{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.thune.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases?ID=136039E3-9F71-4DFF-AE86-86331DD02CDF", "Thune Commemorates C-SPAN\u2019s 40th Senate Anniversary and Discusses Recent Work in South Dakota", "2026-06-02", "2026", "2026-06", "Republican", "Senate", "SD", "John Thune", "T000250", "www.thune.senate.gov", "thune", "https://www.thune.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/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, as we begin our proceedings this morning, I want to take a moment to recognize a milestone here in the Senate.\n\n\u201cOn this day 40 years ago, C-SPAN broadcast the United States Senate for the very first time.\n\n\u201cOn June 2, 1986, the American people were able to turn on their televisions and see the Senate come to order and their senators engage in debate until the gavel dropped later that day.\n\n\u201cGavel-to-gavel coverage, Mr. President.\n\n\u201cThat\u2019s the C-SPAN way.\n\n\u201cAnd over the last 40 years, C-SPAN hasn\u2019t missed a beat.\n\n\u201cIt\u2019s captured 43,830 hours of Senate proceedings.\n\n\u201cBroadcast 169,000 speeches by hundreds of United States senators who have served in these halls.\n\n\u201cAnd captured the moments large and small \u2013 historic and human \u2013 that make up the United States Senate.\n\n\u201cMr. President, on that day, that first day 40 years ago, the Senate was considering an education bill.\n\n\u201cAnd what a fitting topic of discussion for C-SPAN\u2019s first day covering this chamber.\n\n\u201cEducation is C-SPAN\u2019s entire mission.\n\n\u201cC-SPAN urges its viewers to \u2018Make Up Your Own Mind.\u2019\n\n\u201cAnd for 40 years, C-SPAN has enabled the American people to make up their own minds about what we do here in the Senate.\n\n\u201cIt\u2019s helped countless American students see the legislative process in action.\n\n\u201cAnd it\u2019s ensured that what happens here is lost neither to the day\u2019s news cycle nor to history.\n\n\u201cAnd I trust that C-SPAN will continue to offer the American people a front-row seat to the Senate for many decades to come.\n\n\u201cMr. President, C-SPAN captures a lot of our work here in Washington, but just as important is the work that senators do back in our states.\n\n\u201cLast week, the cameras were off here in the chamber, and senators were back at home hearing from the people that we all represent.\n\n\u201cI spent last week back home in South Dakota, traveling around my state and hearing directly from South Dakotans.\n\n\u201cI had a chance to catch up with the mayors of Webster and Lennox.\n\n\u201cMayor Danny Fergen of Lennox took me around his city.\n\n\u201cHe showed me new housing developments in Lennox.\n\n\u201cI saw the city\u2019s infrastructure needs.\n\n\u201cAnd we went down Main Street to a few businesses, including El Mariachi restaurant.\n\n\u201cMr. President, I also spent some time up in northeastern South Dakota.\n\n\u201cAs I mentioned, I met with the mayor of Webster, Mike Grosek.\n\n\u201cAnd I dropped by a few local businesses that are benefiting from the permanent tax relief Republicans delivered in the Working Families Tax Cuts.\n\n\u201cI went to the Three22 Kitchen and Cocktails in Aberdeen and saw the Main Street expansion that the owners have undertaken, including the first rooftop lounge in the city.\n\n\u201cI visited \u2018Quite Possibly the Coolest Store Ever,\u2019 the Hitch\u2019n Post, a family-owned business that has been an icon in Aberdeen for over 50 years and was recently named one of America\u2019s best western retailers.\n\n\u201cAnd then over at the Meathouse in Andover, I had a conversation about the local agricultural economy \u2026 with the ranchers \u2026 who run that business and who take pride in their home-raised beef.\n\n\u201cMr. President, I\u2019ve [also] valued the opportunity I\u2019ve had lately to spend some time hearing from South Dakota\u2019s young people.\n\n\u201cThis past month, I\u2019ve been in classrooms in Winner, Rapid City, and Sioux Falls.\n\n\u201cAnd we\u2019ve had a number of school groups visiting Washington, D.C., as well.\n\n\u201cI attended the Dakota Relays at the beginning of May and then the state track meet this past Friday.\n\n\u201cAnd last week, I had the privilege of speaking at Boys State at Northern State University and then at Girls State at the University of South Dakota in Vermillion.\n\n\u201cMr. President, it\u2019s always a pleasure to get to talk with young people and to hear what\u2019s on their minds and what their dreams are for their futures.\n\n\u201cAnd I suppose, Mr. President, that\u2019s because on any given day here in the Senate, that\u2019s what our focus as Republicans boils down to: cultivating a brighter future for young people and for all Americans.\n\n\u201cA future that\u2019s secure.\n\n\u201cWith greater prosperity.\n\n\u201cAnd more opportunities to get ahead.\n\n\u201cThat\u2019s our focus here in the Senate, Mr. President.\n\n\u201cAnd it\u2019s what we continue to work toward every day.\u201d", 1, "2026-06-03T06:40:39Z", "2026-06-03T06:42:22Z"]], "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/public/index.cfm/press-releases?ID=136039E3-9F71-4DFF-AE86-86331DD02CDF"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.9421919714659452, "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"}