Sacrifice means different things to different people. For the brave men and women in our armed forces, sacrifice oftentimes means putting life – and the lives of their families – on hold for training, travel, and deployment. It means missing Christmas dinners, birthdays, weddings, and life’s other important milestones. True... Continue Reading
With limited options to efficiently ship materials such as fertilizer, ethanol, or corn and soybeans, railroads play an absolutely critical link to South Dakota’s agricultural sector. Thankfully, now that legislation averting an end-of-year railroad service shutdown has been signed into law, farmers, ranchers, businesses, shippers, and municipalities can breathe a... Continue Reading
There are few, if any, federal agencies that elicit a more visceral reaction from the American people than the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). The IRS wields an enormous amount of power – enough to topple businesses or crush families. When that power is used improperly or outside the scope of... Continue Reading
Earlier this week, Senate Democrats blocked the Senate from considering a bill that would have responded to serious crimes being committed by undocumented immigrants within the United States. The Stop Sanctuary Policies and Protect Americans Act would have penalized sanctuary jurisdictions across the United States by withholding certain federal funds,... Continue Reading
Each year, Congress takes up the National Defense Authorization Act, the bill to authorize funds for our nation’s military and our national defense. This legislation typically passes with strong bipartisan support, and with good reason: Both Democrats and Republicans know the great responsibility we have to the men and women... Continue Reading
If you asked someone to name their favorite time of year, you might hear Christmas, Thanksgiving, or the Fourth of July. Don’t be surprised, though, if you posed the same question to a South Dakotan and they tell you it’s the third weekend in October – the traditional opening of... Continue Reading
In 1990, South Dakota Governor George Mickelson sought to reconcile some of the challenges faced between the Native and non-Native American citizens in South Dakota. One of his first steps toward this reconciliation was to change the federally recognized Columbus Day holiday to Native American Day in South Dakota. In... Continue Reading
This year, Ellsworth Air Force Base, located just outside Rapid City, has seen its role in our national security increase dramatically. Early this spring, the Air Force signed off on the completion of an eight-year project to expand the Powder River Training Complex, or PRTC, the airspace in which our... Continue Reading
Recently, the Senate took up a common-sense bill to protect human life, the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act. This bill would protect unborn children who have reached the age of 20 weeks – the age at which unborn children can feel pain – from being killed by abortion. Unfortunately, this bill was... Continue Reading
South Dakotans frequently share with me their frustrations and concerns with Washington’s overreach into Americans’ lives. Despite the progress the new Senate Republican majority has made on many issues that impact hard-working families and small businesses across the country, the fact remains that Washington continues to be plagued by the... Continue Reading
A majority of the American people oppose the president’s nuclear deal with Iran. They have good reason to be concerned, and they deserve to have their voices heard. Back in the spring, Congress tried to make sure that the American people, through their representatives in Congress, would have a say in... Continue Reading
This week, the U.S. Senate will consider the Obama administration’s nuclear agreement with Iran. I will be voting against this agreement, because this deeply flawed deal is not strong enough to prevent Iran from becoming a nuclear power and will allow Iran to increase its support for terrorism. A key... Continue Reading
