Kristi for Governor Launches JamieandJoe.com

 PIERRE, SOUTH DAKOTA – Today, the Kristi for Governor campaign launched JamieandJoe.com, a website that shows how closely Representative Jamie Smith aligns with President Joe Biden and how out of touch he is with South Dakota values.

The website quotes Rep. Jamie Smith on his admiration for President Biden: “We desperately need a candidate who can bring strong, steady leadership to the White House – that’s Joe Biden…. Joe represents the best of America.” Only 39% of Americans approve of President Joe Biden, according to a compilation of approval polls.

The website also points out Jamie Smith’s “F” rating from the NRA, his record of raising taxes, his support for Biden’s open border policy, his agenda to indoctrinate our children, his bowing to the leftist mob, and his opposition to securing our elections.

Find out more at JamieandJoe.com.

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Thune Statement on the Death of al Qaeda Terrorist Ayman al-Zawahiri  

“This successful drone strike is a testament to the vigilance of the men and women who worked to identify and track this priority terrorist target and help deliver swift justice.”

WASHINGTON — U.S. Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) today released the following statement on the death of al Qaeda terrorist Ayman al-Zawahiri:

“Al-Zawahiri was one of the key plotters of the terrorist attacks on 9/11, and he succeeded Osama bin Laden as the leader of al Qaeda for the past 11 years. He shares responsibility for the deaths of thousands of American citizens and has been a top target for the United States for decades,” said Thune. “This successful drone strike is a testament to the vigilance of the men and women who worked to identify and track this priority terrorist target and help deliver swift justice. It should also be a reminder of the global reach of the U.S. Intelligence Community and our entire national security apparatus.

“This mission is proof positive that the United States maintains a credible over-the-horizon strike capability that should put all terrorists on alert,”continued Thune. “The fact that al-Zawahiri had comfortably made a home in Kabul, a city which was chaotically abandoned under this administration roughly one year ago despite all the dire warnings against doing so, also shatters any pretense that the Taliban would actually deny al Qaeda or other terrorists a safe haven in Afghanistan. This strike underscores the importance of our efforts to thwart resurgent terrorism around the world in order to keep Americans safe at home and abroad.”

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From my e-mail box comes the agenda for tomorrow’s Citizens for Liberty meeting. Which seems to prove that some people are so far to the right, they’re on the left.

I don’t know any Republican groups that are hosting Democrat Jamie Smith for Governor or the Libertarian for Congress.

And considering the source, that would remain the case.

(Does this mean they’ve failed their own conservative scorecard?)

We stayed busy again this week out in Washington – are you sensing a theme here? We’re now just one week away from our August in-state work period, which means we had a lot of work to get done last week and a lot ahead of us this week. On top of voting on legislation and attending committee hearings, I got to meet with nominees to executive positions and talk with multiple South Dakotans. Here’s my Weekly Round[s] Up:

South Dakota groups I visited with: South Dakota Trucking Association, South Dakota’s delegates to Boys & Girls Nation, and Tomorrow’s Ag Leaders with the South Dakota Agri-Business Association.

Other meetings this week: Two ambassadors from other countries to the United States: Taranjit Sandhu of India and Seleshi Bekele of Ethiopia; two nominees to executive positions whose nominations are being processed in the Armed Services and Foreign Relations committees; Tom Bossert, president of Trinity Cyber; and five British members of parliament who were visiting from all the way across the pond! Additionally, I hosted a great meeting with leaders in the cyber security community including National Cyber Director Chris Inglis, Executive Director of the Cyberspace Solarium Commission Mark Montgomery, Senator Angus King of Maine and Representative Mike Gallagher. We also had our Senate Prayer Breakfast (Senator Steve Daines from Montana was our speaker) and Senate Bible Study (Our verse of the week was 1 Corinthians 6:11), both of which happen weekly when the Senate is in session.

Met with South Dakotans from: Aberdeen, Brandon, Britton, Gettysburg, Harrisburg, Mitchell, Pierre, Rapid City, Rockham, Sioux Falls, Tabor, Wessington Springs, Wilmot and Wolsey.

Topics discussed: New GDP data indicating that we’ve entered a recession, cybersecurity, fertilizer costs, workforce issues supply chain issues, and high fuel prices.

Votes taken: 6 – One of these was on the Water Resources Development Act, which had a few of my amendments in it pertaining to the Missouri and Big Sioux Rivers that run through South Dakota.

Bills passed this week: My Greatest Generation Commemorative Coin Act unanimously passed both the Senate and the House this week. This bill would authorize the Department of the Treasury to mint commemorative coins, with proceeds going toward maintenance and repair at the National World War II Memorial in Washington, D.C. This bill now goes to the president’s desk.

Hearings: Senate Armed Services Committee – We had a hearing this week on nominations for positions within the Defense Department; Subcommittee on Africa and Global Health Policy – I served as ranking member for a hearing on the Biden administration’s budget requests for Africa.

