Press Releases

Washington, D.C. – Today, over one hundred and twenty bipartisan congressional interns led by four interns from the office of U.S. Representative Dusty Johnson (R-SD) sent a letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy to reopen the U.S. Capitol to the American public. Since March 12, 2020, the U.S. Capitol has been closed to visitors due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Representatives Dusty Johnson (R-S.D.) and Abigail Spanberger (D-VA) today introduced the Butcher Block Act, a bipartisan bill to rebalance the cattle market by easing regulatory barriers and offering U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) meat processing grants for small processors looking to expand or add shackle space.

Washington, D.C. – This week members of the Biofuels Caucus, led by U.S. Representative Dusty Johnson (R-SD), urged President Biden to uphold his campaign commitment to protect the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS). Recent reports suggest the Biden Administration is considering a nationwide waiver of RFS for the oil industry, a decision that would be detrimental to rural farmers and biofuels producers across rural America.

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Representatives Dusty Johnson (R-SD) and Tom O'Halleran (D-AZ) today introduced the Metropolitan Statistical Area Preservation Act, a bill to preserve more than 140 Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSAs) from losing their classification as a MSA.

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Representative Dusty Johnson (R-S.D.) and U.S. Senators John Thune (R-S.D.) and Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) today urged U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Vilsack to utilize his administrative authority to release Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) acres for emergency haying and grazing prior to August 1. The most recent U.S. Drought Monitor indicates that more than 95 percent of South Dakota is experiencing drought conditions. CRP acres often help alleviate the hay and grazing shortage for livestock producers during a drought.

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Representative Dusty Johnson (R-S.D.) and U.S. Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) today sent a letter to President Biden's new Presidential Commission on the Supreme Court of the United States, reminding the commission that only Congress has exclusive authority to amend or preserve the U.S. Supreme Court.

Washington, D.C. – Today the U.S. House passed legislation led by U.S. Representatives Dusty Johnson (R-SD) and Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) that connects Native veterans to VA services and vocational training by extending the VetSuccess on Campus (VSOC) program to Tribal Colleges and Universities in South Dakota. The Native VetSuccess at Tribal Colleges and Universities Pilot Program Act also provides high-tech field training for veterans to ensure they are placed in well-paying, long-term jobs.

WASHINGTON — U.S. Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) and U.S. Rep. Dusty Johnson (R-S.D) today led several of their colleagues in urging Attorney General Merrick Garland to continue the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) investigation into the nation's four biggest meatpackers. Thune and Johnson's bicameral letter also requested that DOJ provide Congress with updates on its investigation and encouraged ongoing vigilance on this issue.