Dusty Johnson
U.S. House passes Johnson’s bill to protect Wounded Knee land
The U.S. House approved by voice vote Wednesday a bill that would help protect land at the site of the 1890 Wounded Knee Massacre in South Dakota, where an estimated 350 Lakota were killed by U.S. soldiers. The site is within the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. The Oglala Sioux Tribe and the Cheyenne River Sioux […]
So this is what passes for ‘unity’ in the Trump era
There was a time in 2004 when South Dakota Democrats had plenty to celebrate. This was back in the days before South Dakota politics was awash in red. It was likely even before the days when anyone would characterize states as red or blue. On the national level, there was a short time when South […]
State’s all-Republican congressional delegation will not attend Trump’s SD event
When the South Dakota Republican Party hosts former President Donald Trump on Sept. 8 in Rapid City, the state’s all-Republican congressional delegation will not be there. All three have scheduling conflicts, their offices said. South Dakota’s senators have endorsed South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott in the Republican presidential primary, rather than former President Donald Trump. […]
With reorganization plans squashed for now, VA celebrates new Rapid City clinic
RAPID CITY — The long-debated, evolving plans for veterans’ health care in the Black Hills took a step forward Thursday with the grand opening of a new outpatient clinic. The 49,000-square-foot Rapid City facility is triple the size of the Department of Veterans Affairs’ previous clinic in the city. That’s a welcome development for Ricky […]
At ag forum, Johnson, Thune and Rounds reject ‘loud’ approach to politics
MITCHELL — U.S. Rep. Dusty Johnson, R-South Dakota, received applause Wednesday at an agricultural trade show when he countered a call for more aggressive confrontation in politics. An audience member at a Dakotafest forum on the farm bill asked why Johnson doesn’t attack his colleagues across the aisle with greater vehemence. Johnson said being loud […]
South Dakota congressman fosters tribal connections with Ben Reifel Internship
An internship offered by U.S. Rep. Dusty Johnson is fostering connections between Washington, D.C., and tribes in South Dakota. The Ben Reifel Internship has existed for several years and is named after the only Native American to represent South Dakota in Congress. Among internships sponsored by South Dakota’s congressional delegation, it’s the only one focused […]
Johnson subjects military funding to partisan politics, despite pledging otherwise
How times have changed for the Republican Party. It was once the party of law and order. Now Donald Trump, its top candidate for president, is facing his third recent indictment, this time for fomenting the overthrow of the very government he purportedly wants to lead. It was once the party of business, but now […]
Johnson votes yes on VA spending bill that renews abortion, transgender fights
WASHINGTON — U.S. House Republicans approved their first government spending bill Thursday, following tense debate about whether the Department of Veterans Affairs should provide abortions in limited circumstances and the GOP’s decision to cut military construction funding. The 219-211 mostly party-line vote (Rep. Dusty Johnson, R-South Dakota, voted yes) on the Military Construction-VA appropriations bill […]
House passes aviation bill, including Johnson amendment, that boosts smaller airports
The U.S. House overwhelmingly passed a bill Thursday that would reauthorize the Federal Aviation Administration for five years, including a big increase in subsidies for airlines providing flights to smaller markets. The chamber voted 351-67 to approve the bill, which would authorize $104 billion for the agency through 2028, increase authorized spending levels for rural […]
Congressional Roundup: Foreign ownership, culture wars in the military, child tax credit, and more
Rep. Dusty Johnson, R-South Dakota, is supporting another effort to limit foreign ownership of U.S. land. The House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party recently introduced the Protecting U.S. Farmland and Sensitive Sites From Foreign Adversaries Act, with the support of Johnson, who’s a member of the committee. The bill would expand the jurisdiction […]
Park Service opposes Johnson’s Mount Rushmore Protection Act, calling it ‘unnecessary’
The National Park Service, which manages the preservation and upkeep of Mount Rushmore in the Black Hills, testified in opposition to South Dakota Rep. Dusty Johnson’s “Mount Rushmore Protection Act” on Thursday — not because the agency disagrees with the bill’s intent, but because the agency views the bill as “unnecessary.” NPS Deputy Director for […]
Congressional Roundup: Rounds advocates for defense and AM radios
A congressional defense spending bill includes about $400 million for South Dakota construction projects, according to Sen. Mike Rounds. Rounds, a Republican, is a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee. Earlier this week, the committee sent the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for the 2024 fiscal year to the full Senate. “The NDAA is […]