Washington DC News - South Dakota War College

Thune sends blistering letter to TSA on missing badges. I’m not sure I want to fly anytime soon.

May 27, 2015 @SoDakCampaigns

US Senator John Thune notes that while the Transportation Security Administration is busy seeing us all naked, they’re losing security badges left and right:

Senator John Thune fired off a blistering letter to TSA officials demanding answers regarding missing, lost or stolen SIDA (Secured Identification Display Area) badges that can be used by employees to gain access to secure areas at airports.

“Clearly there are an awful lot of things falling through the cracks and there’s just no room for an error when it comes to this issue. We need answers. They’re not providing them.”

Thune, who chairs the Transportation Committee, said previous answers from the agency had actually raised more questions than answers.

The concern follows reports that more than 270 badges went missing at the San Diego International Airport in the last two years and more than 1,400 badges missing from Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport.

Read it all here.

Ugh. Yeah, I’m not so sure I want to fly anytime soon. (But I do appreciate that Senator Thune is demanding answers from the people who pat us down.)

US Senator John Thune’s Weekly Column: Bringing Transparency and Accountability to the EPA

May 23, 2015 @SoDakCampaigns

Bringing Transparency and Accountability to the EPA
By Senator John Thune

As consumers, it’s important to know the true cost and benefit of the goods and services we purchase. That’s why many product labels clearly include information like miles per gallon for vehicles, for example, or nutritional information on the food we buy at the grocery store.

Finding the real cost and benefit of proposals in Washington, D.C., is often more challenging than simply reading a label. That’s especially true with regulatory proposals from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). As a result, I’ve introduced a bill in the U.S. Senate that would make the EPA regulatory process more transparent and accountable.

The Real EPA Impact Reviews (REPAIR) Act would require the EPA to include an alternate scenario in its regulatory analysis process that would analyze the impact of the proposal without the influence of other proposed regulations. It’s important for the EPA to do this because the inclusion of proposed, but not yet finalized regulations may overestimate the benefit or conceal the actual cost of compliance. Moreover, proposed regulations might be subject to delay, modification, or outright dismissal.

We’ve already seen examples of this in Washington. The EPA’s regulatory analysis that accompanied its proposal to lower the standard for ground level ozone included numerous proposed regulations that could have significantly impacted the cost projections. For example, their analysis assumed compliance with an ozone standard that 227 countries had yet to meet.

While including proposed regulations can be important for forecasting the future regulatory landscape, isolating a proposal’s impact without the influence of other proposed regulations would help provide a much clearer analysis of the actual impact.

This is about transparency and accountability. Congress and the American people deserve to have a full understanding of the impact regulations proposed by the Obama EPA may have on South Dakotans.

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US Senator Mike Rounds’ Weekly Column: Honoring Those We Lost

May 23, 2015May 23, 2015 @SoDakCampaigns

Honoring Those We Lost
By Senator Mike Rounds
May 21, 2015

Memorial Day is a special time for us to remember all the brave men and women who died defending our nation on the battlefield. They paid the ultimate price to protect our freedoms. While they can never be repaid for their sacrifices, this weekend allows us to honor them posthumously. On Memorial Day, we remember who we have lost while serving this country. Their memory lives on through their families and friends and the legacies they leave behind, but it also lives on through the daily lives of all Americans who are safe and free because of their service. Through our Constitution, our founding fathers recognized the God-given rights of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Through the service of our men and women in uniform, those rights have been maintained. My uncle Marion Rounds, whom I am named after, was killed in battle on the Pacific island of Okinawa in 1945. I honor his memory, but especially on Memorial Day.

In the Senate, I have the unique privilege to serve on two committees that focus specifically on our military personnel: The Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC) and Veterans’ Affairs Committee. In my time working in these committees, I continue to listen to the voices of veterans and current service men and women. I am humbled by their stories of bravery in the face of death and the horrors of war. Their heroism inspires me to do all I can to provide our military with the best tools to protect themselves while fighting the enemy, and provide our veterans with the care they’ve been promised so they can lead a happy, healthy life.

Just this month, provisions from two of my bills were included in the bipartisan National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) that passed out of the Armed Services Committee. The first provision that passed would protect B-1 bombers from premature retirement. My legislation would add congressional oversight to any decision to retire the B-1, B-2 or B-52 bomber aircraft. Unless the Department of Defense can certify that retirement of these aircraft will not result in loss of operational capability, they will remain in use. In South Dakota, we have 27 B-1 bombers at Ellsworth Air Force Base that are critical to protecting our country. Long-range strike bombers play an important role in our national defense. A strong, properly supported bomber force will allow our Air Force men and women to continue to do their jobs safely and successfully.

