WASHINGTON, March 28 -- Sen. John Thune, R-South Dakota, issued the following commentary: * * * Helping Law Enforcement Combat the Fentanyl Crisis More Americans die each year from a drug overdose than Americans who died in the entirety of the Vietnam War. Many of these deaths are caused by a single pill containing a lethal dose of fentanyl, which is roughly equal to five grains of salt. We're losing young people, teenagers, and young parents - people with bright lives ahead of them. The fe  more

WASHINGTON, March 26 -- Rep. Dusty Johnson, R-South Dakota, issued the following news release: * * * Johnson Named Most Effective House Member on Native American Issues, 3rd Most Effective on Transportation Washington, D.C. - The Center for Effective Lawmaking named U.S. Representative Dusty Johnson (R-S.D.) the most effective House member on Native American issues and third most effective on Transportation issues during the 118th Congress. "South Dakota knows the importance of transportati  more

WASHINGTON, March 26 -- Sen. Mike Rounds, R-South Dakota, issued the following news release: * * * Rounds Named 5th Most Effective Republican Senator for 118th Congress WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) was named as one of the top-five most effective Republican lawmakers in the 118th Congress by the Center for Effective Lawmaking (CEL). The CEL score is based on metrics such as substance of bills introduced, their progression throughout the legislative process and how many were s  more

WASHINGTON, March 25 -- Sen. Mike Rounds, R-South Dakota, issued the following news release: * * * Rounds Reintroduces Legislation to Leverage Artificial Intelligence for Pandemic Preparedness and Response WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) and Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), co-chairs of the Senate Artificial Intelligence (AI) Caucus, today reintroduced the MedShield Act of 2025. This legislation would implement a recommendation of the National Security Commission on Artificial Intell  more

WASHINGTON, March 24 -- Sen. Mike Rounds, R-South Dakota, issued the following news release: * * * Rounds Requests Creation of Commission Addressing Violent Crimes on Reservations WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) sent a letter to Attorney General Pam Bondi and Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum requesting the creation of a "Violent Crime Reduction Commission" to address violent crime on reservations. During Rounds' meetings with tribal leaders over the last few months, seve  more

WASHINGTON, March 27 -- Sen. John Thune, R-South Dakota, issued the following floor remarks on March 26, 2025: * * * Mr. President, there is not much in our lives that doesn't depend in some way on agriculture: the food on our table, the gas in our car, the cotton in our shirts. Agriculture is the lifeblood of our country. I am grateful for the men and women who rise before the dawn for a hard day's work on farms and ranches across America. Agriculture is a difficult way of life. It is filled  more

WASHINGTON, March 26 -- Sen. John Thune, R-South Dakota, issued the following floor remarks on March 25, 2025: * * * Mr. President, from the day he took office, President Trump made it clear that he would not hesitate to take action to deter our enemies and protect our Nation, and that is exactly what he has been doing, both here at home and abroad. Needless to say, 4 years of record-breaking illegal immigration at our southern border, under President Biden, left a gaping hole in our national  more

WASHINGTON, March 27 -- Sen. John Thune, R-South Dakota, issued the following floor remarks on March 25, 2025: * * * Mr. President, meanwhile, on the international front, President Trump is taking a similarly assertive approach to protecting our country and our interests. Over the last 18 months, since Hamas's October 7, 2023, attack on Israel, Iran-backed Houthis in the Middle East have carried out literally hundreds of attacks on U.S. international shipping and on U.S. forces. Airstrikes by  more

WASHINGTON, March 28 -- Sen. John Thune, R-South Dakota, issued the following news release: * * * Thune Joins Greta Van Susteren on Newsmax Click here to watch the video. WASHINGTON -- U.S. Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) joined Greta Van Susteren on Newsmax. On budget reconciliation: "There are a whole range of issues that we're trying to address, but the budget resolution is the first step, and House and Senate have to pass the same budget resolution. That particular legisl  more

WASHINGTON, March 27 -- Sen. John Thune, R-South Dakota, issued the following news release: * * * Thune Leads Colleagues in Requesting the Removal of Extraneous Biden-Era Regulations on Broadband Program WASHINGTON -- U.S. Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) today led his colleagues in sending a letter to Howard Lutnick, secretary of the U.S. Department of Commerce, requesting the removal of extraneous Biden-era regulations as Secretary Lutnick conducts his review of the Broadband Equity, Access, and De  more

WASHINGTON, March 27 -- Sen. John Thune, R-South Dakota, issued the following news release: * * * Thune Urges Administration to Correct Biden-Harris Broadband Failures Click here to watch the video. WASHINGTON -- U.S. Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) today delivered the following remarks on the Senate floor: Thune's remarks below (as delivered): "Mr. President, broadband deployment has long been a priority of mine. "It's something that's important to my home state of South D  more

WASHINGTON, March 26 -- Sen. John Thune, R-South Dakota, issued the following news release: * * * Thune, Murphy, Kelly, Panetta Reintroduce Bill to Incentivize Healthy Living and Physical Activity WASHINGTON -- U.S. Sens. John Thune (R-S.D.) and Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), and U.S. Reps. Mike Kelly (R-Pa.) and Jimmy Panetta (D-Calif.), today reintroduced the Personal Health Investment Today (PHIT) Act. This bipartisan legislation would encourage physical activity and incentivize healthier living   more

WASHINGTON, March 26 -- Sen. John Thune, R-South Dakota, issued the following news release: * * * Thune: Agriculture is the Lifeblood of Our Country Click here to watch the video. WASHINGTON -- U.S. Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) today delivered the following remarks on the Senate floor: Thune's remarks below (as delivered): "Mr. President, there's not much in our lives that doesn't depend in some way on agriculture. "The food on our table. "The gas in our car. "The co  more

WASHINGTON, March 24 -- Sen. John Thune, R-South Dakota, issued the following news release: * * * Thune: Senate Republicans Are on a Roll Click here to watch the video. WASHINGTON -- U.S. Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) today delivered the following remarks on the Senate floor: Thune's remarks below (as delivered): "Mr. President, we recently completed a 10-week session - the Senate's longest in-session stretch in 15 years. "It was a very busy 10 weeks filled with substanti  more