Classified briefings: This week I had a classified briefing on America’s Indo-Pacific policy and operations as a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee

My staff in South Dakota visited: Canistota, Dell Rapids, Garretson, Madison, Montrose, Salem and Spearfish. 

Staff happenings: After a fun summer season playing against teams from different senate offices, our office softball team played Senator Thune’s team on Wednesday night. Team Rounds won 20-9 and brought home the traveling Tatanka trophy for another year! Better luck next year, Senator Thune!

Steps taken this week: 53,096 (or 24.60 miles)

Kristi for Governor Launches “Get the Word Out” Ad Buy

PIERRE, SOUTH DAKOTA – Today, the Kristi for Governor campaign launched a multi-week, six-figure ad buy called “Get the Word Out” as part of Governor Kristi Noem’s reelection efforts.

“Kristi, people need to know all the good news in South Dakota!” says Corinne Arnold, Governor Kristi Noem’s mom. She highlights Governor Noem’s “Open for Business” policies, South Dakota’s strongest economy in America, and the state’s record low unemployment rate.

“Together, we’ve made South Dakota stronger than ever, no matter how you say it,” said Governor Kristi Noem.

Under Governor Noem’s unwavering conservative leadership, South Dakota is thriving. Because of the Governor’s refusal to accept one-size-fits-all, big government overreach, South Dakota has the number one economy in the nation, leads the nation in personal income growth, ranks second for inbound moving, and our schoolchildren lead the nation in educational outcomes.

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I couldn’t be more proud of everything that Kristi has done for South Dakota. I am her mom… but I know I’m not the only one that texts my friends about all the great things happening here in South Dakota! pic.twitter.com/sVwKo6I5s5

— Corinne Arnold (@GovsMom) August 1, 2022

In a news article this morning, in addition for harsh words towards the Vice-President for her lack of activity on the border crisis, Governor Kristi Noem laid out that she has instructed non-profits and NGO’s that they had better not be bringing illegal aliens to South Dakota:

“When Arizona and Texas requested help, I sent my National Guard. In fact, I was the first governor to send National Guard. Most other governors were responding with law enforcement, but recognizing the unique situation we have down there, it literally is a war zone, so we had members volunteer to go as a unit to partner with the Texas Guard and work with Border Patrol, and they were there for a period of time.

“And now I’ll be sending down some of my National Guard, Lakota helicopters, to help us with surveillance, but for us in particular, you know, I telegraphed pretty widely to my NGOs and nonprofits that if they cooperated with facilitating people that were crossing the border illegally in our state, that they would have a difficult time with their state contracts and licenses if they worked to break our federal laws in partnership with what this administration is doing.”

Read the entire story here.

Media Advisory: Public Utilities Commissioner and candidate for re-election Chris Nelson will be the guest speaker at the Minnehaha County Republican monthly meeting on August 3, 11:30am, at the Pizza Ranch, 2717 W 41st St, Sioux Falls.  Chris will begin speaking at approximately noon on the topic “Understanding current PUC issues, jurisdiction, and the decision making process.”  Media are welcome to attend and Chris will take questions from the audience and media.

I keep starting and stopping this column, and have been for more than a couple of weeks now, as I’m not sure how to approach it. Because it’s an unusual circumstance I find myself in after a lot of years.  As I’ve written in the past, my youngest daughter is developmentally disabled and on the autism spectrum. And we’ve hit a couple of milestones for her which change things significantly for us as a family.

With her turning 18 later this year, we have been working on establishing guardianship, which has been a new experience. Not a bad one, mind you. It has been an education, and we’ve been fortunate to have some wonderful assistance in the process.

On another front, even more upending of the family dynamic, after many months on a waiting list, my daughter will be attending an away program. It’s largely the same, but different from the separation of sending a child off to college.  With college kids, I’ve been able to send them off, tell them not to do anything so stupid they get arrested, and then end up asking them why they don’t stay at school on the weekends, because I see them all the time. With my youngest daughter, there will be more distance, fewer visits, and a lot more worrying as the parent of a vulnerable soon-to-be adult.

After shifting gears and going from a decade of showing homes as a REALTOR, to 6 years of insurance claims from a desk, my time where I have to be available for her after school for her is at an end.  (Think of it as having to work remotely during COVID, except for 6 years instead of 18 months.)  It’s almost an alien concept to me at this point, to not have to pre-arrange absences from the house, even if just to make sure someone is on hand just to run to the store for milk.

It feels ..odd. Maybe it’s a little unsettling knowing I have more options if I chose to start another act in my life.  I’m no different than anyone else in that change is not always comforting. And maybe it’s also tainted with guilt, knowing that this is driven by my daughter’s absence in the household for what will be a long stretch of time while she works for the education and skills to live a fuller life.

It’s not like my college kids, who by their time to go to school, with their trail of laundry, dishes and high school attitude, I was quite sure they could go to school and leave the house. Anytime.

