A Nominations Rules Change Is Coming
By Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.)
Breitbart

 For decades, Democrats and Republicans have regularly cooperated to swiftly confirm the many, many individuals selected by each president to serve in their administration.

Regardless of the party in the White House, both sides have long agreed that a president deserves to have his or her administration in place, quickly. That doesn’t mean we don’t disagree. But it does mean when nominees are held up, opposed, or blocked—it’s for a legitimate purpose, not for leverage in partisan games, to score political points at the expense of public safety.

Now, while I agree with the above sentiment, those sentences aren’t actually mine. Those are the words of Democrat Leader Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) in 2022, when President Biden already had 405 Senate-confirmed nominees in place, 230 of whom were confirmed via voice vote.

By the time Leader Schumer was complaining about the nominations pace, the Senate had already confirmed numerous batches of nominees via voice vote, as it has always done. In fact, every president has had a majority of his nominees confirmed this way.

Until now.

Democrats have made President Donald Trump the first president on record to not have a single nominee confirmed via voice vote or unanimous consent, and they are forcing time-consuming votes on noncontroversial nominees who go on to be confirmed by large bipartisan margins. It’s Trump Derangement Syndrome on steroids.

It’s delay for delay’s sake, and it’s a pettiness that leaves desks sitting empty in agencies across the federal government and robs our duly elected president of a team to enact the agenda that the American people voted for in November. This historic obstruction also chews up valuable time on the Senate floor that would be better spent working on legislation, like moving appropriations bills on time, reauthorizing programs critical to national defense, and considering and debating some of the more than 120 bipartisan bills reported out of committee that aim to make families and businesses stronger and more prosperous.

Republicans aren’t going to tolerate this obstruction any longer. We have tried to work with Democrats in good faith to batch bipartisan, noncontroversial nominees and clear them expeditiously, according to past precedent. Democrats have stood in the way at every turn.

Over the past month, I organized a group of Republican senators representing various points of view within the party to develop a solution. We have developed a plan, based on a previous proposal from Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Angus King (D-ME), that would allow the Senate to batch nominations together and clear the growing backlog. The Klobuchar-King proposal was designed to speed up the confirmation process at a time when the Senate was regularly confirming batches of nominees by voice vote, a luxury Democrats have not allowed this Congress. We have modified this proposal to account for the added obstruction by allowing nominees to move in larger groups.

When the Senate convenes this week, I will begin the necessary procedural steps to reform the Senate’s rules. No party should be able to weaponize the confirmation process the way that Senate Democrats are doing now, in a way that has never been done before. This total obstruction simply cannot be the standard moving forward – both in principle and in practicality. We must return to the Senate’s traditional confirmation process that existed before this unprecedented blockade.

This year, the Senate has taken more votes than any Senate has at this point in more than 35 years. We’ve taken more roll call votes in eight months than most Senates take in 12. We’ve also spent more hours in session through August than any Senate in more than 15 years. All that to be slightly behind pace of the last two administrations’ confirmation rates.

At the current pace, and facing the same level of Democrat obstruction, the Senate would need to conduct more than 600 additional roll call votes to clear the nominees who are currently in the pipeline. That’s more votes than this already record-breaking Senate has taken all year, and it doesn’t account for the additional nominees who will be added to the current backlog. Today, more than 1,200 positions are subject to Senate confirmation. If we were to continue at our current pace, the administration would have hundreds of vacancies remaining by the time President Trump’s term ends.

I refuse to accept that reality. President Trump and Republicans received a mandate from the American people in November. It is far past time that the president’s nominees receive confirmation votes from the Senate – and this Senate Republican majority will take steps this week to make it happen.

John Thune is the Senate Majority Leader and the senior U.S. senator from South Dakota.

 

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Told you so.

In what might be the most anti-climactic announcement for office this year; after serving as a bureaucrat under the Biden Administration, the former State Director of USDA Rural Development  Nikki Gronli has filed paperwork to run for Congress as a Democrat:

GronliforHouse by Pat Powers

I’m not checking out her website though, because it completely freaked out my live web protection.

Gronli was the former Chair of Minnehaha Democrats who spent a career in marketing until Joe Biden was looking to fill appointee positions in South Dakota… and then became the head of USDA Rural Development in the state.

