“If Hamas and its reign of terror is allowed to continue, no nation in the region or beyond will be able to live in peace and security.”
WASHINGTON —U.S. Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) this week spoke on the Senate floor about his visit to the Middle East as part of a bipartisan congressional delegation trip to Israel, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt. Yesterday, Thune spoke about the need for the United States to support Israel as it works to eliminate Hamas terrorists in Gaza, and he called on the Biden administration to prioritize freeing American hostages. Thune also joined Special Report with Bret Baier on Fox News and Stuart Varney on Fox Business to discuss Iran’s blatant role in fostering and supporting terrorism in the Middle East.
Johnson Votes to Restore Order to House of Representatives
Washington, D.C. – On Wednesday, U.S. Representative Dusty Johnson (R-S.D.) voted to elect Rep. Mike Johnson of Louisiana as Speaker of the House to restore order in the House of Representatives.
“I’m proud to vote for Rep. Mike Johnson for Speaker,” said Johnson. “Now we can put these unfortunate three weeks behind us and get back to work to address the southern border, $33 trillion of national debt, and a looming government shutdown.”
Washington, D.C. – On Wednesday, U.S. Representative Dusty Johnson (R-S.D.) voted to express unconditional support for Israel and condemn Hamas in response to Hamas’ acts of terror on Israel.
“Hamas is evil. America can’t allow terrorists to grow in strength,” said Johnson. “Israel has the right to fight back, and they have the wide support of Congress in that endeavor.”
After weeks of stalemate, the first act of the House showed strong, bipartisan support for America’s ally, Israel. Johnson recently cosponsored legislation to condemn the Hamas terror attacks. Read full bill text here.
Senate Mike Rounds – WEEKLY ROUND[S] UP: OCTOBER 16-22, 2023
After a great in-state work period spent in South Dakota, we’re back in action for another Senate work period. I had the opportunity to visit Sioux Falls to speak at the South Dakota Biotech Association’s annual meeting on a panel with Dakota State President José-Marie Griffiths. I visited Brookings during Hobo Week for a groundbreaking for 3M’s new expansion. While in town, I had to make a stop on South Dakota State University’s campus to chat with students over donuts, visit with the Collegian newspaper and celebrate homecoming. Great memories of my time as a student there. As we alumni look ahead to this weekend, we’re hoping for a Jackrabbit win against the powerful Yotes in Vermillion. Here’s my Weekly Round[s] Up:
South Dakotans I visited with: This past week, I met with Michael Bockorny, CEO of the Aberdeen Development Corporation. I also presented an Atomic Veterans Commemorative Service Medal to Navy Veteran Darrell Lee Witte from Pierre. Mr. Witte was a member of the USS Walton that took part in Operation RedWing, a nuclear weapon test series that took place in 1956. My office works with veterans to get them the medals they have earned. If you are a veteran or a family member of a veteran needing assistance with this, please contact my office.
Meetings this past week: Tanya Otsuka, nominee for the National Credit Union Administration board; Erik Fyrwald, CEO of Syngenta; The Real Estate Roundtable; and Martin O’Malley, nominee for Commissioner of the Social Security Administration. I also had a meeting with Kathy Warden, CEO of Northrop Grumman for an update on the B-21 Raider stealth bomber coming to Ellsworth AFB.
We also had our Senate Prayer Breakfast, where Senator Ted Cruz of Texas was our speaker this week.
Panel hosted: This past week, I hosted a panel for fellow senators and their staff members on artificial intelligence and cancer research. The panel featured academic and industry experts who work at the intersection of these two fields. We had an excellent conversation on how AI is transforming health care. You can read more about the panel here.
Cancer research is an issue that’s particularly personal to me. As many of you know, I lost my wife Jean to cancer on November 2, 2021. We were already seeing encouraging progress in the development of new treatments during her battle a few years ago. Now, there is a real opportunity to utilize AI in ways never thought possible that will help save lives.
Votes taken: 8 – most notably was the Senate’s unanimous passage of a resolution standing with our ally Israel against terrorism.
Hearings: I attended 4 hearings this past week: one in the Select Committee on Intelligence, one in the Banking committee, one in the Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC) and one joint hearing between SASC and the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee.
Our Banking committee hearing was on nominations, where we heard from six individual nominees to executive positions. I had the opportunity to serve as Ranking Member and give the opening statement. You can watch a clip of that here.
Classified briefings: I had 2 classified briefings this past week: one was on the B-21 Raider stealth bomber. One was a briefing for all senators on the war in Israel. I talked more about that on CNN last Thursday morning. You can watch the clip of that at the end of the Round[s] Up.
My staff in South Dakota visited: Aberdeen, Madison, Mobridge and Roscoe.
Steps taken this past week: 56,514 steps or 28.06 miles
Video of the Week: I joined CNN This Morning to talk more about the war in Israel:
This is a particularly interesting development landing in my mailbox – pp
Rounds Announces New Leadership in Sioux Falls Office
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) today announced that Keith Moore will serve as the Southeast Regional Director and State Director of Tribal Relations. Moore will be based out of Rounds’ Sioux Falls office, starting on November 6, 2023.
