{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.thune.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases?ID=3268BB2B-F406-40C5-974F-A479B8BA4751", "Thune: Let\u2019s Get to Work", "2022-11-15", "2022", "2022-11", "Republican", "Senate", "SD", "John Thune", "T000250", "www.thune.senate.gov", "thune", "https://www.thune.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases", "scraper", "Click here or above to watch the video.\n\nWASHINGTON \u2014 U.S. Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) today expressed his profound gratitude to the people of South Dakota for once again trusting him to represent them in Washington. Thune discussed how growing up in rural South Dakota helped shape his political philosophy, work ethic, and values. His top priority remains doing everything he can to help better the lives of families across the state and country.\n\nThune\u2019s remarks below (as prepared for delivery):\n\n\u201cMr. President, I want to begin my remarks today by expressing my profound gratitude to the people of South Dakota for once again trusting me to serve as their senator.\n\n\u201cI am deeply grateful to live in South Dakota and to represent the Mount Rushmore State.\n\n\u201cThere are a lot of things that make our state special, like its incredible natural beauty, a legacy of military service, or the fact that our state is a great place to raise a family.\n\n\u201cBut what really makes our state tick, what really makes it special, is our people.\n\n\u201cAnd it is the honor of my life to represent South Dakotans in the U.S. Senate.\n\n\u201cGrowing up in Murdo, South Dakota \u2013 population: 456 \u2013 I learned the character of South Dakotans.\n\n\u201cThe work ethic.\n\n\u201cThe love of country and commitment to freedom \u2013 coupled with a belief in personal responsibility.\n\n\u201cAnd the sense of responsibility to the broader community.\n\n\u201cLife in rural South Dakota can be tough, but growing up we knew that we were not on our own.\n\n\u201cIn Murdo, we knew that if a roof collapsed under the weight of snow, or a windstorm came through and wiped out a barn, or we lost a friend or family member, the whole community would rally around to help.\n\n\u201cThe values I learned growing up in South Dakota helped shape my political philosophy and are values I strive to reflect every day here in the Senate.\n\n\u201cAnd as I continue my work here in Washington, my top priority will always be doing everything I can to make life better for South Dakota families.\n\n\u201cMr. President, our country is facing some big challenges.\n\n\u201cA security crisis at our southern border.\n\n\u201cA growing energy problem.\n\n\u201cA serious crime problem.\n\n\u201cAnd the worst inflation crisis in decades.\n\n\u201cI talked to a lot of South Dakotans as I traveled around the state this fall, and over and over I heard about the toll inflation is taking on family budgets \u2013 and on the livelihood of farmers and ranchers in our state.\n\n\u201cSince President Biden took office, the price of groceries has increased 18 percent.\n\n\u201cElectricity bills have increased by 22 percent.\n\n\u201cUtility gas bills have increased by 46 percent.\n\n\u201cRent prices are up.\n\n\u201cCar prices are up.\n\n\u201cThe price of car maintenance is up.\n\n\u201cFarmers and ranchers are facing higher feed costs.\n\n\u201cHigher fertilizer costs.\n\n\u201cHigher fuel costs.\n\n\u201cGas prices have increased by $1.37 per gallon since President Biden took office.\n\n\u201cAnd the price increase for diesel \u2013 which powers so much farm and ranch equipment\u2013 has been even worse.\n\n\u201cAll told, inflation is currently costing the average household a staggering $753 a month.\n\n\u201c$753.\n\n\u201cEach month.\n\n\u201cAmericans can\u2019t afford that.\n\n\u201cIt\u2019s no wonder that inflation topped the list of issues Americans were concerned about when they went to the polls.\n\n\u201cOr that 76 percent of voters rated the economy negatively.\n\n\u201cRegardless of who\u2019s in charge over the next two years, Congress needs to spend its time focused on real solutions to our inflation crisis and the other challenges facing our country.\n\n\u201cI want to congratulate our new Republican senators.\n\n\u201cAnd I look forward to the ideas they will bring to the table and working with them to implement solutions to make life better for American workers and American families.\n\n\u201cMr. President, it\u2019s been a challenging few years for the American people.\n\n\u201cAnd there are some very serious issues facing our nation.\n\n\u201cBut I have faith in the future.\n\n\u201cEvery Congress represents a new start, a chance to chart a fresh vision for our country.\n\n\u201cAnd I believe that with the right policies, we can get America thriving again.\n\n\u201cI\u2019m ready to get to work.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T18:38:01Z"]], "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=3268BB2B-F406-40C5-974F-A479B8BA4751"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.877629965543747, "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"}