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Thune Announces Senate Republican Committee Assignments for the 119th Congress

WASHINGTON — U.S. Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) today announced the Senate Republican Conference committee assignments for the 119th Congress. The assignments have been ratified by the Senate Republican Conference and are expected to be ratified by the full Senate early next Congress.

Agriculture

John Boozman, Arkansas

Mitch McConnell, Kentucky

John Hoeven, North Dakota

Joni Ernst, Iowa

Cindy Hyde-Smith, Mississippi

Roger Marshall, Kansas

Tommy Tuberville, Alabama

Jim Justice, West Virginia

Chuck Grassley, Iowa

John Thune, South Dakota

Deb Fischer, Nebraska

Jerry Moran, Kansas

 

Appropriations

Susan Collins, Main

Mitch McConnell, Kentucky

Lisa Murkowski, Alaska

Lindsey Graham, South Carolina

Jerry Moran, Kansas

John Hoeven, North Dakota

John Boozman, Arkansas

Shelley Moore Capito, West Virginia

John Kennedy, Louisiana

Cindy Hyde-Smith, Mississippi

Bill Hagerty, Tennessee

Katie Britt, Alabama

Markwayne Mullin, Oklahoma

Deb Fischer, Nebraska

Mike Rounds, South Dakota

 

Armed Services

Roger Wicker, Mississippi

Deb Fischer, Nebraska

Tom Cotton, Arkansas

Mike Rounds, South Dakota

Joni Ernst, Iowa

Dan Sullivan, Alaska

Kevin Cramer, North Dakota 

Rick Scott, Florida

Tommy Tuberville, Alabama

Markwayne Mullin, Oklahoma

Ted Budd, North Carolina

Eric Schmitt, Missouri

Jim Banks, Indiana

Tim Sheehy, Montana

 

Banking

Tim Scott, South Carolina

Mike Crapo, Idaho

Mike Rounds, South Dakota

Thom Tillis, North Carolina

John Kennedy, Louisiana

Bill Hagerty, Tennessee

Cynthia Lummis, Wyoming

Katie Britt, Alabama

Pete Ricketts, Nebraska

Jim Banks, Indiana

Kevin Cramer, North Dakota

Bernie Moreno, Ohio

Dave McCormick, Pennsylvania

 

Commerce

Ted Cruz, Texas

John Thune, South Dakota

Roger Wicker, Mississippi

Deb Fischer, Nebraska

Jerry Moran, Kansas

Dan Sullivan, Alaska

Marsha Blackburn, Tennessee

Todd Young, Indiana

Ted Budd, North Carolina

Eric Schmitt, Missouri

John Curtis, Utah 

Bernie Moreno, Ohio 

Tim Sheehy, Montana 

Shelley Moore Capito, West Virginia 

Cynthia Lummis, Wyoming 

 

Energy

Mike Lee, Utah

John Barrasso, Wyoming

Jim Risch, Idaho

Steve Daines, Montana

Tom Cotton, Arkansas

Jim Justice, West Virginia

Dave McCormick, Pennsylvania

Bill Cassidy, Louisiana

Cindy Hyde-Smith, Mississippi

Lisa Murkowski, Alaska

John Hoeven, North Dakota

 

Environment and Public Works

Shelley Moore Capito, West Virginia

Kevin Cramer, North Dakota

Cynthia Lummis, Wyoming

John Curtis, Utah

Lindsey Graham, South Carolina

Dan Sullivan, Alaska

Pete Ricketts, Nebraska

Roger Wicker, Mississippi

John Boozman, Arkansas

Jerry Moran, Kansas

 

Finance

Mike Crapo, Idaho

Chuck Grassley, Iowa

John Cornyn, Texas

John Thune, South Dakota

Tim Scott, South Carolina

Bill Cassidy, Louisiana

James Lankford, Oklahoma

Steve Daines, Montana

Todd Young, Indiana

John Barrasso, Wyoming

Ron Johnson, Wisconsin

Thom Tillis, North Carolina

Marsha Blackburn, Tennessee

Roger Marshall, Kansas

 

