John Thune

Don’t Force New START

December 14th 2010

From National Review Online:

Twenty-four years ago, Pres. Ronald Reagan traveled to Reykjavik, Iceland, to negotiate an arms-control treaty with the Soviet Union. When the Soviets insisted that the treaty must limit America’s missile-defense program, which was designed to guard against intercontinental ballistic missiles, Reagan walked away. He later explained, “We prefer no agreement than to bring home a bad agreement to the United States.”

Apparently times have changed. President Obama wants to jam a deeply flawed arms-control treaty with Russia, known as New START, through a lame-duck session of the Senate just to rack up an accomplishment before the end of the year.

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Press Release:  Sen. Thune Issues Statement on Small Business Provision

November 30th 2010

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Sen. Thune Issues Statement on North Korea

November 30th 2010

From Keloland News:

Thune says North Korea has violated United Nations security resolutions many times, and this latest action is no different. That's why he's pleased the U.S. took action by sending the U.S.S. George Washington to the sea between the countries.

"I think the President took the correct step by getting the carrier group in there and doing these joint exercises with the South Koreans," Thune said. "and hopefully, he's doing everything he can to get China engaged."

That, Thune says, should be the next step, because conflict would threaten the security of all countries involved, including the U.S. and its roughly 30,000 troops stationed in South Korea.

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Sen. Thune’s Plan to Reduce Spending Receives Praise

November 17th 2010

From The U.S. News & World Report:

The GOP is continuing to push back against the Obama-led spending spree from the last two years. It's difficult to do, given that Democrats still have the capacity to pass a continuing resolution to fund the government through the next few months—in lieu of the yearly appropriations bills—that would give them the authority to do much of what they want to do over the next two years even if the Republicans object.

Nevertheless, individual leaders are stepping up to the plate and offering their own ideas to bring down spending. On Tuesday the Senate Republican Caucus approved a resolution introduced by South Dakota Sen. John Thune "to cut federal non-security discretionary spending to fiscal year 2008 levels," a move that, if implemented, would roll back federal outlays considerably.

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Sen. Thune Writes Editorial on Midterm Elections

November 5th 2010

From CNN:

This past Tuesday, the American people sent President Obama and congressional Democrats an unmistakable message -- stop what you are doing. In fact, Americans have been delivering this message for nearly two years, but Democrats in Washington chose to turn a deaf ear to the American people while voter anxiety and frustration grew.

When Democrats took charge of the federal government two years ago in the midst of a severe recession, their priority should have been to fix the economy so people can find jobs. But President Obama, following Rahm Emanuel's advice to never let a good crisis go to waste, proceeded to jam through one expensive policy after another. He succeeded only in strangling job-creation and piling up dangerous levels of national debt.

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