WASHINGTON, April 29 -- Rep. Dusty Johnson, R-South Dakota, issued the following statement in response to President Trump's Executive Order on U.S. supply chains: "South Dakota farmers and ranchers are getting battered out there. "It's imperative our supply chains remain open for both the American people and our producers. I'm encouraged the president and USDA are working to ensure our supply chains remain open both safely and swiftly. "Our supply chains should continue to carry many of the  more

WASHINGTON, April 29 -- Rep. Dusty Johnson, R-South Dakota, issued the following news release: U.S. Representatives Dusty Johnson (R-S.D.) and Austin Scott (GA-08), along with several House colleagues, introduced legislation to increase funding for the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) response to COVID-19. The legislation would provide an additional $50 billion for USDA to expand relief efforts for farmers and ranchers. Click here to read the full bill. "Our producers and our supply cha  more

WASHINGTON, May 2 -- Rep. Dusty Johnson, R-South Dakota, issued the following news release: U.S. Sens. John Thune (R-S.D.) and Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) and U.S. Rep. Dusty Johnson (R-S.D.) urged the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) and the U.S. Department of the Treasury to provide additional guidance to ensure seasonal businesses that have already applied for or received a Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan can recalculate their loan award to maximize the assistance they can receive th  more

WASHINGTON, April 30 -- Sen. Mike Rounds, R-South Dakota, issued the following statement on April 29 after President Trump invoked the Defense Production Act to declare meat processing plants as critical infrastructure: Under the Executive Order issued tonight, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is directed to make certain America's meat and poultry processors continue operations uninterrupted to the maximum extent possible. "Yesterday, I wrote to President Trump to underscore   more

PIERRE, South Dakota, April 28 -- Sen. Mike Rounds, R-South Dakota, issued the following news release on April 27: U.S. Sen. Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) wrote to President Trump to urge the administration to take additional steps to address the food production crisis. Yesterday, Rounds sent a letter to Vice President Mike Pence calling for the administration to develop a plan that simultaneously protects food workers and public health, as well as addresses the nation's on-farm and on-ranch livestock e  more

PIERRE, South Dakota, April 27 -- Sen. Mike Rounds, R-South Dakota, issued the following news release: U.S. Sen. Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) wrote to Vice President Mike Pence, who is leading the coronavirus task force, to emphasize the need to take immediate steps to address the nation's food production crisis. The letter calls for the administration to develop a plan that simultaneously protects food workers and public health, as well as addresses the nation's on-farm and on-ranch livestock emergenc  more

WASHINGTON, May 2 -- Sen. John Thune, R-South Dakota, issued the following op-ed: The COVID-19 pandemic has had devastating consequences for small businesses. Small business layoffs soared by 1,000 percent in March, with roughly 2 million employees losing their jobs, and that number is rising. Some businesses have closed, while others have been forced to cut employee hours drastically to stay afloat. To help small businesses weather this storm, Congress created the Paycheck Protection Program   more

WASHINGTON, April 25 -- Sen. John Thune, R-South Dakota, issued the following op-ed on April 24: The American people have faced adversity before, and if history has taught us anything, we likely will again. While the challenges are never the same, the strength and determination with which America faces them is as predictable as the sun rising in the east. Look around, and there are examples in every corner of the country that prove it's true. Kindness, generosity, and gratitude - hallmarks of t  more

WASHINGTON, May 1 -- Sen. John Thune, R-South Dakota, issued the following news release: U.S. Sens. John Thune (R-S.D.) and Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) and U.S. Rep. Dusty Johnson (R-S.D.) urged the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) and the U.S. Department of the Treasury to provide additional guidance to ensure seasonal businesses that have already applied for or received a Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan can recalculate their loan award to maximize the assistance they can receive throu  more

WASHINGTON, April 30 -- Sen. Mike Rounds, R-South Dakota, issued the following news release: U.S. Sens. Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) and Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.) sent a letter to Secretary of the Treasury, Steven Mnuchin, urging the Department of the Treasury to distribute the $8 billion allocated for tribes in the CARES Act in a fair and equal manner to the 12 Bureau of Indian Affairs Regions. The Great Plains Region, which includes South Dakota and North Dakota, makes up 10 percent of the enrolled triba  more

WASHINGTON, May 1 -- Sen. John Thune, R-South Dakota, issued the following news release: U.S. Sen. John Thune (R-S.D), chairman of the Subcommittee on Communications, Technology, Innovation, and the Internet; joined U.S. Sens. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), chairman of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation; Jerry Moran (R-Kan.), chairman of the Subcommittee on Consumer Protection, Product Safety, Insurance and Data Security; and Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) in announcing plans to  more