Weekly Column

I am proud to be a South Dakotan. As a father with three sons in public school, I'm grateful they have an opportunity each day to go to class in-person. Too many school children across this country aren't being given that opportunity, and it's a shame.

Study after study has shown that children being forced to learn remotely are falling behind students attending school in-person. The impact of those decisions will be felt for years to come.

By now, many of us understand that President Biden's Executive Order to halt the Keystone XL Pipeline is going to have disastrous effects on our nation's economy, energy security, and thousands of American jobs. By terminating the Pipeline, we are even risking our international standing and relationship with our Canadian neighbors who have also invested billions of dollars and years of design and permitting to accomplish a first-of-its-kind, innovative oil pipeline – the safest way we have to transfer oil and natural gas resources.

As we all know by now, the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted just about every part of life – federal government agencies are no exception. One of the most frustrating realities of this pandemic was the impact it had on IRS operations.

In the spring of 2020, the IRS was processing not only 2019 tax returns but the first round of Economic Impact Payments (EIPs) a.k.a. stimulus checks. However, in response to the pandemic and efforts to lessen the spread of the virus, much of the IRS workforce was required to work remotely, resulting in a lengthy pause in the IRS mail processing.

Over the last several years, there's been a lot of discussion about making our nation's capital city the 51^st state in the union. I think that's a bad idea, but it's supported by many for a few reasons.

Some support statehood for Washington, D.C., because they want to expand Democratic control of the United States Senate. I'm opposed to that kind of a political power grab.

More than 20,000 of our National Guard troops lined the streets of Washington this week to help safely usher in the peaceful transition of power. It was a striking image to see firsthand.

After the violence in the Capitol, these men and women dropped everything to come protect the streets of America's capital city.

In December, Members of Congress were given early access to the COVID-19 vaccine, and I asked for South Dakota to decide whether I should take the vaccine early to instill public confidence or wait my turn. Nearly 9,000 South Dakotans participated in the poll.

Our U.S. Constitution was tested this week.

As you most of South Dakota now knows, on January 6th, I voted to uphold the 2020 election results that were certified, recounted, and audited from various states across the nation.

Like many South Dakotans, I am frustrated with how certain states handle their elections, and in the weeks following the 2020 election, I supported the president's right to his day in court. Legal challenges were filed in dozens of state and federal courts, but failed to overturn any votes. Despite claims, the evidence was not there.

When I am traveling across South Dakota I get dozens of questions a day, from the budget deficit to healthcare to national defense to agriculture policy. Over the last two years I've regularly used this space to address many of the issues most often asked about.

There is a common question asked by South Dakotans I haven't written about in a while, though: "How is your family doing?"