Weekly Column
This week, South Dakota’s agriculture communities got to show off. I hosted the Republican leader on the House Agriculture Committee, Congressman “GT” Thompson from Pennsylvania, and introduce him to the wonderful people of South Dakota. We closed off June Dairy Month with a celebration at Valley Queen and at the Holstein Association USA’s National Convention.
At the end of summer, many eighteen-year-olds head off to continue their education. Some go to vocational schools, community college, or four-year universities. But a unique set of individuals head to a different “college” in June.
After receiving nominations from my office, six men and women accepted their appointments to attend the United States Air Force Academy, United States Military Academy, and United States Naval Academy.
By Sen. John Thune and Rep. Dusty Johnson
June 9, 1972, started out as a typical rainy summer day in the Black Hills. While the rain was heavy that Friday evening, there was no cause for alarm as residents went about their normal routines. Fifty years later, we look back and remember the devastation that would soon follow.
On Monday, I was honored to provide some remarks at the Sioux Falls Memorial Day commemoration. Memorial Day rightfully honors those who have died in service to their country, acknowledging their tremendous sacrifice.
But as I thought about those who have died, I reflected upon those they left behind. Each of them had families, friends, and neighbors. Death imposed a terrible price on the patriots who died, but not just on them.
Our nation’s Armed Forces know the weight of sacrifice. Each servicemember sacrificed something to protect our freedoms and fight for America’s values.
Memorial Day is often associated with weekend trips, picnics, pools, and parades. But this day was created to be a solemn reflection to remember our heroes who didn’t make it home.
The United States Customs and Border Protection (USCBP) announced the border numbers for April this week. Last month, there were 234,088 illegal crossings at our southern border. This is the worst month on record.
Our moms and babies are facing a huge—and dangerous—problem. The nationwide baby formula supply out-of-stock level is 43%—but in South Dakota, our out-of-stock levels are over 50%. Store shelves are empty. Mothers are worried about being able to feed their babies.
This week marked the annual National Week of Action for Missing and Murdered Native Women and Girls.
Between 85-90% of the beef processing in this country is done at just 30 plants – in fact, 12 plants do more than half of all the beef processing. Having such a large percentage of meat packing done at such a small number of plants is a vulnerability in our markets. We’ve experienced many “black swan” events in the past couple years—from the Holcomb fire, COVID-19, and weather, among others. This market concentration poses a significant risk to food security in our nation.