Foreign Relations

Jim Risch, Idaho

Pete Ricketts, Nebraska

Dave McCormick, Pennsylvania

Steve Daines, Montana

Bill Hagerty, Tennessee

John Barrasso, Wyoming

Rand Paul, Kentucky

Ted Cruz, Texas

Mike Lee, Utah

Rick Scott, Florida

John Curtis, Utah

John Cornyn, Texas

 

Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions

Bill Cassidy, Louisiana

Rand Paul, Kentucky

Susan Collins, Maine

Lisa Murkowski, Alaska

Markwayne Mullin, Oklahoma

Roger Marshall, Kansas

Tommy Tuberville, Alabama

Tim Scott, South Carolina

Josh Hawley, Missouri

Jim Banks, Indiana

Mike Crapo, Idaho

Marsha Blackburn, Tennessee

 

Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs

Rand Paul, Kentucky

Ron Johnson, Wisconsin

James Lankford, Oklahoma

Rick Scott, Florida

Josh Hawley, Missouri

Bernie Moreno, Ohio

Joni Ernst, Iowa

Tim Scott, South Carolina

 

Judiciary

Chuck Grassley, Iowa

Lindsey Graham, South Carolina

John Cornyn, Texas

Mike Lee, Utah

Ted Cruz, Texas

Josh Hawley, Missouri

Thom Tillis, North Carolina

John Kennedy, Louisiana

Marsha Blackburn, Tennessee

Eric Schmitt, Missouri

Katie Britt, Alabama

Mike Crapo, Idaho

 

Intel 

Tom Cotton, Arkansas 

Jim Risch, Idaho 

Susan Collins, Maine 

John Cornyn, Texas 

Jerry Moran, Kansas

James Lankford, Oklahoma

Mike Rounds, South Dakota

Todd Young, Indiana

Marco Rubio, Florida

 

Aging

Rick Scott, Florida

Dave McCormick, Pennsylvania

Jim Justice, West Virginia

Tommy Tuberville, Alabama

Ron Johnson, Wisconsin 

Mike Crapo, Idaho 

Tim Scott, South Carolina 

 

Budget 

Lindsey Graham, South Carolina 

Chuck Grassley, Iowa 

Mike Crapo, Idaho 

Ron Johnson, Wisconsin 

Roger Marshall, Kansas 

John Cornyn, Texas 

Mike Lee, Utah 

John Kennedy, Louisiana 

Pete Ricketts, Nebraska 

Bernie Moreno, Ohio 

Rick Scott, Florida 

 

Indian Affairs 

Lisa Murkowski, Alaska 

John Hoeven, North Dakota 

Steve Daines, Montana 

Markwayne Mullin, Oklahoma 

Mike Rounds, South Dakota 

Jerry Moran, Kansas 

 

Joint Economic Committee 

Eric Schmitt, Missouri 

Tom Cotton, Arkansas

Ted Budd, North Carolina

Dave McCormick, Pennsylvania

Marsha Blackburn, Tennessee

Jerry Moran, Kansas

 

Rules

Mitch McConnell, Kentucky

Deb Fischer, Nebraska

Ted Cruz, Texas

Shelley Moore Capito, West Virginia

Roger Wicker, Mississippi

Cindy Hyde-Smith, Mississippi

Bill Hagerty, Tennessee

Katie Britt, Alabama

John Boozman, Arkansas

 

Small Business

Joni Ernst, Iowa

Jim Risch, Idaho

Rand Paul, Kentucky

Tim Scott, South Carolina

Todd Young, Indiana

Josh Hawley, Missouri

Ted Budd, North Carolina

John Curtis, Utah

Jim Justice, West Virginia

Marsha Blackburn, Tennessee

 

Veterans Affairs

Jerry Moran, Kansas

John Boozman, Arkansas

Bill Cassidy, Louisiana

Thom Tillis, North Carolina

Dan Sullivan, Alaska

Marsha Blackburn, Tennessee

Kevin Cramer, North Dakota

Tommy Tuberville, Alabama

Jim Banks, Indiana

Tim Sheehy, Montana

 

Ethics

James Lankford, Oklahoma

Jim Risch, Idaho 

Deb Fischer, Nebraska

 

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Turkeys Provided for Holiday Meals
100,000 pounds of turkey distributed to 121 communities. 

