Northeast South Dakota News

U.S. Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) addressed the Senate floor to discuss the ongoing appropriations process. Thune highlighted that the Senate Appropriations Committee, led by Chair Collins, has released four bipartisan appropriations bills. He noted the unusual step of bringing appropriations legislation to the floor this week.

Thune emphasized his commitment to restoring a regular-order appropriations process, where bills are debated and amended on the Senate floor. The Military Construction and Veterans Affairs appropriations bill for fiscal year 2026 is currently under consideration. This bill was approved by the Senate Appropriations Committee with a vote of 26 to 3.

The MilCon-VA appropriations bill provides funding for veterans' health care, benefits, and military construction projects globally. Thune expressed satisfaction with provisions for telehealth services and rural health care access. He also mentioned funding for electronic health records modernization and facilities for the new B-21 bomber at Ellsworth Air Force Base in South Dakota.

Thune highlighted other key appropriations bills reported by the committee, including those focused on agriculture, commerce-justice-science, and legislative branch funding. He expressed gratitude to Chair Collins, Vice Chair Murray, and committee members for their work.

He urged Democrats to support a bipartisan appropriations process and expressed hope for bipartisan passage of appropriation bills on the Senate floor. Thune criticized a recent letter from a Democrat leader threatening a government shutdown but remained optimistic about continued bipartisan cooperation.