Author: @SoDakCampaigns

President Biden and Democrats’ reckless spending knows no bounds. In August, President Biden announced his nearly trillion-dollar student loan bailout. His plan has two parts: canceling up to $10,000 in federal student debt ($20,000 for Pell Grant recipients) and revamping the Income-Driven Repayment (IDR) program. These proposals do nothing to address the root cause of soaring college costs, but the price tag threatens to drive up inflation for all Americans and could lead to higher college costs.

The president claims mass debt forgiveness is warranted to make borrowers whole after the pandemic. The reality is that Americans with college degrees have fared well recently, experiencing employment and wage growth, and borrowers with federal student loans haven’t had to pay a nickel in three years. Now the president wants American taxpayers to foot the bill for a misguided bailout that simply transfers student debt from those who voluntarily took on the debt to the backs of taxpayers, including those who didn’t go to college, already paid off student loans, or scrimped and saved to put themselves or their kids through school. On top of that, he envisions transforming the IDR program from a program designed to help borrowers pay back their loans based on their income into another form of loan forgiveness with the average borrower paying back only 50 percent of their total loan.

No one disputes that a college education is valuable and a good investment for many Americans. But it’s an investment and it should be treated as one. While some Americans may choose to invest in a college degree, others may choose to seek another professional credential or learn a trade. These Americans shouldn’t be forced to pay for the decisions of others who choose higher education, take out student loans, and agree to pay those loans back.

Recognizing that college is costly and many young professionals have loans to pay back, there are things we can do to help pay off loans without putting taxpayers on the hook. My bipartisan Employer Participation in Repayment Act became law in 2020 and has been extended through 2025. It allows employers to make tax-free payments toward their employees’ student loans. It’s a win-win: Employees get help paying off their loans and employers have another option to attract and retain talented workers. It’s no silver bullet, but it helps ease the burden of student debt without transferring it to taxpayers.

President Biden’s student loan bailout is costly, unfair, and shortsighted. The president is putting taxpayers on the hook for a nearly trillion-dollar giveaway to college-educated Americans who are often better off than many of the Americans who would shoulder the burden of their debts under the president’s plan. There are actions we can take to ease the burden of college costs without needlessly spending taxpayer dollars. This is another disastrous economic plan from the Biden administration and American taxpayers will pay its true cost.

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Too many Americans view the Chinese Communist Party as a threat over there, when in reality it is a threat here.

This week, the Select Committee on Chinese Communist Party (CCP) held our first hearing on the CCP’s threat to America. Witnesses with a vast background of knowledge on China were invited to share their thoughts and concerns with the current political landscape and China’s techno-totalitarian regime imposed on its own people.

My line of questioning focused on the CCP’s interest in American agriculture but was rooted in drawing light to the CCP’s bigger strategy of growing its ownership of food production and processing across the globe. In recent years, the CCP has increased its holdings of farmland outside of China by one thousand percent. Their influence in the global economy is growing quickly enough that countries in Africa view the CCP as a global leader instead of America.

The CCP is looking to expand their power however and wherever necessary. It is clear buying farmland and ag processing facilities is one of those ways, but this is only one part of their grand strategy. One of the witnesses, Mr. Pottinger who served as the U.S. Deputy National Security Advisor under President Trump, confirmed that.

Pottinger stated “Beijing is exporting all the tools that you would need to run a totalitarian system.” I participated in the Select Committee on the CCP’s press conference honoring the Hong Kong 47 who spoke out for free speech and free press in China. These individuals were charged by the CCP two years ago and many still sit in prison today. The Chinese people are the ones struggling the most under the CCP’s regime. They know the severity of the CCP better than anyone else. Both the press conference and the hearing featured witnesses that have lived in China and have experienced the oppression at the hand of their government.

The first hearing displayed a strong bipartisan interest in opposing the CCP’s influence over America and globally. I’m glad we have a strong united front in protecting our country from the very real and present threat posed by the CCP.

Click here or on the video above to watch Johnson’s full line of questioning

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“I’m hoping everyone in the nation gets on the bandwagon and follows us.” Those were the words of Ken Amundson, the president of Midwestern Mechanical in Sioux Falls. Ken’s company has had to cut through a lot of red tape just to hire new employees and do their jobs. South Dakotans are the hardest workers I know, but that doesn’t mean that they should have to work through excessive government restrictions and regulations to earn their livings.  

I want to make it easier for South Dakotans to do their jobs, so I signed a new law to recognize out-of-state licenses for nearly every profession in South Dakota. This legislation cuts red tape, making it easier for folks like Ken to hire workers to do their jobs.    

We are welcoming thousands of new South Dakotans to our state. They’re seeing that this really is the best state to pursue the American Dream. But even with our rapidly growing population, we still have a workforce shortage. Companies are struggling to get jobs filled, and workers are struggling to keep up with skyrocketing inflation. This bill is for them. 

