Weekly Column
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.
The last several months continue to serve as a reminder of services critical to all Americans. Two of those services have been on the forefront of my mind recently: The United States Postal Service and local newspapers.
Each are important for different reasons – the USPS plays a vital role in delivering medications and other essential goods, and our local newspapers work day in and day out to keep South Dakotans informed of what's happening both locally and nationally.
At the beginning of the pandemic, Congress passed the Families First Coronavirus Response Act – this bill authorized a critical pandemic program for American families – the Farmers to Families Food Box. Since March, more than 62 million families across the country have received food boxes.
South Dakota is home to outstanding universities and technical colleges that are leading the country in science, technology, engineering and mathematic (STEM) fields that so many students are pursuing. These students have an opportunity to receive a first-class education right here in South Dakota.
With all eyes focused on the pandemic, whether or not kids will head back to school in August, and concerns about unemployment, it's easy to miss the wins of the week.
Prescription drug pricing has been an on-going conversation since I stepped foot in the halls of Congress last year, and this week the administration took positive action towards securing lower costs for Americans on prescription medication.
Politicians are people, too. Unfortunately, in today's highly partisan environment that can be hard to remember. Cable news fosters the idea that officeholders, especially those in the other party, are worthy of our derision, rather than our respect or empathy.
Two incidents of the last week have reminded me of the fragility of the human experience. These tragedies have impacted human beings, human beings who happen to be involved in politics.
In March, when things went from 0 to 100 at the beginning of the pandemic, our health care system was forced to adapt quickly on so many levels. With patients no longer allowed to visit hospitals in-person for regular appointments, we needed a solution – and fast.
Telehealth was the answer. The administration quickly expanded Medicare's telehealth coverage during the pandemic, ensuring our seniors had access to their providers from the safety of their own home.