Senator John Thune

Over the past two weeks while the U.S. Senate has been in recess, I have had the opportunity to travel across South Dakota and meet with business and community leaders. Between my trips to Yankton, Aberdeen, Rapid City, Pierre and several towns in between, I was even able to stop in Murdo and catch up on some high school basketball at the Jones County Invitational.

Whether I was in Mitchell or North Sioux City, the message I heard everywhere I went was loud and clear: The federal government needs to slow the growth of government and do more to promote job growth across the nation.

In order to spur job creation for our local economies, we must get government off the backs of our businesses and provide certainty for investment and job creation. Regulation at the federal level is stifling the growth of our small businesses. We can't expect our farmers and small businesses to add jobs and grow their companies at a time when they face increasing red tape and regulations.

Whether it is the burdensome new tax reporting requirements included in last year's health care bill, or the continued overreaching regulations of the Environmental Protection Agency when it comes to greenhouse gases, the Obama Administration continues to inject government into the private sector.

As the U.S. Senate comes back into session this week, I plan to implement the advice I heard in Watertown and Huron from honest, hardworking South Dakotans and fight to get our economy back on track.