Rounds Issues Statement Following Senate’s Passage of Appropriations Package

Rounds secured $41.5 million in funding for projects in South Dakota

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Mike Rounds (R-S.D.), a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, issued a statement following the Senate’s passage of a package of three appropriations bills for Fiscal Year (FY) 2026. The legislation, which included Interior, Environment and Related Agencies (Interior), Energy and Water Development (EWD) and Commerce, Justice, Science and Related Agencies (CJS), passed the Senate on Thursday afternoon.

“I’m pleased that the Senate has passed our second appropriations package for FY2026,” said Rounds. “This appropriations package reduces the cost of running these agencies by $2 billion compared to what a continuing resolution with current funding levels would have been. Our ‘minibus’ appropriations package includes several wins for programs in South Dakota. I’m particularly glad to have secured funding for projects across the state, from rural water development to tribal construction projects to law enforcement security upgrades. It also funds programming at the Sanford Underground Research Facility, a world-class underground laboratory outside of Lead.

“We’ve now passed half of our required appropriations measures for FY2026. The work we do within the Senate Appropriations Committee is an example of what we can accomplish when we work together. The Senate continues to work our way through the regular order appropriations process, which we’ve returned to under the leadership of Majority Leader John Thune and Appropriations Committee Chair Susan Collins. I look forward to continuing to work with my colleagues to fund the rest of government ahead of January 30.”

Rounds has served on the Senate Committee on Appropriations since January 2025. He serves on six subcommittees, including Interior and EWD. Read a list of Rounds’ wins in the appropriations bills below:

Interior:

• Includes two of Rounds’ Congressionally Designated Spending (CDS) requests totaling $15.507 million:
  • $8.92 million for the Oglala Sioux Tribe Sanitation Facilities Construction Project
  • $6.587 million for the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe Sanitation Facilities Construction Project
• Includes robust funding requested by Rounds for several tribal programs:
  • $570 million for the Bureau of Indian Affairs Public Safety and Justice
  • $996 million for Indian Health Service’s Purchased and Referred Care Program
  • $87 million for Bureau of Indian Education’s Tribal Colleges and Universities
• Includes a provision to require a briefing on current timber harvest levels in the Black Hills National Forest
• Includes a provision to require a report on law enforcement staffing levels at Mount Rushmore National Memorial

EWD:

• Includes six of Rounds’ CDS requests, totaling $21 million:
  • $20.3 million for Water Investment in Northern South Dakota (WINS)
  • $50,000 for the United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE)’s BIA Route 6 at Cherry Creek project
  • $50,000 for USACE’s Big Sioux Ecosystem Restoration and Cultural Resources project
  • $50,000 for USACE’s Little Bend and Counselor Creek Restoration and Resiliency project
  • $50,000 for USACE’s West Bend and Vicinity Restoration and Resiliency project
  • $500,000 for USACE’s Lower Big Sioux Watershed Comprehensive Study
• Includes robust funding requested by Rounds through the Department of Energy for projects and infrastructure at the Sanford Underground Research Facility (SURF) outside of Lead:
  • $260 million for the Long-Baseline Neutrino Facility/Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment (LBNF/DUNE)
  • $114 million for the Proton Improvement Project-II
  • $44 million for SURF operations and infrastructure upgrades
• Includes $17.53 million for the Mni Wiconi water project

CJS:

• Includes three of Rounds’ CDS requests, totaling $4.938 million:
  • $3.92 million for upgrades to security equipment and technology at the existing jail and jail expansion for the Pennington County Sheriff’s Office
  • $675,000 for critical technology upgrades and training for an Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force Program within the South Dakota Attorney General’s Office.
  • $343,000 for a project to monitor and forecast South Dakota air quality impacts from wildland fires at South Dakota State University
• Includes $250 million for the Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR)

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Senate Committee Approves Three Bills sponsored by Attorney General Jackley

 PIERRE, S.D. – South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley thanks the State Senate Judiciary Committee for passing three of his legislative bills during a hearing Thursday (today) at the State Capitol.

“I appreciate the good discussion with committee members on the three bills, and I look forward to continued discussion as the bills move through the legislative process,” said Attorney General Jackley.

Committee members approved:

• SB 41: Revise a provision related to criminal invasions of privacy, prohibit the creation and distribution of digitally fabricated material of an identifiable individual, and provide penalties therefor.
• SB 42: Enhance the penalties for ingestion, possession, possession with intent to deliver, and delivery of a controlled substance in a state correctional facility.
• SB 43: Address search and seizure provisions applicable to digital currency.

