Northeast South Dakota News

Rep. Dusty Johnson recently visited the Peaceful Pines Senior Living Center in Huron to discuss his legislative work in Washington and highlight policies from the One Big Beautiful Bill aimed at supporting seniors. He emphasized efforts such as reducing taxes on Social Security, increasing access to home and community-based care, and ensuring the sustainability of health and social programs.

During his visit, Johnson also outlined ongoing priorities in Congress, including advocating for a ban on individual stock trading by members of Congress and addressing concerns about foreign ownership of U.S. farmland, particularly by entities linked to the Chinese Communist Party.

Johnson expressed concern over potential security risks posed by Chinese-made technology like LiDAR, which is used in autonomous vehicles and transportation infrastructure projects. He warned that if adversaries such as China gain access to detailed maps of critical infrastructure—including ports, railways, airports, roads, or bridges—they could disrupt supply chains and create national security threats. “The Chinese government will find any avenue to infiltrate and influence the United States. In fact, technology developed and manufactured in China, like LiDAR, can be used as spyware here in the United States. LiDAR is commonly used in autonomous vehicles and transportation projects, creating highly detailed 3-D maps of our infrastructure. If our adversaries, like China, have access to critical infrastructure like maps of ports, railways, airports, roads, or bridges, they could disrupt our supply chains and cause a national security crisis,” Johnson said.

He announced that he has introduced legislation to prevent the U.S. Department of Transportation from using Chinese-manufactured technology for transportation projects. “Congress must protect our critical infrastructure from the malign interests of the Chinese Communist Party,” he stated.

At the South Dakota State Fair—a popular annual event—Johnson participated in honoring Vietnam veterans during the Bull Bash rodeo event hosted by Red Wilk. He also met with members of the South Dakota Pork Producers Association to discuss issues affecting agricultural producers.

Johnson is leading efforts on the Save Our Bacon Act aimed at ending California’s Proposition 12 regulations that impact pork producers nationwide. He discussed topics such as trade policy and commodity prices with local producers at the fair.

Dusty Johnson has represented South Dakota’s at-large district in Congress since 2019 after succeeding Kristi Noem. Born in Pierre in 1976 and currently residing in Mitchell, Johnson graduated from the University of South Dakota with a BA in 1999.