Weekly Round[s] Up: February 9-15, 2026
February 9-15, 2026
Welcome back to the Weekly Round[s] Up. It was another great week in DC because our office was full of South Dakotans again. I always appreciate it when folks make the trip to D.C. to share their perspectives on the issues that matter most to our state. In addition to these meetings, I attended several briefings, participated in a hearing and voted on President Trump’s nominees, a resolution to overturn a DC tax provision and a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) funding bill.
While we’d hoped to pass funding for DHS through the end of the fiscal year, Senate Democrats rejected it, opting to instead shut down the entire department. This means that Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Transportation Security Administration (TSA), the Coast Guard and other critical national security operations will go without funding until a DHS funding bill is signed into law. More on this and the rest of my week in the Weekly Round[s] Up:
South Dakota groups I visited with: Kevin Robling, Secretary of the South Dakota Department of Game, Fish and Parks; Ryman LeBeau, Chairman of the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe; President Frank Star Comes Out of the Oglala Sioux Tribe and Kathleen Wooden Knife, Chairwoman of the Rosebud Sioux Tribe; South Dakotans with Alliance for Headache Disorders Advocacy; South Dakota Principals with National School Leadership; South Dakota representatives and athletes with the Special Olympics; Community HealthCare Association of the Dakotas; South Dakota Education Association; South Dakotans with the American Institute of Architects; and representatives from the Indian Gaming Association.
Met with South Dakotans from: Beresford, Brandon, Harrisburg, Martin, Pierre, Sioux Falls and Spearfish.
Other meetings: Alzheimer’s Association; enCore Energy; and a Banking Member Meeting with Dario Amodei, CEO of Anthropic.
Additionally, this week I received a 100% Action Award from the Family Research Council in recognition for defending South Dakota family values and supporting commonsense legislation to protect life at all stages.
Hearings: On Thursday I attended a Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee hearing on “Oversight of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.” You can watch me question Paul Atkins, Chairman of U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, here.
Briefings: I attended two classified briefings with the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence as well as two classified briefings with the Senate Armed Services Committee.
Senate Bible Study: On Tuesday this week, I attended Senate Bible Study hosted by Senator Tedd Budd from North Carolina. Our Bible study was on the topic of evangelism and the important call to share the gospel with those around us.
Votes taken: 6 - This week I voted on multiple different items. To begin, I voted Yea for Daniel E. Burrows, of Colorado, to be an Assistant Attorney General. Then I voted Nay on IRS Notice on Corporate AMT CRA and Yea for the D.C. Tax Disapproval Resolution. Additionally, funding for the Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act, 2026 was on the table. I voted Yea on the legislation to fund critical agencies like FEMA, TSA, the Coast Guard and cyber defenses. Without support from Senate Democrats, this legislation did not pass and has now put us in a partial government shutdown. While Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) falls under DHS, they were provided with funding through the reconciliation bill that passed this summer to continue enforcing our immigration laws. Due to the nature of DHS operations, approximately 92 percent of the workforce is classified as essential. As a result, under this DHS appropriations lapse forced by Congressional Democrats, frontline personnel will once again be required to report to duty without pay for the second time this fiscal year.
My Staff in South Dakota visited: Hot Springs.
Steps taken: 60,453 steps or 28.6 miles.
Video of the Week: On Thursday morning, I went on KELO radio and spoke with Greg Belfrage about the SAVE America Act. Click the link to listen!