China’s Communist government hates America. That may seem overly harsh or simple – but it’s a fact. They want to be the strongest nation on earth, and they see America standing in their way. Unfortunately, we have a President in Washington who is not taking this threat seriously. If he won’t protect the American people from this very real and growing threat, then states need to step up and do what we can.

President Joe Biden is not standing up to the Chinese Communist Party. He isn’t stopping them from using TikTok to gather data on our citizens. He has not stopped them from purchasing agricultural land and buying up our food supply. He has not taken steps to stop taxpayer dollars from being sent to China.

South Dakota is taking the lead in each of these areas.

Two weeks ago, I banned TikTok for state government employees. Since then, state after state has followed our lead. The United States Senate has also followed our lead an unanimously voted to ban TikTok on U.S. government devices. I encourage the House and President Biden to follow through on this key action.

Our South Dakota Investment Council has also conducted a review of all state investments to see where our state’s finances may be tied to Communist China. They have already pulled state investments out of a few Chinese companies, and we all agree that Communist China should not benefit from South Dakota dollars.

Most recently, I announced my plan to block purchases of agricultural land by nations that hate us, and I will work with legislators to make that happen. We will create a new board, called the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States – South Dakota, which will make recommendations to me regarding foreign interests trying to purchase ag land in South Dakota. If they are tied to China or another nation that hates us, I will reject the purchase.

A recent report showed that 47 million acres of ag land – or nearly 2% of all ag land in the country – is held by foreign investors. In states like Florida and Texas, it’s more than 2.4%. South Dakota has a much smaller share, and I’m proud of that, but there is room for our laws to improve. We will take action to make it happen.

South Dakota will continue to lead by example. We will stand up to protect our people from the emerging threat of Communist China. And I hope that other states across the nation continue to follow our lead.

This column was initially printed as an op-ed on FoxNews.com.

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The banner at the South Dakota Secretary of State’s website says they’re closed due to weather. But the word is that the Christmas-time blizzard didn’t stop the Grinch from visiting, as I’m being told at least FIVE members of staff received coal in their stockings as they were told their services are no longer needed.

I’m told that in addition to former Deputy Jason Lutz who resigned on December 8 when Steve Barnett left, today Elections head Kea Warne and Business Services head Kyle Holt were told they are done, along with three other staff members, one of whom was with Elections, along with Director Warne, leaving little staff to respond to elections questions.

I had heard word earlier that part of the arrangement for Monae taking office early was that there were to be no changes until after the first of the year.

But with today’s snow day massacre, I guess that didn’t happen.

NEW: Rep. Dusty Johnson (R-S.D.) named the new chair of Republican Main Street Partnership. Rep. Stephanie Bice is the new vice chair

— Olivia Beavers (@Olivia_Beavers) December 15, 2022

Dusty Johnson has been named the new chair of a coalition of Republican elected officials. According to the group’s website, “The Republican Main Street Partnership encompasses a broad alliance of conservative, governing Republicans, including more than 70 sitting members in Congress. We are dedicated to working to enact commonsense legislation that gets things done for the American people. Our members run and win in the most highly contested swing districts in the country.”

Rounds’ RESPECT Act Passes House; Heading to President’s Desk

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Mike Rounds’ (R-S.D.) legislation to repeal discriminatory federal laws targeting Native Americans passed the House of Representatives today. It now heads to the president’s desk for signature.

The Repealing Existing Substandard Provisions Encouraging Conciliation with Tribes (RESPECT) Act would repeal 11 outdated federal laws, including laws that stripped Native American children from their families for the purpose of placing them in “Indian reform schools,” such as the now-infamous Carlisle Indian Industrial School.

A full list of laws the RESPECT Act will repeal is available HERE.

“While we cannot rewrite the past, we need to acknowledge it and continue to strive for a more perfect Union,” said Rounds. “It’s long overdue to remove these immoral, discriminatory federal laws from our books. Throughout history, Native Americans have been subjected to unfair treatment from our federal government, including the forced removal of their children from their homes. Clearly, there is no place in our legal code for such measures, and it is appalling these laws are still in our federal code. I am pleased this bipartisan, commonsense legislation is heading to the president’s desk to be signed into law.”

