{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.thune.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases?ID=C4C804C2-CD95-4A10-A22C-0DC6B26D9D9E", "Thune: There\u2019s Nothing Like Summertime in South Dakota", "2023-09-19", "2023", "2023-09", "Republican", "Senate", "SD", "John Thune", "T000250", "www.thune.senate.gov", "thune", "https://www.thune.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases", "scraper", "Click here to watch the video.\n\nWASHINGTON \u2014 U.S. Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) today spoke on the Senate floor about his dozens of visits and meetings with South Dakotans during the August state work period.\n\nThune\u2019s remarks below (as prepared for delivery):\n\n\u201cMr. President, there is nothing like summertime in South Dakota.\n\n\u201cWhile I\u2019m in Sioux Falls almost every weekend, August gives me the opportunity to spend more time at home.\n\n\u201cIt gives me a chance to travel South Dakota\u2019s wide-open spaces, meet with constituents, and have important conversations that shape a lot of what I work on here in the Senate.\n\n\u201cIt\u2019s a busy month, and, Mr. President, we covered a lot of ground this August.\n\n\u201cBoth figuratively and literally.\n\n\u201cTo begin with, August is fair season in South Dakota.\n\n\u201cThis year, I went to the Turner County Fair, the Brown County Fair (where I got my usual Tubby Burger), and the Sioux Empire Fair.\n\n\u201cFairs showcase a lot of the best of South Dakota, but they\u2019re an especially big deal for our agriculture community.\n\n\u201cSo, whether I\u2019m serving lunch to producers at the Sioux Empire Fair\u2019s Agriculture Appreciation Day or giving an update on the farm bill at Dakotafest, I appreciate opportunities to hear directly from farmers and ranchers.\n\n\u201cI do this every year, but it\u2019s especially important in a farm bill year like this one.\n\n\u201cMany of my farm bill priorities come directly from these discussions.\n\n\u201cThese conversations can often get into the weeds on policy, but the bottom line from farmers and ranchers this year was really quite simple:\n\n\u201cWe need to get the farm bill done.\n\n\u201cFarmers and ranchers need certainty that the programs they depend on will be there when they need them.\n\n\u201cAnd finishing the farm bill is one of the most important things on the agenda for the end of this year.\n\n\u201cMr. President, agriculture is the lifeblood of South Dakota, but there\u2019s a lot more that keeps South Dakota moving.\n\n\u201cThis August, I had the chance to meet with electric cooperatives that provide power in South Dakota communities.\n\n\u201cI joined Midco as they announced a new broadband expansion in the Black Hills that will bring faster internet to more homes.\n\n\u201cAnd I was on hand for the new I-29 exit 130 interchange ribbon-cutting in Brookings.\n\n\u201cThroughout the month, I also visited a lot of local businesses and talked with business owners from across the state.\n\n\u201cI visited Showplace Cabinetry in Harrisburg.\n\n\u201cLoad King Manufacturing in Elk Point.\n\n\u201cDimock Cheese in Dimock.\n\n\u201cDady Drug in Mobridge.\n\n\u201cAnd I met with start-up leaders in Sioux Falls.\n\n\u201cWe had some important conversations, Mr. President.\n\n\u201cAnd it was clear that business owners are facing some headwinds at the moment.\n\n\u201cBusiness leaders in Yankton discussed challenges arising from the workforce shortages in South Dakota.\n\n\u201cWith unemployment at 1.9 percent in South Dakota, there are workforce challenges in just about every sector.\n\n\u201cAt the Midwest Agricultural Export Summit, we talked about the importance of trade and how the Biden administration has put expanding market access on the backburner.\n\n\u201cAnd business owners across the state expressed frustration with high interest rates and higher costs.\n\n\u201cOf course, we learned last week that inflation has ticked back up.\n\n\u201cGas prices are on the rise as well.\n\n\u201cAnd a majority of Americans say the Biden administration has made the economy worse.\n\n\u201c\u2018Bidenomics\u2019 is making life a lot harder for South Dakota families and businesses and for families and businesses around the country.\n\n\u201cAnd if the president really wanted to help working families, he would abandon the tax and spending agenda that has been the hallmark of his administration for the last two and a half years.\n\n\u201cMr. President, as I travel around South Dakota, I know I can depend on South Dakotans to keep me informed, and South Dakota restaurants to keep me fueled.\n\n\u201cOften August becomes a bit of a \u2018Taste of South Dakota\u2019 tour.\n\n\u201cChislic from Waddy\u2019s in Hudson.\n\n\u201cA milkshake from Mr. Bob\u2019s Drive-In in Selby.\n\n\u201cCoffee at Black Hills Bagels in Rapid City.\n\n\u201cThere\u2019s nothing like South Dakota hospitality and a good meal to keep you going during long days.\n\n\u201cMr. President, as much as I love summer in South Dakota, I always get particularly excited when summer turns to fall, because there are few things I enjoy more than cheering on South Dakota\u2019s athletes.\n\n\u201cMy grandkids\u2019 sports seasons have begun in earnest.\n\n\u201cI\u2019ve made it to football games in Brookings and Vermillion to support the Jacks and the Yotes in a couple of big wins as their seasons get underway.\n\n\u201cAnd, of course, it\u2019s not long until pheasant season comes around next month.\n\n\u201cWinter, spring, summer, or fall, there\u2019s always something to look forward to in South Dakota.\n\n\u201cAnd I am lucky to be a son of our state.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T18:35:26Z"]], "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=C4C804C2-CD95-4A10-A22C-0DC6B26D9D9E"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 2.816856140270829, "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"}