Press Releases - Senator John Thune

Thune Announces Committee Assignments for 118th Congress

WASHINGTON — U.S. Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) today released the following statement after being selected to serve on the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry; the Senate Finance Committee; and the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. “I am honored to once again serve on these three important... Continue Reading

Senate Passes Thune-Rounds Resolution Honoring SDSU’s First Football National Championship

WASHINGTON — U.S. Sens. John Thune (R-S.D.) and Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) today announced that the U.S. Senate passed their resolution honoring the South Dakota State University (SDSU) Jackrabbits football team for winning the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I Football Championship Subdivision title. The resolution also honors SDSU head... Continue Reading

Thune: Security and Humanitarian Crisis at the Southern Border Cannot Be Ignored

Click here to watch the video. WASHINGTON — U.S. Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) today discussed how the Biden administration’s open-border policies have helped enable the worst border crisis in our nation’s history. Thune noted that the southern border crisis is impacting communities all across the country, including those in South Dakota... Continue Reading

Thune-Klobuchar Bill Would Bolster Conservation Reserve Program

WASHINGTON — U.S. Sens. John Thune (R-S.D.) and Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), members of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry, today reintroduced the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) Improvement Act. This legislation would bolster CRP by improving access to grazing, maximizing enrollment options for producers, and addressing implementation issues following... Continue Reading

Thune, Luján, Klobuchar, Fischer Reintroduce Bipartisan Legislation to Increase Access to Rural Broadband

WASHINGTON — U.S. Sens. John Thune (R-S.D.) and Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.), ranking member and chairman, respectively, of the Subcommittee on Communications, Media, and Broadband, and Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) and Deb Fischer (R-Neb.) today reintroduced the Rural Internet Improvement Act. This bipartisan legislation would streamline and bolster U.S. Department of... Continue Reading

Thune Bill Would Connect Producers with Effective Conservation Practices

WASHINGTON — U.S. Sens. John Thune (R-S.D.) and Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), members of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry, today reintroduced the bipartisan Agriculture Innovation Act, legislation that would strengthen agricultural data collection and research to connect farmers and ranchers with the most effective conservative practices. The legislation... Continue Reading

Thune: South Dakota Agriculture Must Be a Priority in 2023 Farm Bill

Click here to watch the video. WASHINGTON — U.S. Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) today discussed his goals for the 2023 farm bill. Thune noted that he is fortunate to be a longtime member of the Senate Agriculture Committee, which gives him an important platform from which to address the needs of... Continue Reading

Thune Discusses Opportunities for Bipartisan Solutions in a Divided Government

Click here to watch the video. WASHINGTON — U.S. Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) today discussed some of the areas where Republicans and Democrats can find common ground in a divided Congress to address many of the issues facing the country. Thune noted that in order to deliver meaningful results for American... Continue Reading

Thune, Cruz Statement on the FCC’s Mismanagement of a Taxpayer-Funded Broadband Subsidy Program

WASHINGTON — U.S. Sens. John Thune (R-S.D.), ranking member of the Subcommittee on Communications, Media, and Broadband, and Ted Cruz (R-Texas), incoming ranking member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, today released the following statement regarding the Government Accountability Office’s (GAO’s) new report on the Federal Communications... Continue Reading

Thune: Grateful for Those Who March for Life

Click here to watch the video. WASHINGTON — U.S. Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) today expressed his gratitude for the participants in the annual March for Life, especially all of the South Dakotans who traveled to Washington, D.C., to stand up for the rights of the unborn. Thune’s remarks below (as prepared... Continue Reading

Thune, Tester, Rounds, Booker Reintroduce Bipartisan Beef Labeling Act

WASHINGTON — U.S. Sens. John Thune (R-S.D.), a longtime member of the Senate Agriculture Committee, Jon Tester (D-Mont.), Mike Rounds (R-S.D.), and Cory Booker (D-N.J.) today reintroduced the American Beef Labeling Act, legislation that would reinstate mandatory country of origin labeling (MCOOL) for beef. This legislation would require the U.S.... Continue Reading

Thune Statement on Repeal of the Biden Administration’s Toddler Mask Mandate

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. — U.S. Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) today released the following statement after the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) issued a final rule that repeals the Biden administration’s toddler mask mandate at Head Start facilities: “The Biden administration’s toddler mask mandate is a national embarrassment, and... Continue Reading