US CONGRESS · SITTING

John Thune

Senator for South Dakota · Republican · United States

IN THEIR OWN WORDS

“Around this time last year, during Democrats' record-long government shutdown, Senate Democrats were working to end this program. I am curious if the Democrat leader would like to claw back the $212 million that rural healthcare providers in New York are going to receive from this program this year.”
Senate29 September 2026Source ↗

“Well, perhaps the Democrat leader should check in with his State's Governor, who said of a recent $76 million investment from this program: These investments will bring rural hospitals, health centers and community providers together to strengthen regional health care networks and make it easier for New Yorkers to get the care they need c…”
Senate29 September 2026Source ↗

“This funding will help expand crisis services and build out our State's workforce in behavioral healthcare, and it comes after another announcement in August of funding to modernize technology and strengthen cyber security at rural healthcare providers in South Dakota, an initiative that will not only modernize care in my State but also s…”
Senate29 September 2026Source ↗

“Mr. President, we are coming to the end of the first year of the Rural Health Transformation Program. This multiyear initiative created in Republicans' Working Families Tax Cut legislation will invest $50 billion in all 50 States to put rural healthcare providers on a more sustainable footing for the future.”
Senate29 September 2026Source ↗

“In the words of South Dakota Secretary of Health Melissa Magstadt, ``the initiatives that we've developed came strictly from the assessments we had, the expert input we garnered, and what citizens themselves said they needed in the community.'' That is exactly how the Rural Health Transformation Program is supposed to work, and it is not…”
Senate29 September 2026Source ↗

“Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate now proceed to the en bloc consideration of the following resolutions, which are at the desk: S. Res. 922, S. Res. 923, S. Res. 924, S. Res. 925, S. Res. 926, S. Res. 927, and S. Res. 928. There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the resolutions en bloc. Mr.”
Senate29 September 2026Source ↗

