Senator Mike Rounds WEEKLY ROUND[S] UP: January 27-February 2, 2025
Welcome back to the Weekly Round[s] Up. Before we begin, I wanted to take a moment to remember all of the victims of this past week’s plane crash near Reagan National Airport in Washington, D.C. It’s an unbelievable tragedy and we continue to keep the families of the victims in our prayers. We also say thank you to all of our first responders who worked tirelessly – including through the night – to assist.
Similar to past weeks, we are working to confirm President Trump’s cabinet nominees. This includes holding open hearings in our committees, business meetings to report nominees out of committees and eventually confirming them with a vote on the Senate floor. Four of these nominees were confirmed this past week. We heard from Tulsi Gabbard, President Trump’s nominee to serve as his Director of National Intelligence. More on that later! Here’s my Weekly Round[s] Up:
Nominee meetings: I met with Stephan Miran, nominee to lead the Council of Economic Advisers.
Other meetings: Rob Greenway, Director of the Allison Center for National Security at the Heritage Foundation; Kevin Fromer, President and CEO of the Financial Services Forum; and Brig. Gen. Patrick Karuretwa, head of international military cooperation at Rwanda Defense Force. I attended an event hosted by Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, to preview and discuss advancements in AI. I also attended my weekly Senate Bible Study and Senate Prayer Breakfast, where I was our speaker!
Hearings: I attended three hearings. One was in the Senate Armed Services Committee, where we heard from witnesses about defense innovation and acquisition reform. You can watch a clip of my questioning here.
We also had two hearings in the Select Committee on Intelligence. On Tuesday afternoon, we had one hearing that was entirely closed. On Thursday, we had a confirmation hearing for Tulsi Gabbard, President Trump’s Nominee to serve as Director of National Intelligence. Her hearing had both a closed and an open session. You can watch a clip of my questions during the open session here.
Classified briefings: I had one classified briefing on Spectrum.
Votes taken: 10 – As I mentioned, we confirmed four cabinet nominees: Scott Bessent to lead the Department of the Treasury, Sean Duffy to lead the Department of Transportation, Lee Zeldin to lead the Environmental Protection Agency and Doug Burgum to lead the Department of Interior. We also had procedural votes on Thursday evening, teeing up final votes to confirm Chris Wright to lead the Department of Energy and Doug Collins to lead the Department of Veterans Affairs this week.
Subcommittee assignments: This past week I received my subcommittee assignments for the Senate Committee on Appropriations. This committee is split into 12 subcommittees that oversee funding for federal departments that fall within our jurisdiction. I’ve been assigned to serve on six of these committees:
- Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies
- Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development
- Subcommittee on Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies
- Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies
- Subcommittee on Legislative Branch
- Subcommittee on Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies
Legislation introduced: This past week, I introduced the Marcella LeBeau Recognition Act. This legislation would designate the federal office building in Pierre as the “Marcella LeBeau Federal Building.” She was a lifelong South Dakotan, a World War II Veteran, a nurse and a well-respected leader of the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe. You can read more about Marcella LeBeau and this legislation here.
Caucus membership: This past week, I announced that I’ve joined the Senate’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) Caucus. The DOGE Caucus is a bipartisan, bicameral group of members ready to work hand-in-hand with the Trump administration to identify and eliminate wasteful spending in the federal government. Read more about this here.
My staff in South Dakota visited: Aberdeen, Rapid City and Pierre.
Steps taken: 57,879 steps or 28.52 miles
Video of the week: I joined Newsmax to preview Tulsi Gabbard’s confirmation hearing:
It’s time to put aside divisive affiliations and truly serve the people of South Dakota. If you genuinely care about representing all constituents, you should consider engaging with a wider range of perspectives, rather than aligning solely with groups that promote harmful ideologies like the Heritage Foundation.
Your recent associations have raised concerns among your constituents. We call on you to clarify your stance and actions, especially in light of your ties to individuals like Elon Musk. Transparency from our leaders is crucial – we deserve to know how such alliances impact our democracy.
Name ONE “harmful ideology” promoted by the Heritage Foundation.
AND by the way, the USA is a Republic, NOT a democracy.
Here are some of the harmful characteristics often attributed to the Heritage Foundation:
1. Partisan Bias:Critics argue that the Heritage Foundation’s policies and research often reflect a strong conservative ideological bias, which can lead to a lack of neutrality in policymaking.
2. Promotion of Inequality:Some accuse the organization of promoting policies that exacerbate income inequality, citing its support for tax cuts that predominantly benefit the wealthy.
3. Misrepresentation of Facts:There are concerns regarding the accuracy and objectivity of some of the studies and reports published by the foundation, with claims that they cherry-pick data to support their arguments.
4. Influence on Public Policy: The Heritage Foundation has significant influence over Republican lawmakers and the formation of conservative policies, leading to criticism that it pushes a narrow agenda that does not represent broader public interests.
5. Opposition to Social Programs: The foundation’s stance against various social programs and welfare initiatives has drawn criticism, especially from advocates who argue these programs are essential for low-income communities.
6. Environmental Stance: The Heritage Foundation has been criticized for its skepticism towards climate change and policies aimed at combating it, which critics argue undermines efforts to address environmental issues.
7. Lack of Diversity: Critics often point out the lack of diversity in ideas and personnel within the organization, leading to a narrow range of perspectives in the policy discussion.
8. Censorship and Academic Freedom:Some have raised concerns over its influence on academia, arguing that it sometimes promotes censorship or discourages academic inquiry that doesn’t align with conservative viewpoints.
9. Anti-Regulatory Position: The Foundation’s consistent advocacy for reducing regulations, particularly in environmental and labor protections, has been seen as harmful, particularly to working-class communities and the environment.
10. Contentious Stance on Immigration:The Heritage Foundation has advocated for strict immigration controls, with critics arguing that this stance fosters xenophobia and division within society.
Just as I suspected, your objections simply demonstrate your progressive ideology.
As Trump’s election amply demonstrates, the “progressive” experiment has been soundly rejected by the American voters.
“A recent Quinnipiac University poll highlights the challenge. The survey found that 57 percent of voters say they have an unfavorable view of the Democratic Party, compared with 31 percent who have a favorable view.”
Elections have consequences.
Deal with it