Press Releases
Rounds, Colleagues Introduce Legislation to Address America’s Budget Crisis
WASHINGTON - With the goal of addressing the nation's unprecedented national debt, U.S. Senators Mike Rounds (R-S.D.), Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.) and colleagues introduced the Sustainable Budget Act of 2021. The Sustainable Budget Act would create an 18-member bipartisan national commission to find and recommend ways to balance the federal budget over 10 years. "During the pandemic, Congress passed targeted relief to assist those directly impacted by the pandemic," Rounds said. "That emergency def… Continue Reading
04.19.21
Rounds, Shaheen Reintroduce Bipartisan Bill to Alert Veterans & Service Members Exposed to PFAS Contaminants
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) and Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) reintroduced legislation that would create a national database for service members and veterans experiencing health problems possibly due to contamination from per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). PFAS chemicals are byproducts of aqueous firefighting foam and have been found in drinking water at 600 military installations. Initial analyses have linked PFSA contamination with birth defects, various forms of cancer a… Continue Reading
03.25.21
Rounds’ RESPECT Act Unanimously Passes Out of Indian Affairs Committee
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Mike Rounds (R-S.D.), a member of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, made the following statement after his Repealing Existing Substandard Provisions Encouraging Conciliation with Tribes (RESPECT) Act passed out of committee with unanimous support: "It's long past time to remove federal laws that are discriminatory to Native Americans from our books," said Rounds. "While these laws are no longer enforced, they are a reminder of a painful part of our nation's past.… Continue Reading
03.25.21
Rounds, Colleagues Introduce Bipartisan Bill to Increase Price Discovery in Cattle Market
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Mike Rounds (R-S.D.), Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), and Jon Tester (D-Mont.) introduced bipartisan legislation to foster more competitive cattle markets. This bill will require that a minimum of 50 percent of a meat packer's weekly volume of cattle purchases take place on the open or spot market. The bill applies to meat-packing facilities that slaughter more than 125,000 head annually. These facilities would also be required to slaughter cattle purchased under this require… Continue Reading
03.25.21
Rounds Introduces Bill Requiring DNA Border Testing to ‘End Child Trafficking Now’
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) along with Senators Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), and Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) introduced the End Child Trafficking Now Act to prevent drug cartels and transnational criminal gangs from trafficking and exploiting migrant children to gain illegal entry into the country. Representative Lance Gooden (R-Texas) introduced companion legislation today in the House of Representatives. "We need to stop criminals from exploiting our immigratio… Continue Reading
03.23.21
Rounds-Backed Bill to Expand Vaccine Access for Vets & Caregivers Heads to President’s Desk
WASHINGTON - The Senate unanimously passed bipartisan legislation cosponsored by Senator Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) to expand COVID-19 vaccine eligibility to veterans and their families under the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). This legislation now heads to the president's desk to be signed into law. The Strengthening and Amplifying Vaccination Efforts to Locally Immunize all Veterans and Every Spouse (SAVE LIVES) Act would allow the VA to provide COVID-19 vaccination services to all veterans, v… Continue Reading
03.19.21
Rounds, Smith Lead Bipartisan Push to Repeal Outdated, Discriminatory Laws Against Native Americans
WASHINGTON-U.S. Senators Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) and Tina Smith (D-Minn.), both members of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, have reintroduced the Repealing Existing Substandard Provisions Encouraging Conciliation with Tribes (RESPECT) Act. The RESPECT Act would repeal a number of outdated federal laws that are discriminatory against Native Americans. Examples include laws that allow for the forced removal of Native American children from their homes to be sent to boarding schools and laws … Continue Reading
03.18.21
Rounds, Inhofe Introduce Asylum Abuse Reduction Act
WASHINGTON - As the border crisis becomes increasingly concerning, Senator Mike Rounds (R-S.D.), along with Sens. James Inhofe (R-Okla.), John Thune (R-S.D.), Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) and Thom Tillis (N.C.) introduced the Asylum Abuse Reduction Act. Rep. Kevin Hern (OK-01) introduced the companion legislation in the House of Representatives. This legislation will address immigration loopholes to strengthen the integrity of the asylum process to make certain that it is only used by individuals … Continue Reading
03.18.21
Rounds Votes Against Radical, Unqualified Health Secretary Nominee
WASHINGTON-U.S. Sen. Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) today issued the following statement after voting against the confirmation of California Attorney General Xavier Becerra as the next Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS). "I am deeply troubled by the Senate's vote today to confirm California Attorney General Xavier Becerra as the next Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS). Mr. Becerra's lack of health care experience, extreme views on abortion, support for government-run health care, and … Continue Reading
03.11.21
O’Gorman Student Receives Fully Qualified Offer of Appointment to U.S. Naval Academy
WASHINGTON-U.S. Sen. Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) today announced that Camden Johnson, a senior at O'Gorman High School, has received a fully qualified offer of appointment to the U.S. Naval Academy (USNA). Senator Rounds nominated Camden to USNA. He is the son of Chad and Wendy Johnson of Sioux Falls, South Dakota. "Congratulations to Camden on receiving an offer of appointment to the U.S. Naval Academy," said Rounds. "Camden's aspirations to attend the U.S. Naval Academy and serve in the Navy were in… Continue Reading
03.06.21
Rounds Opposes Democrats’ $1.9 Trillion Spending Bill
WASHINGTON-U.S. Sen. Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) today issued the following statement after voting against the $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief legislation which passed on a partisan basis without Republican support. "Democrats used the guise of COVID-19 relief to further their left-wing agenda while putting our nation deeper into debt. I voted against this partisan $1.9 trillion spending bill that reads more like a liberal wish list than targeted pandemic relief. "Up until this point, we have always fo… Continue Reading
02.26.21
Rounds, Colleagues Introduce Iran Sanctions Resolution
WASHINGTON - Senator Mike Rounds (R-S.D.), Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), Representative Mike Gallagher (R-Wis.) and 42 other members of Congress introduced a resolution to oppose lifting sanctions on Iran. "Iran's aggressive behavior and nuclear ambition puts our regional allies and our own national security at risk," Rounds stated. "The U.S. must continue to maintain sanctions on the Iranian regime until it abandons its nuclear ambitions. The Biden Administration should not repeat the same mistakes of … Continue Reading
02.25.21
Rounds and Colleagues Urge President Biden to Withdraw Becerra
WASHINGTON- Senator Mike Rounds (R-S.D.), Senator Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), Representative Dan Bishop (R-N.C.) and 72 other members of Congress sent a letter urging President Joe Biden to withdraw California Attorney General Xavier Becerra's nomination to serve as the next Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS). "We write to express our grave concerns regarding the nomination of California Attorney General Xavier Becerra to serve as the next Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS)," the m… Continue Reading
02.23.21
Rapid City Stevens Student Receives Fully Qualified Offer of Appointment to U.S. Naval Academy
WASHINGTON-U.S. Sen. Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) today announced that Lauren Letner, a senior at Rapid City Stevens High School, has received a fully qualified offer of appointment to the U.S. Naval Academy (USNA). Lauren was nominated by Senator Rounds to USNA. She is the daughter of James and Lillian Letner of Rapid City, South Dakota. "Congratulations to Lauren on receiving an offer of appointment to the U.S. Naval Academy," said Rounds. "Lauren has already accomplished so much in her years, and I … Continue Reading
02.13.21
Rounds Votes Against Articles of Impeachment
WASHINGTON-U.S. Sen. Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) today issued the following statement after voting against the articles of impeachment brought against former President Trump. "I've said all along that impeaching former President Trump is a moot point as the Constitution is clear that removal from office is the primary purpose of impeachment. Our Founding Fathers intended the process of impeachment to remove public officials from office, not to punish private citizens. After carefully listening to ever… Continue Reading
02.12.21
Rounds, Colleagues Urge Biden Administration to Withdraw USDA Rule Harming Sheep, Goat Industries
WASHINGTON-U.S. Sen. Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) joined Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.) and a group of senators in a letter urging the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Acting Director Robert Fairweather to withdraw the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) final rule on the importation of sheep, goats and certain other ruminations. The final rule would remove brain disorder-related import restrictions on sheep, goats, and most of their products. Currently, the import restrictions function as a necessary … Continue Reading
02.11.21
Rounds: $15 Minimum Wage Would Damage Our Economy By Killing 1.4 Million Jobs
WASHINGTON-U.S. Sen. Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) today issued the following statement after the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) released a report detailing the devastating impacts of President Biden's proposed $15 minimum wage increase. "As a former governor and business owner, I understand how important economic policies are in making sure businesses have opportunities to grow and create jobs. "President Biden continues to embrace a radical left-wing agenda by pushing policies like a … Continue Reading
02.10.21
Rounds, Duckworth Introduce Bipartisan Bill to Significantly Enhance Domestic Production of Life-saving Medical Supplies
WASHINGTON-U.S. Sens. Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) and Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.) introduced bipartisan legislation to strengthen the national response to pandemics by modernizing the production of critical medical supplies for frontline healthcare providers. The Public Health Emergency (PHE) Production Act would make sure the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) fully leverages its allocation authorities under the Defense Production Act (DPA) to respond to current and future emergencies. … Continue Reading
02.09.21
Rounds Opposes Unconstitutional Impeachment Trial
WASHINGTON-U.S. Sen. Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) today issued the following statement after voting that an impeachment trial for a former president is unconstitutional. "After listening to the arguments laid out by the House managers and the former president's legal team, no convincing evidence was presented regarding the constitutionality of impeaching a former president. Our Founding Fathers were clear in the Constitution that the process of impeachment is intended for removal from office for a pub… Continue Reading
02.08.21
Sioux Falls Christian High School Student Receives Fully Qualified Offer of Appointment to U.S. Military Academy
WASHINGTON-U.S. Sen. Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) today announced that Mitchell Walker, a senior at Sioux Falls Christian High School, has received a fully qualified offer of appointment to the U.S. Military Academy (USMA). Rounds nominated Mitchell to USMA. He is the son of Randy and Christine Walker of Brandon, South Dakota. "Congratulations to Mitchell on receiving an offer of appointment to the U.S. Military Academy," said Rounds. "Mitchell's application to my office certainly stood out, and I w… Continue Reading