The bills now move to the full Senate floor for further consideration.

Three other Attorney General-sponsored bills will be heard by the State Senate Judiciary Committee on Tuesday.

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From Facebook:

Friday Court Hearing on Attorney General Jackley’s Injunction On Abortion Deceptive Advertising Postponed Over State’s Objection

PIERRE, S.D. – Friday’s scheduled court hearing on South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley’s motion to stop Mayday Health from deceptively advertising the sale of abortion pills and abortion services in South Dakota has been postponed at the request of Mayday Health.

The State objected to the postponement, arguing that the deceptive advertisements remain harmful to women and need to be immediately taken down.

The date and time of the rescheduled hearing has not yet been set.  The hearing will be held at the Hughes County Courthouse in Pierre.

For more information, contact Tony Mangan at 605-773-6878.

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Gov. Rhoden Casts Vision and Establishes Guardrails for Future Fund

PIERRE, S.D. – Today, Governor Larry Rhoden signed Executive Order 2026-03, which establishes guardrails and casts a vision on how he intends to use the Future Fund during his administration.

“Let me be clear: I support economic growth. That growth should be bold enough to seize opportunity and wise enough to prepare for the future responsibly,” said Governor Larry Rhoden. “This Executive Order is the responsible way to prepare for the future. Much of it is a direct reflection of how we do business today, and it’s a promise for how my administration will administer Future Funds going forward. This is a great step to keep South Dakota Open for Opportunity.”

The Employer’s Investment in South Dakota’s Future Fund, commonly called “the Future Fund,” was established by the Legislature in 1987.Over 1,600 projects have been supported by the Future Fund since then, including the Build Dakota Scholarship, the Sanford Underground Research Facility, support for the Ellsworth Air Force Base, hundreds of South Dakota’s most successful businesses, and, more recently, new business parks in Aberdeen and Watertown and Dakota BioWorx in Brookings.

Governor Rhoden is committed to the accountable administration of the Future Fund which include some of the following guard rails:

• Each Future Fund grant will be awarded on a reimbursement basis, requiring receipt of itemized invoice of expenditures and reasonable proof of payment prior to any disbursement of funds;
• The Governor’s Office of Economic Development (GOED) should require a matching commitment or in-kind consideration for the benefitted entity when feasible;
• Each agreement shall require a grant recipient to have a conflict of interest policy in place;
• Each grant must have a written, signed agreement prior to disbursement of funds;
• GOED shall ensure that all executed Future Fund agreements are posted on OpenSD in compliance with SDCL 1-27; and
• GOED shall provide a report to either the Joint Committee on Appropriations or the Interim Committee on Appropriations on a biannual basis about each Future Fund award.

“These guardrails ensure we continue investing in the right projects, at the right place, and at the right time,” said GOED Commissioner Bill Even. “Thanks to Governor Rhoden’s leadership, South Dakotans can have confidence that the Future Fund is being used both responsibly and transparently to promote the future growth of South Dakota.”

You can find more information about the Future Fund here.

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Thune: Regular Order, Bipartisan Results on Appropriations

“[M]y hope is that we’ll be able to build on the progress we’ve made this past year to get the appropriations process back to what it should be – an open process that every senator can participate in.”

WASHINGTON — U.S. Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) today delivered the following remarks on the Senate floor: 

Click here to watch the video.

From Fox News, former SDGOP Executive Director Madison Sheahan has resigned from her current position as ICE Deputy Director to run for Congress in Ohio:

Madison Sheahan, the deputy director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), is resigning from her role to run for Congress in Ohio, multiple federal law enforcement sources told Fox News.

The announcement was made internally this morning, the sources added. Sheahan is running for Ohio’s 9th Congressional District, currently represented by Democrat Rep. Marcy Kaptur, who assumed office in 1983 and is the longest serving woman in Congress. Kaptur was re-elected in November 2024, despite many of the counties in the district voting in favor of President Donald Trump that year.

“No Excuses. Let’s Get It Done,” read a message on Sheahan’s campaign website. “Former ICE Deputy Director Madison Sheahan is fighting to protect American jobs, American paychecks, and American values in Ohio’s 9th Congressional District.”

Read the entire story here.

Our state legislature is taking up all the important issues.  Such as how they want people to use cash because it can’t be tracked by the gubmint. And how businesses should offer a discount if someone rolls up with a suitcase of cash to buy a car:

House Concurrent Resolution 6004

Title:          encouraging the use of physical cash in transactions.
Sponsors:            Representatives Sjaarda (prime), Baxter, Greenfield, Jensen (Phil), and Jordan and Senator Perry

A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION encouraging the use of physical cash in transactions.

