Weekly Column

This week I hit the road and traveled across the state to sit down with our students and enjoy a hot meal during school lunch. It's National School Lunch Week, so I toured schools from Box Elder to Vermillion.

As the top Republican on the Agriculture Subcommittee on Nutrition, Oversight, and Department Operations and as a member of the Education & Labor Committee, our kid's lunches are more important to my work than you might think.

We all know 2020 has been a year filled with adversity. While the majority of this year has been tough for most, it's not been all bad. I was reminded of the good still happening in this world last week when my wife told me about the story of Mitchell resident, Samantha Schaefer.

Throughout my first two years in Congress, I've heard from cattle producers struggling with a volatile market and unpredictable pricing. It's no secret to our producers – the 2019 Holcomb fire and COVID-19 disrupted the cattle market and exposed cracks in our supply chain.

Last year, after urging from Agriculture state members like myself, Senator Thune, and Senator Rounds, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Sonny Perdue announced an investigation into the cattle market. Part of that investigative report was released over the summer.

Back in Session

This year has been far from normal. But over the last few weeks Congress has been back in session, and the pace seems to be picking up again. Last week, I unveiled a bipartisan pathway for another COVID-19 relief bill, and this week, the House has been focused on passing a number of tribal bills as well as a bill to keep our government open through the election.

Congress passed the last COVID-19 relief bill 174 days ago. Hundreds of thousands of Americans – schools, families, and small businesses – are still struggling from this virus. Both the House and the Senate have proposed vastly different proposals to help these hurting Americans. The House passed a bill with a $3T price tag – that's too much spending so I voted no. The Senate has offered several packages with a lower price tag, but Senate Democrats have offered no support. We need to find common ground.

America is a young nation. Constitution Day is September 17th and it marks two hundred and thirty-three years since the ratification of our U.S. Constitution. Although our nation was founded in 1776, our guiding principles of freedom of the press and free speech were officially set in stone more than ten years later.

It's important to remember that although our principles are woven into the fibers of our great nation, they aren't invincible. We need to defend and protect them. In many ways, this year has pushed the boundaries of our founding document.

Today, military homecomings are met with open arms, tears of joy, parades, and celebrations – a concept that is a bit foreign to the nearly three million soldiers who returned home from the Vietnam War.

Over the last week, many schools across South Dakota resumed classes – both in-person and online. This marks the beginning of a sense of normalcy many of our kids are experiencing for the first time in several months.

Although there's nothing normal about wearing masks or attending classes virtually, this is our reality for the time being and thankfully our students and teachers are making the best of it. Our kids are just thankful to see their friends and teachers.