Families across South Dakota will be receiving a free turkey ahead of the holidays, through a partnership of Team Buche Cares and G.F. Buche Co. 100,000 pounds of turkey will be distributed to 121 communities, including all nine South Dakota tribes.

“We are honored to be able to spread joy this holiday season by contributing to the holiday meal of families across our state.”

Team Buche Cares coordinates several initiatives to address hunger in rural South Dakota, including through support of local food pantries, coordinating summer feeding programs for children, and increasing access to healthy foods. The charitable organization provides a wide range of services that also includes scholarship funding for high school seniors and financial support for cancer patients. Team Buche Cares resources are supported through the 2024 Rooster Roundup event, which marked the organization’s first fundraising effort, with proceeds dedicated to feeding families in these 121 communities.

Turkey distribution will be taking place in communities across Yankton Sioux Tribe, Crow Creek Sioux Tribe, Lower Brule Sioux Tribe, Rosebud Sioux Tribe, Oglala Lakota Sioux Tribe, Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate, Flandreau Santee Sioux Tribe, Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe, Standing Rock Sioux Tribe, as well as other rural communities throughout South Dakota. Team Buche Cares are coordinating turkey distributions with local food pantries and tribal leaders to deliver all 100,000 pounds of the holiday bird to families ahead of the Christmas holiday.

“So many of us have fond memories of holiday meals or traditions developed around a special food. Team Buche Cares is happy to provide access to a healthy protein while also contributing to this year’s holiday memories for families across our state.”

Additional information about Team Buche Cares is available at https://teambuchecares.org.

One of the current crop of SDGOP Chairman wannabees is campaigning as we roll into the holidays, this time with a postcard. A tiny, weird postcard which doesn’t really tell us anything other than they’re “calm.”

Ezra Hayes dropped this 4×6 postcard to County GOP officials, or rather, Custer County’s LeeAnn McWhorter did so on Hayes’ behalf, with a postcard extolling that he’s  Calm * Confident * Servant*.   Ezra might have also added “groomed” or “freshly showered” for all the meaning it has.  The fact he’s telling us he’s a “calm servant” might be nice if he’s bringing me brunch at Perkins or the Fryn’ Pan, but what does that have to do with him wanting to be SDGOP Chair?

(And before you ask, you’d have to ask the SOS if that is supposed to have a disclaimer for a party office, versus a public office. I tend not to think so.)

If you go to the reverse side, the address side tells us what Hayes would bring to the table besides syrup.

Actually, it said absolutely nothing.  …which is what he’s telling us he brings to the table in this postcard.

Custer County GOP Chair LeeAnne has her return address on it for sending these out. I would venture a guess that is who he intends as his vice-chair, which might be the the most we glean off of this ‘campaign’ piece, and I use that in the loosest of terms.

When it comes to the next chair of the South Dakota Republican Party, I’m still hoping for someone good to jump in. Because we don’t have that to date.

Sioux Falls City Councilor David Barranco is telling KELOland to day that he’s noticed that people are hating on Sioux Falls less:

After traveling across the state for the past two years, Sioux Falls council member David Barranco said he starting to see the anti-Sioux Falls bias starting to crack.

and..

Barranco said during the prior legislative session, lawmakers and others from rural communities were key in the support of some of the city’s legislative priorities. He gave credit to local Sioux Falls lawmakers, but “it must be noted that we prevailed, not despite rural communities’ efforts, but thanks to them.”

Read it all here.