WHEREAS, payment with physical cash prevents tracking and controlling purchases; and

WHEREAS, payment with physical cash saves businesses money on transaction fees; and

WHEREAS, payment with physical cash ensures more money stays in this state; and

WHEREAS, payment with physical cash ensures the unbanked can participate in the South Dakota economy; and

WHEREAS, the use of physical cash in transactions makes this state more resilient in case of a natural disaster or emergency situation;

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, by the House of Representatives of the One Hundred First Legislature of the State of South Dakota, the Senate concurring therein, that the citizens of this state are strongly encouraged to pay with physical cash whenever and wherever possible; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the citizens of this state are strongly encouraged to support businesses that offer a discount for using physical cash; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that businesses in this state are strongly encouraged to offer a discount for using physical cash in transactions.

Follow this legislation here.

Is the legislature really that worried about gubmint tracking and controlling purchases, and securing rights for the “unbanked?”  And really, if we’re worried about the state being “more resilient in case of a natural disaster or emergency situation,” then why aren’t they advocating for the use of gold doubloons?  Would “cash only” be a policy that Baxter would initiate if she won Secretary of State?

Where’s Logan Manhart on this? Because this opposition to electronic transactions is kind of the opposite of all the pushing he’s done on bitcoin. Or does he have to ask Toby Doeden what to say about it?

*sigh*.  This is just day three, isn’t it?

From the Freedumb Caucus’ recent press release, the group had a statement where they went after Governor Rhoden in the state of the state address and lamented that the state is “too dependent on federal money.”

Aaron Aylward (R-), former Chair of the Freedom Caucus, argued that “’federal dollars’ do not come from some magic pot of money from elsewhere – these are our income taxes, as well as the printed money that causes inflation and are a large part of the reason that everyone demands ‘cost of living’ increases.” Also, the caucus pointed out that federal dollars are not free dollars and that leaning into Washington’s purse strings inevitably compromises South Dakota’s sovereignty.

“Federal dependency is a drug that masks the underlying rot of a growing state bureaucracy,” said Representative Tina Mulally (R-Rapid City), Treasurer of the South Dakota Freedom Caucus. 

Read that here.

If the Free-dumb caucusers believe this, they should have a word with their vice chairman, Senator John “California” Carley, about his business returning all the free COVID cash his business received.

Carley’s entrepreneurial journey began in 1995 when he founded Trinet Internet Solutions Inc. As the company’s president, he has led the way in providing innovative digital marketing solutions to businesses, especially Christian ministries. 

(Read that here.)

I mean, Tina Mulally did just write in their release that “Federal dependency is a drug that masks the underlying rot.” 

So, maybe the freedom caucusers should lead by example, and start with their vice-chair Carley giving all that cash back?

Rounds, Cassidy and Colleagues Blast Tim Walz for Rampant Childcare Fraud, Demand Accountability for American Taxpayers

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Mike Rounds (R-S.D.), Bill Cassidy (R-La.) and the entire Senate Republican Conference are demanding accountability from outgoing Minnesota Governor Tim Walz amid widespread reports of fraud and abuse of federal child care funding in Minnesota.

“The state’s apparent negligent management of federal funds raises significant concerns about the adequacy of the state’s oversight, verification, and compliance systems for safeguarding taxpayer dollars intended to support vulnerable children and working families,” wrote the Senators. “Unfortunately, these latest reports appear to reflect only the tip of the iceberg.”

“The Constitution grants Congress the power of the purse, and the United States Senate is exercising its duty to ensure proper stewardship of federal taxpayer dollars for child care programs, and we take this responsibility very seriously,” continued the Senators.

This effort is in conjunction with the Trump administration, which has paused child care funding to Minnesota and other states pending verification and audits of how funds were used. There is also a current federal investigation into large-scale fraud in Minnesota’s social services programs.

