From my mailbox, the SDGOP is holding campaign training in Box Elder on Friday July 21st

We are thrilled to announce an exciting opportunity for Republican party members, to enhance your skills and make a meaningful contribution to South Dakota politics! The SDGOP, in collaboration with the RNC’s State Party Strategist team, will be hosting a training covering grassroots engagement, political strategy, communications, and fundraising! This training is open to all Republicans! Please invite your friends and other organization members, this training is designed to give everyone the tools and knowledge to make a difference in our communities!

Date: Friday July 21, 2023

Time: 9:00 AM MT

Location: Courtyard Marriott Box Elder 580 Watiki Way Box Elder, SD 57719

RSVP: https://forms.gle/YNqWvwJbo3ZWUzs17

Regards,

Chairman John Wiik

The SDGOP is hosting a State GOP Dinner on Friday July 21 at the Monument in Rapid City. Tickets are $100 each, and $250 for a VIP ticket. (Word is that they have a special guest for the event…)

The SDGOP is excited to host the First Annual Monumental Leaders Dinner. This dinner will serve as a celebration of the remarkable accomplishments and tireless dedication demonstrated by all Republican leaders in our state.

• • • Date: Friday July 21, 2023

    • Time: 6:00 PM MT Reception 7:00 PM MT Dinner

    • Location: The Monument Rapid City 444 N. Mt. Rushmore Rd. Rapid City, SD

    • Tickets Link: https://secure.winred.com/sdgop/leaders-dinner

Click here to buy your tickets today!

Summer Jobs, Lifelong Values
by US Senator John Thune

In South Dakota, we take pride in a job well done. Our work ethic is often instilled in us from a young age – first at home and school, in sports, and eventually in our first jobs. A first job is an important rite of passage that teaches values like teamwork and diligence, as well as the freedom and responsibility that come with earning a paycheck. During the summer, it’s exciting to see so many young South Dakotans working across the state.

Summers in South Dakota offer plenty of opportunities to gain work experience while earning some money. Many of the small businesses, farms, and ranches that are the backbone of our state’s economy offer opportunities for young people to fill job openings, particularly during the summer months. And employers of all kinds need extra sets of hands during the busy travel season.

Growing up in Murdo, at the crossroads of Highway 83 and I-90, my four siblings and I all worked summer jobs related to the travel industry. My sister waited tables at a restaurant, two brothers worked at filling stations, another brother at the Pioneer Auto Show, and I got my start at the Star Family Restaurant, which still operates today. I spent seven summers there, starting out as a busboy, reporting for duty at 5:45 a.m. I later moved to the back of the restaurant to wash dishes before eventually becoming a cook. I value the experience I gained working at the Star Family Restaurant, and it was a great place to earn money for college and to learn lifelong skills.

As a U.S. senator, I’m able to offer young South Dakotans the opportunity to gain a different kind of valuable work experience to start their careers. My office offers paid internships for college students, and I can nominate qualified South Dakota high school juniors for the Senate Page Program. Paid internships are available throughout the year in Washington, D.C., Aberdeen, Rapid City, and Sioux Falls. Interns work closely with constituents, hone their writing, research, and communication skills, while learning firsthand about the federal government and the issues affecting South Dakota. The U.S. Senate Page Program allows high school juniors to see firsthand how the Senate operates while taking classes and assisting in the Senate’s day-to-day operations. Both the internship and page programs operate four sessions throughout the year and application information for both can be found on my website or by calling any of my offices.

First jobs are not often the most glamorous or easiest work, but they instill important values and a work ethic in first-time workers that will serve them throughout their life. I hope all the young South Dakotans working their first jobs this summer have a chance to reflect on some of what they’re learning from their experience and the future opportunities they might present, and I wish them all the best in their work.

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America: A Year-Round Celebration
By: Governor Kristi Noem
July 7, 2023

I am a firm believer that our upbringing makes us who we are. I often talk about how I grew up on our family farm with my parents giving me impossible things to do. By challenging me with seemingly unachievable tasks, my mom and dad taught me that I can do anything I set my mind to.

What I didn’t know as a kid was that my parents were instilling in me a traditional American work ethic. They were giving me the “pull yourself up by the bootstraps” mentality. Now, I’ve strived to teach my kids and my grandkids the same thing. This is the kind of work ethic that we will all need to ensure the preservation of this great American experiment in self-government and democracy.

In 1912, President Teddy Roosevelt said, “This country will not be a permanently good place for any of us to live in unless we make it a reasonably good place for all of us to live in.” If we are to have any hope of giving the next generation a great country, we need to remember the things that have made us great today and protect those opportunities for everyone, including future generations.

