John Thune

Local airport gets $247K

June 10th 2009

Reported in the Brookings Register:

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has awarded $247,270 to the City of Brookings, Sen. John Thune, R-S .D., announced Friday.

The funding will help pay for replacing snow removal equipment and conducting an environmental impact study for the Brookings Regional Airport.

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Sen. Thune: Sotomayor vote might not happen until September

June 9th 2009

From CNN Political Editor Mark Preston:

While Democrats are hoping the Senate vote on Judge Sonia Sotomayor's nomination to the Supreme Court takes place by the congressional summer recess, Republican Sen. John Thune told CNN Radio Tuesday he thinks the vote might not occur until September.

"I don't think there is any rush, only because the new court doesn't open until October," the South Dakota Republican said in an interview with Mark Preston and Lisa Desjardins.

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Thune urges USDA to approve more conservation acreage in South Dakota

June 9th 2009

The Daily Republic Reports:

U.S. Senator John Thune today sent a letter to U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Tom Vilsack urging him to reconsider the Farm Service Agency request from South Dakota that would enroll 20,000 additional acres in the State Acres for Wildlife Enhancement (SAFE) program. The USDA recently denied the original request.

“South Dakota landowners have stepped up to participate in this important conservation program,” said Thune. “Our state reaps considerable ecological and economic benefit from responsible conservation practices that provide critical habitat for pheasants and other species, and the SAFE program is a vital part of that effort. USDA erred in denying the South Dakota Farm Service Agency’s original request, and I urge Secretary Vilsack to reconsider that decision.”

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Press Release: Thune Launches Supreme Court Blog

June 8th 2009

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Unfair Government Competition Undercuts Private Business

June 5th 2009

This column, by U.S. Senator John Thune, appeared in The Hill:

I have introduced a bill, the Freedom from Government Competition Act (S. 1167), that would require the federal government to rely on the private sector when providing services that are readily available. This legislation does not mandate the privatization of any federal service, but instead codifies the “Yellow Pages” test, which says that if a federal service can also be found in the Yellow Pages, that service or product should be subject to market competition. Studies have shown that such competition could save taxpayers up to $28 billion annually.

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