Day 17 of the Government Shutdown

BIG Update

Another week of the government shutdown has come and gone. This shutdown should never have happened and it’s even more ridiculous every day it continues. I voted to keep the government open a month ago, and yet some in the Senate are preventing federal employees from being paid and cutting off important services for the American people. 

I want to be clear about the counterproposal to the bipartisan funding package we already passed out of the House. The counterproposal includes $1.5 trillion in new spending while repealing the $50 billion Rural Hospital Transformation Program. These are not negotiations to have while the government remains shuttered. 

BIG Idea

It was recently discovered that some states, South Dakota included, have been issuing non-domiciled commercial driver’s licenses (CDL) to visa holders in the U.S. that expire beyond the expiration date of their visa. I’m concerned that allowing these licenses to extend past an individual’s legal stay in America could endanger others on our roads and give an individual a government-issued identification that they should not have. The Trump Administration has been leading policy initiatives to correct this error and I’m working on legislation to ensure states are following federal law and strengthen federal requirements to keep our roads safe. 

I recently co-sponsored the Non-Domiciled CDL Integrity Act to make sure the Trump Administration’s CDL policies are the permanent law of the land. This bill makes sure states verify the lawful immigration status for the license holder and requires the expiration date of the CDL license to be limited to one year or the expiration date of the visa, whichever is shorter. This legislation will ensure states keep roads safe.

Click here to read more. 

BIG News

Yesterday, I hosted a tele-town hall with more than 12,000 South Dakotans to hear their concerns and talk about the government shutdown. I’ve held dozens of these town halls over the years to hear directly from constituents from across the state. I took questions from across the political spectrum about a variety of topics, like the government shutdown, health care, and the need to support our farmers and ranchers. I really enjoy hopping on the phone and talking to engaged constituents.