Economy
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Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Representative Dusty Johnson (R-S.D.) introduced the Kids In-Person Determines School (KIDS) Success Act to assess the impact extended school closures have on students’ academic and emotional wellbeing. According to recent data, only “47 percent of schools serving fourth-graders and 46 percent serving eighth-graders were open for full in-person instruction.”
WASHINGTON — U.S. Sens. John Thune (R-S.D.), John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), Mike Rounds (R-S.D.), and Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.) and U.S. Reps. Dusty Johnson (R-S.D.) and Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) today expressed their concern with the U.S. Forest Service’s (USFS’s) recommendation to reduce the timber sale program in the Black Hills National Forest (BHNF). The members are also seeking answers about the process the USFS used to reach this recommendation.
Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Representative Dusty Johnson (R-S.D.) supported a resolution to President Biden’s COVID-19 relief package to require the administration to provide accounting reports on unspent COVID-19 relief funds from previous bipartisan packages.
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Representatives Dusty Johnson (R-S.D.), Kelly Armstrong (R-N.D.), and Dan Newhouse (R-WA) hosted a roundtable with more than twenty South Dakota business owners who have been impacted by President Biden’s Executive Order shutdown of the Keystone XL Pipeline. You can watch the full roundtable discussion here.
As we all know by now, the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted just about every part of life – federal government agencies are no exception. One of the most frustrating realities of this pandemic was the impact it had on IRS operations.
In the spring of 2020, the IRS was processing not only 2019 tax returns but the first round of Economic Impact Payments (EIPs) a.k.a. stimulus checks. However, in response to the pandemic and efforts to lessen the spread of the virus, much of the IRS workforce was required to work remotely, resulting in a lengthy pause in the IRS mail processing.
Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Representative Dusty Johnson (R-S.D.) reintroduced the District of Columbia-Maryland Reunion Act, legislation that would revert the majority of Washington, D.C., suburbs to the state of Maryland. The National Capitol Service Area, consisting solely of the National Mall and federal buildings, would remain the District of Columbia.
WASHINGTON, DC — Today, Thursday, December 3, 2020, members of the Problem Solvers Caucus stood together to fight for their common-sense bipartisan, bicameral COVID-19 emergency relief package. It is being supported by a rapidly growing group of Senators on both sides of the aisle, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, and others to help American families, small businesses, workers, and health care providers during this crisis.
Washington, DC – Today, U.S.
Like most South Dakotans, I want to keep our schools open and our economy strong. If we don’t get COVID-19 under control, that’s going to be increasingly difficult.
Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Representative Dusty Johnson (R-S.D.) introduced the PRICE Act, a bill that will increase transparency in the cattle market, improve risk management, and support new and expanding meat processors. Earlier this year, the U.S.
Washington, D.C — Today, House Agriculture Committee Ranking Member K. Michael Conaway and Rep. Dusty Johnson (SD) introduced the Digital Commodity Exchange Act of 2020, legislation that creates a single, opt-in national regulatory framework for digital commodity trading platforms under the jurisdiction of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC).
Congress passed the last COVID-19 relief bill 174 days ago. Hundreds of thousands of Americans – schools, families, and small businesses – are still struggling from this virus. Both the House and the Senate have proposed vastly different proposals to help these hurting Americans. The House passed a bill with a $3T price tag – that’s too much spending so I voted no. The Senate has offered several packages with a lower price tag, but Senate Democrats have offered no support. We need to find common ground.
WASHINGTON - Today, Tuesday, September 15, 2020, the bipartisan Problem Solvers Caucus – 25 Democrats and 25 Republicans -- unveiled its “March To Common Ground” framework to help break the gridlock on the latest COVID-19 relief package and encourage negotiators to get back to the table.
The 50-member bipartisan Caucus, developed and came together in support of the framework after extensive listening to constituents and outreach to stakeholders over the past six weeks.
WASHINGTON — U.S. Sens. John Thune (R-S.D.) and Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) and U.S. Rep. Dusty Johnson (R-S.D.) applauded the U.S. Department of Transportation’s (DOT’s) decision to award a $22 million Better Utilizing Investments to Leverage Development (BUILD) grant to reconstruct 30 miles of Highway 46 between US-81 and I-29 near Beresford and Irene, a critical route for agriculture producers in southeast South Dakota and for those driving between Yankton and Sioux Falls.
The last several months continue to serve as a reminder of services critical to all Americans. Two of those services have been on the forefront of my mind recently: The United States Postal Service and local newspapers.
Each are important for different reasons – the USPS plays a vital role in delivering medications and other essential goods, and our local newspapers work day in and day out to keep South Dakotans informed of what’s happening both locally and nationally.
Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Representatives Dusty Johnson (R-S.D.) and Collin Peterson (D-MN) introduced the Preserving Readership and Information of Newspapers for Tomorrow (PRINT) Act, which would include the cost of print production of local print media in the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP). Currently, local media is eligible for the PPP, but printing costs are not forgivable under the program guidelines.