In case you’ve forgotten about her positions, Nikki “Three Shell” Gronli, a.k.a. Gun Grabber Gronli has some interesting positions that she’s espoused in the past that she will try to bring to Washington:

Well, good luck there. Let’s get this party started!

Guest Column: A Son’s Father (Book Review)
by Thomas E. Simmons

Novelist Frederick Manfred was born in Doon, Iowa, kicked around in Dinkytown and Bloomindale, Minnesota, built a house amongst the blue mounds north of Luverne, Minnesota, and worked for a time at the University of South Dakota as a writer-in-residence. He died in 1994 of brain cancer.

He and I may have passed each other on a sidewalk of the USD campus when I was an undergraduate, though I think I would remember the event (and I don’t) given that Manfred’s stature – 6 foot 9 – would have made quite an impression on the young man I was then. I did meet his personal physician once, immediately after I had finished delivering a talk on Manfred’s portrayal of landscape at Augustana University’s Center for Western Studies, but that is the closest I’ve ever come to meeting Manfred himself.

As I visited with Manfred’s doctor, he recalled delivering the news to Manfred that the writer had cancer. It was terminal. He cared for Manfred at the end. To shake this doctor’s hand is the closest I’ll come to shaking Manfred’s hand.

Manfred’s most popular novel is one of my all-time favorites: Lord Grizzly (1954). It recounts the true story of Hugh Glass and his solitary 1823 crawl across South Dakota after being mauled by a momma bear near the banks of the Grand River close to where Shadehill Reservoir is today, south of Lemmon. The story has been retold in film, most recently with Leonardo DiCaprio as Glass in The Revenant (2015).

That film’s substitution of the views of northwestern South Dakota with Rocky Mountain crags betrayed the truth of the epic crawl that Hugh Glass completed. The stunning landscape of buttes and vistas stretched across Perkins, Corson, and Dewey Counties outranks the Rockies any day.

Recently, I read a much more obscure book of nonfiction essays by Manfred titled Prime Fathers (1988). Very unlike Lord Grizzly, it’s a spare, simple book of four essays focusing on fatherhood. To round out the page count, there are also three shorter essays and selections from an interview with Manfred.

Politial junkies might enjoy the lengthy essay on Manfred’s work as a young man on Hubert Humphrey’s unsuccessful first campaign for mayor of Minneapolis. Word-nerds will like the pair of essays on Sinclair ‘Red’ Lewis. But I treasure the essay about Manfred’s own father; a condensed biography.

Here is a snippet of a close call from his father’s boyhood:

[W]hile shingling the cupola on the locally famous Reynolds round barn, the cleat on which is foot rested gave way, and he began sliding. He fell off the cupola and hit the main roof. Despite desperate clawing and scratching, he kept on sliding. When he knew there was no way of stopping the slide, he figured out where the fresh cow manure pile lay below and, deliberately rolling himself over and over as he slid, managed to aim himself for it. He shot out over the edge of the roof, and miracle of miracles, landed in six feet of loose green slush.

Miraculously, he was unhurt. But Manfred starts his father’s biography earlier, with the genealogy of the man’s parents who left Tzum (in the Netherlands) when his father was a baby. At Ellis Island, Manfred’s father’s (and father’s father’s) first names were changed from Frjentsjer to Frank.

Manfred’s paternal grandmother and grandfather initially settled in Orange City, Iowa (a Dutch town if ever there was) and then moved around a lot, even residing briefly in South Dakota’s Badlands, before settling permanently in Doon.

Frank Jr. grew up there at a time (the 1890s) when the primary mode of transportation was either horse or horse and buggy. One could still find wild, untilled prairies, especially in the rougher terrain and along the rivers. Some houses were still built of sod. Manfred’s father once rode a horse for ten miles without encountering a fence.

The numerous stories of Frank Jr. are told with his son’s accessible yet polished prose. They tell of a father’s boyhood and adulthood, ending with his death. (The title of the essay is a quote from Frank Jr. near the end: “Ninety is Enough”). It’s funny, sad, and moving. If you happen across a copy, I’d give it a read.

Thomas E. Simmons
University of South Dakota Knudson School of Law
Vermillion, SD

Results
By: Gov. Larry Rhoden
September 5, 2025

Growing up on the ranch, you learn that results matter. No matter how much you wish it might rain or wish it wouldn’t hail, the only thing that matters is whether it did – the actual result. And it doesn’t matter whether you planned to do a task – what matters is whether you got it accomplished – the actual result.

