Work Matters
By Rep. Dusty Johnson
May 16, 2025
BIG News
The House Agriculture Committee passed its portion of House Republicans’ reconciliation package, commonly referred to as the “one big, beautiful bill.” Our committee found more than $290 billion in savings while making strong investments to support American agriculture and rural communities.
Many of my priorities were included, including portions of my bill, the America Works Act, to strengthen work requirements for able-bodied adults without dependents receiving SNAP benefits (commonly known as food stamps). People who can work, should work. I’m glad our bill roots out abuse of the program to ensure those who truly need help the most receive it.
Click here or the image above for Johnson’s remarks on work requirements
Additionally, the committee’s bill supports farmers facing increased costs due to inflation, improves trade programs, and defends our livestock from foreign animal diseases. Reconciliation doesn’t address everything farm country needs, so I’ll keep working to get a strong Farm Bill across the finish line.
BIG Idea
I am gearing up to reintroduce the TEENS Act to give 14- and 15-year-olds more flexibility and opportunities in their work schedule. Today, a 14-year-old cannot work after 7 p.m. on a school night. My bill allows these students to work until 9 p.m. and up to 24 hours a week (an increase from 18 hours), if the teenager and their family decide to do so.
Many kids play video games all hours of the night, but we know work experience increases growth, development, and success. I want to encourage our kids to experience the reward of hard work, not prevent it.
BIG Update
It’s National Police Week, which is an opportunity to reflect on the service and sacrifice of law enforcement officers in our communities. I had the honor of meeting the loved ones of two South Dakota law enforcement officers who lost their lives in the line of duty. Those officers’ names were added to the National Law Enforcement Officer’s Memorial Wall in D.C. I’m grateful to the brave, dedicated men and women who work to keep us safe.
Johnson with the Prorok family and Hofman family
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“the committee’s bill supports farmers facing increased costs due to inflation”
Inflation. Totally unavoidable. Biden’s fault actually. Inflation, nothing to do with tariffs, it’s just inflation, from Biden. All Biden’s fault.
Yay, let’s bring back child labor. Nothing screams like the middle class is doing fine than having to bring back child labor. Absolute joke.
Child labor? That’s a big stretch. Many kids want to work and essentially can’t get hired because of all the restrictions. Many businesses would like to hire them, but can’t because of all the restrictions. Nothing is forced here. If a kid wants to find a job and start making money and learn skills that will benefit them for the rest of their lives, they should be allowed to, if not encouraged to do so. You can dislike policy or ideas but don’t make them into something they are not. It’s manipulative and we’ve got enough of that going on around here.
Does anybody in here really think this portion of the bill is for the kids? Haha.
Just like how Florida recently allowed for teens to have “the freedom to work without a lunch break.”
https://www.nbcmiami.com/news/local/child-labor-laws-florida-measure-would-let-teens-work-8-hours-on-school-nights/3576050/
So the republican platform is now anti-energy, anti-business, anti-education and anti-work. Got it.
Heck yeah! Kids can work in the meat packing plants like the good old days and bring home money to support the family which will be needed especially after Grandma and Grandpa come back home after getting kicked out of the nursing home with Medicaid being cut.
God gave most of those kids two arms, eyes, ears and legs with plenty of fingers and toes. If those kids lose an arm at the meat packing plant they still have another. It builds character!
What will it cost to implement work requirements for Medicaid recipients vs what will be saved? Do we have assurance that the additional administrative burden will be offset with actual cost savings? How many Medicaid recipients are currently not working and fall into the ‘able-bodied’ category? Essentially, is this a policy worth the effort, or is it just giving Rep. Johnson a chance to pat himself on the back?
Dusty said that Medicaid would not be cut when his party first started work on this budget reconciliation bill a month ago. So now $1T in cuts for Medicaid and SNAP benefits are the major savings used to fund tax cuts that will largely benefit the ultra wealthy. Was this just a little bit of an oversight or just dishonesty?
Not a word about the Big, Beautiful Bill. Nothing about how many South Dakotans he’ll be voting off of health care. Wow.