In the News

U.S. Rep. Dusty Johnson learned about the towering accomplishments of Yankton's Ehresmann Engineering during a special presentation and tour of the factory Monday.

The engineering firm specializes in communication tower design, engineering and manufacturing. Many of its cell towers are disguised to look like flag poles or pine trees as many townships now require some sort of cell-tower camouflage.

U.S. Sen. John Thune said Iran has an opportunity to change course now that Iranian General Qasem Soleimani has been killed in the Pentagon's airstrike.

Soleimani was the "architect behind Iranian-sponsored chaos and conflict in the Middle East for decades," including U.S. military deaths in Iraq, Thune said in a statement.

This week, South Dakota Representative Dusty Johnson became just the second member of Congress to speak Lakota on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives.

Johnson spoke the language as a way to advocate legislation that would advance the practice of Lakota languages.

He emphasized the importance of indigenous languages as the life-blood of cultural understanding.

The last member to speak Lakota on the floor was Representative John Kyl of Iowa. He used a Lakota phrase on the floor in 1963.

Congressman Dusty Johnson is highlighting the importance of the Meals on Wheels program.

Johnson says just in Sioux Falls, 450 people rely on Meals on Wheels for food each day.

He says while it's important local, state and federal governments support these programs, he is also calling on everyone in the community to help.

"Even more important than the dollars are the volunteers who make this work. We are called to care for our fellow person, our fellow men, our fellow women. And volunteers are a critically important part of making Meals on Wheels Work," Johnson said.

U.S. Rep. Dusty Johnson, R-S.D., recently returned from a trip to Israel, where he said he met with residents and officials of all walks of life about the country's relationship with the United States.

Johnson, of Mitchell, said that while he's not involved with committee work that is directly related to Israel, he said Middle East issues come up in Congress on a weekly basis.

A heartfelt "thank you" for service and sacrifice was at the core the deactivation ceremony for South Dakota Army National Guard's Bravo Battery, 1-147th Field Artillery Battalion and 147th Forward Support Company (FSC) Saturday at the Lincoln High School gym in Sioux Falls.

Today U.S. Representatives Dusty Johnson (R-S.D.), Liz Cheney (R-WY), and Frank Lucas (R-OK), introduced the Livestock Risk Management and Education Act, a bill that would provide grants to certain state land-grant universities to better equip livestock producers with risk management training.

Rep. Dusty Johnson is co-sponsoring a bill in the U.S. House to help agricultural students at public schools.

The bill would provide federal grants for risk management training, teaching students about volatility in the livestock market.

"Producers already face an uphill battle of unpredictable weather, understanding cattle prices doesn't need to be an added challenge," Johnson said in a release. "I'm proud to partner with my colleagues from cattle country to help best prepare our Ag economy and producers for the future."