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U.S. Congressional Tipoffs Involving South Dakota Newsletter for Sunday April 12, 2020 ( 12 items )  

Rep. Johnson Urges Clarification for Farmers and Ranchers on SBA Loans
WASHINGTON, April 11 -- Rep. Dusty Johnson, R-South Dakota, issued the following news release: U.S. Representative Dusty Johnson (R-S.D.) joined House Agriculture Committee Republicans and Ranking Member Conaway in urging the Small Business Administration (SBA) to ensure SBA approved lenders are not wrongfully turning eligible farmers and ranchers away when applying for the Paycheck Protection Program. "Although it is clear that farmers and ranchers are eligible under the PPP, and the U.S. Dep  more

Rep. Johnson Urges President Trump to Oversee Comprehensive Investigation Into Cattle Markets
WASHINGTON, April 10 -- Rep. Dusty Johnson, R-South Dakota, issued the following news release: U.S. Representative Dusty Johnson (R-S.D.) urged President Trump to oversee a comprehensive, multi-agency investigation following continuous cattle market volatility. In 2019, Johnson urged the U.S. Department of Agriculture to provide a thorough investigation to producers following cattle market volatility after the August 2019 Holcomb, Kansas, Tyson beef processing plant fire. "We need to get to th  more

Sen. Rounds Joins Bipartisan Group of Former Governors Calling for Flexibility in State Stabilization Funding
PIERRE, South Dakota, April 9 -- Sen. Mike Rounds, R-South Dakota, issued the following news release: * * * - CARES Act Includes $150 Billion in Stabilization Funding for State and Local Governments * * * U.S. Sens. Mike Rounds (R-S.D.), Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.), Angus King (I-Maine) and Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) - who all formerly worked as governors - called on Vice President Mike Pence to work with Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin to issue guidance to states on how they can use funding from   more

Sen. Rounds, Colleagues Urge Administration to Protect Continuity of Food Supply by Supporting Farmers During Coronavirus Pandemic
WASHINGTON, April 7 -- Sen. Mike Rounds, R-South Dakota, issued the following news release: U.S. Sen. Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) joined a bipartisan group of his Senate colleagues in a letter to U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue urging the administration to protect the continuity of our country's food supply and to support rural areas during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic by providing needed relief to farmers. "Americans always depend on our nation's farmers to grow the food  more

Sen. Rounds, Colleagues Urge VA to Expand Telemental Health Services for Veterans During COVID-19
WASHINGTON, April 7 -- Sen. Mike Rounds, R-South Dakota, issued the following news release: U.S. Sen. Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) joined Senate Veterans' Affairs Chairman Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) and members of the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee to send a letter to Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Secretary Robert Wilkie urging the VA to use the authority granted in the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act to expand telemental health services to veterans during COVID-19. A pr  more

Sen. Rounds: Gaming Facilities Impacted by the Effects of COVID-19 Should Be Eligible for Small Business Relief Program
PIERRE, South Dakota, April 6 -- Sen. Mike Rounds, R-South Dakota, issued the following news release: U.S. Sen. Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) urged the Small Business Administration (SBA) and Treasury Department to allow gaming operations to participate in the newly-created Paycheck Protection Program (PPP). The PPP was part of the recently-passed CARES Act, which seeks to provide immediate, direct relief to all businesses and families impacted by the effects of COVID-19. Currently, the SBA is not acce  more

Sen. Thune Issues Op-Ed: Heroes Come In Unlikely Forms
WASHINGTON, April 11 -- Sen. John Thune, R-South Dakota, issued the following op-ed: I've written this sentence too many times over the last few years, but South Dakota's agriculture community is hurting. It has been for a long time. While farmers and ranchers are all too familiar with adversity, the most frustrating part about what they've been facing is that it has all been out of their control. Between Mother Nature, multiple trade disputes, and poor commodity prices, things were bad enough.  more

Sen. Thune Urges Department of Justice to Investigate Price Manipulation in the Beef Market
WASHINGTON, April 10 -- Sen. John Thune, R-South Dakota, issued the following news release: U.S. Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) urged Attorney General William Barr to investigate price manipulation and other anticompetitive activities in the beef market. Thune's request comes as cattle producers in South Dakota and across the country are facing significant market volatility in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Yesterday, Thune sent a letter to U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Sonny Pe  more

Sen. Thune Urges USDA to Strengthen the Integrity of the Cattle Market
WASHINGTON, April 9 -- Sen. John Thune, R-South Dakota, issued the following news release: U.S. Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) urged U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Sonny Perdue to take further action to strengthen the integrity of the cattle market by requesting that USDA's Packers and Stockyards Division investigate the cattle market volatility due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Thune also requested that USDA conclude its investigation into beef pricing margins following the August 2019   more

Sens. Hoeven & Thune Outline CARES Act Assistance to Help Small Business, Start-Ups Maintain Payroll & Overcome Pandemic Challenges
WASHINGTON, April 11 -- Sen. John Hoeven, R-North Dakota, issued the following news release on April 10: Senators John Hoeven and John Thune held an online discussion with entrepreneurs and small business founders from North Dakota and South Dakota to outline the assistance provided under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. Further, the senators reviewed their ongoing efforts to ensure the implementation of the law works for small businesses, provides sufficient fund  more

Sens. Hoeven & Thune Outline Cares Act Assistance to Help Small Businesses, Start-UPS Maintain Payroll & Overcome Pandemic Challenges
WASHINGTON, April 11 -- Sen. John Thune, R-South Dakota, issued the following news release on April 10: Senators John Hoeven and John Thune held an online discussion with entrepreneurs and small business founders from North Dakota and South Dakota to outline the assistance provided under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. Further, the senators reviewed their ongoing efforts to ensure the implementation of the law works for small businesses, provides sufficient fundi  more

Sens. Rounds, Thune Join Group of Senators in Calling on USDA to Allocate Additional Funds for Biofuel Industry During COVID-19 Crisis
WASHINGTON, April 8 -- Sen. Mike Rounds, R-South Dakota, issued the following news release: U.S. Sens. Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) and John Thune (R-S.D.) joined Sens. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) and ten of their Senate colleagues in sending a letter to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) requesting additional funds be allocated to the biofuel industry through the Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC) during the unprecedented economic circumstances brought  more