Rounds and Cassidy are joined by Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) and U.S. Senators John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), Mike Crapo (R-Idaho), Susan Collins (R-Maine), Jim Banks (R-Ind.), John Kennedy (R-La.), Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Rand Paul (R-Ky.), Ashley Moody (R-Fla.), Tim Scott (R-S.C.), Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.), Roger Marshall (R-Kan.), James Lankford (R-Okla.), Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), Pete Ricketts (R-Neb.), Ted Budd (R-N.C.), Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.), Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.), Deb Fischer (R-Neb.), Mike Lee (R-Utah), Jim Risch (R-Idaho), Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), Eric Schmitt (R-Mo.), Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.), Bernie Moreno (R-Ohio), Katie Britt (R-Ala.), Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), Rick Scott (R-Fla.), John Cornyn (R-Texas), Tim Sheehy (R-Mont.), Jon Husted (R-Ohio), Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), John Hoeven (R-N.D.), Bill Hagerty (R-Tenn.), Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.), Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska), Josh Hawley (R-Mo.), Jim Justice (R-W.Va.), Steve Daines (R-Mont.), Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), Jerry Moran (R-Kan.), Todd Young (R-Ind.), John Curtis (R-Utah), Dave McCormick (R-Pa.), Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), John Boozman (R-Ark.) and Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa).

Read the full letter HERE or below.

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Dear Governor Walz:

We write to express serious concern regarding recent reports and federal investigations alleging widespread fraud and misuse of federal funds within Minnesota’s state-administered child care assistance programs. The state’s apparent negligent management of federal funds raises significant concerns about the adequacy of the state’s oversight, verification, and compliance systems for safeguarding taxpayer dollars intended to support vulnerable children and working families. Unfortunately, these latest reports appear to reflect only the tip of the iceberg.

Federal prosecutors have been conducting a broader investigation of large-scale fraud in Minnesota’s social services programs. Some authorities estimate that billions in federal funds across various programs, including child care, nutrition, Medicaid, and housing assistance, may have been misappropriated since 2018. One example includes the “Feeding Our Future” scheme, where more than 50 individuals were convicted for diverting hundreds of millions of dollars in pandemic relief funds intended for school meals.

Under the leadership of President Trump, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has acted promptly to freeze child care payments to Minnesota pending verification and audits of how funds were used. The Constitution grants Congress the power of the purse, and the United States Senate is exercising its duty to ensure proper stewardship of federal taxpayer dollars for child care programs, and we take this responsibility very seriously. To that end, we are writing to request detailed responses to the following questions, on a question-by-question basis, no later than Thursday, January 22, 2026:

1. Please describe the state’s ongoing efforts to comply with federal directives to conduct a comprehensive audit of child care centers identified as high-risk.
   1. What is the state’s estimated timeframe to achieve full compliance?

2. Please detail any additional verification requirements Minnesota has adopted or plans to implement in the near term to support proof of legitimate use of federal child care payments. In your response, please specify whether these verification requirements apply to each federal funding stream used to support Minnesota’s child care programs, including the Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG), COVID-19 pandemic relief funds, and any other sources of federal taxpayer dollars. Please also indicate whether any of the providers identified as high-risk receive Head Start or Early Head Start funding.

3. How often does the state conduct on-site monitoring, inspections, or investigative visits of licensed, registered, and state exempt child care providers that receive child care subsidies?

4. How many investigations has the state conducted since January 1, 2018, and what evidence of fraud has been uncovered?

4. 1. Please detail specific examples of fraudulent billing, including but not limited to billing for children who did not exist or were not present; falsifying attendance records and/or names; enrolling ineligible children to increase reimbursement; overbilling for services not provided; and using fake business structures to draw down additional public funds.

5. Please describe the prior compliance and enforcement efforts the state has undertaken to address concerns about accountability raised in previous federal audits documenting oversight shortcomings in Minnesota’s child care assistance program.

6. Please list all regulatory and oversight actions (as well as technology and systems improvements for fraud prevention) that the state has undertaken since January 1, 2018, in response to the findings of federal audits documenting the systemic misuse of welfare funds, including but not limited to the May 2025 HHS Office of Inspector General (OIG) audit report.

6. 1. Please include the dates of implementation and scope of all mandated reforms to comply with federal audits.

7. In the May 2025 HHS OIG audit report, the OIG made the following three recommendations: (1) recover identified overpayments; (2) strengthen monitoring of attendance records; and (3) implement real-time electronic attendance reporting, as previously recommended by the Legislative Auditor. As of the end of 2025, these recommendations remain open, indicating that they have not been completely adopted by the state. Why have these recommendations not been completely adopted by the state, and who made the decisions not to expeditiously move forward with adopting the OIG’s recommendations?

8. Please describe any additional reforms Minnesota has evaluated for potential implementation to prevent fraud in the state’s federally funded welfare programs, including but not limited to individual registration requirements, use of fingerprinting technologies, etc.

9. Please provide detailed documentation for all providers receiving federal child care funds from the state of Minnesota since January 1, 2018, including attendance records, licenses, inspection and monitoring reports, complaints, and investigations.

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