WEEKLY ROUND[S] UP: July 29-August 4, 2024
by Senator Mike Rounds
We had a busy week in Washington to close out our summer work period. I was able to meet with several South Dakotans this week, speak at an artificial intelligence event, cast votes on the Senate floor and introduce legislation to offer a new loan option for students paying for higher education. We also said goodbye to our summer interns in the DC office. Now, I’m back in South Dakota for our in-state work period. I’m looking forward to spending this month making visits all across the state to hear more about the issues that are important to you. Here’s my Weekly Round[s] Up:
South Dakotans I met with: South Dakota members of Christians United for Israel; Ryman LeBeau, Chairman of the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe; Dr. Vance Thompson of Vance Thompson Vision in Sioux Falls; the South Dakota Council of Administrators of Special Education; and Major General Mark Morrell, Adjutant General of the South Dakota National Guard.
Met with South Dakotans from: Aberdeen, Box Elder, Twin Brooks, Dakota Valley, Eagle Butte, Lennox, Sioux Falls and Sturgis.
Other meetings: Matthew Sannito, Assistant Deputy Chief of Staff, Army G-4; a delegation of leaders from Rwanda; leaders from Gevo; Steve Forthuber and Dr. Greg Sorensen, leaders from RadNet; Alan Garber, Interim President at Harvard University; Neel Kashkari, President of the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis; Ukrainian Members of Parliament; and Charlie Scharf, CEO of Wells Fargo.
I attended an AI summit, where I spoke with attendees about my work on artificial intelligence, as well as the future of AI regulation in the United States. I attended our weekly Senate Prayer Breakfast, where my friend Senator Angus King of Maine was our speaker.
Votes taken: 11 – many of these were on nominations to positions within the Department of State and judge positions in Maine, New York and Pennsylvania. We also voted on a package of bills that contained the Kids Online Safety Act and the Children and Teens Online Privacy Protection Act. I voted yes on these pieces of legislation that would expand both privacy and safety for kids online.
In addition, we voted on legislation which would have increased the amount of refundable Child Tax Credits available to people who are not paying taxes, but would have eliminated tax credits for almost 27 million Americans who are paying taxes. I voted no because I believe we have to address other tax policies which are expiring next year, and these proposals should be part of that discussion. Members on both sides of the aisle also voted no, recognizing the need to do a more comprehensive approach that would address the upcoming tax policies that will be expiring. We expect a major tax reform bill to be forthcoming either after the election or after the first of the year.
The Affordable Future Loan Program: This past week, I introduced legislation that would offer a new affordable loan option. Under this proposal, credit unions and banks would be allowed to make direct loans to students which would be guaranteed up to 98% by the federal government. The federal government would pay the interest on these loans while the individual is a full-time student. The student could attend a college or a technical school.
This would be very similar to the guaranteed loan program that was successful in the 1960s through the early 2000s. Once the student graduated, they would begin repaying the loan at a lower interest rate than many of them have today, and could extend the payment period out to 15 years. This was a very successful program and was replaced when the Obama administration eliminated the direct loan program and required all of these loans to be made through the federal government, which has been a bureaucratic nightmare. My proposal does not eliminate any of the existing subsidized plans, but rather adds an additional plan based on the previous successful program that would provide loans to middle income families.
You can read more about the program along with the full text of the bill here.
Hearings: I attended one hearing this week in the Senate Armed Services Committee, where we heard from leaders from the Commission on the National Defense Strategy. You can watch a clip of my questions for them here.
Classified briefings: I attended four classified briefings this week. One was part of my work on the Select Committee on Intelligence, while one was related to my work on the Senate Armed Services Committee. I also attended our bi-weekly cyber education seminar, and a briefing with the Strategic Forces Association.
My staff in South Dakota visited: Aberdeen and Olivet.
Steps taken this past week: 55,524 steps or 27.52 miles.
Photo of the week:
My team and I were lucky to have a great group of summer interns, both in South Dakota and in DC. My DC interns, Seth, Griffin, Ella and Lily, are pictured here after our breakfast in the Senate Dining Room to thank them for their hard work this summer. Seth is from Sioux Falls, where he graduated from O’Gorman High School. Griffin is from Onida and attends the University of South Dakota, while Ella is a Jackrabbit at South Dakota State University. Lily is from Spearfish and was lucky to have her sister out in DC completing a Congressional internship as well.