Weekly Round[s] Up: July 7-13, 2025

It was a busy week in DC, particularly for those of us who serve on the Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC). We passed our committee version of the Fiscal Year 2026 National Defense Authorization Act, or NDAA. This is our annual defense bill that authorizes funding for military programs, as well as military members and their families. This year, I’m particularly pleased to have authorized additional funding for Ellsworth Air Force Base as well as the B-21 program. This legislation will now head to the full Senate for consideration. Read more about the NDAA and the rest of my week in my Weekly Round[s] Up:

South Dakota groups I met with: South Dakota United Way; Stuart Rice, Vice President of the Dakotas Chapter of Sons of the American Revolution; South Dakota members of the Great Plains Tribal Chairmen’s Association; and South Dakota members of the National Association for the Deaf.

South Dakota towns represented: Eagle Butte, Lower Brule, Pierre, Pine Ridge, Rapid City, Sioux Falls and Yankton.

Other meetings: John Doyle, CEO of Cape; and Binalf Andualem, Ethiopia’s Ambassador to the United States.

I spoke at an event with Punchbowl News to discuss financial services policy. I also attended our Senate Prayer Breakfast, where Senator Tim Scott of South Carolina was our speaker.

NDAA: As I mentioned, we were glad to secure many wins for South Dakota in this year’s NDAA, including authorizing $378 million for construction projects at Ellsworth Air Force Base to prepare for bed down of the B-21 Raider stealth bomber, $28 million for the Watertown Army National Guard vehicle maintenance facility and $3.4 billion for procurement of B-21 aircraft. The NDAA also authorizes funding to support a 3.8 percent raise for military members. Read more about this year’s NDAA and a full list of my provisions here.

Appropriations Markup: I also attended a markup in the Appropriations Committee to discuss and debate three of our twelve spending bills that we’re working to get passed before the end of the Fiscal Year. A markup is an important part of the legislative process and the first step in passing our appropriations bills.  

This is my first year serving on the Appropriations committee and as such, my first time working directly on Appropriations legislation before it hits the full Senate. I look forward to continuing to work with my colleagues on the committee to get these bills passed before October 1.

Hearings and briefings: I attended one closed hearing and one closed briefing as part of my work on the Select Committee on Intelligence. 

Legislation introduced: This past week, I introduced the Reducing Homelessness Through Program Reform Act, legislation to cut red tape and create local solutions for addressing homelessness. Despite record levels of federal funding, homelessness continues to rise. It’s clear that a one-size-fits-all approach isn’t working. The challenges we face in South Dakota are not the same as those in California or New York. This legislation takes a conservative approach by shifting power back to the states and communities closest to the problem. This commonsense bill cuts red tape and enables local leaders to deliver faster, more effective and more appropriate solutions for the people they serve. Read more here.

Votes taken: 11 – all of these are on nominees to executive branch positions at the Departments of Energy and Transportation, as well as the Small Business Administration and the Office of Personnel Management. We also took a procedural vote to advance the nomination of a federal judge in Tennessee.

My staff in South Dakota visited: Aberdeen, Beresford, Brookings, De Smet, Faulkton, Garretson, Hartford, Huron and Watertown.

Steps taken: 44,083 steps or 20.12 miles.

Video of the week: KOTA TV in Rapid City did a story this past week on bringing a tribal law enforcement training center to the Dakotas, which I have long advocated for: