Press Releases
Rounds Statement on Committee Approval of National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA)
WASHINGTON - Senator Mike Rounds (R-S.D.), member of the Senate Armed Services Committee and Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Cybersecurity, released the following statement on the Armed Services Committee's passage of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2022. "The national defense bill is a prime example of Congress putting politics aside and achieving results for our service members and their families," said Rounds. "As the Ranking Member of the Cybersecurity Su… Continue Reading
07.22.21
Rounds Seeking Fall 2021 Internship Applications
WASHINGTON-U.S. Sen. Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) is currently accepting applications from college students to serve as interns during the fall semester. Positions are available in his Washington D.C. office and his state offices in Aberdeen, Rapid City, Pierre and Sioux Falls. Fall semester internships typically run from late August to mid-December but dates can be tailored to specific schedules. "Our internship program is an incredible opportunity for students to experience a deeper understanding of … Continue Reading
07.22.21
Rounds Congratulates Yankton School District for Being Awarded 2021 Secretary of Defense Employer Support Freedom Award
WASHINGTON -U.S. Senator Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) released the following statement recognizing the Yankton School District for being one of 15 national recipients of the 2021 Secretary of Defense Employer Support Freedom Award. "I am extremely proud of the Yankton School District for going above and beyond for South Dakota's service members and their families," said Rounds. "Making sure our National Guard and Reserve members are valued and taken care of is a top priority for us in South Dakota. Th… Continue Reading
07.21.21
ICYMI: Rounds Discusses Tribal Housing with Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe Housing Authority Executive Director during Senate Banking Subcommittee Hearing
WASHINGTON -U.S. Senator Mike Rounds (R-S.D.), Ranking Member of the Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee's Subcommittee on Housing, Transportation and Community Development, provided opening remarks during Tuesday's hearing on "Safe at Home: Preserving and Improving Federally Assisted Housing." Sharon Vogel, Executive Director of the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe Housing Authority, provided testimony at this subcommittee hearing. You can watch the full hearing by clicking here. Cli… Continue Reading
07.20.21
Rounds, Colleagues Introduce Legislation to Support National Cyber Director, Bolster Cybersecurity Capabilities
WASHINGTON -U.S. Senators Mike Rounds (R-S.D.), Ranking Member of the Senate Armed Services Committee's Subcommittee on Cybersecurity, Rob Portman (R-Ohio), Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.), Angus King (I-Maine) and Gary Peters (D-Mich.) introduced bipartisan legislation authorizing the use of individuals with professional expertise from other agencies to support the Office of the National Cyber Director (NCD). "Now more than ever, Congress must bolster the United States' capabilities to respond to cyb… Continue Reading
07.20.21
Rounds, Colleagues Reintroduce Bipartisan Legislation Expanding Market for Biofuels Year-Round
WASHINGTON -U.S. Senators Mike Rounds (R-S.D.), Deb Fischer (R-Neb.) and a bipartisan group of 10 other senators reintroduced the Consumer and Fuel Retailer Choice Act. The bill would extend the Reid vapor pressure (RVP) volatility waiver to ethanol blends above 10 percent. It would increase market access and continue to allow retailers across the country to sell E15 and other higher-ethanol fuel blends year-round, eliminating confusion at the pump. Higher blends of ethanol burn cleaner, providi… Continue Reading
07.15.21
Rounds Receives “Award for Conservative Achievement” from American Conservative Union
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) recently received the American Conservative Union's (ACU) "Award for Conservative Achievement" for consistently voting to uphold conservative values in 2020. "I'm honored to again receive the Award for Conservative Achievement," Rounds said. "In South Dakota, we believe in the power of individual responsibility. I'll continue voting for less taxation, less regulation, and more individual freedom and economic opportunity. I will stand firmly to defe… Continue Reading
07.13.21
Rounds, Colleagues Reintroduce the Protecting Life and Taxpayers Act
WASHINGTON -U.S. Senators Mike Rounds (R-S.D), Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) and 11 other senators reintroduced the Protecting Life and Taxpayers Act to help end taxpayer support for the abortion industry. "From conception to natural death, life is a gift that should be treated with dignity," said Rounds. "It is completely inappropriate and immoral for federal taxpayer dollars to be used to fund abortions. The majority of Americans oppose using their taxpayer dollars to support this practice. Our … Continue Reading
07.13.21
Rounds, Colleagues Introduce Bipartisan Bill to Reauthorize Native Housing Funding
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) recently introduced legislation with Sen. Brian Schatz (D-Hawai'i) and 6 other members of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, to reform and reauthorize the Native American Housing Assistance and Self-Determination Act (NAHASDA). Enacted in 1996, NAHASDA combined nine programs at the Department of Housing & Urban Development to establish the Indian Housing Block Grant (IHBG) program, which was specifically aimed at improving tribal housing. … Continue Reading
07.01.21
Rounds Statement on USDA Review of “Product of the U.S.A.” Label
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) released the following statement today after the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Tom Vilsack announced a full-scale review of the "Product of the U.S.A." label: "For years, we've called on the USDA to take action to stop foreign beef from receiving the 'Product of the U.S.A.' label," said Rounds. "American consumers are being misled when the 'Product of the U.S.A. label is allowed to be applied to foreign beef. American ran… Continue Reading
