This will be tonight’s partisan moment that people will be talking about for the next few days. After giving what might be one of President Trump’s best speeches, before the President has left the podium, Speaker Nancy Pelosi rips his speech up live on national television:
What do you think of it?
As of this writing, they’re still at 62%… A day later… (Time to bring in the experts.)
Johnson Applauds President Trump’s State of the Union Address
Washington, D.C. – U.S. Representative Dusty Johnson (R-S.D.) today issued a statement following the president’s 2020 State of the Union Address to Congress:
“The economy is hotter than a pistol,” said Johnson. “More than 35,000 South Dakotans have been lifted out of poverty in the last few years and manufacturing wages have increased 9 percent this year alone. We all know there’s more work to be done. Congress and the administration need to work together to reduce the cost of prescription drugs for Americans and stop surprise medical billing, secure our border, and continue to establish robust trade agreements for South Dakota farmers and ranchers. I will continue to be a strong partner to ensure these goals are accomplished.”
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Noem Statement on President Trump’s State of the Union Address
PIERRE, S.D. – Governor Kristi Noem released the following statement after President Donald Trump’s State of the Union Address:
“Tonight, President Trump delivered a strong and inspiring message to the American people. Our country is strong, and our President is laser-focused on creating a better future for businesses and families.
“President Trump’s bold leadership has made a tremendous impact on South Dakota. Since he took office, 16,000 jobs have been created in our state and new business applications have risen by 24 percent. We’ve secured two international trade agreements that create more stability for farmers and ranchers. Taxes are lower, and families are reaping the benefits of expanded opportunity. This is progress that can only come when the state and federal governments work together and prioritize the next generation. I look forward to continuing to partner with President Trump as we work to make the American Dream a reality in South Dakota and across the country.”
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Thune Statement on State of the Union Address
“I look forward to working with the administration and with my colleagues in Congress to continue building on the pro-growth, pro-jobs, and pro-national security agenda the American people elected us to pursue.”
Click here or on the image above to watch the video.
WASHINGTON — U.S. Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) today issued the following statement in response to the president’s State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress.
“I share the president’s optimism about the opportunities that lie ahead – that America’s brightest days are yet to come,” said Thune. “I look forward to working with the administration and with my colleagues in Congress to continue building on the pro-growth, pro-jobs, and pro-national security agenda the American people elected us to pursue. We will prioritize policies to help maintain America’s competitive edge in the 21st century and beyond. We will continue working to strengthen America’s families and small businesses, and that includes focusing on everything from education to health care to retirement. We must also do everything that we can to fully fund our national defense and ensure that the United States military remains the best-prepared, best-equipped fighting force on the planet. I am committed to putting in the hard work – with Republicans and Democrats – to prove that while there are times when Washington might seem broken beyond repair, that America’s brightest days are ahead of us. The American people expect and deserve nothing less.”
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Just a thought for next years’ Super Bowl Half-time show. Higher angles on the cameras. Less pole dancing.
Or at least warn us ahead of time that it has a “Mature” rating.
(I would note that Demi Lovato did a great job on the Anthem, btw.)
Melanie Torno to Run for District 33 State House
Pennington & Meade County – Melanie Torno proudly announces her candidacy for the House of Representatives for District 33. Melanie is a homegrown South Dakotan who graduated from Rapid City Central High School. Melanie earned her Bachelor’s of Science with a double major in Psychology and Human Services from Black Hills State University and her Master’s of Science in Counseling and Human Resource Development from South Dakota State University. Melanie has participated in Leadership Rapid City, Leadership South Dakota, and is currently participating in Leadership South Dakota’s Masters program.
Melanie Torno is a licensed mental health therapist in private practice, as well as a divorce and custody evaluator, mediator, and parent coordinator. She specializes in trauma, PTSD, blended families, play therapy with children, and relationship issues for couples, families, and parent-child relationships. Melanie and her husband, Gerard, have also ventured into commercial property ownership and management.
Melanie enjoys working with entrepreneurs and entrepreneurial groups, empowering and coaching young girls, helping people to find their voice to create positive change, and encouraging others to be their best self. She brought 1 Million Cups to the Rapid City area and can be found coaching and encouraging other entrepreneurs, as well as the Lead Committee Member for 1 Million Cups – Rapid City. Melanie is continually active in the Rapid City area and has volunteered for GIrls on the Run, coaching cheerleading and soccer, a youth leader for a local youth group, and participated on the Leadership Rapid City board and Women’s Network. She is often the voice of those least represented.
Last but not least, Melanie is honored to be a wife and mother of five in a blended family with children ranging in age from 22 to 7 years old. She is inspired and motivated to make a positive impact in South Dakota for her children and for future generations.
Melanie is available for phone calls and interviews for more information:
Melanie Torno, MS LPC-MH QMHP
www.tornommhs.com
Working for South Dakotans
By U.S. Sen. Mike Rounds (R-S.D.)
While the Senate is conducting the impeachment trial, we are unable to hold votes on the full Senate floor without agreement of all 100 senators. So all other Senate business has virtually come to a halt. Important nominations are not being confirmed and legislation is not being considered that could benefit South Dakota families. While this is frustrating to many of us, we are still able to get some work done while we’re not in the trial. Most days, the trial has started at 1:00 p.m., allowing us to hold committee hearings and meet with constituents until that time. We’re also continuing to get work done for South Dakotans in other ways, just as we have since I took office.
My office frequently works with residents who are having trouble with different federal agencies. We can act as a liaison between you and the agency to identify the source of your issue and help to resolve it. We call this type of service “casework,” and it is actually the main focus of my offices in Pierre, Rapid City, Sioux Falls and Aberdeen. Our staff members at those offices are specially trained to help South Dakotans navigate the federal bureaucracy.