WASHINGTON — U.S. Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) and U.S. Rep. Dusty Johnson (R-S.D.), members of the Senate and House Agriculture Committees, respectively, today issued the following statements after the U.S.
At the beginning of the pandemic, Congress passed the Families First Coronavirus Response Act – this bill authorized a critical pandemic program for American families – the Farmers to Families Food Box. Since March, more than 62 million families across the country have received food boxes.
JBS, the Brazilian meat company, is planning to convert a Colorado lamb processing company to beef, leaving the sheep industry without a processing plant for 350,000 lambs in the western states, according to local media reports.
JBS USA Holdings Inc. was expected to close on its purchase of the Mountain States Rosen lamb processing facility in Greeley, Colo., on Friday, but senators and house members from five western states have asked the Justice Department to intervene in the purchase.
WASHINGTON — U.S. Sens. John Thune (R-S.D.) and Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.) and U.S. Reps.
Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Representatives Dusty Johnson (R-SD) and Henry Cuellar (D-TX) introduced the Direct Interstate Retail Exemption for Certain Transactions (DIRECT) Act. This legislation will allow state inspected meat to be sold across state lines through e-commerce, allowing small producers and processors more options to directly market to consumers.
Last I heard, 20 million Americans had not received their stimulus checks.
In the three months since the CARES Act passed Congress, I’ve been patient. South Dakotans have been patient – all while waiting for the help some of them desperately need.
My patience has run low. My office has heard from hundreds of South Dakotans who are not only waiting on stimulus checks but are also waiting months for their tax returns. This is unacceptable.
Washington, D.C. – U.S. Representative Dusty Johnson (R-S.D.) issued a statement following the U.S. House passage of the Paycheck Protection Program Flexibility Act of 2020, a bill Johnson cosponsored to revamp some of the rules within the current PPP:
Washington, D.C. – U.S. Representative Dusty Johnson (R-S.D.) spoke on the U.S. House Floor regarding the Internal Revenue Services’ (IRS) lack of customer service for constituents needing Economic Impact Payments and tax filing support.
Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Representatives Dusty Johnson (R-S.D.) and Angie Craig (D-MN) introduced the Small Packer Overtime and Holiday Fee Relief COVID-19 Act to support small meatpacking plants working overtime during COVID-19. Amid large plant closures, small packing plants have extended hours to ensure our supply chain keeps moving – this comes with added costs.
Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Representatives Dusty Johnson (R-S.D.) and Xochitl Torres Small (D-NM), both members of the House Agriculture Committee, introduced bipartisan, bicameral legislation to address the urgent issues facing America’s agriculture economy and food supply chain caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Specifically, the Farming Support to States Act would provide states access to immediate, flexible funding to ensure farmers and rural businesses have the tools needed to respond and rebuild more resilient supply chains right here in South Dakota. U.S.
People like to compare the U.S. and China, so much so I think many people have forgotten a key point – our values are not the same, not even close. Large economies, yes, but China is a communist, authoritarian nation with a state-run media and a government obsessed with surveillance and control.
Washington, D.C. – U.S. Representative Dusty Johnson (R-S.D.) today signed onto the Agricultural Security Risk Review Act, a bipartisan bill which would formally name the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) as a member of the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS). The Agricultural Security Risk Review Act would allow USDA to analyze any foreign investment into our nation’s food supply.
WASHINGTON — U.S. Sens. John Thune (R-S.D.), a longtime member of the Senate Agriculture Committee, and Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) and U.S. Rep. Dusty Johnson (R-S.D.) today requested that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) allow meat and poultry products that have been inspected by state-approved meat and poultry inspection programs to be donated or sold across state lines.
Washington, D.C. – U.S. Representative Dusty Johnson (R-S.D.) issued a statement following President Trump’s announcement of a Department of Justice investigation into the cattle markets.
“Beef is flying off the shelves, while our cattle producers can barely make ends meet. Something doesn’t add up,” said Johnson. “I’m grateful after calls from Midwest members, the president is ramping up this investigation for cattle country. COVID-19 has exposed the cracks in our supply chain.
Washington, D.C. – Along with 24 of his U.S. House colleagues, U.S. Representative Dusty Johnson (R-S.D.) urged the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Sonny Perdue to provide the findings of the agency’s beef pricing investigation to Congress as soon as possible. Following the announcement of the USDA’s Packers and Stockyard Division investigation in August of 2019, Secretary Perdue extended USDA’s investigation last month to determine the causes of divergence between live beef and box prices during the COVID-19 pandemic.
WASHINGTON — U.S. Sens. John Thune (R-S.D.) and Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) and U.S. Rep. Dusty Johnson (R-S.D.) today urged the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) and the U.S. Department of the Treasury to provide additional guidance to ensure seasonal businesses that have already applied for or received a Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan can recalculate their loan award to maximize the assistance they can receive through PPP.
