Author: @SoDakCampaigns

Let’s Work Together
By Sen. John Thune

Congress has passed five COVID relief bills, and every single one of them was overwhelmingly bipartisan. It’s unfortunate that as we consider additional relief measures, Democrats have made it clear that they are determined to do it on a purely partisan basis – which is particularly disappointing because, again, up until now, COVID relief has been a bipartisan process.

In a recent speech, President Biden acknowledged that people have criticized his $1.9 trillion plan but asked, “What would they have me cut?  What would they have me leave out?” Let me offer a few ideas.

For starters, it might be a good idea to cut the sections of the Democrats’ bill that have nothing to do with combating COVID. Less than 10 percent of the bill is directly related to combating COVID through public health spending. Less than 10 percent.

He could also cut the bill’s minimum wage hike. The Democrat spending bill would more than double the federal minimum wage – at the cost of an estimated 1.4 million jobs, according to the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office. That would be problematic enough at a time when we’re already dealing with substantial job losses. It’s even worse when you realize that the people most likely to lose their jobs as a result of this hike would be lower-income workers.

I would also suggest that the president cut his $86 billion bailout of multiemployer pension plans, which has nothing to do with emergency COVID relief.

The president could also consider cutting his $350 billion slush fund for states and localities – which would be used mostly to reward states that shut down their businesses for extended periods and, therefore, have higher unemployment rates. It’s become clear that a majority of states, including South Dakota, are doing okay financially, despite the pandemic. A number of states actually saw higher tax revenues in 2020, and a majority of states have the resources they need to weather the rest of this crisis.

Then of course there’s the money the bill includes for schools. While children in some places – like South Dakota – are in school, we need to get all kids back to in-person learning. In-person learning is important for kids’ academic, social, and emotional health, and as Republicans have demonstrated, we want to ensure schools have the resources they need to get back into the classroom safely. Our previous coronavirus bills contained more than $100 billion for education, and I think it’s safe to say that every Republican would support additional dollars if needed.

But the fact of the matter is, schools still have billions of dollars from previous coronavirus legislation that remains unspent. And the Biden spending bill would appropriate an additional $129 billion for schools that would receive the funding whether or not they get kids back into the classroom. On top of that, most of that money going to schools will stretch all the way to 2028 – in other words, long after the pandemic will be over. In fact, 95 percent of the education spending would occur after 2021. Ultimately, the Biden spending bill’s school funding ends up looking less like a plan to get our kids back in schools and more like caving in to the teachers’ unions.

If President Biden would like to know what to cut, I’d suggest he start with some of the things I’ve highlighted. I would ask that he and the Democrat leadership abandon their plan to shove through a bloated, partisan bill and start trying for the unity the president has talked about. The president could show that he really meant what he said in his inaugural address by sitting down with Republicans to develop targeted relief legislation. We’re ready to come to the table. The ball is in the president’s court.

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Celebrating America

By: Governor Kristi Noem 
February 26, 2021

There is no better place to celebrate America’s birthday than Mount Rushmore, surrounded by the beautiful Black Hills and in the presence of four iconic American leaders. Last year, we brought fireworks back to Mount Rushmore for the first time in more than a decade. The celebration was a tremendous opportunity to showcase our state to the world, and I am committed to continuing the celebration this year.

Now, you may be wondering why I’m talking about the Fourth of July when it’s still cold outside. This week in the United States Senate, there was a confirmation hearing for Rep. Deb Haaland, who is President Biden’s pick to be the new Secretary of the Interior. The Department of the Interior has oversight over our national parks, including Mount Rushmore, so if Rep. Haaland is confirmed as secretary, she would have oversight over our fireworks celebration as well.

During the hearing, Senator Roger Marshall, a former colleague of mine, asked Rep. Haaland whether she would join us for the Mount Rushmore Fireworks. Her response was promising. She said that she’d “never been to Mount Rushmore,” but implied that she’d like to “if the pandemic is over.” I have the same hope that she does: that the pandemic is old news by July. And I’m glad that COVID hospitalizations have fallen off their peak by about 85% in South Dakota.

