Press Releases
Rounds Seeks Solutions for Greater State and Local Input for Wildlife Management Decisions
WASHINGTON-U.S. Senator Mike Rounds (R-S.D.), a member of the Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee, today during a Fisheries, Water and Wildlife Subcommittee hearing questioned representatives of state fish and wildlife agencies on ways the federal government can do a better job partnering with state and local entities when making wildlife management decisions. Rounds specifically cited the overpopulation of elk in Wind Cave National Park and the inability of the federal governmen… Continue Reading
02.08.16
Rounds Introduces Bill to Help Speed Defense Department Hiring of Cyber Security Professionals
WASHINGTON-U.S. Senator Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) introduced S. 2482, the Cyber Command Employment Personnel Training Act of 2016. This bill will improve the Department of Defense's hiring practices for cyber security professionals by making certain specified categories of personnel are trained on new rules for hiring and pay flexibilities for civilian cyber security employees. These rules permit faster hiring and higher pay for these employees than is normally the case for the U.S. civil service. … Continue Reading
02.03.16
Rounds Issues Statement from Hearing on Native American Health Care in the Great Plains
WASHINGTON-U.S. Senator Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) today issued a statement in today's Senate Indian Affairs Committee hearing, entitled "Reexamining the Substandard Quality of Indian Health Care in the Great Plains." Rounds asked to participate in today's hearing after leading a number of his colleagues in a letter requesting the hearing in light of recent issues at Indian Health Service (IHS) hospitals in the Great Plains Region, including Rosebud and Pine Ridge. Video of Rounds' statement at Sena… Continue Reading
02.02.16
Rounds Participates in Veterans Suicide Prevention Forum
WASHINGTON- U.S. Senator Mike Rounds (R-S.D.), a member of the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee, today participated in a forum with VA Secretary Robert McDonald entitled, "Preventing Veteran Suicide: A Call to Action." "As a member of the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee and a Senator from a state that has more than 72,000 veterans who have honorably served this country, I take great interest in getting our veterans quality, timely and efficient care," said Rounds during his remarks. "While… Continue Reading
02.02.16
Senate Passes Rounds’ Easement Disclosure Amendment to Energy Bill
WASHINGTON--U.S. Senator Mike Rounds (R-S.D.), a member of the Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee, today applauded the passage of his easement disclosure amendment to the bipartisan Energy Policy Modernization Act. The amendment would establish a federal education program to make certain landowners are given all of the federal conservation options available to them when choosing to put their land into a conservation easement. Earlier this month, Rounds offered a similar easement… Continue Reading
01.21.16
Rounds Joins Bipartisan Effort to Reinstate Inurnment Rights to Women Airforce Service Pilots at Arlington National Cemetery
WASHINGTON-U.S. Senator Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) today cosponsored S. 2437, the Women Airforce Service Pilot Arlington Inurnment Restoration Act of 2016, bipartisan legislation to authorize inurnment of Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASPs) at Arlington National Cemetery (ANC). Current law prevents WASPs, who flew domestic missions during World War II, from being inurned there. A 2002 Army policy erroneously authorized them this right, only to be revoked when the Army realized the authorization was… Continue Reading
01.21.16
Rounds Supports New North Korean Sanctions
WASHINGTON- U.S. Senator Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) cosponsored legislation to impose new sanctions against North Korean officials involved in nuclear program and proliferation activities, as well as human rights abuses. "While much of our attention has been on conflicts in the Middle East, we must not forget the military aggression from North Korea, as well as their human rights violations," said Rounds. "The North Korean regime continues to threaten the U.S. and our allies with violence, weapons of… Continue Reading
01.20.16
Rounds: Senate Democrats Putting Politics Ahead of National Security
WASHINGTON-U.S. Senator Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) today voted in favor of H.R. 4038, the American Security Against Foreign Enemies (SAFE) Act. The SAFE Act would have enhanced the procedures for vetting refugees coming to the United States from Syria and Iraq. While this legislation received overwhelming support when it passed the House last November, it failed to receive enough Democrat support to be brought up for debate in the Senate. "The United States has a long tradition of welcoming refugees … Continue Reading
01.20.16
Rounds’ Easement Disclosure Provision Included in Sportsmen’s Package
WASHINGTON-U.S. Senator Mike Rounds (R-S.D.), a member of the Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee, today thanked his colleagues for their support after his amendment regarding easements was included in S. 659, the Bipartisan Sportsmen's Act. Rounds' amendment would require documentation that landowners have been fully informed of all of their conservation options-both termed and perpetual-when choosing to place their land in conservation easements. S. 659 passed out of the Senate… Continue Reading
01.19.16
Rounds Accepting Summer Internship Applications
WASHINGTON- U.S. Sen. Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) today announced that he is currently accepting internship applications for summer 2016. The deadline to apply for internships in his Washington, D.C., Pierre, Rapid City and Sioux Falls offices is February 15, 2016. Summer internships will run from June to mid-August. College credit is available. Duties in the Washington, D.C., office may include tracking legislation, researching bills, attending committee hearings and briefings, leading tours of the … Continue Reading
