Thune, Colleagues: Biden’s Illegal Border Wall Action Drives Crisis

Senators seek Government Accountability Office (GAO) ruling on infringement of Congress’s constitutional power of the purse

WASHINGTON — U.S. Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) today joined 40 of his colleagues in sending a letter to Government Accountability Office Comptroller Gene L. Dodaro highlighting President Joe Biden’s suspension of border wall funding and construction without lawful justification, as required by the Impoundment Control Act.

“On January 20th, in one of the first official acts of his presidency, Joseph Biden suspended border wall construction and ordered a freeze of funds provided by Congress for that purpose,” the senators wrote. “In the weeks that followed, operational control of our southern border was compromised and a humanitarian and national security crisis has ensued. The President’s actions directly contributed to this unfortunate, yet entirely avoidable, scenario. They are also a blatant violation of federal law and infringe on Congress’s constitutional power of the purse.

The senators continued, “We write regarding these actions. We believe they violated the Impoundment Control Act, as interpreted by your office, and we request your legal opinion on the matter. Prompt action to end these violations is required to restore order at the border.”

Due to efforts by the Trump administration to secure the southern border with new infrastructure, illegal crossings in the Yuma Sector decreased by 87 percent from Fiscal Year 2019 to FY20 in areas with new border wall system. In the Rio Grande Valley Zone 1, an area that did not previously have border infrastructure, U.S. Customs and Border Protection saw a 79 percent decrease in apprehensions and a 26 percent decrease in narcotics seizures after completion of the border wall. Additionally, in El Paso Zone 14 and 15, CBP saw 60 percent and 81 percent decreases in apprehensions, respectively, when comparing the second half of FY20 to the first half of FY20.

Since President Biden’s election in November 2020, CBP numbers have increased significantly. In February 2021, CBP had 100,441 border encounters, amounting to a 39 percent increase from 71,946 encounters in October 2020 and a 173 percent increase from the 36,687 encounters in February 2020 – just one year prior. Additionally, there have been 325,012 border encounters since November 2020, while there were only 220,563 in the four months prior – a 68 percent increase.

Currently, CBP is overwhelmed and overcapacity. Reports indicate that nearly all border patrol sectors are above 100 percent capacity, with some sectors double, triple, or even at significantly higher levels of overcapacity.

The letter, led by U.S. Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), was also signed by Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), as well as Sens. Richard Shelby (R-Ala.), John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), Roy Blunt (R-Mo.), John Boozman (R-Ark.), Mike Braun (R-Ind.), Richard Burr (R-N.C.), Susan Collins (R-Maine), John Cornyn (R-Texas), Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.), Mike Crapo (R-Idaho), Steve Daines (R-Mont.), Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), Deb Fischer (R-Neb.), Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), Bill Hagerty (R-Tenn.), John Hoeven (R-N.D.), Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.), Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.), John Kennedy (R-La.), James Lankford (R-Okla.), Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.), Roger Marshall (R-Kan.), Jerry Moran (R-Kan.), Rand Paul (R-Ky.), Rob Portman (R-Ohio), Jim Risch (R-Idaho), Mitt Romney (R-Utah), Mike Rounds (R-S.D.), Rick Scott (R-Fla.), Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), Pat Toomey (R-Penn.), Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.), Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), and Todd Young (R-Ind.).

Read the full text of the letter here.

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It is that day again, where those of us descended from the great Irish diaspora celebrate our heritage.. and those who wish they did drink dyed beer.

I’ve been fascinated by trying to find out more about the people from whence I came, which as you move backwards in time can be extremely challenging. But year by year, I keep chipping away and occasionally glean new information, such as discovering this Obituary for the first Powers in America about a month ago:

Like many Irish in the Boston area, my Great-Great Grandfather Nicholas was a manual laborer working in a paper mill, and his wife Honora, also emigrated to the US.. she was an illiterate house cleaner in the Boston area. They worked for their dream of a better life. As noted here, Nicholas passed away at his son (My Great Grandfather) Richard’s house.

While Richard was also a laborer, he held a job which was more skilled at the time, as a cigar maker. His son, my grandfather went to school to be a teacher, then became an attorney & lobbyist.. (and it’s all downhill from there).