When we celebrate America, we are celebrating the Freedoms that so many have fought to protect over the last 247 years. I can think of no better symbol of America than Mount Rushmore. That’s why I am continuing to fight to bring Independence Day fireworks back to our national monument. The Biden administration has consistently denied us the ability to properly commemorate the birth of our nation, but we’re not giving up. My Department of Tourism and I have officially submitted our application for a special works permit for the 2024 Mount Rushmore Fireworks Celebration!

We are also preparing for future celebrations of Freedom. America’s 250^th birthday is less than three years away. I have created the America 250^th South Dakota Commission to prepare for this momentous occasion. This event deserves a year-long celebration of our history, our people, and our Freedom. I am looking forward to throwing the biggest birthday party South Dakota has ever seen.

But it will be more than just a party. The celebrations that we are preparing for will show our children what is truly means to be an American – and that lesson won’t end there. We are emphasizing our nation’s true and honest history at both the K-12 level and at the Board of Regents level. We should teach our kids how lucky they are to live in the United States of America. By raising a generation of patriots, we will ensure that this great nation will live on to see many more Independence Day celebrations.

The Fourth of July may have already passed this year, but we celebrate America all year long. We are a state of Freedom-loving folks, and I am confident that we will raise many more generations of proud Americans right here in the heartland.

In South Dakota, America gets a year-round celebration.

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Guest Column: Igniting a Passion for Policy
By Kiara Ehle, Ben Reifel Intern
July 7, 2023

At the start of my first day as the Ben Reifel intern for Congressman Dusty Johnson, I was convinced the biggest takeaway would be the experience. I did not imagine I would be swayed into the world of politics. The intern experience has been amazing, and I’m even more thankful Congressman Johnson has given me the opportunity to have policy exposure I would not have had otherwise. I am truly inspired, and I now have a passion for politics and tribal affairs.

The first day of my internship, I went to a hearing for the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee and as a civil engineering student, it was reassuring I was not completely lost while listening and taking notes. That began my understanding that maybe this field was something I could see myself a part of.

While interning in the Washington D.C. office, I have had the privilege of attending meetings with the American Council of Engineering Companies of South Dakota, Oglala Sioux Tribe President Frank Star Comes Out, Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe Chairman Ryman LeBeau, and many more tribal and non-tribal affiliated organizations. With each meeting I sat in on, I became more driven to want to take a more active role in politics aside from voting. 

During the last week of June, I was given the opportunity to accompany Congressman Dusty Johnson to tour Oyate Health Center and attend several events at the Pine Ridge Reservation for the Wounded Knee Massacre Memorial and Sacred Site Act. Every event inspired me as I saw how Congressman Johnson had taken an active role in strengthening his relationship with tribal members. Congressman Johnson was incredibly considerate and took the time to have conversations with individuals in attendance. The relationship Congressman Johnson and his staff have fostered is critical to paving a pathway of advocacy on behalf of his constituents.

The relationship Congressman Dusty Johnson has built is something I hope every Representative has with their tribal members and communities. The big and small actions like kneeling when talking to seated patients at Oyate Health Center or wearing a Pikachu pin gifted by a young child was very heartwarming to witness. Actions like those, and more, mean so much in terms of understanding and respecting cultural differences.  Congressman Johnson and his staff exude a degree of professionalism and respect that I, and others from all communities, appreciate. As a future civil engineer, I never would have imagined a life in politics, but this experience has brought forth new passions I am eager to pursue.

Zesto’s > Ben and Jerry’s pic.twitter.com/QeCPgCgA72

— Kristi Noem (@KristiNoem) July 6, 2023

Way the heck better…

Gov. Noem Establishes the America 250^th South Dakota Commission 

PIERRE, S.D. – Today, Governor Noem signed Executive Order 2023-11 to establish the America 250^th South Dakota Commission. The purpose of this commission is to prepare for the celebration of the 250^th anniversary of the United States of America in 2026.

“Our United States of America is the greatest nation to ever exist in the history of the world. In less than three years, we’re turning 250. This momentous occasion deserves a year-long celebration worthy of our great country,” said Governor Noem. “I am looking forward to working with the America 250^th South Dakota Commission to commemorate our history. Together, we will cherish our founding principles and celebrate our Freedoms.”

The America 250^th South Dakota Commission will plan, encourage, develop, coordinate, and promote observances and activities to be held in South Dakota in honor of the 250^th anniversary of our nation’s beginning.