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“We have also spent this Congress cutting burdensome regulations that have driven up prices for hard-working Americans, from the California electric vehicle mandate, which would have forced Americans into costly electric cars, to regulations that would have driven up the cost of appliances. We passed landmark housing legislation in June to help keep hard- working Americans from being priced out of the housing market, and we took action to drive down costs at the pharmacy counter as well. We passed a law to ensure that patients get the savings from any discounts or rebates from their purchases at the pharmacy counter in their healthcare plans. We removed incentives for pharmacy benefit managers to promote higher priced medications at the expense of seniors. And we improved access to more affordable generic drugs.”
Senate14 September 2026Source ↗
“In 2025, we not only made that increase permanent, we boosted the child tax credit even further and indexed it to inflation so its value will never go down. We also implemented no tax on tips and no tax on overtime, substantially lowering the tax bills of millions of hard-working Americans, from Uber and Lyft drivers to hairdressers, to police officers. And we added a new bonus deduction for seniors, making retirement more affordable for millions of older Americans. And our efforts to help Americans keep more of their hard-earned money didn't stop with the Working Families Tax Cuts.”
Senate14 September 2026Source ↗
“For a typical family in my State, that would have meant sending an additional $2,500 a year to Washington. Well, Republicans were not going to let that happen. And so in 2025, we passed the Working Families Tax Cut--sometimes known as the One Big Beautiful Bill--to prevent this massive tax hike on hard-working Americans. We made the increased standard deduction permanent; we made the lower tax rates permanent; and we made the increased child tax credit permanent. In other words, more money in American families' pockets permanently. But we didn't stop there. We were well aware that Americans had had a very rough time financially under the Biden administration and so we took action to put additional money in hard-working Americans' pockets. In 2017, we had doubled the child tax credit.”
Senate14 September 2026Source ↗
“And they presided over 4 straight years--4 straight years--of recordbreaking-- recordbreaking--illegal immigration. Republicans' priority when we came into office was dealing with the effects of these crises, and that started with preventing a massive tax hike on hard-working Americans. As everyone knows, during the first Trump administration, Republicans passed a historic reform of our Tax Code. We cut tax rates across the board, doubled the child tax credit, and nearly doubled the standard deduction. But that tax relief was scheduled to expire at the end of 2025. The standard deduction, which is claimed by 90 percent of Americans on their taxes, would have shrunk, increasing the amount of Americans' income the government could tax. Tax rates would have increased. The child tax credit would have been reduced by 50 percent.”
Senate14 September 2026Source ↗
“Madam President, it is hard to believe that we are in the last few months of the 119th Congress. Two years ago at this time, Democrats were still in charge, and the country was dealing with the two defining legacies of the Biden administration: a historic inflation crisis and a historic immigration crisis. And I don't use the word ``historic'' lightly, but those two crises were truly historic. Democrats presided over the worst inflation crisis in 40 years, with inflation reaching 7, 8, and 9 percent.”
Senate14 September 2026Source ↗
“Madam President, on Friday, our Nation paused to observe the 25th anniversary of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. The passage of time has only emphasized the need for remembrance. For many of us, the events of that day are as fresh and clear as they were yesterday. But there are so many young Americans--young adults even, now--who were not alive then and who do not remember the grief of that day, the evil we saw, and the patriotism and resolve that rose from the ashes.”
Senate14 September 2026Source ↗
“Madam President, I ask unanimous consent to waive the mandatory quorum call with respect to the Byrne nomination.”
Senate14 September 2026Source ↗
“Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.”
Senate14 September 2026Source ↗
“Madam President, if there is no further business to come before the Senate, I ask that it stand adjourned under the previous order. There being no objection, the Senate, at 4:56 a.m., adjourned until Monday, August 10, 2026, at 10 a.m. ____________________”
Senate7 August 2026Source ↗
“Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that when the Senate adjourns on Thursday, September 10, it stand adjourned until 3 p.m.”
Senate7 August 2026Source ↗
“Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill be printed in the Record. There being no objection, the text of the bill was ordered to be printed in the Record, as follows: S. 5359 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.”
Senate7 August 2026Source ↗
“Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that notwithstanding the upcoming adjournment of the Senate, the President of the Senate, the President pro tempore, and the majority and minority leaders be authorized to make appointments to Commissions, Committees, Boards, Conferences, or Interparliamentary Conferences authorized by law, by concurrent action of the two Houses, or by order of the Senate.”
Senate7 August 2026Source ↗
“Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that all Members of the Republican conference be authorized to sign duly enrolled bills or joint resolutions from August 7 through September 14.”
Senate7 August 2026Source ↗
“Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that notwithstanding rule XXII, at a time to be determined by the majority leader in concurrence with the Democratic leader, no later than Friday, October 2, H. Con Res.”
Senate7 August 2026Source ↗
“3633, a bill to provide for a system of regulation of the offer and sale of digital commodities by the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, to amend the Federal Reserve Act to prohibit the Federal reserve banks from offering certain products or services directly to an individual, to prohibit the use of central bank digital currency for monetary policy, and for other purposes. Cloture Motion Mr. THUNE. Madam President, I send a cloture motion to the desk.”
Senate7 August 2026Source ↗
“Madam President, I move to proceed to Calendar No. 423, H.R. 3633.”
Senate7 August 2026Source ↗
“Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate resume legislative session.”
Senate7 August 2026Source ↗
“Madam President, I send a cloture motion to the desk.”
Senate7 August 2026Source ↗
