Press Releases - Senator John Thune

Thune Sets Mark-Up of Transportation Bill With Regulatory and Consumer Protection Reforms

U.S. Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.), chairman of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, today announced the committee will convene on Wednesday, July 15, to consider and vote on S. 1732, the Comprehensive Transportation and Consumer Protection Act of 2015. The legislation authorizes the office of the secretary of... Continue Reading

Thune Urges USDA to Allocate Additional SAFE CRP Acres for South Dakota

U.S. Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) urged the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to increase acreage allocations for SAFE, a continuous Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) initiative, to the maximum extent possible in South Dakota and other states with SAFE allocations at or near 100 percent enrolled. Boosting SAFE acres will help... Continue Reading

Senators Introduce Port Transparency Bill in Wake of Prolonged West Coast Ports Strife

U.S. Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee Chairman John Thune (R-S.D.), along with Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee Chairman Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.), Sen. Deb Fischer (R-Neb.) and Sen. Cory Gardner (R-Colo.) today introduced common-sense sunshine reforms as a part of S. 1298 to help with early identification of port... Continue Reading

Thune Statement on Bipartisan Trade Promotion Authority Legislation

U.S. Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.), member of the Senate Finance Committee, which has jurisdiction over trade-related matters, issued the following statement on today’s announcement of bipartisan trade promotion authority (TPA) legislation introduced by U.S. Sens. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) and U.S. Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.): “Today’s announcement is much-needed... Continue Reading

Thune to NPS: Accept Responsibility for Cold Brook Fire

In a letter to U.S. Secretary of the Department of Interior Sally Jewell, U.S. Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) today called on the National Park Service (NPS) to change its prescribed burn policies. Thune also called on the NPS to accept full liability for damages and expenses to individuals and local and... Continue Reading

Thune: Time to End the Death Tax’s Hold on Family Businesses, Farms, and Ranches

U.S. Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.), member of the tax-writing Senate Finance Committee, today held a bipartisan, bicameral press conference with Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and Reps. Kevin Brady (R-Texas) and Sanford Bishop (D-Ga.) calling on Congress to permanently repeal the death tax. Thune’s press conference highlighted yesterday’s introduction of his... Continue Reading

Thune Leads Call for USDA, HHS to Include Lean Red Meat in 2015 Dietary Guidelines

U.S. Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) today led 29 of his colleagues in sending a bipartisan letter to U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Tom Vilsack and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Sylvia Burwell calling on the secretaries to stay within statutory guidelines, consider the most relevant... Continue Reading

Thune, Klobuchar Requested Report Outlines Rail Service Challenges in Upper Midwest

U.S. Sens. John Thune (R-S.D.) and Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) today commented on a newly released report that they called for from the U.S. Department of Agriculture examining the rail service challenges in the Upper Midwest in 2013 and 2014 and the implications these issues had on the region’s agricultural sectors.... Continue Reading

Thune Bill to Stimulate Agricultural Research Passes Finance Committee

U.S. Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.), member of the tax-writing Senate Finance Committee, today ushered three provisions through the committee, including his bipartisan bill to stimulate new agricultural research by leveraging private dollars to create charitable partnerships between universities and private entities. Thune’s bill, which he introduced last Congress with Sen.... Continue Reading

Thune Announces New Agriculture Subcommittee Assignments for 114th Congress

U.S. Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) today announced his subcommittee assignments on the Senate Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry Committee for the 114th session of Congress (2015-2016). Thune will serve on the Subcommittee on Commodities, Risk Management, and Trade; the Subcommittee on Rural Development and Energy; and the Subcommittee on Livestock, Marketing, and... Continue Reading

Thune Announces Commerce Committee Hearing to Examine Freight Rail Transportation Challenges

U.S. Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.), chairman of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, today announced a hearing of the full committee entitled, “Freight Rail Transportation: Enhancing Safety, Efficiency, and Commerce” on Wednesday, January 28 at 10:00 a.m. ET (9:00 a.m. CT, 8:00 a.m. MT). The hearing will focus... Continue Reading

Obama’s Keystone Excuses Hit Another Dead End

WASHINGTON, D.C.—U.S. Senator John Thune (R-S.D.), chairman of the Senate Republican Conference, today issued the following statement on the Nebraska Supreme Court decision on the Keystone XL pipeline: “The president’s litany of excuses for delaying the Keystone XL pipeline has hit yet another dead end. This court decision further erodes... Continue Reading