate Armed Services Committee nomination hearing of Dr. Robert Gates, nominee for U.S. Secretary of Defense: “Dr. Gates’ testimony today was as impressive as it was forthright and honest. He handled a wide range of challenging... Continue Reading
Senator John Thune today spoke on the Senate floor, urging his colleagues to support an amendment to the Fiscal Year 2007 Agriculture Appropriations bill that would provide emergency agriculture disaster assistance to farmers and ranchers who have been hit by a multi-year drought. The measure failed to get the three-fifths... Continue Reading
Senator John Thune today announced the U.S. Air Force Air Combat Command (ACC) has decided to consolidate two air traffic control centers (currently operated on both Minot Air Force Base and Ellsworth Air Force Base) onto Ellsworth, which is yet another mission that elevates Ellsworth’s profile nationally and anchors the... Continue Reading
Senator John Thune today issued the following statement regarding today’s observance of National Methamphetamine Awareness Day: “A growing challenge in South Dakota that threatens the safety of communities throughout the state is the rapidly spreading methamphetamine abuse problem. Last year in South Dakota, more than 700 meth-related arrests were made... Continue Reading
Senator John Thune (R-SD) today issued the following statement regarding the continued refusal of one or more Senate Democrats to remove anonymous holds on legislation he and Sen. Ken Salazar (D-CO) introduced to greatly increase access to ethanol and other home-grown renewable fuels for consumers across the country: “With the... Continue Reading
Senators Kent Conrad (D-ND), Byron Dorgan (D-ND), Tim Johnson (D-SD), and John Thune (R-SD) are bringing a bit of football to Capitol Hill. The Senators have placed a friendly wager of North Dakota wine and South Dakota ice cream on Saturday’s game between the North Dakota State University Bison and... Continue Reading
Senator John Thune, member of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee, today issued the following statement regarding the approval of record funding for the Department of Veterans Affairs, as passed by the Senate in the Military Construction/Veterans Affairs Appropriations Act. This funding bill must still be agreed to by the House... Continue Reading