“Madam President, I move to proceed to executive session to consider Calendar No. 902.”
Senate7 August 2026Source ↗
“Madam President, I move to adjourn pursuant to the previous order.”
Senate7 August 2026Source ↗
“Madam President, I move to proceed to Calendar No. 547, S. 5271.”
Senate7 August 2026Source ↗
“Madam President, I ask unanimous consent to waive the mandatory quorum calls with respect to the Blanche nomination and the cloture motion on the motions to proceed to S. 5271.”
Senate7 August 2026Source ↗
“Mr. President, I suggest the absence of a quorum.”
Senate7 August 2026Source ↗
“Mr. President, I also ask unanimous consent that all pending amendments and motions be withdrawn and the only amendments remaining in order be the following to be offered by the sponsor or their designee and with 2 minutes of debate, equally divided, prior to each vote: Collins No. 6732; Collins No. 6750; and Budd No. 6747; further, upon the use or yielding back of that time, the Senate vote in relation to the Budd amendment, if offered; and upon disposition of the amendment, the Collins amendment No. 6732, as amended, if amended, be agreed to; that the bill, as amended, be read a third time and the Senate vote on passage of the bill, as amended, with 60 affirmative votes required for passage; finally, if passed, the Collins amendment to the title, No.”
Senate7 August 2026Source ↗
“Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that notwithstanding rule XXII, the Senate vote on the cloture motion with respect to the motion to proceed to S. 4668 at a time to be determined by the majority leader, in consultation with the Democratic leader, no earlier than September 15 and no later than September 23.”
Senate7 August 2026Source ↗
“And I expect to move forward on additional items very soon. We have been working our way through our to-do list and delivering real wins for the American people. And the work goes on. I yield the floor.”
Senate7 August 2026Source ↗
“We have been in Washington a lot more than in previous years. We have also done a lot of things that haven't been done in a number of years. As I said, we made generational investments in border security, military readiness, and in rural healthcare. We approved the most significant tax relief bill in decades. We confirmed 21 Cabinet nominees faster than the last three incoming administrations. And we passed the first crypto bill ever. We approved a rescissions package that cut billions in Federal spending for the first time in literally three decades. Our work continues. Earlier this afternoon, we passed the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act, giving the President critical tools to bring peace to Ukraine. We also approved another slate of 74 Trump administration nominees, bringing our total to 590.”
Senate7 August 2026Source ↗
“It has been like that for just about the entire Trump administration, an incredible feat considering how bad things were under President Biden. And thanks to our efforts, the resources are in place to ensure the border stays secure for the long term. Beyond the border, we have also been focused on strengthening our military. The Working Families Tax Cuts made a generational investment in our military readiness. We complemented those efforts in last year's annual Defense bill which, among other things, made significant reforms to the way the Pentagon does business to ensure that tax dollars are being spent to maximum efficiency and effectiveness for our men and women in uniform. And this year's National Defense Authorization Act builds on those efforts as well. We have been busy. The Senate has taken close to 900 votes since last January.”
Senate7 August 2026Source ↗
“I mentioned that ending the border crisis was another priority for the Senate majority, and we didn't waste any time getting to work on that either. The first bill we passed was the Laken Riley Act, requiring that illegal immigrants who are arrested for certain crimes aren't put back on the streets. We also passed the HALT Fentanyl Act to ensure that law enforcement has the tools it needs to go after fentanyl and fentanyl analogs that have taken too many--too many--American lives. And then there is the border itself. President Trump took swift action to secure the border early last year, and in the Working Families Tax Cuts, we provided the resources necessary to hire more agents, finish the border wall, and keep the border secure permanently. Today, illegal border crossings have slowed to a trickle.”
Senate7 August 2026Source ↗
“And beyond that, we have also taken actions to strengthen our economy for the long term. We have seen positive news about a boost in manufacturing in our country thanks, in part, to the Working Families Tax Cuts. Other provisions in that law make education pathways more affordable, strengthen our skilled workforce, and create opportunity for the future. The law also bolstered programs that America's farmers and ranchers depend on, and the Working Families Tax Cuts made a generational investment in rural healthcare providers in all 50 States, putting those providers on a more secure path forward so that Americans in rural areas can continue to have access to quality, affordable healthcare close to home.”
Senate7 August 2026Source ↗
“We did away with Biden-era regulations that would have driven up the cost of household appliances and energy. We got rid of electrical vehicle mandates that were going to force Americans into pricey electric cars that they didn't want, and we have taken concrete action to drive down costs at the pharmacy counter as well. We passed a law to ensure that patients get the savings from any discounts or rebates from their purchases at the pharmacy counter and their healthcare plans. We removed incentives for pharmacy benefit managers to promote higher priced medications at the expense of seniors. And we approved access to more affordable generic drugs. These are policies that change the math of families' budgets: more money in their pockets, lower costs for the things that they need.”
Senate7 August 2026Source ↗
“Republicans were committed to strengthening our economic future, ending the Biden border crisis and making America safer and stronger in the years ahead. That is exactly what we have been working on these last 19 months, and the American people are seeing the results of our efforts. The clearest example came this April when 90 percent of Americans saw a tax cut which meant more of their hard-earned money stayed in their pockets instead of going to the IRS. That was thanks to the Working Families Tax Cuts. That was Republicans' top priority last year. The American people had suffered for years through an inflation crisis caused by Democrats' reckless spending, and they were facing a massive tax hike, $2,500 for a typical family in my State if Congress had failed to act. But the Working Families Tax Cuts made sure that tax hike never came.”
Senate7 August 2026Source ↗