Another of my provisions included in NDAA deals with current military members and military retirees’ access to healthcare. It would streamline the process for families enrolled in Tricare health plans when they move from one Tricare region to another. The current system for transferring Tricare beneficiaries is often ineffective, resulting in unnecessary delays. Our service members give everything to our country. Making simple changes to streamline transfer of their health care is the very least we can do.

The world continues to be a dangerous place. Members of our military continue to bravely fight those who wish to do us harm. They keep America free and make the world a better place. This Memorial Day, please take a moment to say thank you to our veterans and remember the sacrifices made to protect our freedoms.

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Congresswoman Kristi Noem’s Weekly Column: Coming Together to Fight Trafficking

May 23, 2015May 23, 2015 @SoDakCampaigns

Coming Together to Fight Trafficking
By Rep. Kristi Noem
May 22, 2015

In February 2013, South Dakota law enforcement placed undercover ads on the webpage Backpage.com targeting folks in the Watertown area. They weren’t pretending to sell illegal drugs; they were pretending to sell people – young girls to be specific. Over the course of two days, more than 100 individuals responded to the ad – many of whom were hoping to buy these young women for sex. Similar operations were conducted in Rapid City and during the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally and all had similar results.

Many times, when folks think of sex trafficking, they picture scenes from urban areas or in foreign countries. But the reality is it’s happening here. Young girls – often being recruited between 12 and 14 years old – are bought and sold for sex in small towns and larger communities. They’re being forced to have sex upwards of 50 times per day, according to the Polaris Project – a leader in the movement to end trafficking. And their pimps are working to get them hooked on drugs and alcohol, only deepening the young woman’s dependence on the trafficker.

In some cases, trafficking victims are brought through South Dakota from bigger cities and sent to North Dakota’s oil fields. In other cases, they’re being recruited at local schools, online, or in Indian Country to be sold at large events, like the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally. In many – if not most – cases, they are being recruited in South Dakota and sold in South Dakota. It has to stop.

For the last few years, I’ve been working with shelters and advocates in South Dakota who have helped victims escape and survivors heal. With their experiences and needs in mind, I was able to draft legislation – while also helping move forward additional bills others had written – that aim to better combat this criminal industry. On May 19, we earned a significant victory. The broadly bipartisan Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act, S.178, passed the U.S. House of Representatives, meaning the bill is now headed straight to the President’s desk.

I was privileged to have language I wrote included in this larger package. My portion of the legislation accomplishes three things. First, it improves some existing federal grants to ensure they support shelters wanting to provide a place for trafficking survivors. Today, there are just 200 beds available in the country for underage victims, so this is an important expansion. My language also launches a review that will look into federal and state trafficking prevention activities to help identify and develop the best prevention practices. Finally, it requires an inventory of existing federal anti-trafficking efforts to ensure that the money we’re spending is working for victims.

In addition to the portion that I wrote, S.178 aims to stop websites, like Backpage.com, that are known to facilitate the buying and selling of our children for sex. It establishes grant programs to help teach medical professionals how to identify victims of trafficking, as they are often one of the first lines of defense when it comes to identifying a trafficking victim. And it helps improve law enforcement task forces to combat this terrible crime. All in all, it amounts to one of the largest anti-trafficking packages passed in nearly a decade.

There is still more to do. Building awareness remains a huge challenge, but it’s a challenge each of you can help us overcome. I encourage you to learn more about the red flags so you can identify them if someone you know is at risk. The Polaris Project website, found at www.PolarisProject.org, is one resource.

Thank you to everyone who has engaged in ending trafficking in South Dakota. The work you do to eliminate its presence in our community and heal survivors is admirable and vital.

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Noem Aims to Prevent Wanted Felons From Receiving Taxpayer-Funded Benefits

May 21, 2015 @SoDakCampaigns

Noem, Johnson Aim to Prevent Wanted Felons From Receiving Taxpayer-Funded Benefits

Newly introduced CUFF Act could save as much as $4.8 billion

Washington, D.C. – Reps. Kristi Noem (SD-At Large) and Sam Johnson (TX-3) today introduced H.R. 2504, the Control Unlawful Fugitive Felon Act of 2015 (CUFF Act), which would prohibit wanted felons from receiving Social Security disability or retirement payments. If passed, the legislation is expected to save taxpayers as much as $4.8 billion over 10 years, according to preliminary Congressional Budget Office estimates.

“It’s almost unbelievable that a wanted felon can evade prosecution for months or even years, but somehow still receive checks from the government every 30 days or so,” said Noem. “I am proud to join Chairman Johnson in introducing legislation that would finally end this practice. Hardworking taxpayers should never be asked to make disability or retirement payments to folks who are running from the law. It has to stop now.”

