Northeast South Dakota News

U.S. Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) addressed the Senate floor today, emphasizing the need to cut wasteful spending in the federal budget. Thune highlighted a rescissions package proposed by the Trump administration aimed at reducing approximately $9 billion in what he described as "woke and wasteful foreign aid dollars."

Thune expressed disappointment with Democratic opposition to these proposed cuts, stating, "You’d think we were proposing to defund the entire government from the way they’re talking, instead of proposing cuts amounting to approximately one-tenth of 1 percent of the federal budget."

He pointed out that past administrations, including Democrat President Bill Clinton's, had implemented larger rescissions packages relative to total government spending. Thune criticized certain expenditures such as promoting vegan food in Zambia and funding pride parades in Lesotho as examples of misuse of taxpayer money.

"Thankfully, the Trump administration has stopped these ridiculous wastes of taxpayer money," said Thune. He urged Congress to align with these efforts and make necessary adjustments to reflect what he termed "commonsense moves."

Thune also commented on recent increases in federal spending under the Biden administration, noting that "In 2024, federal spending was a staggering 54 percent higher than 2019." He called for bipartisan support for the legislation targeting wasteful spending.

"Here’s a chance for the Democrat leader and his caucus to put their money where their mouth is," Thune concluded.