Washington, D.C. – U.S. Representative Dusty Johnson (R-S.D.) issued the following statement in response to President Trump’s Executive Order on U.S. supply chains:
Washington, D.C. – U.S. Representatives Dusty Johnson (R-S.D.) and Austin Scott (GA-08), along with several House colleagues, introduced legislation to increase funding for the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) response to COVID-19. The legislation would provide an additional $50 billion for USDA to expand relief efforts for farmers and ranchers. Click here to read the full bill.
Over the past weeks and months, we have stress-tested our economy, our health care system, and the resilience of the American people. This pandemic has also tested our food supply systems. While we fully expect grocery store shelves to remain stocked, it does not mean there won’t be impacts further up the chain, especially for South Dakota farmers and ranchers.
Washington, D.C. – U.S. Representative Dusty Johnson (R-S.D.) today applauded a deal that will refill funds for the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP). In South Dakota, more than 11,324 small businesses received funding through the PPP, amounting to over $1.37 billion in loans. The deal is headed to the president’s desk.
Washington, D.C. – U.S. Representative Dusty Johnson (R-S.D.) today applauded a congressional deal that will refill funds for the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and expand eligibility for farmers and ranchers to apply for the Economic Injury Disaster Loan Program (EIDL). Agricultural businesses with less than 500 employees will be eligible for the EIDL program.
As of April 13th, nearly eight thousand Paycheck Protection Program loan applications were approved in South Dakota alone. Our state has seen $1.15 billion go out to businesses facing devastating losses because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
While America is facing a crisis, we can hold onto hope. The CARES Act was focused on ensuring our businesses are still there when we come out on the other side of this pandemic.
WASHINGTON — U.S. Rep. Dusty Johnson (R-S.D.) and U.S. Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) today led a bipartisan, bicameral letter urging U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Sonny Perdue to take immediate action to assist pork producers and maintain the pork food supply chain. The letter follows the closure of the Smithfield processing plant in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Smithfield also recently announced the closure of its plant in Martin City, Missouri, which receives raw materials from the Sioux Falls plant.
Washington, D.C. – U.S. Representative Dusty Johnson (R-S.D.) joined House Agriculture Committee Republicans and Ranking Member Conaway in urging the Small Business Administration (SBA) to ensure SBA approved lenders are not wrongfully turning eligible farmers and ranchers away when applying for the Paycheck Protection Program.
Washington, D.C. – U.S. Representative Dusty Johnson (R-S.D.) today urged President Trump to oversee a comprehensive, multi-agency investigation following continuous cattle market volatility. In 2019, Johnson urged the U.S. Department of Agriculture to provide a thorough investigation to producers following cattle market volatility after the August 2019 Holcomb, Kansas, Tyson beef processing plant fire.
WASHINGTON — U.S. Sens. John Thune (R-S.D.) and Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) and U.S. Reps. Dusty Johnson (R-S.D.) and Henry Cuellar (D-Texas) today led a bipartisan, bicameral letter to U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Sonny Perdue requesting that he provide immediate assistance to cattle producers by using the resources provided in the recently enacted Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Stabilization (CARES) Act, including the replenishment of the Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC) and additional emergency funding.
Washington, D.C. – U.S. Representative Dusty Johnson (R-S.D.) today issued a statement following the bipartisan passage of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. Previously, Johnson supported two legislative packages to develop a vaccine for COVID-19 and provide federal reimbursement to small employers for paid sick and emergency leave provided to their employees. Rep.
Q: Will I receive a $1,200 check from the federal government to help with the economic stress of COVID-19?
WASHINGTON — U.S. Sens. John Thune (R-S.D.) and Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) and U.S. Rep. Dusty Johnson (R-S.D.) applauded passage of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, which includes provisions the delegation helped secure to support South Dakota farmers and ranchers. Specifically, the CARES Act includes $14 billion to replenish the U.S. Department of Agriculture Commodity Credit Corporation.
Washington, D.C. – U.S. Representative Dusty Johnson (R-S.D.) and U.S. Sens. John Thune (R-S.D.) and Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) today applauded the United States Small Business Administration (SBA) for granting South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem’s request to activate the Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) program due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Washington, D.C. – U.S. Representative Dusty Johnson (R-S.D.) and U.S. Sens. John Thune (R-S.D.) and Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) today urged the United States Small Business Administration to grant South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem’s request to activate the Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) program due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Washington, D.C. – U.S. Representative Dusty Johnson (R-S.D.) praised the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s (FMCSA) decision to expand commercial drivers’ hours-of-service during the national COVID-19 pandemic.
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Senator Thom Tillis (R-NC) and Representative Dusty Johnson (R-SD) sent a letter to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Sonny Perdue urging the department to take all necessary steps to ensure there are no disruptions to our nation’s food supply chain as we combat the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
Over the last few days, South Dakota has confirmed several cases of COVID-19, known as the coronavirus. While I am confident that our state and local governments will work together to protect the health of our communities, it is important that we all take extra precautions to support vulnerable populations during this time.