By Senator John Thune
After being elected by my colleagues to serve as the Chairman of the Senate Republican Conference at the end of last year, I officially assumed the role and responsibilities of the Chairmanship on January 26th.
In this new position, I will help lead our Conference’s efforts in communicating our positive vision for putting Americans back to work and growing our economy.
Serving as the Chairman of the Conference will give me a greater voice at the leadership table to represent the priorities of South Dakota and the country, and to help shape an agenda consistent with the values of South Dakota.
As a member of the Senate Republican leadership, I believe there are critical areas where both sides of the aisle can and should work together, including fundamental tax reform, regulatory relief, and energy security. Even though it is an election year, I believe that Republicans and Democrats in Congress can come together to accomplish some common-sense solutions to our country’s most pressing challenges. I do not think we have the luxury of time to delay on many of these issues as Americans throughout the country are hurting from a weak economy.
Our Conference will continue to focus on ways to strengthen our economy and getting government off of the backs of job creators. I am committed to putting in place policies that will increase the standard of living for folks in our state and throughout the country, while regaining our country’s global competitiveness.
Throughout my town halls and meetings with South Dakotans, I consistently hear that the government must rein in its unsustainable level of spending and borrowing, especially since roughly 40 cents of every dollar the federal government spent last year was borrowed. This will certainly continue to be a priority for me at the leadership table.
Representing the great state of South Dakota in the Senate and in Republican leadership is an honor and a privilege. I look forward to working in my new capacity to further the priorities of South Dakotans and make our country stronger.
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