Senators Tina Smith (D-Minn.), James Lankford (R-Okla.), Kyrsten Sinema (I-Ariz.), Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.) and Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.) are cosponsors of this legislation.

Companion legislation was introduced in the House on May 12, 2021, by Representatives Tom O’Halleran (D-Ariz.), Dusty Johnson (R-S.D.) and Tom Cole (R-Okla.).

The RESPECT Act is supported by the Great Plains Tribal Chairmen’s Association (GPTCA) and the National Congress of American Indians (NCAI).

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Johnson, O’Halleran, Rounds RESPECT Heads to President’s Desk

 Washington, D.C. – Today, the Repealing Existing Substandard Provisions Encouraging Conciliation with Tribes (RESPECT) Act passed the U.S. House by 349-80. This bill repeals discriminatory federal laws targeting Native Americans and was led by U.S. Representatives Dusty Johnson (R-S.D.), Tom O’Halleran (D-AZ), and Tom Cole (R-OK) in the U.S. House and sponsored by Senator Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) in the U.S. Senate.

“Repealing these laws is a step in the right direction to right the wrongs against Native Americans,” said Johnson. “There is no reason these archaic and discriminatory laws remain on the books. Senator Rounds’ leadership on this bill was key to getting it passed in the Senate, and I am proud to help usher the RESPECT Act across the finish line in the House.”

Background:

The RESPECT Act repeals eleven federal laws, found here, that discriminate against Native Americans. One of which is the “Indian Reform Schools” that forcibly removed Native American children from their family and placed them in boarding schools.

The RESPECT Act is supported by the Great Plains Tribal Chairmen’s Association (GPTCA) and the National Congress of American Indians (NCAI).

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Governor Noem Announces State Office Openings and Closures for Thursday

PIERRE, S.D. – Today, Gov. Kristi Noem ordered state government offices to be closed in Davison County and opened in several regions of the state on Thursday, December 15, 2022:

• In the southeastern part of the state, offices will open in Brookings, Lake, Miner, and Moody Counties;
• In the western part of the state, offices will open in Custer and Fall River Counties, as well as in the western portion of Pennington County (including Hill City, Keystone, and Rapid City).

“Although offices are open in these counties, state employees should be smart. If they live rurally and need to travel on roads that have ‘no travel advised’ by SD511, they should work with their supervisors to work remotely,” said Governor Kristi Noem.

Offices will remain open in Bon Homme, Clay, Hanson, Hutchinson, Lincoln, McCook, Minnehaha, Turner, Union, and Yankton Counties.

While executive branch offices in the rest of the state will be closed, employees will be working remotely.

Officials continue to closely monitor the storm which features heavy snow, freezing rain, and high winds. A decision on state government office availability for Friday will be made Thursday.

Citizens are encouraged to stay home Thursday if possible. If they must travel, they should checksd511.org or the SD511 mobile app.

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Governor Noem Closes State Offices Wednesday in All but 11 Counties

PIERRE, S.D. – Today, Gov. Kristi Noem ordered all state government executive branch offices statewide, except in 11 southeast counties, to be closed Wednesday, Dec. 14, because of the winter storm that continues to impact the majority of the state.

State offices will be open for normal business hours in Bon Homme, Clay, Davison, Hanson, Hutchinson, Lincoln, McCook, Minnehaha, Turner, Union and Yankton Counties. Officials say weather and travel conditions are not as severe in those counties as they are elsewhere.

While executive branch offices in the rest of the state will be closed, employees will be working remotely.

Officials continue to closely monitor the storm which features heavy snow, freezing rain, and high winds. A decision on state government office availability for Thursday will be made Wednesday.

Citizens are encouraged to stay home Wednesday if possible. If they must travel, they should check sd511.org or the SD511 mobile app.

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Rapid City Councilwoman Laura Armstrong has thrown her hat into the ring to run for mayor of that community, according to the Rapid City Journal.

If elected, she would be the first woman to serve as mayor in Rapid City’s 146-year history.

