US Senator John Thune’s Weekly Column: New South Dakota Delegation Will Hit the Ground Running

New South Dakota Delegation Will Hit the Ground Running
By Senator John Thune

Things have changed in our state since 1962. South Dakota’s commerce and tourism industries have flourished under the construction of the interstate highway system. Sioux Falls has nearly tripled in size; two state universities moved to division one, competing in the highest levels of academics and athletics; corn yields have doubled and no-till farming has made the plow and cultivator obsolete. South Dakota is represented by three members in Congress instead of four, and our lone member of the House is a female. Indeed, things have changed.

But not since 1962 has South Dakota sent an all-Republican delegation to Congress. This is a pretty historic occurrence; especially considering the last time Republicans held the majority in both chambers of Congress and South Dakota had an all-Republican delegation was 1953. While divided delegations can provide opportunities to work together, South Dakotans stand to benefit from a strong leadership team in Congress that will promote Republican policies that create jobs, reduce federal regulatory overreach, stimulate the economy, and get Washington’s legislative process working again for them.

Over the past few years of Democrat control in the Senate, too often the minority party was shut out of the legislative process, leading to dysfunction and gridlock. Under Republican control, the Senate will get back to work, returning to regular order, which means bills will be considered out in the open in committees before coming to the Senate floor, and all senators, regardless of party, will have a chance to propose and debate amendments.

As the new senior senator, I’m looking forward to working with both Senator Rounds and Representative Noem to advance a number of important South Dakota priorities during this session of Congress. From reining in burdensome EPA regulations and preventing backdoor energy taxes and fines on ranchers and farmers, to passing the job-creating Keystone XL pipeline and repealing the most onerous parts of ObamaCare, I’m looking forward to rolling up my sleeves and working with them on the major issues facing this country.

Our new South Dakota delegation is ready to hit the ground running. I look forward to new opportunities to serve South Dakota in the coming year with a strong South Dakota leadership team ready to promote policies in Congress that will create jobs and stimulate the economy.

###