My mother’s Irish heritage took a bit of a different path, where instead of into Boston, they went from Ireland straight to Iowa.

My great-great grandfather James Foran and my great-great grandmother Mary Connell Foran. My great-grandfather, James W. Foran, is in the middle of the back row. James came to Iowa with his mother, Agnes Scully Foran, where – like many in Iowa – became farmers after coming to America in 1849.

And on this St. Patrick’s Day, when we celebrate the emerald isle, I’d like to remember and thank my ancestors for seeking a better life in the land of opportunity!

From Twitter:

Sen. John Thune: "When it comes to the border, this current administration is making much, much worse what's going on down there." pic.twitter.com/rlASTAYmUj

— The Hill (@thehill) March 17, 2021

Interesting note from Ian Fury with Governor Kristi Noem’s Staff in follow up to the Rolling Stone attack article about Governor Noem.

Fury notes on Twitter today that while the reporter asked 10 questions, and Governor Noem gave 10 answers.. the reporter allegedly didn’t use any of it in his article:

Stephen asked us 10 questions. Stephen got 10 answers. Stephen included ZERO of those answers in his story. https://t.co/0stzFdmq1V

— Ian Fury (@IanTFury) March 16, 2021

Governor Noem Names Jundt Secretary of Transportation

PIERRE, S.D. – Today, Governor Kristi Noem announced that Joel Jundt will continue his service to South Dakota as Secretary of the South Dakota Department of Transportation (DOT).

“Joel has long been respected throughout the industry and has dedicated his life to promoting transportation access and opportunity in South Dakota,” said Governor Noem. “He has proven himself to be the leader who can spearhead the future of mobility here in South Dakota.”

A native of Rapid City, Jundt graduated from South Dakota School of Mines in 1985 with a degree in civil engineering. He has been a part of the DOT for his entire career, starting as a road design engineer and working his way up to be Rapid City region and operations engineer, director of planning and engineering, and deputy secretary. He began serving as interim secretary of DOT in November 2020.

“I look forward to working with Governor Noem and SDDOT employees as we strive to provide excellent services for all South Dakotans,” said Secretary Jundt. “Our DOT team is committed to build upon the great work of our past leaders and to move forward together to provide the safest, most effective, and best transportation system possible.”

Jundt lives in Pierre with his wife, Chris.

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Governor Noem Names Robling Secretary of Game, Fish and Parks

PIERRE, S.D. – Today, Governor Kristi Noem announced that Kevin Robling will continue his service to South Dakota as Secretary of the South Dakota Department of Game, Fish and Parks (GFP).

“Kevin has a great understanding of our natural resource and conservation priorities, “ said Governor Noem. “He has already done fantastic work to protect and promote South Dakota’s outdoor opportunities while balancing conservation efforts with landowners and outdoor enthusiasts. I’m pleased that he will continue to serve South Dakota as the permanent secretary of the department.”

Robling received his bachelor’s and master’s degree in wildlife and fisheries science from South Dakota State University. He began his career with the department in 2011 when he was hired as a resource biologist in Sioux Falls and was promoted to a big game biologist in 2012 out of Rapid City. In 2017, he transitioned into a leadership role working with the GFP Commission and the state Legislature to enhance recreational opportunities and simplify regulations that have significantly reduced barriers to outdoor participation. He began serving as the Interim Secretary of GFP in December 2020.

“I am extremely honored to serve as department secretary under Governor Noem,” said Secretary Robling, “Together, team GFP will strive each and every day to enhance South Dakota’s quality of life through our great outdoors. Providing excellent customer service, creating partnerships with landowners, focusing on habitat development, expanding public access opportunities, and operating one of the best state parks systems in the country are all top priorities for me and my team. I am excited to continue my passion of sustaining South Dakota’s strong outdoor heritage for current and future generations, and I am very grateful for this incredible opportunity.”

Robling and his wife, Holly, have three young children and reside east of Pierre. In their free time as a family they hunt, fish and camp frequently and also take care of their cow-calf herd.

