Weekly Column
I am grateful and honored to serve as South Dakota’s only voice in the U.S. House of Representatives for another two years. Since coming to the U.S. House in 2019, Republicans have been the minority party. Despite that, I’ve stayed focused on effectiveness and led more than a dozen bills across the finish line. I plan to bring that same attitude to the 118th Congress—working hard and getting things done for South Dakotans.
Throughout our nation’s history, more than 41 million servicemen and women have vowed to make the ultimate sacrifice for your freedom and mine. Veterans Day is a day to stop and remember those who have chosen service and sacrifice to protect their families, towns, states, and our country.
It’s easy to focus on what isn’t getting done in Washington—don’t get me wrong, there is a lot to do—but I was recently reminded of a big win from earlier this year. Once a bill crosses that finish line and is signed into law or implemented, sometimes we forget to highlight the impact it’s had on our economy and businesses.
It’s Halloween weekend—we see jack-o-lanterns, bats, skeletons, and zombies in many front yards of our streets. It gets us in the spooky spirit of Halloween, but there's one thing that spooks me year-round—American energy insecurity.
“The key to getting a handle on drug crime is securing our southern border. The drugs might be coming across the southern border, but they’re coming to a community near you,” Pennington County Sheriff-Elect Brian Mueller said. These drugs are connected to violent crime at very high rates—and almost all of it is coming from the border.
We all have businesses we love and reasons why we love them—it may be good food, quality service, or great people. There are so many great places across our state, and I wanted to hear about them. Recently, I asked South Dakotans what their favorite local business is and why. Over 200 businesses were recommended from 76 cities.
A congressional internship is a great opportunity to witness the inner workings of our nation’s government and establish connections that help lead into professional life. Working for Congressman Dusty Johnson allows you to learn while being mentored by an advanced and established office of professionals.
Jonah:
Congress had a pretty busy week in Washington, D.C. – here’s a recap.
Today, the House voted on the Continuing Resolution to fund the government for the next several weeks. While permitting restrictions and funding for monkeypox and COVID were stripped out – there was too much pork in this bill – I voted no.
For the past two years, big government policies in Washington, D.C. have decimated our economy, left the southern border open, and skyrocketed inflation.
Cargo ships to planes, semi-trucks to trains, it seems we keep hitting roadblock after roadblock to get our supply chain on the right track – and keep it there.
First, it was the clogged ports due to unfair practices by cargo shipping companies. My Ocean Shipping Reform Act (OSRA) addressed this issue and now the average shipping rate is less than half the price before OSRA became law.