Results matter. And I’m pretty proud of some of our recent results to keep South Dakota safe.

We recently wrapped up the first saturation patrol in the Sioux Falls area as part of Operation: Prairie Thunder. I shared the results with some members of the media, but I’d like to share them with all of you, as well.

Some questioned whether the saturation patrol would be effective, and the results speak for themselves. Our Highway Patrol troopers worked with local law enforcement to target drug hotspots around Sioux Falls over a three-day operation. Here are the results:

• 174 drug charges, including 44 felony charges;
• 44 arrests for outstanding warrants, including 24 felony warrants – that means we got 24 felons off the streets;
• 336 traffic citations, plus 256 warnings and 6 DUIs;
• Eight illegal aliens handed over to ICE (these were incidental contacts – we weren’t seeking out illegal aliens);
• Three members of gangs and cartel affiliates arrested; and
• Four absconders (whether for parole or probation) arrested.

Nice work to the fifteen Highway Patrol troopers who surged to Sioux Falls for the operation and achieved those incredible results!

I also want to take the opportunity to say “thank you” to a woman who focused on results throughout her entire time as a leader of one of our state agencies. Secretary of Corrections Kellie Wasko recently announced that she’ll be stepping down from her role in October. Over her three-and-a-half years in the job, she accomplished some pretty great things for the state.

I’d like to share just a few of the many results she achieved during her tenure:

• Raised pay for correctional officers by 43% and reduced officer vacancies from 36% down to 3%;
• Upgraded equipment, both for our correctional officers and for security at our prison facilities;
• Improved policies and trainings to promote staff security;
• Improved inmate health programs, including curing over 300 offenders with Hepatitis C;
• Reduced escapes from our prisons from 41 to just 1 in just three years;
• Started construction of a new women’s prison in Rapid City, which is ahead of schedule.

I’m sure I’m leaving some out, but you get the point – her positive results were many and widely varied. Thank you, Kellie. I look forward to seeing the results that you accomplish in your next role!

I’m going to continue focusing on delivering results to keep South Dakota strong, safe, and free. If there are any particular results you would like to see, please do not hesitate to let me know!

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Guest Column: “Attending West Point was the Greatest Adventure of My Life”
By Landon, Rep. Dusty Johnson’s Military and Veteran Services Representative
September 5, 2025

I was in fifth grade when the 9/11 terrorist attacks happened. From then on, I knew I wanted to serve my country, and I joined as soon as I could. In fact, the month I turned 17 is when I joined the Army National Guard with my parents’ permission.

I became an infantryman in the Iowa National Guard, and in 2011, saw combat in Afghanistan. As the end of my deployment drew near, I began to think about what would come next. I had already spent a year at South Dakota State University, and I wondered if I would go back there. But I felt it would be hard for me to go back to a “normal” school environment after my experiences in Afghanistan. I wanted more purpose and direction in my life.

Landon in uniform

I decided I wanted to serve my country full-time and was willing to accept the challenge and burden of leadership as an officer. I wanted to be around other driven, military-focused people like me, like those at a United States Service Academy. I decided to apply to the United States Military Academy, commonly known as West Point.

After I applied, my commander nominated me, which is an option given to only about 100 enlisted service members for each academy. I also pursued additional nominations from my Congresswoman and Senators. Before I could complete the application process for these nominations, I was accepted by West Point for the Class of 2016.

Attending West Point was the greatest adventure of my life. I was pushed to my limits and grew in many ways. I met other determined and driven people like me and gained confidence as I accomplished things I didn’t know I could do.

After West Point, the challenges only increased. I became an Infantry Officer and successfully completed Ranger School. I led and trained a platoon of 46 soldiers and deployed with them to Afghanistan. Later, I became a Company Executive Officer, and finally a Ranger Instructor at the school I went to at the start of my officer career. Now, I am the Military and Veteran Services Representative for Congressman Dusty Johnson.

My experiences at the Academy and in the Army shaped who I am today. It is a path that is not for the weak or fainthearted, but I wouldn’t trade it for anything.

Congressman Dusty Johnson’s office is accepting Service Academy nominations for the Class of 2030 at the Air Force Academy, Naval Academy, Merchant Marine Academy, and Military Academy at West Point. For anyone who thinks they’re up to the challenge, I encourage you to apply to attend a Service Academy.

