{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.thune.senate.gov/news/press-releases/thune-honors-members-of-the-united-states-military/", "Thune Honors Members of the United States Military", "2026-05-18", "2026", "2026-05", "Republican", "Senate", "SD", "John Thune", "T000250", "www.thune.senate.gov", "thune", "https://www.thune.senate.gov/news/press-releases/", "scraper", "Clickhereto watch the video.\n\nWASHINGTON \u2014 U.S. Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) today delivered the following remarks on the Senate floor:\n\nThune\u2019s remarks below (as delivered):\n\n\u201cMr. President, the month of May is dedicated to America\u2019s finest.\n\n\u201cWe observed Police Week and Peace Officers Memorial Day last week, and the entire month of May is Military Appreciation Month.\n\n\u201cArmed Forces Day was Saturday, and next week we will observe Memorial Day and remember all those who have laid down their lives in America\u2019s service.\n\n\u201cMr. President, it\u2019s an extraordinary thing they do, the men and women who sign up to join our military.\n\n\u201cThey don\u2019t simply choose service; they choose a kind of service that may require them to sacrifice everything.\n\n\u201cAnd they do it. Willingly. Proudly.\n\n\u201cFor love of their country.\n\n\u201cFor love of their fellow soldiers.\n\n\u201cAnd for love of their fellow man.\n\n\u201cMr. President, we live in a country of unmatched blessing.\n\n\u201cAnd it can be easy to take that for granted.\n\n\u201cTo take our prosperity, our freedom, our peace and safety as a given.\n\n\u201cBut they are not a given, Mr. President.\n\n\u201cThey are secured for us \u2013 and have been secured for us \u2013 by the men and women of the United States military.\n\n\u201cThat\u2019s not patriotic rhetoric.\n\n\u201cThat is a fact.\n\n\u201cNone of the blessings we enjoy as citizens of the United States would last long in the absence of the men and women who commit their lives to defending them.\n\n\u201cMr. President, my job as a senator gives me the privilege of regularly getting to interact with our military men and women.\n\n\u201cThat might be at Ellsworth Air Force Base talking to airmen about recent B-1 or MQ-9 combat operations or the fast-approaching B-21 mission.\n\n\u201cIt might be welcoming home South Dakota National Guard troops or our 114th Fighter Wing from a deployment.\n\n\u201cOr it might be greeting veterans on an Honor Flight here in Washington, D.C.\n\n\u201cIt is a privilege, Mr. President.\n\n\u201cTo talk to men and women who have not only chosen to serve a cause greater than themselves, but have committed to giving their lives for that cause if necessary.\n\n\u201cTheir pride, their professionalism, their enthusiasm \u2013 their wholehearted embrace of our country\u2019s ideals \u2013 there is nothing more inspiring and uplifting than meeting the men and women of the United States military.\n\n\u201cMr. President, I\u2019ve talked about our armed forces\u2019 willingness to sacrifice \u2013 to lay down their lives if necessary to protect our country.\n\n\u201cAnd across the river from the Capitol building where we stand, at Arlington National Cemetery, rows upon rows of white markers bear witness to the men and women who have made that ultimate sacrifice.\n\n\u201cAnd not just on Memorial Day, but every day \u2013 every day, Mr. President \u2013 we need to remember them.\n\n\u201cTo remember that our freedom has been secured for us at a great cost.\n\n\u201cAnd to live in such a way as to honor that sacrifice.\n\n\u201cMr. President, no discussion of the service of our military men and women is complete without mentioning their families.\n\n\u201cThey too embrace a cause greater than themselves.\n\n\u201cThey also serve, and often without recognition.\n\n\u201cThey endure long absences from their loved ones, missed birthdays and date nights and dinners.\n\n\u201cFrequent moves, new schools, and job changes.\n\n\u201cAnd for some, their loved one never comes home.\n\n\u201cAnd just as we remember our soldiers this month, we remember their families.\n\n\u201cTheir families, and what they too have given in the service of our country.\n\n\u201cMr. President, as we celebrate Military Appreciation Month, Armed Forces Day, and Memorial Day, my prayers and gratitude are with the men and women of the United States military.\n\n\u201cGod bless and protect them as they stand on guard for us.\u201d", 1, "2026-06-27T20:01:11Z", "2026-06-27T22:21:02Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.thune.senate.gov/news/press-releases/thune-honors-members-of-the-united-states-military/"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 2.084794919937849, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}