By streamlining the licensing and certification process for workers moving to our state, we will be ready to welcome them. We can help them kickstart their new lives here in South Dakota. People moving their lives, businesses, and families here want the chance to be part of our record-breaking economy. This legislation lets them do just that. 

One of the best examples of hard workers building their American Dreams is right here in South Dakota: the Siouxland metro (which includes North Sioux City and the Dakota Dunes). They were just recognized as the top economic development community in the United States for populations under 200,000 people by Site Selection Magazine! 

This award is but the latest proof that South Dakota’s economy is strong. But we’re not settling. Success often comes with unique challenges, or, as I like to call them, growing pains. And we are turning those challenges into opportunities, just like we always do in South Dakota.  

People like Ken never fail to inspire me. People who pull themselves up by the bootstraps every single morning and go to work no matter the circumstances. It’s people like that who have made South Dakota the greatest state in the nation. Our state motto is “Under God, the People Rule.” Well, the people of South Dakota have proven time and time again that they will always put in the work for our state. I’m just happy to have the opportunity to give back to them and make their lives a little bit easier. 

President Ronald Reagan said, “those nations and states which have secured man’s highest aspirations for freedom, opportunity, and justice have always been those willing to trust their people, confident that their skills and their talents are equal to any challenge.” There’s no better example of that than South Dakota. I will continue to keep government out of the way so that this state can keep growing, keep thriving, and that our people can keep exercising their Freedom to work hard. 

You can find photos from Governor Noem’s bill signing event in Sioux Falls and from the Siouxland award ceremony here.

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Gov. Noem VETOES Tax Increase

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – Today, Governor Kristi Noem VETOED House Bill 1109, which would raise occupation taxes on both South Dakotans and visitors to our state. You can find Governor Noem’s VETO letter here.

“The occupation tax is not just paid by out-of-state travelers. This legislation would raise taxes on South Dakotans. South Dakota residents are traveling every day for business, medical visits, youth activities, weddings – the list goes on. South Dakotans vacation in South Dakota, as well,” wrote Governor Noem in a letter to legislators.

This legislative session, Governor Noem has been advocating for the largest tax cut in South Dakota history by eliminating the sales tax on groceries.

“We should be working to cut taxes this legislative session, not increase them. I oppose the tax increases enabled by House Bill 1109 and ask that you sustain my veto,” concluded Governor Noem.

You can find photos of Governor Noem vetoing HB 1109 here.

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State Senator Tom Pischke is finding today that he’s been shot down again, this time going to the Attorney General and demanding that he prosecute his colleagues for doing their job. The same question he asked the Hughes County States Attorney.

And the response is, “The Attorney General respects and is bound by Supreme Court decisions. Therefore, this Office has, and must, reach the same legal decision as the Hughes County State’s Attorney did in leaving these reported matters to the discretion of the Legislature.”

Did anyone think that it was going to be a different answer?

In other words, Tom got thumbs down from the AG.

Yesterday, this was the front page of the @argusleader.

Today, Argus didn’t show up for a @kristinoem press conference in their home city. And yes, Gov took questions from the media.#Priorities pic.twitter.com/GDM1fbEoxg

— Ian Fury (@IanTFury) March 1, 2023

You can go read the entire thing when it’s posted, but in the Hill City Prevailer tonight, a former Legislator is letting the public know what he thinks about Julie Frye Mueller, and a few others.

and…

As published in the HIll City Prevailer.

I don’t think Jon Ellis and Joe Sneve intended to get the Dakota Scout newspaper all caught up in the web of JFM sycophants, but I’ll leave it to them to defend themselves.

Johnson Questions CCP Involvement in Global Food Sector

 Washington, D.C. – Yesterday, U.S. Representative Dusty Johnson (R-S.D.) participated in the first hearing held by the Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) to address the CCP’s threat to America.

Johnson’s line of questioning focused on the CCP’s increase of ownership of American farmland and agriculture processing facilities, along with the growing influence the CCP has over farmland globally.

Click here or on the video above to watch Johnson’s full line of questioning

 

Johnson’s Line of Questioning:

Johnson: “I fear that too many Americans view the Chinese Communist Party as a threat over there, when in reality it is a threat here.

“That’s why I was so grateful to hear General McMaster say tonight, ‘It is a real mistake to give an adversary coercive power over your economy.’

“And I was so grateful to hear Mr. Paul say, ‘We need tighter controls over CCP investment in this country, particularly in critical sectors.’

“So, with that, Mr. Pottinger and others, I want to draw our attention to what is most assuredly a critical sector, and that is food. Food security is national security. We know that in recent years, the Chinese Communist Party has increased its holdings of farmland outside of China by one thousand percent. During that same time frame, they have acquired 1,300 agricultural processing facilities. This is a deliberate and focused attempt. 

