Hope for the Future

BIG Update

Holy Week is a powerful reminder of God’s love and sacrifice. It offers another chance to reflect on our lives and look forward in hope to what is to come – the return of Christ.

I’m grateful for the opportunity to join others on Good Friday at the Sioux Falls Prayer Breakfast for fellowship and prayer. We’ll be hearing stories from Chaplain Barry Black that inspire hope and about living a life that makes a difference.

I wish you and your family a blessed Easter as you reflect on the things that matter the most.

BIG Idea

Earlier this year, I held a roundtable to hear from South Dakotans about their frustrations with the United States Postal Service (USPS). Following that meeting, I sent these concerns to the Postmaster General who tried to assure me there are no unordinary problems. Yet South Dakota’s lengthy delivery delays and lost mail are still far too common to be acceptable.

Today, I toured the USPS Distribution and Processing Center in Sioux Falls with USPS officials and Rep. Pete Sessions, who chairs the subcommittee that oversees the Postal Service. Before the tour, we met with USPS officials who recognized the problems the service faces and explained they are taking steps toward solutions. They shared that delivery rates have improved in South Dakota over the past three months and they are continuing to make improvements to service, like installing a new package sorting machine in Sioux Falls this summer.

I urged USPS to improve their communication with my office and the general public in South Dakota, continue to make investments in problematic Midwest processing hubs, and reopen service counters in Sioux Falls, like those in Hy-Vee and Lewis Drug stores that shut down last year.

BIG News

Tax Day is quickly approaching, and some have already started receiving their tax returns – hopefully you’re getting more money back than you expected thanks to the Working Families Tax Cuts. The average refund is up nearly 11% this year, with average refunds exceeding $3,700. That’s due in part to a 15% tax cut for individuals making between $55,000 and $80,000, No Tax on Overtime, which has been claimed by almost 20 million workers, and the No Tax on Tips policy which has been claimed by more than 4.6 million workers.

These tax provisions are pro-worker, pro-family, and pro-growth, helping you keep more of your hard-earned money to put towards what you and your family need the most.