With my youngest daughter, there’s mainly trepidation. I can read everything I want about the people we’re trusting with her care, but that’s trust and not a guarantee. But that trust is placed with hope for giving a kid with some tough disabilities the skills to find a place in society.

If there is anything I have a greater appreciation for, it is the dedication of people who work and serve the disabled in South Dakota, especially those who work with those with developmental disabilities. We were fortunate enough to be served by South Dakota’s family support services and managed to have some outstanding companions for our daughter over the past several years.  Without the companionship program, our daughter’s world would have been much smaller.

Moving forward, as we hope for a larger world for her, my family has to trust and hope that we can bring that better life to fruition.

In June, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) encountered 207,416 individuals attempting to cross our southern border illegally – the highest June number ever recorded. April and May successively set records for the highest numbers for any month, ever. During the 2021 fiscal year, CBP encountered a record number of individuals attempting to cross our southern border illegally – 1,734,686, to be precise.

In just the first nine months of this fiscal year, we have already exceeded last year’s record number of apprehensions. The situation at our southern border remains out of control, although you’d never know it to hear the president and his administration. The flood of illegal immigration is so great that huge numbers of CBP officers have been pulled off the border to process migrants, further straining enforcement.

A May article from the Economist reported that, “Around 60% of CBP agents have been assigned to process migrants, taking them away from field work.” That, of course, leaves our borders wide open to illegal activity, including the drug trafficking that is flooding our country with fentanyl. It also means that even with all the apprehensions the Border Patrol has made, many more individuals are getting through unstopped. It is a security nightmare.

This ongoing humanitarian and national security crisis is the result of a president who hasn’t taken responsibility to protect our border and seriously enforce our immigration laws. On his very first day in office, President Biden rescinded the declaration of a national emergency at our southern border. He halted construction of the border wall and revoked a Trump administration order that called for the government to faithfully execute our immigration laws. Then, his Department of Homeland Security issued guidelines pausing deportations, except under certain conditions – again, all on his first day in office. President Biden effectively declared to the world that the United States’ borders were open.

The president has also sought to significantly limit the ability of Immigration and Customs Enforcement to enforce immigration laws. Deportations dropped precipitously during fiscal year 2021, as did arrests in the interior of the country. Illegal immigration – especially the kind of out-of-control illegal immigration we’re currently experiencing – has serious consequences. With CBP overstretched, it is easier for bad actors, including gang members, drug traffickers, and human smugglers, who prey on vulnerable migrants, to cross the border into our country. President Biden has talked about wanting to build a “fair, orderly, and humane” immigration system. There is nothing humane about our current situation.

Encouraging illegal immigration, as the president’s policies have done, has contributed to a humanitarian crisis that saw at least 557 migrants die attempting to cross the southern border during fiscal year 2021. Just last month, 53 migrants died in an un-air-conditioned tractor-trailer after being smuggled across the border. It was a sobering reminder of the human cost of policies that enable illegal immigration.

Open borders also put our communities at risk. Our country is currently in the midst of a fentanyl crisis, with fentanyl overdoses now the leading cause of death for U.S. adults between the ages of 18 and 45. Most of it is being trafficked across our southern border, facilitated by this ongoing security crisis. The president may think his border policies are progressive and compassionate, but they are dangerous.

The bottom line is that the Biden administration’s policies encourage individuals to undertake the often-dangerous journey from their home countries to our southern border. I will continue to hold the administration accountable for its policies that continue to fuel this dangerous and unsustainable crisis.

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The month of August usually reminds people of the first day of school. But for the House of Representatives, August kicks off the traditional District Work Period or “August Recess”. Historically, August Recess was implemented because there was no air conditioning in the Senate Chamber and members and staff couldn’t handle the swampy heat of Washington. Members don’t have the month “off,” but we get to spend the majority of August in our states and districts. A majority of House and Senate Members come home every weekend after voting in Washington, D.C. – me included – but an extended stay in our home state is great.

I’ll be spending my August talking to folks on the ground at town halls, touring businesses, meeting with constituents, and hosting roundtables for the upcoming Farm Bill. You can’t represent a district, or in my case a state, well if you don’t know what’s going on back home. August is a great time to do that.

I love my job representing the great state of South Dakota in Washington, but there’s no place like home.

I’m hosting a number of town halls across the state to hear from you and answer your questions. If you’re in Rapid City, Brookings, Mobridge, or Sioux Falls, keep your eyes and ears out for when I will be hosting a town hall in your area.

I will also be hosting Vietnam Veterans Pinning Ceremonies throughout the state to recognize, honor, and “welcome home” those who served in Vietnam. If you or someone you know would like to participate, contact my office and we would be happy to get you on the list.

There is a chance the House will get called back into session now that Senate Democrats have introduced a $739 billion reconciliation bill – if so, I’ll come back to Washington to oppose that legislation.

Make sure you are following along on social media and are signed up for my newsletter to get alerted when I will be in your area!

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