Mike Rounds

The U.S. Capitol building is seen on Oct. 22, 2021, in Washington, D.C. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

Congressional Roundup: Watchdog group rates effectiveness of SD delegation

BY: - March 25, 2023

EDITOR’S NOTE: This is the latest installment in a series of periodic updates on the activities of South Dakota’s congressional delegation. All three of the people representing South Dakota in Congress are among the most effective in their party, according to new scores published by a congressional watchdog group. In its “effectiveness scores” for the […]

Sen. Mike Rounds, R-South Dakota, participates in a Senate Banking Committee hearing in March 2023. (Screenshot from committee hearing video)

Congressional Roundup: Sustainability vs. safety

BY: - March 17, 2023

EDITOR’S NOTE: This is the first in a series of periodic updates on the activities of South Dakota’s congressional delegation. A new bill from Sen. Mike Rounds, R-South Dakota, would take money away from sustainability efforts in schools and redirect it to school safety. The bill takes aim at $500 million in funding appropriated by […]

An aerial view of Verratti Farms LLC, a dairy and grain operation in Newfane and Gasport, New York, on May 26, 2022. (Courtesy of USDA)

Limits on foreign ownership of U.S. farmland gain support in Congress, despite skepticism

BY: - March 17, 2023

WASHINGTON — Bipartisan momentum is building in Congress to restrict China and other foreign adversaries from purchasing U.S. farmland, a reflection of a similar push by some states as well as apprehension over Chinese spy balloons, rising land prices and growing international competition.  “Foreign ownership of agricultural land threatens small family farms and the overall […]

COMMENTARY
A sunrise silhouette of the entrance to the Wounded Knee Massacre memorial in South Dakota. (Getty Images)

Success brings Rounds an opportunity on Wounded Knee medals

BY: - January 13, 2023

Senator Mike Rounds deserves praise for his recent repeal of laws that discriminated against Native Americans. There’s a related issue he should consider next: the medals awarded for the Wounded Knee Massacre. Rounds, a Republican from South Dakota, has momentum on Native American legislation from the passage of his bill that wiped away 11 egregious […]

Sen. Mike Rounds, R-South Dakota, speaks during a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on Capitol Hill on Sept. 28, 2021, in Washington, D.C. (Photo by Patrick Semansky-Pool/Getty Images)

President signs Rounds bill repealing discriminatory Native American laws

BY: - December 28, 2022

U.S. Sen. Mike Rounds’ bipartisan legislation to repeal discriminatory federal laws targeting Native Americans was signed into law by the president on Tuesday, Rounds’ office announced in a news release. The RESPECT Act (Repealing Existing Substandard Provisions Encouraging Conciliation with Tribes) repeals 11 outdated federal laws, including laws that stripped Native American children from their […]

U.S. Sen. Mike Rounds, R-South Dakota, speaks during a Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee hearing on Jan. 27, 2021, in Washington, D.C. (Photo Sarah Silbiger-Pool/Getty Images)

Rounds criticizes Trump’s call for ‘termination’ of the Constitution

BY: - December 5, 2022

U.S. Sen. Mike Rounds, R-South Dakota, is criticizing former president Donald Trump for proposing the “termination” of the U.S. Constitution. Rounds issued a written statement by email Monday afternoon. “Americans have a deep appreciation for the Constitution and our Founding Fathers who risked their lives to establish it,” Rounds’ statement said, in part. “As elected […]

The Capitol in Washington, D.C. (Seth Tupper/South Dakota Searchlight)

Same-sex marriage protected under bill passed by U.S. Senate with GOP support

BY: - November 29, 2022

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Senate approved legislation Tuesday that would enshrine protections for same-sex and interracial marriages, codifying many of the rights that would disappear if the U.S. Supreme Court were to overturn those landmark decisions the way it overturned the nationwide right to an abortion this summer.  The 61-36 bipartisan vote sends the bill […]

The sun sets on a wetland northwest of Hartford, South Dakota. (Joshua Haiar/SD Searchlight)

Wildlife group calls Rounds’ wetlands bill ‘egregious,’ but some farmers say it’s overdue

BY: - October 26, 2022

A U.S. senator from South Dakota has sparked opposing reactions with legislation that could make it easier for farmers to convert wetlands into cropland. Mike Rounds, a Republican, wants to change the “Swampbuster” provision of the 1985 farm bill. Under the existing provision, farmers lose eligibility for federal farm program benefits, like crop insurance subsidies, if […]

U.S. Sen. Mike Rounds, R-South Dakota, speaks during a Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee hearing on Jan. 27, 2021, in Washington, D.C. (Photo Sarah Silbiger-Pool/Getty Images)

Rounds belongs to private investment club that owns 10 Midwestern hotels, disclosure shows

BY: - October 25, 2022

U.S. Sen. Mike Rounds tops the list for minimum net worth among members of the South Dakota congressional delegation, with a portion of his assets held in a private investment club that owns hotel properties throughout the Midwest, a review of lawmakers’ current financial disclosure statements shows. Part of Rounds’ wealth is invested in funds […]