{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.thune.senate.gov/news/press-releases/thune-senate-republicans-deliver-for-the-american-people/", "Thune: Senate Republicans Deliver for the American People", "2026-08-07", "2026", "2026-08", "Republican", "Senate", "SD", "John Thune", "T000250", "www.thune.senate.gov", "thune", "https://www.thune.senate.gov/news/press-releases/", "scraper", "Click here to 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, when this Congress began last year, we had a long to-do list.\n\n\u201cThe American people had made their priorities clear.\n\n\u201cAs I said from the start, this Republican majority was ready to deliver.\n\n\u201cRepublicans were committed to strengthening our economic future.\n\n\u201cEnding the \u2026 Biden border crisis.\n\n\u201cAnd making America safer and stronger in the years ahead.\n\n\u201cMr. President, that\u2019s exactly what we\u2019ve been working on these last 19 months.\n\n\u201cAnd the American people are seeing the results of our efforts.\n\n\u201cThe clearest example came this April when [97] percent of Americans saw a tax cut, which meant more of their hard-earned money stayed in their pockets instead of going to the IRS.\n\n\u201cAnd that was thanks to the Working Families Tax Cuts.\n\n\u201cMr. President, that was Republicans\u2019 top priority last year.\n\n\u201cThe American people had suffered for years through an inflation crisis caused by Democrats\u2019 reckless spending.\n\n\u201cAnd they were facing a massive tax hike \u2013 $2,500 for a typical family in my state \u2013 if Congress had failed to act.\n\n\u201cBut the Working Families Tax Cuts made sure that tax hike never came.\n\n\u201cRepublicans delivered permanent, permanent, tax relief that benefited 97 percent of taxpayers this past year.\n\n\u201cWe implemented new tax cuts like no tax on tips or overtime.\n\n\u201cRaised the child tax credit.\n\n\u201cGave seniors an additional $6,000 deduction.\n\n\u201cAnd provided America\u2019s small businesses and family farms and ranches with significant and permanent tax relief too.\n\n\u201cAnd, Mr. President, Republicans haven\u2019t just put more money in hardworking Americans\u2019 pockets.\n\n\u201cWe\u2019ve been working to bring down costs.\n\n\u201cOne of the ways we\u2019re doing that is by lifting unnecessary and burdensome regulations that drive up the cost of things that Americans need.\n\n\u201cWe passed the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act, which cuts red tape that has contributed to homeownership becoming [unaffordable] for too many Americans.\n\n\u201cWe did away with Biden-era regulations that would have driven up the cost of household appliances and energy.\n\n\u201cWe got rid of electrical vehicle mandates that were going to force Americans into pricey electric cars that they didn\u2019t want.\n\n\u201cAnd we\u2019ve taken concrete action to drive down costs at the pharmacy counter, as well.\n\n\u201cWe passed a law to ensure that patients get the savings from any discounts or rebates from their purchases at the pharmacy counter in their health care plans.\n\n\u201cWe removed incentives for pharmacy benefit managers to promote higher-priced medications at the expense of seniors.\n\n\u201cAnd we improved access to more affordable generic drugs.\n\n\u201cMr. President, these are policies that change the math of families\u2019 budgets.\n\n\u201cMore money in their pockets.\n\n\u201cLower costs for the things that they need.\n\n\u201cAnd beyond that, we\u2019ve also taken actions to strengthen our economy for the long term.\n\n\u201cWe\u2019ve seen positive news about a boost in manufacturing in our country thanks in part to the Working Families Tax Cuts.\n\n\u201cOther provisions in that law make education pathways more affordable, strengthen our skilled workforce, and create opportunity for the future.\n\n\u201cThe law also bolstered programs that America\u2019s farmers and ranchers depend on.\n\n\u201cAnd the Working Families Tax Cuts made a generational investment in rural health care providers in all 50 states, putting those providers on a more secure path forward so that Americans in rural areas continue to have access to quality, affordable health care close to home.\n\n\u201cMr. President, I mentioned that ending the border crisis was another priority for this Senate majority.\n\n\u201cAnd we didn\u2019t waste any time getting to work on that either.\n\n\u201cThe first bill we passed was the Laken Riley Act, requiring that illegal immigrants who are arrested for certain crimes aren\u2019t put back on the streets.\n\n\u201cWe also passed the HALT Fentanyl Act to ensure that law enforcement has the tools it needs to go after fentanyl and fentanyl analogues that have taken too many, too many Americans\u2019 lives.\n\n\u201cAnd then there\u2019s the border itself.\n\n\u201cPresident Trump took swift action to secure the border early last year.\n\n\u201cAnd in the Working Families Tax Cuts, we provided the resources necessary to hire more agents, finish the border wall, and keep the border secure permanently.\n\n\u201cMr. President, today illegal border crossings have slowed to a trickle.\n\n\u201cIt\u2019s been like that for just about the entire Trump administration \u2013 an incredible feat considering how bad things were under President Biden.\n\n\u201cAnd thanks to our efforts, the resources are in place to ensure the border stays secure for the long term.\n\n\u201cMr. President, beyond the border, we\u2019ve also been focused on strengthening our military.\n\n\u201cThe Working Families Tax Cuts made a generational investment in our military readiness.\n\n\u201cWe complemented those efforts in last year\u2019s annual defense bill, which, among other things, made significant reforms to the way the Pentagon does business, to ensure that \u2026 tax dollars are being spent to maximum efficiency and effectiveness for our men and women in uniform.\n\n\u201cAnd this year\u2019s National Defense Authorization Act builds on those efforts as well.\n\n\u201cMr. President, we\u2019ve been busy.\n\n\u201cThe Senate has taken close to 900 votes since last January.\n\n\u201cWe\u2019ve been in Washington a lot more than in previous years.\n\n\u201cWe\u2019ve also done a lot of things that haven\u2019t been done in a number of years.\n\n\u201cAs I said, we made generational investments in border security, military readiness, and in rural health care.\n\n\u201cWe approved the most significant tax relief bill in decades.\n\n\u201cWe confirmed 21 Cabinet nominees faster than the last three incoming administrations.\n\n\u201cAnd we passed the first crypto bill ever.\n\n\u201cWe approved a rescissions package that cut billions in federal spending for the first time in literally three decades.\n\n\u201cMr. President, our work continues.\n\n\u201cEarlier this afternoon, we passed the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act, giving the president critical tools to bring peace to Ukraine.\n\n\u201cWe also approved another slate of 74 Trump administration nominees, bringing our total to 590.\n\n\u201cAnd I expect to move forward on additional items very soon.\n\n\u201cMr. President, we\u2019ve been working our way through our to-do list and delivering real wins for the American people.\n\n\u201cAnd the work goes on.\u201d", 1, "2026-08-08T05:41:38Z", "2026-08-08T05:43:24Z"]], "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-senate-republicans-deliver-for-the-american-people/"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.8260528557002544, "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"}