We’re also continuing to respond to South Dakotans who have contacted my office to share their thoughts and views with me. Since I took office in January 2015, we have responded to over 147,000 inquiries from South Dakotans. That averages out to around 80 phone calls, emails, letters or personal visits per day over the past five years. Hearing firsthand the views and opinions of South Dakotans keeps me better informed as I work to make the best decisions for our state and nation.
The number of folks contacting us to help them with a federal agency continues to grow. In 2019, we opened more than 500 new cases. We work with people on issues they’re having at various different agencies, the most common being the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), the Social Security Administration (SSA) and the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). We frequently assist people with visas and passports, we help veterans access their benefits from the VA and we help to make sure seniors are receiving their correct social security benefits—these are just a few examples of the types of cases we handle.
One of the biggest issues we’ve heard about from South Dakotans is getting H-2B visa workers to help with seasonal, temporary jobs in the tourism and construction industries. Without these temporary employees, many businesses in our state would be in danger of closing permanently because of the low number of available South Dakotans to work in these jobs. I recently led 188 of my congressional colleagues in a letter to the administration urging them to increase the statutory cap of available H-2B visas for the remainder of fiscal year 2020. The administration already has congressional authorization to release these visas, so we want to make sure they do so as soon as possible. 64,716 additional visas should be available for U.S. employers who need workers. We work on a lot of casework that involves expediting H-2B visas for workers coming to South Dakota. Last year, we helped a Sioux Falls landscaping company expedite H-2B visas for five workers that the company needed in order to finish work before winter.
Please reach out if you’re having any issues with any federal agency. We will do our best to find a resolution to your situation. Give us a call or stop in to one of our offices if you have any questions about the work we do for South Dakotans. All our location and contact information can be found on my website, www.rounds.senate.gov.
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The Value of Good Reporting
By Rep. Dusty Johnson
On days I’m home in South Dakota, I sit down for my morning bowl of Wheaties and flip through our local papers. This week, as I ate my bowl of cereal, I came across a well-researched and well-written article. The title was: “Effort begins to reduce risk of death of South Dakota mothers during childbirth.” It was written by local reporter Nick Lowrey from South Dakota News Watch and placed in many papers throughout the state.
It struck me for two reasons – one, it’s shocking because even as one of the most developed nations in the world, our mothers are dying during childbirth at the highest rate, and two, because the very next day I would be attending a congressional committee hearing on the same topic.
It’s important I go prepared to these hearings and the Education and Labor Committee does a fantastic job sending memos to ensure everyone is up to speed. The information is always helpful, but it’s not typically South Dakota specific. That’s where Nick’s article came in – because of his reporting I walked into that hearing knowing 60% of maternal deaths are preventable, that maternal “pregnancy-associated” deaths in South Dakota averaged 7.2 per year between 2010 and 2018, and nine South Dakota mothers died within a year of giving birth in 2018 alone.
To be frank, these are terrible statistics and hard to read. When I attended the Education and Labor hearing on maternal health, I was able to include Nick’s article in the Congressional Record for the rest of the committee and our entire nation to reference. There are several reasons the U.S. has seen an increase in maternal deaths – higher rates of obesity and diabetes, as well as giving birth at older ages have all played a role. According to Nick’s research, South Dakota does not keep data on severe pregnancy complications. During this week’s hearing, the witnesses expressed continuous concerns over the lack of information on maternal complications.
We can’t solve a problem if we can’t understand it.
There are new protocols being put into place, though, and hospitals like Sanford are working on their own set of practices to improve the safety of mothers. There is much work to be done across the U.S. and it may take years, but I’m glad organizations throughout the country and Congress are working to tackle this issue.
Investigative reporting plays a crucial role in exposing flaws in our many systems – and in this case, articles like Nick’s may help save lives. We’re living in a time where click-bait articles are taking over our news feeds – but I’m grateful South Dakota’s journalists are focused on news that matters.
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Strengthening Rural South Dakota
By Governor Kristi Noem
In early January, along with two South Dakota producers, I was honored to be at the White House as President Trump locked in a new trade deal with China. The new U.S.-China trade agreement includes a promise to purchase approximately $80 billion of ag products over the next two years. This is a strong step forward for South Dakota’s ag community.
I think South Dakota soybean and corn producer Jerry Schmitz said it best: “The pioneer spirit lives on in South Dakota agriculture, and today’s agreement could very well be the new horizon we need to extend our operations and continue producing the food, feed, fiber, and fuel for the world.”
We landed another win later in January when President Trump signed the United States-Mexico-Canada (USMCA) agreement. While in Congress, I worked on this trade agreement to bring a new, modern approach to trade with two of our closest allies.
Each year, South Dakota exports more than $900 million worth of goods to Canada and Mexico. The USMCA rebalances and transforms the agreement into a 21st century, high-standard trade deal that ensures our goods are sold in a marketplace that is fair, open, and competitive.
Here in South Dakota, we’re also working to implement policies that help operations and rural communities succeed.
Rural development projects are vital to the long-term success of our small towns, communities, and the families that keep them strong. During my State of the State Address, I said we are rolling out the red carpet, not the red tape.
Recently, I announced a plan that creates a fairer, more predictable process for those who want to create or expand their operations in our state. Too often, permitting and appeals processes are lengthy, unfair, and unpredictable. If we’re going to push economic progress and preserve the health of our small communities, this legislation is critical.
To learn more about our efforts, visit facebook.com/govnoem.
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