Northeast South Dakota News

U.S. Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) marked the upcoming one-month anniversary of the Senate's passage of the One Big Beautiful Bill in remarks delivered on the Senate floor Wednesday.

Thune outlined several provisions included in the legislation, highlighting funding for military readiness, border security measures, and support for local law enforcement. He said, “Sorely needed funding to restore our military readiness and ensure that our men and women in uniform are fully equipped to defend our country.”

The bill also addresses fiscal concerns by including $1.5 trillion in Byrd-compliant savings aimed at reducing waste, fraud, and abuse within government spending.

On tax policy, Thune emphasized that the bill was designed to prevent what he described as a looming $4 trillion tax increase next year. According to Thune, this would have resulted in a $2,500 increase for a typical family in South Dakota. He stated, “And so months before last year’s elections, we started laying the groundwork for an extension of the 2017 tax relief to prevent tax hikes on hardworking Americans.”

The legislation makes permanent the 2017 tax relief measures and introduces new provisions such as increasing the child tax credit to $2,200 with adjustments for inflation. The standard deduction has been raised and a new $6,000 bonus deduction has been added for seniors receiving Social Security benefits.

Other changes include eliminating taxes on tips received by millions of tipped workers—including rideshare drivers and restaurant servers—and removing taxes on overtime pay for hourly workers such as nurses and police officers.

Additional elements allow Americans to deduct interest costs from new cars made domestically and create investment accounts for children with initial government deposits.

Thune concluded his remarks by stressing the importance of informing constituents about these changes: “A lot of time went into putting together this bill, and an equal amount of time – or more – needs to be spent ensuring that hardworking Americans are aware of the opportunities this bill offers.” He encouraged lawmakers to discuss these details directly with their communities.

He ended by acknowledging recent challenges faced by many Americans but expressed optimism about future prospects: “Let’s make sure they know that a brighter future is on the way.”