“Mr. Pottinger to you, do we know to what extent those efforts by the CCP are motivated by their desire to gain the kind of coercive power that the General was talking about?

Mr. Pottinger: “One of the reasons that we should be extremely careful about permitting purchases of farmland in the United States by companies that are beholden to the Chinese Communist Party is that sometimes the farmland is an proximity to sensitive installations, nuclear facilities or other military bases. There may be more at play as well. It certainly bears close scrutiny.

“Why has there been such a significant increase in Chinese purchases and farmland? I think that with the Committee for Foreign Investment in The United States (CFIUS), there should be closer scrutiny on these purchases, but we’ve seen some purchases go through even recently that were relatively close proximity to military bases. I’m not sure why they chose not to scrutinize that particular deal. They’ve had a trend of not exercising its ability to actually block and instead they frequently try to mitigate, but the mitigation measures are usually hollow and don’t actually protect our national security 

Johnson: “So with regards to the domestic investment, there are many in Congress, myself, Mr. Newhouse and others that have legislation that would address that. Let’s focus on Chinese investments in food supply elsewhere. I think about the southern globe, Africa, South America, southeast Asia. To what extent should that investment concern Americans?

Pottinger: “I think the Communist Party’s actions to try to lock up major supplies of  commodities and goods probably including figurative, but also certainly rare earth material, cobalt, and things that go into everything from regular consumer products to military goods is part of a  grand strategy. It’s not just haphazard. It’s not just about making a buck.

Johnson: “That bears repeating—this is part of a grand strategy. It is something we want to be focused, thoughtful, and deliberate about as we work to strategically decouple from the Chinese Communist Party. There’s an opportunity there for us to draw our allies in the Indo-Pacific and elsewhere closer. That’s going to give us a great opportunity to protect freedom. It’s not just in food security that this investment has the potential to create coercive power. I have a letter here, Mr. Chairman from when many within the communications industry talking about the importance of the Rip and Replace Regime regarding Huawei and other Chinese in telecommunications infrastructure. I would ask for unanimous consent to enter it into the record.

Pottinger: “Thanks to enterprising reporting a few years ago by the Wall Street Journal, we know that Huawei was working with a couple of African governments to surveil political opponents in those countries and in some cases those political opponents and activists were arrested and in jailed. So, Beijing is exporting all of the tools that you would need to run a totalitarian system.

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Rounds Questions Witnesses on the Dangers of Foreign Adversaries Owning American Farmland and Agricultural Businesses 

 

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) questioned witnesses about the dangers of foreign adversaries owning American farmland and agricultural businesses during a Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs hearing titled, “Advancing National Security and Foreign Policy Through Sanctions, Export Controls, and Other Economic Tools.”

Rounds teamed up with Senator Jon Tester (D-Mont.) during the hearing to emphasize the need for their bipartisan legislation, the Promoting Agriculture Safeguards and Security (PASS) Act of 2023, to combat the threat this ownership would pose to the national security of the United States. This bill would blacklist China, Russia, Iran and North Korea, or their agents, from investing in, purchasing or otherwise acquiring farmland or agricultural businesses. More information on Rounds’ PASS Act can be found HERE.

Click HERE to view the remarks from Rounds and Tester.

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South Dakota Right to Life is under the glare of the spotlight in an article posted at the Dakota Scout today, as the group is being criticized over their opposition to place an exception into state law to “preserve the life of the mother” have caused measures to fail in both Houses.

Heavy opposition from South Dakota Right to Life has stalled efforts by a group of female Republican legislators to clarify what’s know as a “life of the mother” exception to South Dakota’s abortion ban.

With a week left to go in the state’s 98th Legislative session, there’s been just one contentious abortion-related bill filed — and it never saw debate. Rep. Taylor Rehfeldt in early February shelved a bill she crafted to more clearly permit abortions when a pregnancy puts a mother in danger of death. And another run at similar legislation this week by Sen. Erin Tobin never came to fruition.

and..

“They are the hold up,” Tobin told The Dakota Scout Wednesday morning. “We’ve worked eight months to try and get them on board, and we’re being delayed. It’s really difficult to understand.”

Read the entire story here. (subscription required)

In previous years, the prevailing line of thinking for most South Dakotans was to prohibit abortion, but to allow exceptions for rape, incest, and the life (or health) of the mother.  Refusing to address the exceptions places SDRTL, which has always been the most mainstream of anti-abortion groups, in danger of being considered more draconian and extreme at a time when a measure to restore abortion rights is being circulated for the ballot.

With an organizational board that boasts no fewer than 5 current/former legislators as part of the group, you would think that they’d look at the big picture, as opposed to adopting a more hard-line stance.

We’ll see how that works out in the long run.

South Dakota Right to Life needs to get on board, or we will become another Kansas, and lose our Pro-life battle in a landslide vote by the people. https://t.co/56gL1CKDTY

— Erin Tobin (@ErinTobin21) March 1, 2023