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Her Vote. Her Voice. is working to ensure historical collections are accessible to all

PIERRE, S.D. – In conjunction with Women’s History Month, the Her Vote. Her Voice. (HVHV) campaign is requesting support to digitize important historical documents in the State Archives of the South Dakota State Historical Society in Pierre.

The following collections identified for preservation will be readily available to the public via the internet for use in research, publishing projects, student history assignments, genealogy, and personal use once they’re fully funded and archiving is complete. Digitizing costs for all of the collections include an estimate of $7,500 to $23,000 to prep the collection, digitize, catalog, provide quality control, and upload to the South Dakota Digital Archives.

• Jane Rooker Breeden papers – In 1892, Jane Rooker Breeden homesteaded with her husband, James Knox Breeden, in Stanley County, Dakota Territory. She would become active in the temperance movement and with many local women’s and literary clubs. Breeden played a vital role in the development of Pierre’s Carnegie Library. This collection includes correspondence, notes, manuscripts, and other papers relating to women’s suffrage and temperance movements.
• Lt. Gov. Carole Hillard records – This collection consists of correspondence, letters, photographs, and speeches of Lt. Gov. Carole Hillard from 1986-2006. This collection includes correspondence, notes, graduation diplomas, magazines featuring articles of Carole, bound materials, and oversize items such as posters, framed photographs, and photograph albums.
• General Federation of Women’s Clubs of South Dakota records – This collection consists of records of the GFWC of South Dakota, 1899-1958, including the Pioneer Daughters Collection. The Pioneer Daughters Collection results from a statewide GFWC effort to collect and preserve the stories of female pioneers in South Dakota. Arranged by county, this collection includes obituaries, written histories of varying lengths, and some photographs. Many of the letters are typed, but some are handwritten.
• Commission on the Status of Women records – This series contains state and national discussions of the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA), among other administrative files pertaining to the Committee on Women’s Status in the Department of Social Services from 1976 to 1980. The collection includes correspondence, notes, memos, slides, photographs and negatives, news releases, monthly expenditures, budget files, legislation, reports, brochures, newspaper clippings, and topical files.

The South Dakota Historical Society Foundation, in partnership with HVHV, is aiming to preserve women’s history through digitizing papers, artifacts, and historical collections that focus on women’s contributions to the state.  But they need additional funding to ensure that the collections are not lost and are more accessible to the public.

Pat Miller, chair of the HVHV delegation, noted the public can help preserve these documents and thousands like them for future generations.

“With the public’s help to fund the collections, they will be available to you no matter where you live for years to come,” said Miller. “All sizes of donations are extremely helpful.”

For more information go to www.hervotehervoice.org/donate

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Thune, Colleagues Introduce Bill to Support Law Enforcement Officers

“These kinds of attacks and violence against law enforcement officers are unacceptable and must be punished …”

WASHINGTON — U.S. Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) today joined several of his colleagues in introducing the Protect and Serve Act, legislation that would create federal penalties for individuals who deliberately target local, state, or federal law enforcement officerswith violence. The legislation would support law enforcement officers by making it a federal crime to knowingly cause, or attempt to cause, serious bodily injury to law enforcements officers.  With the passage of this legislation, offenders could receive a life sentence if a death results from the offense, or if the offense includes kidnapping, attempted kidnapping, or attempted murder.

“Our men and women in uniform put their lives on the line day in and day out for the safety of communities across the country, and this last year, we’ve seen a dangerous rise in attacks against those who have chosen to wear a badge.” said Thune. “These kinds of attacks and violence against law enforcement officers are unacceptable and must be punished, which is why I am pleased to support this bill. ”

The legislation was introduced by U.S. Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) and is co-sponsored by Sens. Rob Portman (R-Ohio), Jim Inhofe (R-OK), Josh Hawley (R-Mo.), Richard Burr (R-N.C.), Rick Scott (R-Fla.), John Boozman (R-Ark.), Mike Braun (R-Ind.), Jerry Moran (R-Kan.), Shelley Moore Capito (R-W. Va.), Steve Daines (R-Mont.), Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.), and Roger Wicker (R-Miss.).