The CUFF Act discontinues benefits for those who are the subject of an arrest warrant. The legislation only applies to felony charges, or a crime carrying a minimum term of one or more years in prison. Benefits can be restored once the individual resolves any outstanding issues.

“Individuals running from the law or violating their parole or probation shouldn’t be supported with taxpayer dollars,” said Johnson, who serves as Chairman of the Ways and Means Subcommittee on Social Security. “That’s why I’m pleased to join Congresswoman Noem in reintroducing this commonsense Law and Order bill. Not only would it help law enforcement, but it is the right thing to do on behalf of hardworking American taxpayers!”

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Senators Thune and Stabenow Reintroduce Bill to Advance Agricultural Research

May 21, 2015 @SoDakCampaigns

Senators Thune and Stabenow Reintroduce Bill to Advance Agricultural Research

Legislation Invests in New and Innovative Agricultural Research

WASHINGTON, D.C.– U.S. Sens. John Thune (R-S.D.), member of the Senate Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry Committee, and Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.), ranking member of the Agriculture Committee, today reintroduced legislation to support agricultural research. The Charitable Agricultural Research Act encourages the creation of public-private partnerships to boost funding and spur innovation for agricultural research. Thune and Stabenow, members of the Senate Finance Committee, introduced this legislation last Congress and co-led the passage of a similar bipartisan measure out the Finance Committee in February.

“The Charitable Agricultural Research Act would help facilitate the transfer of much-needed private investment to agricultural research, which would better equip our producers with the tools they need in order to meet the demands of a 21st century global marketplace,” said Thune. “This common-sense legislation creates a new means for generous Americans who wish to dedicate their own financial resources to agricultural research to do so more easily.”

“We need to invest in agricultural research if we want to have a strong agricultural industry in America,” Stabenow said. “Farmers and ranchers face extraordinary challenges every day, from pests and diseases to droughts and severe weather. Our bill builds on decades of success, giving incentives to new and creative partnerships to fund research into some of agriculture’s most pressing challenges.”

Over the last 60 years, agricultural research has significantly expanded crop, livestock, and food production. In South Dakota, agriculture contributes more than $25 billion to the state’s economy and generates nearly $4 billion in exports. Michigan agriculture contributes over $100 billion to the state’s economy and exports $3 billion in farm goods annually. However, agricultural scientists warn that failing to invest in agricultural research could spell disaster for the future safety and security of American food. The Charitable Agricultural Research Act seeks to address these challenges by creating agricultural research organizations (AROs) that would work in conjunction with agricultural and land-grant colleges and universities to conduct research in the field of agriculture. The legislation is modeled on medical research organizations (MROs), which were created by Congress in 1956 and have successfully generated billions of dollars of new investment in medical research.

The Thune-Stabenow Charitable Agricultural Research Act is cosponsored by Sens. Roy Blunt (R-Mo.), Thad Cochran (R-Miss.), Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.), and Ron Wyden (D-Wyo.).

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Rounds Applauds Banking Committee Passage of Regulatory Reform Bill

May 21, 2015 @SoDakCampaigns

Rounds Applauds Banking Committee Passage of Regulatory Reform Bill

WASHINGTON—U.S. Senator Mike Rounds (R-S.D), a member of the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs, applauded today’s passage of “The Financial Regulatory Improvement Act of 2015” out of committee.

“I am pleased to see this important legislation move forward,” said Rounds. “The bill passed through committee today will provide much-needed regulatory relief to the financial services industry and the consumers they serve. South Dakota’s banking industry has been hit hard by rules stemming from Dodd-Frank, spending too much time and money on regulatory compliance. Our bill seeks to roll back of some of the ‘one-size-fits-all’ regulations within Dodd-Frank – a major win for South Dakota’s financial institutions. I hope my colleagues on both sides of the aisle will work together to pass this important legislation when it comes to the floor later this year.”

The Financial Regulatory Improvement Act of 2015 would mark the biggest reform of the Dodd-Frank Act since its enactment in 2010. It includes changes to federal mortgage rules to improve borrowers’ access to credit, particularly in rural areas, and will reduce the level of risk in the financial system.

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Congresswoman Kristi Noem named by CQ Roll Call as one of 25 most influential women in Congress

May 20, 2015May 20, 2015 @SoDakCampaigns

In a book released today by Congressional Quarterly, Powerful Women: The 25 Most Influential Women in Congress, released as an e-book and in print, Congresswoman Kristi Noem has been named one of the 25 most influential woman in Congress.