That’s good to know. I’m sure with a bit of effort in the new year, we can all find more things to hate about Sioux Falls.   🙂

Republican State’s Attorney Austin Hoffman drops truth a well-deserved truth bomb on McPherson GOP chairman Mike Klipfel using and abusing his position as County GOP Chair to promote his own personal issues in a lengthy letter to the local newspaper:

This is a response to a “letter to the editor” published on December 12, 2024, on the McPherson County Herald’s Facebook page, written by Mike Klipfel, as Chairman of the McPherson County Republicans. Over the last several years, I have seldom responded to inaccurate statements and accusations leveled by misinformed citizens. When I did, I remained polite. However, the disinformation in that letter requires a less than tepid response. Here are the undisputable facts.

and..

Over the last several years, Mr. Klipfel and other members of the Executive Board have used those positions to push personal agendas. They have used the McPherson County Republican Executive Board as a vehicle to move forward an anti-CO2 pipeline agenda, an unfounded election integrity agenda, and most recently to push a blatantly false and incorrect narrative that myself, as State’s Attorney, am attempting to push a resolution that would violate First Amendment freedom of speech rights. The first two items I mention are inappropriate. The latter is absurd.

If Mr. Klipfel, or anyone else on the Executive Board, wants to make these arguments as a citizen of McPherson County, they have every right to do that. However, to use their positions on the McPherson County Republican Executive Board to do so, is in direct violation of the Board’s bylaws. It needs to stop. They represent the entirety of the Republican Party in McPherson County. I am positive that many Republicans do not share the same viewpoints as they do. Simply put, they are not policymakers.

and..

I have no issues with someone disagreeing with me politically or unhappy with the decisions I make as McPherson County State’s Attorney. Everyone has the right to their opinion. But using one’s role as Chairman of the McPherson County Republicans to make incorrect and false accusations, to push personal agendas, or to complain about legal bills they created, is an entirely different story.

Go read the entire letter here.

Everyone should go read this, as it lays out a cogent argument against everything that many people want the South Dakota Republican organization to become.  Because either they want to represent Republicans and win elections, or they want the Republican Party to become a giant facebook group where they scold people for not agreeing with them.

From Twitter, Congressman Dusty Johnson in the middle of first big deal for Trump and he isn’t even President yet!

Rep. Dusty Johnson R-SD mobbed as he leaves the Speaker’s office: “We’re making progress and things are going well.” pic.twitter.com/9YDnAnoO3L

— Jamie Dupree (@jamiedupree) December 19, 2024

And President-Elect Trump is endorsing the deal.

SUCCESS in Washington!

Speaker Mike Johnson and the House have come to a very good Deal for the American People. The newly agreed to American Relief Act of 2024 will keep the Government open, fund our Great Farmers and others, and provide relief for those severely impacted by…

— Trump Posts on 𝕏 (@trump_repost) December 19, 2024

Mr. President, I agree this is a strong deal, and I was honored to help negotiate it. Looking forward to passage tonight. pic.twitter.com/zEjEZ8rXqJ

— Rep. Dusty Johnson (@RepDustyJohnson) December 19, 2024

Rounds’ Legislation to Improve Homeownership Opportunities for Native American Veterans Headed to President’s Desk
The Native American Direct Loan Improvement Act passed the Senate and House in December

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Mike Rounds (R-S.D.), member of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee (SVAC) and the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs (SCIA), today announced that his legislation to help Native American veterans achieve homeownership is heading to the President’s desk to be signed into law. The Native American Direct Loan (NADL) Improvement Act passed the Senate on December 12, 2024, and the House on December 16, 2024.

The NADL Improvement Act will reform the NADL program administered by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and make it more accessible to Native American veterans living on trust land.

“Homeownership is part of the American dream and a key to building wealth,” said Rounds. “The mortgage lending process is particularly difficult on tribal trust land. My legislation seeks to improve the NADL program by offering enhanced outreach and other assistance as needed to Native American veterans who are looking to qualify for mortgage financing. I am pleased this bill is heading to the President’s desk to be signed into law, making the dream of homeownership a reality for more of our veterans.”