01.15.16
Rounds Joins Colleagues in Letter Urging Secretary of State Not to Placate Iran
PIERRE-U.S. Senator Mike Rounds (R-S.D.), a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, this week joined his colleagues in a letter to Secretary of State John Kerry regarding his recent assurances to Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif that new Visa Waiver Program (VWP) restrictions would not impact Iranian interests. The letter is critical of Secretary Kerry's attempt to reassure Iran and highlights the fact that U.S. law is not the problem, Iran's continued support for terrorism is. The Se… Continue Reading
01.13.16
Rounds Introduces Spring Semester Interns in D.C. Office
WASHINGTON-U.S. Senator Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) introduced three South Dakota college students as spring 2016 interns in his Washington, D.C., office. Jordan Hanson is from Watertown, SD, and is currently majoring in political science at the University of South Dakota in Vermillion. She is active in her sorority, Kappa Alpha Theta, and student government. Josh Jorgensen is from Sioux Falls, SD, and is a senior at the University of South Dakota in Vermillion. He is majoring in media and journali… Continue Reading
01.12.16
Rounds: Tonight’s Speech a Missed Opportunity to Reach Across the Aisle
WASHINGTON-U.S. Senator Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) tonight made the following statement on President Obama's final State of the Union Address. "An overwhelming majority of South Dakotans - and all Americans - are dissatisfied with the direction of our country, and tonight's speech lacked any serious ideas for working together to renew and reenergize the people's faith in the American dream. The facts are clear: our economy is stagnant, the VA is broken, Obamacare is failing, manufacturing has shrunk,… Continue Reading
01.12.16
Rounds Statement on VA Inspector General
WASHINGTON-U.S. Senator Mike Rounds (R-S.D.), a member of the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee, today made the following statement after the committee approved the nomination of Michael Missal to be Inspector General of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA): "The VA hasn't had a permanent Inspector General for over two years. During that time, the VA has been plagued with scandal and mismanagement, and our veterans have been paying the price," said Rounds. "They deserve better from their go… Continue Reading
01.05.16
Rounds Statement on President Obama’s Gun Control Announcement
PIERRE-U.S. Senator Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) today issued the following statement on President Obama's recently announced gun control executive actions: "The executive actions the president announced today will make it more difficult for law-abiding citizens to legally obtain firearms and do nothing to fix the problem of gun violence," said Rounds. "Criminals and terrorists aren't going to obey the law anyway. I will continue to fight against the president's endless attack on our 2nd amendment righ… Continue Reading
12.18.15
Weekly Column: Counting our Blessings this Christmas
The Christmas season is a special time that allows us to reflect upon the blessings in our lives and spend quality time with our loved ones. Jean and I are blessed to call South Dakota home, and we are especially grateful for our continued health and the health of our family. This year, we welcomed two new grandchildren - eight in all! We look forward to spending additional time with them and the rest of our family in the coming weeks. It is well-known that the Rounds extended family is quite l… Continue Reading
12.09.15
Rounds: Education Reform Bill a Victory for South Dakota’s 150,000 Students
WASHINGTON-U.S. Senator Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) today made the following statement on the Senate's passage of the final Conference Report for the Every Student Succeeds Act. This bipartisan legislation replaces the widely criticized No Child Left Behind Act and shifts authority for academic standards back to the states and local school districts. It now heads to President Obama's desk to be signed into law. "I've always believed in local control of schools," said Rounds. "The Every Student Succeed… Continue Reading
12.08.15
South Dakota Delegation Urges Air Force to Base New Air Force Fighter in Sioux Falls
WASHINGTON - South Dakota Governor Dennis Daugaard, U.S. Sens. John Thune (R-S.D.) and Mike Rounds (R-S.D.), U.S. Rep. Kristi Noem (R-S.D.) and South Dakota Adjutant General Maj. Gen. Timothy Reisch today wrote to Secretary of the Air Force Deborah James urging the Air Force to base the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter at Joe Foss Field in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Next year, the Air Force is expected to announce its basing decisions for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, to include two Air National Guard… Continue Reading
12.08.15
South Dakota Senators Insist President Pursue Additional Military Options in ISIS Fight
WASHINGTON-U.S. Senators Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) and John Thune (R-S.D.), along with eight of their Senate colleagues, today sent a letter to President Obama insisting that he pursue additional military options to degrade and destroy ISIS abroad and protect the nation from further attacks against American citizens: "The American people are understandably concerned in the aftermath of the horrific attack in San Bernardino and increasingly apprehensive about the prospect of another terrorist attack … Continue Reading
12.03.15
Rounds: Long-Term Highway Bill Brings Certainty to Transportation Projects, Restores Crop Insurance Cut
WASHINGTON-U.S. Senator Mike Rounds (R-S.D.), a member of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, today issued the following statement on the Senate's passage of the final Conference Report for the Fixing America's Surface Transportation (FAST) Act, bipartisan legislation to fund America's highway and transit programs for five years. The FAST Act allocates approximately $1.6 billion for South Dakota transportation projects over the next five years. It now heads to President Obama's de… Continue Reading