According to a release from CQ Roll Call:

Though women have been represented in Congress for nearly 100 years, it has been a long journey to the top. Powerful Women will give readers a brief history of women in Congress and provide an inside look at who has heft in Congress, why they do and how they wield their power, with in-depth profiles of the 25 women on the list and exclusive color photographs. The book will also look at the five freshmen on the rise, women lawmakers who are making their mark in Congress in their inaugural terms in Washington.

“As the leading news organization covering Congress, it’s fitting that these change-agent lawmakers are the subject of CQ Roll Call’s new eBook line,” said David Ellis, chief content officer at CQ Roll Call.

and…

The 25 women named in the book, and the five freshmen on the rise, will be honored at the Rewriting the Rules reception on May 19, 2015, sponsored by Procter & Gamble, in the spirit of their Always #LikeAGirl Rewrite the Rules campaign, focused on empowering young women.

Read it here.

The book touches on Kristi’s compelling story as to why she got into politics…

When her father died, Noem was 22, attending college part time, married and nearly eight months pregnant with her first child. She left school to help take over the family operation. It was then that she found out the family would be assessed estate taxes and would have to decide whether to sell land or take out a loan. Noem said the experience is what kindled her interest in politics. “It was tough for me to reconcile that because we had a tragedy in our family, now we had a financial situation, too. And that’s what got me involved,” she said.

and follows up on her crucial work on the passage of the farm bill.

When she was on the Agriculture Committee, one of Noem’s few public disputes with GOP leaders was over a five-year reauthorization of farm and nutrition programs that the committee approved in 2012. It never received a floor vote – leaders felt that conservative opposition to the bill would sink it – and programs lapsed for several months.

Noem made a public campaign for a floor vote, insisting that safety net provisions were absolutely crucial, particularly in light of severe drought throughout her state.

During the panel’s work on the bill, Noem focused on extensions of livestock disaster programs and “sodsaver” provisions, which cut back federal subsidies in order to remove unintended incentives that induced farmers to convert open prairies into cropland. Noem endorsed billions in reductions to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program but helped defeat deeper SNAP cuts favored by more conservative panel members.

Interested in reading for yourself? Powerful Women: The 25 Most Influential Women in Congress is available on Amazon.

Thune Introduces Legislation to Increase EPA Transparency

May 20, 2015 @SoDakCampaigns

Thune Introduces Legislation to Increase EPA Transparency

“It’s important for Congress and the American people to have a full understanding of the impact proposed regulations may have.”

WASHINGTON, D.C.— U.S. Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) today introduced the Real EPA Impact Reviews (REPAIR) Act, which would help facilitate a more transparent EPA regulatory impact analyses (RIA) process by requiring the EPA to include a scenario in each of its RIAs that does not contain additional proposed regulations.

“This is about transparency and accountability,” said Thune. “It’s important for Congress and the American people to have a full understanding of the impact proposed regulations may have. While including proposed regulations can be important for forecasting the future regulatory landscape, isolating a proposal’s impact without the influence of other proposed regulations will provide a clearer analysis of the proposal’s immediate impact.”

The REPAIR Act was inspired by the EPA’s draft RIA for lowering the National Ambient Air Quality Standard ground-level ozone, which was released on November 25, 2014. The RIA assumed that that numerous other regulations would be fully implemented, despite the possibility that these regulations may have been subject to delay, modification, or dismissal prior to finalization. The RIA also included in its baseline that the existing ozone standard would be fully implemented, despite the fact that 227 countries had yet to meet the existing standard. Such inclusions likely caused the RIA to significantly underestimate the true cost of a lower ozone standard.

Sens. Thune and Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.) sent a letter in February to EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy calling on the agency to explain why the RIA to lower ground-level ozone standards doesn’t align with a similar EPA proposal from 2011. Thune and Inhofe’s letter requested the EPA provide analysis that didn’t include co-benefits of reducing other emissions or include in its calculations any other proposed regulation.

In March, Thune reintroduced the bipartisan Clean Air, Strong Economies (CASE) Act (S. 751) with Senator Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.), which would stem the economic harm from a lower ground-level ozone standard by requiring the EPA to focus on the worst areas for air quality before lowering the standard across the country. This bill has 24 cosponsors.

