Senator Mike Rounds

Pleased to be in the Oval Office with President Donald Trump as he signed the National Defense Authorization Act into law. I worked with President Trump on this bill that delivers real results for South Dakota and our servicemembers, including a well-deserved pay raise for our troops and the authorization of funding for construction projects at Ellsworth Air Force Base as we prepare for the B-21 Raider stealth bomber. We will keep working for South Dakota and for the men and women who defend America every day. 🇺🇸

The Flandreau High School Marching Band marched through the streets of DC this morning in the National Memorial Day Parade. Pleased to have nominated them for this honor. Congratulations to the students and their director Patrick Weight on a great performance!

On Memorial Day, we pause and remember our men and women in uniform who gave everything for our nation. We honor their sacrifice, courage and the freedoms they fought to protect. Home of the free, because of the brave.

Sat down with Greg Wick, President of Pennington Title Company in Rapid City and Travis Martin from Black Hills Title in Belle Fourche. Good to talk to them about ways to protect homebuyers and help minimize the risk of real estate fraud.

Had a good conversation with South Dakota doctors representing American College of Physicians about the work they’re doing as well as the role artificial intelligence will play in diagnosing and curing diseases in the very near future.

Sat down with South Dakotans from the American Association of People with Disabilities. Grateful they took the time to share their personal stories and talk about ways Congress can help support those with disabilities.

Great to see Peter Mehlhaff, CEO and Chairman of Great Plains Bank and Director of the Federal Home Loan Bank of Des Moines. We discussed banking, housing and the Federal Home Loan Bank.

Sat down with Matt Campbell with My Place Hotels of America, good to talk with him about the latest in the hospitality industry.

Good to see Doug Curry and Rob Timm with the City of Box Elder to get an update on the projects they are working on as their community prepares for the arrival of the B-21.

The Senate has confirmed Dan Satterlee to serve as U.S. Marshal for South Dakota. Dan has dedicated his career to serving South Dakotans and I’m confident he’ll continue that strong leadership in this new role.

I recently met with members of the Freeman Mennonites in Sioux Falls, SD. It was good to see them, hear their concerns and provide them an update on the work going on in Washington, D.C.

Great news from the House today with the passage of legislation authorizing the year-round sale of E15. This a win for farmers and ranchers AND a win for consumers who would see lower fuel prices at the pump. I look forward to supporting this legislation when it reaches the Senate floor.

Last Friday, I joined Southeast Technical College for the groundbreaking ceremony of its new Wells Fargo Homebuilding Lab. This facility will offer students studying to work in construction fields the opportunity to work year-round in a covered facility on homes that will later be donated to Habitat for Humanity. This is real, hands-on experience for students that will set them up for success after graduating.

Access to affordable housing is essential to strengthening our communities and securing the future of South Dakota. Earlier this year, the Senate passed the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act which includes several of my bills to cut unnecessary red tape that slows housing development. It’s time for the House to take up this legislation. Thank you President Trump for your attention to this matter!

Great to be at the Sanford Underground Research Facility in Lead yesterday to begin the next phase of construction for the Long-Baseline Neutrino Facility and Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment (LBNF/DUNE). @sanfordlab is the result of many people who had a vision to develop a world-class science facility in South Dakota. Always good to be here to celebrate the next milestone.

This week is Small Business Week. I wanted to highlight some wins from the Working Families Tax Cuts (WFTC) that are benefitting small business owners in South Dakota and across the country: Thanks to the WFTC, 12 million small business owners are seeing nearly $7,000 in average tax relief. On top of that, an estimated 1.2 million jobs will be created each year over the next decade thanks to the WFTC. Thank you to South Dakota’s small business owners for the role you play in keeping our communities running strong.

24 years ago, I attended the very first Annual Governor’s Luncheon at Lake Area Technical College. Yesterday, I was grateful to have been back on campus for the same event. Keeping young South Dakotans in South Dakota after graduation matters — their skills are valuable to our workforce and our economy. Lake Area Tech is helping make that happen.

We broke ground today on a new vehicle maintenance shop at the South Dakota National Guard center in Watertown. This project was authorized through last year’s NDAA, and we were able to fund it through the Senate appropriations legislation. This facility will serve national guard units throughout the northeastern part of our state in maintaining their equipment.

Great to be in Huron today to meet with representatives from Hutterite colonies in South Dakota. We had a good discussion about issues that impact their colonies.

Cory Clasemann, President of Southeast Technical College, stopped by to discuss the school’s future goals and plans to expand in order to meet South Dakota’s workforce needs.

Great to meet with leadership from Goodwill of the Great Plains to get an update on the work they’re doing in South Dakota.