Or should I say, she’s “thrown her mask into the ring,” as it wasn’t so long ago she as making the news for a website she created to shame Rapid City Businesses who weren’t requiring masks during the early days of the COVID pandemic.

Rapid City Council President Laura Armstrong is under fire from business owners and residents after they hand delivered nearly 100 complaints to the City Attorney Joel Landeen.

It all stems from a Facebook page called “The Caring Businesses of Rapid City” that highlights businesses that enforce a mask mandate in their establishment, versus those that do not. The rolodex of businesses not requiring masks has been dubbed the “naughty list.”

The complainants accuse Armstrong of creating or supporting the page and are asking she be removed from the Council.

Read that story here.  And more on the story here.

I have this feeling this campaign isn’t going to go very far.

If she had left it at praising those who required it, I don’t think it would have been a big deal. But when as an elected official you go out of your way to shame businesses that don’t agree with you politically, that’s behavior that people are not going to forget very quickly.

Gov. Noem Announces Plan to Restrict Foreign Purchases of Ag Land

 PIERRE, S.D. – Today, Governor Kristi Noem and legislators announced proposed legislation to restrict foreign purchases of agricultural land in South Dakota. The plan creates a new board, the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States – South Dakota (CFIUS-SD), which will investigate proposed purchases of ag land by foreign interests and recommend either approval or denial to the Governor.

“With this new process, we will be able to prevent nations who hate us – like Communist China – from buying up our state’s agriculture land,” said Governor Kristi Noem. “We cannot allow the Chinese Communist Party to continue to buy up our nation’s food supply, so South Dakota will lead the charge on this vital national security issue.”

The prime sponsors of the legislation will be Senator Erin Tobin (R-Winner) and Representative-elect Gary Cammack (R-Union Center).

“For those of us who have lived and worked on the land, we know that it’s our past, but also our future,” said Senator Erin Tobin. “We grow the world’s food, and we need to protect the security of that food supply for our kids.”

The CFIUS-SD board would be made up of three ex officio members: the Governor’s General Counsel (who would serve as board chair), the Secretary of the Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources, and the Director of the South Dakota Office of Homeland Security (part of the South Dakota Department of Public Safety). The board would also include two governor’s appointees: an agricultural industry expert who owns at least 160 acres of agricultural land in SD, and a national and/or state security or foreign policy expert.

“With vital national security resources like Ellsworth Air Force Base, we cannot afford for our enemies to purchase land in South Dakota,” said Representative-elect Gary Cammack. “We want to keep this land in the hands of South Dakota agriculture producers. I look forward to working with Governor Noem and my colleagues to guarantee the continued security of our state and nation.”

The jurisdiction of CFIUS-SD would cover transactions on or after July 1, 2023, including:

• Any transaction of any number of acres – including a land transfer, purchase, grant, devise, descent, or inheritance of agricultural land – involving a “foreign entity” (any foreign person, foreign government, foreign business, or any organization controlled by a foreign person, government, or business);
• Any lease of agricultural land to a foreign entity for a period of one year or longer; and,
• Any transaction previously considered by the federal CFIUS board.

Currently, South Dakota has a law on the books limiting aggregate foreign ownership of agricultural land to 160 acres.

Two weeks ago, Governor Noem signed an Executive Order banning TikTok for South Dakota state government. Since then, the number of states banning TikTok for state governments has risen to eight.

Last week, Governor Noem called on the South Dakota Investment Council (SDIC) to immediately review all state investments for potential ties to nations that hate America, like Communist China. The SDIC has already divested from multiple Chinese holdings as a result of that call.

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Governor Noem Closes State Government Offices Statewide

PIERRE, S.D. – Today, Gov. Kristi Noem ordered all state government executive branch offices statewide to be closed Tuesday, Dec. 13, because of the winter storm expected in South Dakota.

The National Weather Service forecast calls for freezing rain, heavy snow, and high winds to occur throughout South Dakota. Travel will be impacted in those areas.

Officials continue to closely monitor the storm. A decision on state government office availability for Wednesday will be made Tuesday.

Citizens should be prepared to stay home Tuesday if possible. If they must travel, they should check sd511.org or the SD511 mobile app.

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