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Rounds Opening Statement at Oversight Hearing of Scientific Advisory Panels and Processes at the Environmental Protection Agency and Legislative Hearing on S. 543, the Science Advisory Board Reform Act of 2015

May 20, 2015 @SoDakCampaigns

Rounds Opening Statement at Oversight Hearing of Scientific Advisory Panels and Processes at the Environmental Protection Agency and Legislative Hearing on S. 543, the Science Advisory Board Reform Act of 2015

WASHINGTON—U.S. Senator Mike Rounds (R-S.D.), chairman of the Environment and Public Works (EPW) Subcommittee on Superfund, Waste Management, and Regulatory Oversight, provided the following opening statement at today’s hearing, entitled “Oversight Hearing on Scientific Advisory Panels and Processes at the Environmental Protection Agency and Legislative Hearing on S. 543, the Science Advisory Board Reform Act of 2015.”

Witnesses include Dr. Roger O. McClellan, Advisor, Toxicology and Human Health Risk Analysis; Ted Hadzi-Antich, Senior Staff Attorney, Pacific Legal Foundation; Alfredo Gomez, Director, Natural Resources and Environment Team, U.S. Government Accountability Office; Dr. Terry Yosie, President & CEO, World Environment Center; Scott Faber, Vice President of Government Affairs, Environmental Working Group.

Opening Statement as Prepared for Delivery:

“The Environment and Public Works Subcommittee on Superfund, Waste Management, and Regulatory Oversight is meeting today to conduct an ‘Oversight Hearing on Scientific Advisory Panels and Processes at the Environmental Protection Agency and Legislative Hearing on S. 543, the Science Advisory Board Reform Act of 2015.’

The Environmental Protection Agency is tasked with developing environmental regulations that impact every American in every state across the country.

These regulations affect the water we drink, the air we breathe and the land we use. EPA has affirmed science is to be “the backbone of EPA decision making.”

The Science Advisory Board and Clean Air Scientific Advisory Committee, which are made up of scientific experts, are to supply the EPA with independent scientific and technical advice on a wide-range of topics, from hydraulic fracturing, to ozone emissions, to stream and wetland connectivity.

The EPA is to rely on this advice to assist them in crafting and issuing appropriate environmental regulations.

Unfortunately in recent years, EPA regulations have been driven not by science but by politics.

The EPA has not submitted critical Agency science or technical information to the SABs for review prior to implementing major regulations such as greenhouse gas rules for cars and trucks, new source performance standards for coal-fired power plants, and ozone regulations, despite statutory authority to do so.

Rather than allowing the science to drive the regulations, the EPA is carrying out the Administration’s political agenda through regulations with questionable science supporting them.

For example, at an EPW Subcommittee hearing yesterday we heard testimony that the EPA focused on the wrong issues when requesting the SAB review an EPA – led study that became a scientific foundation for the overly burdensome Waters of the U.S. Rule that is due out in the near future.

EPA, to achieve its goal of expanding jurisdiction, made the science fit into their preplanned agenda and the result will be a tremendous example of federal overreach.

In addition, due to not using proper science to begin with, as reported yesterday by the New York Times, the EPA engaged in its own lobbying campaign, under a questionable legal basis, to garner support for this rule.

Despite the fact that the SAB is to be an independent body that provides independent advice to the EPA, many SAB members are receiving EPA grants, which not only lends itself to conflict of interest issues, but also ties the hands of SAB members who may not be inclined to provide dissenting views or disagree with agency science.

When members do disagree with EPA science, there is little opportunity for members to express dissenting views.

We have also seen many instances in which members of these boards are reviewing their own scientific work without recusing themselves.

This diminishes any possibility that these boards will offer a truly impartial opinion regarding the validity of the science EPA is relying on.

For example, a recent CASAC review showed that 21 of 25 panelists had their own work cited by the EPA and meeting minutes did not note a single recusal.

Further, there is little opportunity for public participation or comments in these scientific reviews and there is minimal state, local and tribal representation on these boards.

The 47 member chartered SAB includes only three members from two states – California and Vermont.

Additionally, the panels tasked with advising the EPA on hydraulic fracturing and water body connectivity did not include representatives from any states.

As a result of these reviews, the EPA implements regulations that affect the entire country, yet there is minimal state participation on these boards and when there is, the vast majority of the country remains unrepresented.

543, the Science Advisory Board Reform Act of 2015, aims to address these problems by inserting more transparency and accountability in the SAB process.

If passed, it will allow for more public participation in the SAB review process, more accountability for the members of the board, and provide for more transparency for Congress and the public regarding the science behind EPA regulations.

The EPA should rely on the most up-to-date and sound science as the foundation for every regulation implemented by the agency.

It is vital that this scientific review process be done in a transparent manner, undertaken by experts who can provide an impartial and independent opinion, and with sufficient representation by those who would be affected by these regulations.

I’d like to thank our witnesses for taking the time to be with us today and I look forward to hearing your testimony.”

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