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September 30, 2022
Dear John,
Mad Dash to November
Congress had a pretty busy week in Washington, D.C. – here’s a recap.
Today, the House voted on the Continuing Resolution to fund the government for the next several weeks. While permitting restrictions and funding for monkeypox and COVID were stripped out – there was too much pork in this bill – I voted no.
My bill, the Gilt Edge Mine Conveyance Act passed the House 296-127. This bill would give South Dakota the opportunity to purchase the land at the Gilt Edge Mine so cleanup can continue. The current ownership consists of a patchwork of local, state, and federal governments, making it difficult to complete a cleanup. You can watch my floor remarks here.
This week, I introduced a bill to improve safety and increase law enforcement resources on reservations across America. The Tribal Capital for Operations Promoting Safety (COPS) Act would increase capabilities of tribal law enforcement agencies through recruitment and retention incentives, additional trainings, and equipment procurement.
A shocking 77% of teen overdose deaths in 2021 were caused by fentanyl. On Wednesday, I cosponsored the Protecting Kids from Fentanyl Act, led by Rep. Doug Lamborn (R-CO), to allow schools flexibility to use remaining COVID relief dollars to purchase overdose prevention drugs and resources for life-saving trainings for faculty, staff, and students.
Additionally, I joined 50 of my colleagues in asking the Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, Secretary of the Treasury Janet Yellen, and Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack to review how China’s purchase of land near the Grand Forks Air Force Base in North Dakota could be a national security threat. I am leading legislation to prohibit China’s purchase of America’s agricultural land and ag businesses. Food security is national security.
In between all of this, I met with organizations, tribes, and constituents, led a capitol tour for guests, and voted on close to 50 bills in just three days. It is common for people to think we don’t do much in Washington, D.C., but it is usually busier than it seems, especially since House members are heading back to their districts until November.
I was disappointed – but not surprised – when House leadership punted a vote on a congressional stock trading ban once again. Members have no business trading stocks and our constituents agree. If Democrat leadership can't get this done, I'm dedicated to working with Republican leadership and members on both sides to pass the Trust in Congress Act in January.
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