“Keith is a committed and respected public servant who will be a great asset to our team,” said Rounds. “His years of experience, both in South Dakota and in D.C., will serve our state well. I am pleased to have Keith in this role, and I have confidence in his ability to make a meaningful impact for the good of South Dakotans.”
“I’m excited to get started serving the citizens and tribal members of South Dakota,” said Moore. “Senator Rounds has worked tirelessly for all people of our great state, and I intend to do the same as we take on the multitude of issues that are in front of us.”
Originally from Mission, Moore grew up in Kennebec and is an enrolled member of the Rosebud Sioux Tribe. After graduating from Lyman High School, he earned a scholarship to play basketball at Northern State University, majoring in education. He later received a master’s degree in educational administration from South Dakota State University and specialist degree in educational leadership from Montana State University. Moore most recently worked as the South Dakota Director of Americans for Prosperity. He has previous experience as the Director of South Dakota Fellowship of Christian Athletes, Chief Diversity Officer at the University of South Dakota and Indian Education Director at the South Dakota Department of Education. Moore also served as the SES Director of the Bureau of Indian Education in Washington, D.C. He and his wife, Kristie, have five daughters and reside in Sioux Falls.
Oh… Sorry. That’s actually a candidate announcement.
Jordan Deffenbaugh Announces Candidacy for City Council, Pledges to Engage Neighborhoods and Repeal Ineffective Ordinances
[Sioux Falls, SD] — Jordan Deffenbaugh, a community organizer in the Whittier neighborhood and Sioux Falls native, announces his candidacy for the At-Large seat in the upcoming Sioux Falls City Council election. With a background firmly rooted in Sioux Falls and a vision for a more vibrant, neighborhood-focused community, Deffenbaugh seeks to revitalize the city and put power back into the hands of core neighborhoods.
The son of a local home builder who played a pivotal role in shaping Sioux Falls, Deffenbaugh combines a deep understanding of Sioux Falls’ history and urban planning with a forward-looking vision for progress.
Via Rumble (YouTube for people who think Youtube is a plot).. Penny BayBridge, who came in 4th in the 2022 District 13 House Primary with 9.6% and trailed the #3 candidate by 700 votes, is going to attempt to run again as per an announcement she made at a SD Canvassing Rally on 10/19 (about 2 Hours & 3 minutes in). Maybe she can break 10% this time.
And in a blast from the past, former State Representative Patricia (Stricherz) Shiery formed a committee yesterday to run for District 8 State Senate. Shiery, under her former married name Stricherz served in the House from 2011 – 2012. And she was just a peach. One former House speaker told me the story where she had demanded to know what the state spent heating the Capitol Lake. Since then, she has denied the tale, but that’s how the story was related to me. (BTW, Capitol Lake is a naturally warm body of water heated by underground artesian wells. Taxpayers don’t pay to keep it warm.). Since then, she ran unsuccessfully in District 30 in the 2018 Republican Senate Primary (coming in 3rd with 12.7%), before moving back to the Madison area.
Well. Never let it be said elections in South Dakota are boring.
Attorney General Jackley Joins Lawsuit Against Meta For Harming Youth Mental Health
PIERRE, S.D. – South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley has joined Attorneys General from 41 other states in filing federal or state lawsuits against Meta alleging that the company knowingly designed and developed harmful features on Instagram and other social media platforms that purposefully addicted children and teens.
South Dakota is part of the federal complaint, which includes 32 other states, and was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California. It alleges that Meta knew of the harmful impacts that the platforms had on the mental health of young people and that the company misled the public about the harms associated with the use of its platforms.
“Social media use, including Meta platforms such as Facebook and Instagram, has played a major role in the youth mental health issues occurring in America,” said Attorney General Jackley. “Such platforms have led or contributed to physical and emotional harm to children and devastating families. Meta needs to be held accountable for its actions.”
Attorneys Generals also joining the federal lawsuit are from Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, and Wisconsin.
Florida is filing its own federal lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida.
Eight other states filed similar lawsuits in their own state courts. Those states are District of Columbia, Florida, Massachusetts, Mississippi, New Hampshire, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Utah, and Vermont.
From Twitter, one of the hardest left democrat state legislators in South Dakota isn’t leaving anything to the imagination regarding her position on Abortion, as she declares “abortion is healthcare.”
➡️Mifepristone is a safe and effective option for reproductive healthcare, offering women autonomy over their choices.
➡️Abortion is healthcare, and it’s crucial to support access for all who need it.
I had a nice mention today in a number of InForum newspapers, including this version of the article from the Jamestown Sun, on hiring of Dave Roetman:
If North Dakota Republicans were hoping that recent turbulence from new populist, culture warrior leadership of the party would begin to ease, the new executive director that party chair Sandi Sanford has hired is not a good sign.
Dave Roetman, a former official with the South Dakota Republican Party, has been hired to replace former executive director Samantha Holly, who abruptly resigned in September.
and..
According to South Dakota War College, a longtime blog covering South Dakota politics from a right-of-center perspective, Roetman clashed with elected Republicans during his time with the SDGOP.
He also founded a political committee called Ripple Effect “to attack & challenge sitting Republican officeholders,” the blog reports.
That committee participated in a rally against Republican incumbents, as well as an anti-vaccine event.
