WASHINGTON — U.S. Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) issued the following statement after Senate Democrats today blocked funding for veterans benefits, combating the Zika virus, and the Department of Defense for the third time this year. “Despite the fact the Zika virus currently poses a significant public health threat... Continue Reading
WASHINGTON — U.S. Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.), chairman of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, applauded the Senate’s passage of his Rural Health Care Connectivity Act of 2015, which was included in the Toxic Substances Control Act conference report. Thune’s bipartisan bill, which was introduced early last year, would... Continue Reading
U.S. Sens. John Thune (R-S.D.) and Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) and U.S. Rep. Kristi Noem (R-S.D.) recently joined Sen. John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), chairman of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, in sending a letter to U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Burwell requesting that the Indian Health Service... Continue Reading
U.S. Sens. John Thune (R-S.D.), Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.), Mike Enzi (R-Wyo.), Pat Roberts (R-Kans.), Richard Burr (R-N.C.), and Bill Cassidy (R-La.) today wrote to U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Burwell and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Acting Administrator Andy Slavitt to request feedback on... Continue Reading
WASHINGTON – Republican committee leaders in the Senate and House today asked the administration for information about the 316 security breaches on HealthCare.gov catalogued in a new report released by the nonpartisan government watchdog, the Government Accountability Office (GAO). The Senate and House members sent a letter to Health and Human... Continue Reading
WASHINGTON — U.S. Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) issued the following statement after the Senate passed S. 524, the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act. This bipartisan legislation expands drug prevention efforts, supports law enforcement, combats overdose, and expands access to treatment. “It’s no secret that addictive substances like misused prescription painkillers... Continue Reading
U.S. Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) and members of the South Dakota, Wyoming, and Nebraska congressional delegations wrote to U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Secretary Robert McDonald to request an extension until April 5, 2016, of the public comment period for the VA’s Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) on the proposed... Continue Reading
WASHINGTON, D.C.— U.S. Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) issued the following statement regarding today’s Supreme Court decision on King v. Burwell: “Obamacare continues to be a disaster for many American families and businesses. Under this law, Americans will continue to pay higher premiums, face an avalanche of regulations, and cope with... Continue Reading
U.S. Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) today applauded the Senate’s bipartisan passage of the Medicare Access and Children’s Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act, H.R. 2, which repeals Medicare’s Sustainable Growth Rate (SGR) formula and modernizes Medicare payments to incentivize high-quality, low-cost care for seniors across the country. This bill also includes... Continue Reading
WASHINGTON, D.C.—U.S. Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) issued the following statement on the Senate’s passage of a balanced budget resolution: “This balanced budget resolution is a framework for the more efficient, effective, and accountable federal government that the American people deserve. Not only does this budget balance, but it does so... Continue Reading
U.S. Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) issued the following statement on the five-year anniversary of ObamaCare being signed into law: “Higher premiums, higher deductibles, less choice, and fewer jobs – that’s the story of ObamaCare five years later. The Democrats’ signature legislative achievement has proven to be one big broken promise... Continue Reading
U.S. Senators Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) and John Thune (R-SD) today introduced bipartisan legislation that increases the transparency of healthcare costs in Medicare—helping doctors, health systems, private insurers and research institutions provide more efficient, higher quality healthcare and better patient outcomes. “Medicare is the single largest payer of healthcare services... Continue Reading