07.01.21
Rounds Joins Bipartisan Letter to Ambassador Tai Highlighting Importance of Reconvening Trade Talks with Taiwan
WASHINGTON -U.S. Senator Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) joined Sens. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) and Mark Warner (D-Va.) on a letter to the U.S. Trade Representative, Ambassador Katherine Tai, highlighting the importance of reconvening trade agreement talks with Taiwan. "We respectfully request that you prioritize these talks and take steps to begin laying the groundwork for negotiation of a free trade agreement (FTA), or other preliminary agreement, with Taiwan," the Senators wrote. "Taiwan is the tenth lar… Continue Reading
07.01.21
Rounds, Colleagues Send Letter Urging President Biden to Support Biofuels, RFS
WASHINGTON - Senator Mike Rounds (R-S.D.), Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) and four other senators sent a letter to President Biden urging his administration to support the biofuels industry and not undercut the Renewal Fuel Standard (RFS). With reports indicating the Biden Administration is weighing bailouts for Big Oil and undermining the RFS, the group of senators reminded the president of his statements during his presidential campaign supporting the biofuel industry and the family farmers who rely… Continue Reading
06.30.21
Rounds, Inhofe, Duckworth Introduce RETAIN GPS Act
WASHINGTON - U.S. Sens. Mike Rounds (R-S.D.), Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.) and Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), members of the Senate Committee on Armed Services, recently introduced S. 2166, the Recognizing and Ensuring Taxpayer Access to Infrastructure Necessary for GPS and Satellite Communications Act or RETAIN GPS and Satellite Communications Act. The April 2020 Ligado Order from the FCC recognized the likelihood of interference to GPS signals and requires Ligado to pay the federal government the costs fo… Continue Reading
06.28.21
Rounds, Braun Introduce the IRS Customer Service Improvement Act
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) and Mike Braun (R-Ind.), members of the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs, introduced the IRS Customer Service Improvement Act that will require the IRS to prioritize federal taxpayers over representational work during tax filing season. Cosponsors of this bill include Senators Boozman (R-Ark.), Cruz (R- Texas), Cramer (R-N.D.), Scott (R-Fla.) and Inhofe (R-Okla.). While President Biden has requested $80 billion for the IRS t… Continue Reading
06.24.21
ICYMI: Rounds Joins Washington Post Live to Discuss the Cattle Market, Ransomware, Infrastructure and Voting Rights
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) spoke to Jacqueline Alemany on Washington Post Live yesterday about his efforts to address anticompetitive practices in the cattle market, the threat presented by ransomware attacks, his no vote on S.1 and Democrats' efforts to eliminate the filibuster. Read the transcript of the interview here. Click HERE or below to watch. ###… Continue Reading
06.24.21
Rounds, Smith Introduce Bipartisan Native American Rural Homeownership Improvement Act
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) and Tina Smith (D-Minn.), members of the Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee and the Senate Indian Affairs Committee, introduced bipartisan legislation to help Native families living in rural areas achieve homeownership. The Native American Rural Homeownership Improvement Act would expand an existing U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) pilot program, in which the USDA has partnered with Native Community Development Financial Ins… Continue Reading
06.23.21
Rounds Meets with South Dakota Cattle Producer Before Senate Ag Committee Hearing
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) yesterday met with St. Onge producer and vice president of the U.S. Cattlemen's Association, Justin Tupper. The two discussed anticompetitive practices in the cattle industry and Tupper's upcoming testimony before the Senate Agriculture Committee. The Committee is holding a hearing to examine price transparency in cattle markets today at 2:30PM ET/1:30PM CT/12:30PM MT. "Justin Tupper is a tremendous advocate for the cattle industry," Rounds said. … Continue Reading
06.15.21
Rounds, Tester, Grassley Unveil Legislation to Address Anti-Competitive Practices in Meat Processing Industry
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Mike Rounds (R-S.D.), Jon Tester (D-Mont.) and Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) announced new, bipartisan legislation to address anticompetitive practices in the meat and poultry industries that threaten the nation's food supply and national security following the ransomware attack on JBS, the country's largest meat supplier. "Congress knew in 1921 what we know today - anticompetitive behavior in the meat packing industry hurts both consumers and producers," Rounds said. "Unf… Continue Reading
06.14.21
Rounds’ RESPECT Act Unanimously Passes Out of Senate
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Mike Rounds' (R-S.D.) legislation to repeal discriminatory federal laws targeting Native Americans unanimously passed the Senate. The Repealing Existing Substandard Provisions Encouraging Conciliation with Tribes (RESPECT) Act would repeal 11 outdated federal laws, including laws that stripped Native American children from their families for the purpose of placing them in cruel "Indian reform schools" like the now infamous Carlisle Indian Industrial School. A full lis… Continue Reading
06.10.21
Rounds Statement on TransCanada’s Termination of the Keystone XL Pipeline Project
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) released the following statement today after TransCanada (TC Energy) confirmed the termination of the Keystone XL Pipeline Project: "President Biden's decision to cancel the Keystone XL Pipeline Project is a huge mistake," Rounds said. "This will hurt us both economically and environmentally for years to come. Now, instead of using an efficient and environmentally friendly pipeline to transport petroleum, petroleum will be transported by road and r… Continue Reading