Governor Noem may appoint as many members as she deems necessary to carry out the directives of the commission. This will include:

• Cabinet Secretaries, or their designee;
• Director of the State Historical Society, serving as chairperson;
• The State Librarian;
• Representative(s) form the Board of Regents;
• Representative(s) of the Historical Society Foundation;
• Members appointed by the governor representing the geographic and cultural diversity of the state;
• Representative(s) and senator(s) of the state legislature;
• Representative(s) of local history organizations; and,
• Any other interested representative(s) deemed necessary by the governor.

The America 250^th South Dakota Commission will complete its work and be dissolved and repealed on March 31, 2027, with a prior report to the governor that will be maintained in the State Archives for a potential tricentennial commission to use in preparation for its work in 2076.

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An Eye-Opening Trip to the Border
Majority Leader Sen. Casey Crabtree (R-Madison)
Majority Leader Rep. Will Mortenson (R-Pierre)
Representative Tony Venhuizen (R-Sioux Falls)

Anyone who has watched any cable news understands that the southern border is a hot topic. Talking heads blame and rage over America’s border policy (or lack thereof). Given the hot-button politics, we thought it was important to gather facts, whether they supported our position or not, and to get a first-hand look at the situation on our southern border.

Along with business and community leaders from across the state, we traveled to McAllen, Texas to tour the border. We heard from a landowner whose land abuts the Rio Grande River. He showed us the trails used by migrants leading to the river. He told us terrifying accounts of run-ins with the cartels and the daily traffic across his property.

We visited a section of the recently-constructed border wall. There was a 60-yard gap in it. When the Biden Administration began, they halted all construction, full stop. Now, there is an inexplicable and embarrassing patch where the wall simply does not exist. It is apparent leaving this gap had a lot more to do with politics than anything approaching effectiveness or common sense.

Next, we talked with a Border Patrol chief, who oversaw one of the 9 border sections until last year, when he retired after more than 25 years patrolling the border. He broke out the 30,000 Border Patrol encounters from last week, from got-aways (seen, not arrested), to deported (20%) to released into the community (40%). 109 pounds of fentanyl was seized last week from these folks, enough to kill every South Dakotan twenty-seven times. He detailed the dramatic increase – of more than fifty times – in encounters from fall 2020 to spring 2022 in his section. The border had been stabilized and is now anything but.

The most important thing he relayed to us is the importance of a secure border between ports of entry. The got-aways and undetected migrants are the drug runners and human traffickers. Ordinary folks seeking asylum will just use the port of entry, or cross and seek a Border Patrol agent to begin their asylum claim process. Leaving the border between ports of entry unsecured means the Border Patrol is distracted from its mission to protect us from ‘bad hombres’ and instead has to focus on immigrants, which is supposed to be the job of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency (ICE). In short – there is no humanitarian argument for an unsecure border. We need to finish the wall, and add monitoring infrastructure to get control of our border.

Our final stop was at Catholic Charities, who host a humanitarian respite center. Families traveling with children can stay there for 24-48 hours, to get their bus tickets, plane tickets, or other logistics in order to meet their American sponsor. At the center, we saw hundreds of children with their parents. Having young kids of our own, the experience was an emotional one.

We learned that these folks, who were finger-printed and logged before their release, could not apply for a work permit for four months and that the application takes two or three months to process. So, we are leaving these folks in America with a sponsor and no ability to legally make any money for at least six months. Our goal should be to get these folks working and self-sufficient as quickly as possible. If they aren’t self-sufficient, they’ll either break the law or be dependent on the cartels or the government. Those are all the worst outcomes. This is another area that is completely inexplicable and should be fixed.

Living and governing in South Dakota, we’re a long way from the border. But, we are short-sighted and naïve if we think the mass influx of immigrants across our southern border does not affect us. What happens in Texas today will affect South Dakota tomorrow. The added perspective has solidified our belief that the border needs to be secured immediately and that all processes should lead to work and self-sufficiency for anyone we let in. Our eyes are open to the challenges, and opportunities for solutions, at the border.

Corresponding from the national portrait gallery this afternoon.

Learned an interesting fact. Apparently both President Donald and Melania Trump are represented by photographs because artists cannot be secured to paint them.

Similarly, only found one picture of them during their residency while on my White House tour.

Doing a capital tour for my youngest, who has never been here before, and I just missed Belinda Carlisle from The Go-Go’s’s doing a practice song for tomorrow’s 4th of July concert.