Information and nomination applications can be found at https://dustyjohnson.house.gov/services/service-academy-nominations or you can call our office at 605-275-2868.

Landon and Johnson at the U.S. Capitol

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Tax Relief for Hardworking Americans
By Sen. John Thune

Next year, working families in every county in South Dakota will see tax relief thanks to the One Big, Beautiful Bill. And because Republicans worked to make the tax cuts enacted in 2017 permanent, hardworking South Dakota families can be sure that they won’t face a massive tax hike down the road, which means they can spend, invest, and save more of their hard-earned money with more certainty about the future.

In 2017, we lowered tax rates for every income level, doubled the child tax credit, and nearly doubled the standard deduction, among other reforms. This year, Republicans made those reforms permanent. Lower tax rates mean big savings for working families. The higher standard deduction both simplifies the process and lowers your tax burden. Plus, we enacted a new $6,000 bonus deduction for seniors, giving roughly 200,000 South Dakota seniors more breathing room next tax season.

This bill also eliminated taxes on tips and overtime pay. That will bring significant tax savings for millions of workers who earn tips. And folks like first responders, police officers, nurses, and other workers picking up extra shifts and earning overtime pay will now be able to keep more of their hard-earned money too.

South Dakota small business owners, farmers, and ranchers will also see tax relief because of this bill. They will benefit from lower tax rates and the 199A small business deduction, as well as from investment incentives that make it easier to invest in new equipment and free up cash to invest in their employees and operations. And this bill raises the death tax exemption threshold, which means a lot more family-owned businesses, farms, and ranches won’t have to worry about a big tax bill wiping out what they’ve spent their lives building when they pass their business down to the next generation.

We also included a number of provisions to the tax code that benefit South Dakota families. We further raised the child tax credit and created new investment accounts for children that come with an initial $1,000 from the government. The money that families invest in these accounts can be used down the road for children’s education, to buy their first home, or start a business – to get a running start on their American Dream.

Thanks to this bill, America’s tax code is now permanently oriented toward supporting working families, building up our nation’s economy, and creating jobs here at home. I’m proud that Republicans have delivered permanent tax relief, and I’m eager to see the results begin to play out in South Dakota and across America.

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The grandson of Governor George Mickelson was in the audience last night at the Davison County Lincoln Day dinner.

Unfortunately, he had a seat where he had to watch the Republican Party Chairman – Obama supporter and former 32-year Democrat – Jim Eschenbaum attack his grandfather’s dream.  A dream of jobs and prosperity for his state which has served it well in the 40 years since. But the Chairman of the party doesn’t like it, because he looks in the mirror and thinks he somehow knows better.

I don’t have film, but as it was related to me by two people I spoke with today, apparently Eschenbaum got in front of the crowd and declared that half of the legislature has an ED issue. And said it was ED as in Economic Development.  And as no one laughed, he continued attacking economic development.

He went after data centers, despite it being part of President Donald Trump’s plan for the US to be a leader in AI.  And ultimately, despite the Republican platform having an entire section on Economic Development and Jobs that explicitly states..

2.1. Economic Growth – We support the creation of new jobs, economic development, and job training which will encourage our youth and adults to stay in the great State of South Dakota.

… in front of the crowd at Mitchell, I’m told Eschenbaum declared that we need to remove economic development from the Republican Platform.  In fact, I’m told he referred to it as “crony capitalism.”

The former Democrat chairman of the SDGOP has unilaterally decided that he doesn’t want to follow the Republican platform, considers it crony capitalism, and wants to change things for his own ends?

Has he checked his job description?  It’s like Catholics saying the Borgia family should be back in charge of the church.

Anyone who runs a business in South Dakota really needs to take stock. Because this guy just doesn’t get it, and wallows in short-sightedness.

Oh. I’m also told that while he was on the stage, he mentioned that he thinks we’re moving towards a one-world global government.  Which leads me to believe that he’s wallowing in something else.

(And it should be a good reminder not to donate to these goofballs. )

Governor Rhoden Celebrates Record-Breaking Build Dakota Awards
Strengthens South Dakota’s Future Workforce

PIERRE, S.D. – Today, Governor Larry Rhoden celebrated the awarding of 630 new Build Dakota Scholarships for the 2025–2026 academic year, the highest number in the program’s history. These recipients make up Cohort 11, representing the 11th year of scholarship awards through the Build Dakota program. You can find the complete list of recipients here.