Specifically, the NADL Improvement Act will:

·         Allow Native American veterans to use the NADL program to refinance other existing mortgages on the same property.

·         Expand the VA’s existing NADL program outreach to include collaborating with local service providers that are familiar with the mortgage lending process on trust land, which would offer homebuyer education and housing counseling to assist Native American veterans who are looking to qualify for mortgage financing.

·         Create a relending program to allow Native Community Development Financial Institutions to obtain loans through the NADL program and relend those funds to qualified Native American veterans.

BACKGROUND:

In June 2020, Rounds joined SVAC Chairman Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) in requesting a Government Accountability Office (GAO) review of the NADL program. The report was published in April 2022. The GAO found that in Fiscal Years 2012 through 2021, NADL originated only 89 loans to veterans in the contiguous United States, despite there being an estimated 64,000 to 70,000 eligible veterans.

Following the release of the GAO report, Rounds first introduced the NADL Improvement Act in July 2022. It was reintroduced in the 118th Congress in February 2023, passing SVAC later that same month.

Click HERE for full bill text.

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An article was just posted this morning from the Dakota Scout which should be on everyone’s reading list, as it lays out the playing field for the big battle of the next legislative session, where $4 million is being proposed to go to those who seek to place their children in private schools, or to not provide a formal education at all, instead providing homeschool instruction.  Why should it be of concern? Because of the open hostility being displayed by some towards teachers and administrators:

“As educators, we will never compromise our commitment to doing everything we can to educate every student who enters our school buildings and classrooms,” SDEA Public Affairs Director Sandra Waltman told The Dakota Scout, confirming that attempts to dialogue with the state and lawmakers working most closely with the Governor’s Office on the proposal have been unsuccessful. “That is why we need lawmakers to listen to our concerns about how voucher programs will hurt public schools and, more importantly, the students who attend them.”

and..

South Dakota House Majority Leader Scott Odenbach, who’s working closely with DOE to draft legislation for his colleagues to consider, dismissed the notion that public educators aren’t being consulted.

“They do have a seat at the table given all the lobbying they do during session, and I know their positions, so it wouldn’t be productive because they’re not willing to compromise,” the Spearfish Republican said.

Odenbach said that while work on a bill is still under way, it’s likely the proposal could call for incremental expansion – both in funding and eligibility – over a number of years.

Read the entire story here.

Am I reading House Majority Leader Scott Odenbach being snippy with educators because they have associations that represent them in Pierre, and declaring that he won’t meet with teacher groups, “because he knows their positions,  so it wouldn’t be productive because they’re not willing to compromise?”   

How would he know what their position is if he won’t meet with them in the process of crafting the legislation?  If Scott is leading the charge on a plan to gut and strip mine the public resources that would go to Spearfish High School for purposes of diverting them to private schools and homeschoolers, it would seem that as one of their representatives in Pierre he could make the time to sit down with teachers to hear their concerns, whether he agrees with them or not.

Which makes this headline kind of ironic..

Refusing to talk with teachers is an odd kind of advocacy.

It has been a number of years since South Dakota teachers got fired up to get involved in the political process en masse, but the attitudes displayed by those such as Rep. Odenbach in refusing to even hear the concerns of his educator constituents may rouse those groups to fight back. 

I remember going to Pierre Football Games many years ago, and you could not get through a ticket line without a gaggle of teachers with clipboards looking for signatures on ballot petitions. Kicking a sleeping bear might not be in Scott’s best interest. They do know how to organize and fight.

This might be the opening salvos we’re hearing in the battle that will become 2026 Referred Law 22.

This morning, Attorney General Marty Jackley released the indictment against Renee Strong, accused of filing false and forged documents with the state on Health Inspection reports:

Renee Strong Indictment by Pat Powers on Scribd