We are moving forward with planning a Fireworks Celebration. We signed the agreements with the Department of the Interior for the 2021 celebration on the same day as the 2020 celebration – we just need the Biden administration to honor those agreements.

This event is a huge deal for our state. Last year’s celebration carried an advertising value of more than $22 million, and Google searches for “Mount Rushmore” reached an all-time high – more than 12 times higher than the previous record. This attention to our state will be an economic boon for years to come, as families choose South Dakota as their road trip destination.

I know that some suggest that this event poses safety risks to the park and the surrounding Hills, and I take these concerns very seriously. South Dakota takes great pride in our care for our natural resources. When weather conditions have not been favorable to the fireworks celebration in the past, we have refrained from holding the event. And we will continue to manage these celebrations responsibly moving forward.

I’ve also asked Senator Thune, Senator Rounds, and Congressman Johnson to help me advocate to the Biden administration on behalf of our Mount Rushmore Fireworks Celebration. Together, I’m confident that we can make it happen. And if President Biden wants to join us, we’d be glad to have him.

Again, there’s no better place to celebrate America’s birthday. Washington won our Independence – a fight that was driven by Jefferson’s ringing call to freedom: “all men are created equal.” Lincoln secured that freedom for the oppressed. And Teddy Roosevelt guaranteed the sustainability of the West so that future generations could enjoy it. These men embody so much of what makes America great. I look forward to once again celebrating our Independence Day in the presence of four such iconic leaders.

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I Just watched @KristiNoem interview on Face the Nation.. if you could call it an interview.

It actually came off as little more than the moderator spending most of their time talking over Governor Noem when they werent outright attacking her. The low-point was when they went after the Governor on “allowing” the Sturgis rally to happen, hanging their hat on the debunked Sturgis Rally COVID study.

The Governor’s COVID detractors seem to think that totalitarian mandates coming from above are going to make a difference in South Dakota. When in comparison to our colder neighbor to the North… maybe it hasn’t proven to be so.

In case you wanted to watch the entire speech, we’ve got the whole thing right here!

From CPAC, Governor Kristi Noem had some words for attendees on exactly what ground our economy to a halt:

.@govkristinoem: "COVID didn't crush the economy. Government crushed the economy.

South Dakota is the only state in America that never ordered a single business or church to close." pic.twitter.com/hDJJPLlBa3

— Washington Examiner (@dcexaminer) February 27, 2021

From the Rapid City Journal, Governor Kristi Noem will be addressing CPAC this weekend.. and we’ll also hear from State Rep. Rhonda Milstead:

Gov. Kristi Noem will speak at 1:50 p.m. Mountain Time on Saturday at CPAC, considered the largest conservative gathering in the world.

Additionally, State Rep. Rhonda Milstead, R-Hartford, will speak at 1:20 p.m. MT the same day on a panel called “My Pronouns are First Place and Winning: Protecting Women’s Sports.”

Read that here.

I believe you can catch the speeches by clicking here.

This afternoon, three groups representing the major law enforcement associations added their voices to those advocating that Attorney General Jason Ravnsborg resign from his position as the chief law enforcement officer for the state. From the Argus Leader:

The South Dakota Fraternal Order of Police, the South Dakota Chiefs’ of Police Association and the South Dakota Sheriffs’ Association announced Friday afternoon they are “unified in requesting” that Ravnsborg resign, a call Gov. Kristi Noem made on Tuesday.

“Ravnsborg’s involvement in the death of Joe Boever on September 12th have resulted in a lack of confidence in his ability to effectively carry out his duties as the chief law enforcement officer in South Dakota,” the groups said in the joint announcement.

Read the entire story here.

If you recall at the time of his race, a significant number of the South Dakota Sheriffs were Ravnsborg’s base of support in both his Republican convention race as well as the general election contest – which makes this Friday afternoon announcement surprising.