“Build Dakota is more than a scholarship program; it is a long-term investment in the future of South Dakota. These awards represent a strategic commitment to equip learners with the skills to thrive in high-demand industries while supporting the growth and competitiveness of our state’s economy,” said Governor Larry Rhoden. “We are building stronger communities by connecting students with meaningful career paths and aligning them with workforce needs.”

Established in 2015, the Build Dakota Scholarship Fund was created through an initial $50 million investment from both philanthropist T. Denny Sanford and the Daugaard Administration. Since its inception, the program has awarded more than 4,500 full-ride scholarships to students pursuing degrees in high-demand fields and establishing rewarding careers in healthcare, construction, law enforcement, advanced manufacturing, agriculture, and information technology. The program plays a vital role in addressing South Dakota’s workforce needs by equipping students with the technical skills essential to the state’s continued economic growth.

“This scholarship is a once in a lifetime opportunity for so many students,” said Deni Martin, Program Director of the Build Dakota Scholarship. “For more than a decade, we’ve worked alongside the four technical colleges – and with countless industry partners – to offer millions of dollars in scholarships. It’s neat to zoom out and think of the big picture effect we’re having on the workforce. But it’s also important to remember that for each and every person on this list, the Build Dakota Scholarship is a life-changing path to an impactful career.”

The 2025–2026 cohort reflects the strength of South Dakota’s public-private partnerships. This year, 92 percent of recipients are co-sponsored by businesses and organizations across the state. To date, industry partners have committed more than $21 million by partnering on scholarships, demonstrating a shared and growing investment in building a skilled and sustainable workforce.

According to recent data from the South Dakota Board of Technical Education, 98 to 100 percent of graduates from the state’s four technical colleges are employed or continuing their education, and nearly 90 percent of those employed are working in South Dakota. Build Dakota recipients further that impact by committing to live and work in the state for at least three years, strengthening local industries and communities.

Approximately 6 percent of the 630 scholarships awarded were granted to out-of-state students, many from neighboring Midwest states, who have committed to live and work in South Dakota following graduation. This approach not only strengthens the state’s talent pipeline but also expands our long-term economic reach by attracting new residents who are eager to grow their careers and contribute to South Dakota’s economy.

Businesses, students, and community leaders can learn more about the Build Dakota Scholarship program by visiting www.BuildDakotaScholarships.com. Details on eligibility, Cohort 12 (2026) programs, and how to become an industry partner are available online.

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Johnson Votes to Sanction Chinese Companies for Their Role in America’s Fentanyl Crisis

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Representative Dusty Johnson (R-S.D.) voted to pass the Stop Chinese Fentanyl Act to hold China accountable for its role in the fentanyl crisis. The bill passed with a vote of 407-4. Johnson is a member of the Fentanyl Policy Working Group within the Select Committee on China.

“China is the number one producer of fentanyl—the deadliest drug—and its precursor chemicals, yet the Chinese government continues to allow the flow of fentanyl out of their country,” said Johnson. “We must do more to protect our kids and adults and make our communities safe. I’m grateful the Stop Chinese Fentanyl Act passed with overwhelming bipartisan support to penalize the Chinese entities and officials who are fueling the fentanyl crisis in America.”

Background:

• Companies in China produce nearly all fentanyl precursor ingredients.
• Fentanyl is the leading cause of death for Americans aged 18-45.
• According to the Drug Enforcement Agency, 42% of pills tested for fentanyl contained at least 2 mg of fentanyl, considered a potentially lethal dose. Drug trafficking organizations typically distribute fentanyl by the kilogram, which has the potential to kill 500,000 people.

Click here for the Select Committee on China’s report on the Chinese Communist Party’s role in the fentanyl crisis.

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From Facebook, State Senator Kevin Jensen – as he wants to keep kicking the prison can down the road – claims he wasn’t seeking the Secretary of Corrections resignation…

“I was not asking for the Secretary’s resignation, I was pushing for a rational discussion on the actual needs of DOC.“

Well, except for when he was seeking Wasko’s resignation..

“I just sent the following to a group of legislators I trust. Collective letter from prison staff calling for resignation of sec Wasko. Policy changes undermined security and safety. Please vote no on all prison expansion until there is resolution.“

Yeah…