“Mr. President, just before I begin my remarks, I would associate myself with the remarks of my colleague from South Dakota pertaining to the Postal Service and their work in South Dakota. If there was a way to build an incredibly inefficient model, they have figured out how to do it. It needs to be fixed. I share his view, and we will work with him to insist and ensure that they make changes that improve the service that affects the constituents, the people that we represent and serve. Republican Party Accomplishments Mr. President, when this Congress began last year, we had a long to- do list. The American people had made their priorities clear. As I said from the start, this Republican majority was ready to deliver.”
Senate7 August 2026Source ↗
“Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent to waive the mandatory quorum call with respect to the cloture motion on Collins substitute amendment No. 6732.”
Senate7 August 2026Source ↗
“Mr. President, I ask for the yeas and nays.”
Senate7 August 2026Source ↗
“Mr. President, if there is no further business to come before the Senate, I ask that it stand adjourned under the previous order. There being no objection, the Senate, at 9:43 p.m., adjourned until Friday, August 7, 2026, at 10 a.m. ____________________”
Senate6 August 2026Source ↗
“Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that when the Senate completes its business today, it stand adjourned until 10 a.m. on Friday, August 7; that following the prayer and pledge, the Journal of proceedings be approved to date, the morning hour be deemed expired, the time for the two leaders be reserved for their use later in the day, morning business be closed, and notwithstanding rule XXII, the Senate proceed to executive session to resume consideration of the nominations en bloc pursuant to S. Res.”
Senate6 August 2026Source ↗
“attorney's office investigating the matter is seeking employee testimony from Senator Warren's office for use in its investigation and in any future legal proceedings arising in this matter. The Senator would like to cooperate with this request by providing relevant employee testimony from her office. This resolution would authorize employees in the office of Senator Warren to provide relevant testimony in this investigation and any future legal proceedings in this matter, with representation by the Senate legal counsel. Mr. THUNE. I ask unanimous consent that the resolutions be agreed to, the preambles be agreed to, and that the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table, all en bloc.”
Senate6 August 2026Source ↗
“Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate now proceed to the en bloc consideration of the following resolutions which are at the desk: S. Res. 836, S. Res. 837, S. Res. 838, S. Res. 839, and S. Res 840. There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the resolutions en bloc. S. Res. 840 Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, this resolution concerns a request for evidence related to an investigation of an individual who made a threat against Senator Elizabeth Warren in a communication sent to the Senator's office. The U.S.”
Senate6 August 2026Source ↗
“Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that notwithstanding rule XXII, at 11:30 a.m. on Friday, the Senate resume legislative session and proceed to consideration of H.R. 5334; further, that the only amendments in order be the following to be offered by the sponsor or their designee and with 2 minutes of debate, equally divided, prior to each vote and up to 5 minutes under the control of Senator Graham prior to the vote on passage: Graham-Blumenthal No. 6711, Graham No. 6712, and Paul No.”
Senate6 August 2026Source ↗
“I extend my sincere thanks and appreciation to Walker for all of the fine work he has done and wish him continued success in the years to come. ____________________”
Senate6 August 2026Source ↗
“I extend my sincere thanks and appreciation to Tyler for all of the fine work he has done and wish him continued success in the years to come. ____________________”
Senate6 August 2026Source ↗
“Mr. President, today I recognize Tyler Groen, an intern in my Washington, DC, office, for all of the hard work he has done for me, my staff, and the State of South Dakota over the past several weeks. Tyler is a graduate of Brandon Valley High School in Brandon, SD, and a recent graduate of South Dakota State University in Brookings, SD, having earned a degree in human biology. Next year, Tyler plans to attend medical school. He is a hard worker who has been dedicated to getting the most out of his internship experience.”
Senate6 August 2026Source ↗
“I extend my sincere thanks and appreciation to Nathan for all of the fine work he has done and wish him continued success in the years to come. ____________________”
Senate6 August 2026Source ↗
“Mr. President, today I recognize Nathan Fairholm, an intern in my Washington, DC, office, for all of the hard work he has done for me, my staff, and the State of South Dakota over the past several weeks. Nathan is a graduate of Vermillion High School in Vermillion, SD. Currently, he is attending Brigham Young University in Provo, UT, where he is pursuing a degree in political science. He is a hard worker who has been dedicated to getting the most out of his internship experience.”
Senate6 August 2026Source ↗
“Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate resume legislative session and be in a period of morning business with Senators permitted to speak therein for up to 10 minutes each.”
Senate6 August 2026Source ↗
“Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to executive session and consider the following nominations en bloc: Calendar No. 877 and all nominations on the Secretary's desk in the Marine Corps; that the nominations be confirmed en bloc; that the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table with no intervening action or debate; that no further motions be in order to the nomination; and that the President be immediately notified of the Senate's action.”
Senate6 August 2026Source ↗
“Mr. President, if there is no further business to come before the Senate, I ask that it stand adjourned under the previous order. There being no objection, the Senate, at 7:12 p.m., adjourned until Thursday, August 6, 2026, at 10 a.m. ____________________”
Senate5 August 2026Source ↗
“Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that when the Senate completes its business today, it stand adjourned until 10 a.m. on Thursday, August 6; that following the prayer and pledge, the Journal of proceedings be approved to date, the morning hour be deemed expired, the time for the two leaders be reserved for their use later in the day, morning business be closed, and the Senate proceed to executive session to resume consideration of the nominations en bloc pursuant to S. Res.”
Senate5 August 2026Source ↗
“Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of Calendar No. 256, S. 850.”
Senate5 August 2026Source ↗

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