One of the best parts of visiting Washington DC is a stop at the offices of our Delegation at the Capitol Complex. I was fortunate enough to be able to slip in to meet with Senator Rounds before he had to leave for a classified briefing.
The Senator was kind enough to provide an extensive run down on his office’s activities, as well as his current work on the Armed Services and Banking Committees. Of particular note, the Senator detailed the work going on behind the scenes which is driving the Senate to stay in session and to skip their August break.
Rounds noted that it’s two fold; partially being driven by the desire to work to resolve budget issues, and partially to move through the backlog of judicial appointment confirmations to make sure our judiciary is operating at full capacity.
Other big things coming up include work to bring the country’s next generation of bombers to Ellsworth Air Force Base, as well as to ensure our country is dealing from a position of strength with our competitors on the world stage.
The Senator has a lot on his plate, but still makes a particular point to read the legislation he votes on, as he did when he was in the state legislature in South Dakota. Mike offered that at times he’s surprised “how many just take the word” of committees on what’s in legislation that is written by committee teams.
Otherwise, what’s going to be coming in the future for Senator Rounds politically? He’s largely waiting until this year’s’ political battles are over, but you can plan on the fact he’s going to hit the ground running in 2020.
Rounds 2020!