Read a one-pager of the legislation here.

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Following Johnson Request, IHS Strips Convicted Pedophile of Federal Pension

Washington, D.C. – The Indian Health Service (IHS) announced they will be stripping former Capt. (ret.) Stanley Patrick Weber of his federal pension and benefits. This announcement comes after a U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps Board of Inquiry completed its review of Mr. Weber, who was convicted of multiple felony charges of aggravated sexual assault of minors while he was on active duty as an officer of the U.S. Public Health Service and assigned to IHS.

In July 2020, U.S. Representatives Dusty Johnson (R-SD) and Greg Gianforte (R-MT) urged an expedient review of Weber’s heinous crimes and swift removal of all federal benefits. Weber’s pension was estimated to be worth more than $100,000 a year.

“It’s disturbing someone like Mr. Weber would continue to receive a federal pension after what he put so many innocent children through,” said Johnson. “I’m grateful HHS and IHS took my request seriously and revoked his pension. There’s not much solace to offer in a situation like this, but I hope everyone rests easier knowing this monster isn’t receiving a government check every month and is behind bars where he belongs. A little more justice was served today.”

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Rolling Stone just posted a story going after Governor Kristi Noem starting out with this gem:

At first, the angel of death skipped over South Dakota. This pleased the Snow Queen.

“This pleased the snow queen?” Ugh. That doesn’t exactly seem like this is a story based on unbiased journalism.

And the Governor’s Office has wasted little time in responding to a fairly sexist attack:

Folks – I’m not old enough to remember when Rolling Stone was worth reading, so it came as no surprise when Stephen Rodrick and his editors outlined all the reasons why they don’t like strong women.

Given the deafening silence on Cuomo’s sexual harassment, why wouldn’t Rolling Stone dedicate more than 7500 words attacking the only Governor in America who handled Covid appropriately? The sexist attacks on Governor Noem, either veiled or overt, are all the left has these days.

Would the same be true if Governor Noem was Gretchen Whitmer – a liberal Democrat eager to dictate to her people? Of course not. [At least the New York AG had the courage to investigate Cuomo for his nursing home policies; we can’t say the same about Whitmer and the Michigan AG.] The radical left’s press allies can’t stand by while a thoughtful, principled conservative woman runs her state well… Cue the sexist attacks.

Rolling Stone thinks it’s relevant to comment on Governor Noem’s physical appearance and choices of clothing.  Here are a couple of key facts for those of you who aren’t judging her based on her gender or appearance.

South Dakota’s rise in cases coincided with the wave that hit the Midwest. It wasn’t Sturgis; it was geographical – just like every other wave that hit the country. We weren’t unique when it arrived, and it had nothing to do with the media’s beloved mitigation strategies. When are journalists going to look at the connection between a state’s 85+ population and Covid spread?

Notably, Rodrick left out that Governor Noem has overseen one of the finest vaccination rollouts nationwide. To date, 34% of South Dakotans have received at least one shot of the vaccine (the only real way to move us past this pandemic).

Mollie Hemingway outlined why the Trump puppeteer caricature is laughable. The Governor believes in federalism. It works, and other governors should try it.

And it should be noted that left out of “activist” Nick Tilsen’s story is the fact that he is facing 16 and a half years in prison because he assaulted a femaleNational Guard soldier and stole a law enforcement officer’s personal protective gear. That’s a felony – as it should be.

On Monday, Professor Blessinger explained why South Dakotans are so special. It is why my family has chosen to make South Dakota our home, and why we’re being joined by so many others. Rather than attack Governor Noem and the people of the great state of South Dakota, Rodrick – and America – would do well to learn about the policies she advanced this last year.

Empty, dishonest attacks like this grow less meaningful each time they’re made, and eventually, like the boy who cried wolf, Americans are going to learn to ignore those who make them. We can help them along by focusing on what’s true. To borrow a line from Gina Carano, they can’t cancel us if we don’t let them.

Stay well,

Maggie

Maggie Seidel
Senior Advisor & Policy Director
Office of Governor Kristi Noem