Thune on Senate Advancement of Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act
“President Trump has made his commitment to ending this war and bringing peace to Ukraine very clear. This bill will help him do that.”
Click here to watch the video.
WASHINGTON — U.S. Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) today delivered the following remarks on the Senate floor:
I think we can safely say that this event last night was easily South Dakota’s Worst Election Watch Party Ever:
If you went, would you get stuck by JFM (sorry, JFM’s evil twin), Phil, or Bialota? And you know that Brandei probably had to pick up Shad’s check.
Populism is a political approach that promotes the common people, anti-elitism, and binary moral appeals. It splits society into two groups: the pure people and the corrupt elite.
Were people getting tired of being too angry for too long? Because based on the outcome of the runoff election, it sure seemed that way. It came down to a choice for or against the same wave of anger which has rolled through through through the Republican Party like a mud flow over the past few years, washing out good dedicated legislators in favor of legions of the angry.
But this year was different. While he came in third in the primary, Congressman Dusty Johnson backed an effort which replaced over a dozen of the bad legislators who listened less to their constituents than facebook. And once we moved into the runoff elections, Republican voters held in there, as opposed to deserting in droves to the forces of apathy in a primary election that already seemed far too long.
It seemed that voters once again sided with normalcy, and in most cases declared that they wanted to “stop the madness.”
For those who did not side with Larry Rhoden at first, while maybe it wasn’t their guy in the 4-way primary anymore, and maybe they were not going to get all the idealism they were hoping for, the voters were committed to see that South Dakota nice prevailed. And the tenor of the conversation changed from the politics of anger and opposition to voters seeking more deliberate thought.
It may not be perfect for everyone. But now there is hope that the system and processes that South Dakota built over decades of thoughtful, gradual movement, compromise and conservative leadership will not be up-ended in stunt casting for the state’s highest office.
Senator Mike Rounds’ Weekly Round[s] Up: July 13-26, 2026
Welcome back to another edition of the Weekly Round[s] Up. I wanted to start by acknowledging the passing of Lindsey Graham, a true patriot and a dear friend. Lindsey was a public servant who cared deeply for South Carolina and the people he served. He’s irreplaceable, and his loss has already been felt deeply. Shortly after his passing, his sister Darline Graham was sworn in to serve as a United States Senator for South Carolina. I was there to welcome her, and I am confident she will do a great job serving South Carolina and the United States in this role. We’ll be remembering Lindsey’s life at a service in the Capitol Rotunda and at the National Cathedral this week.
As we continue the important work of the Senate, here’s a look at what my last two weeks entailed. I attended three major hearings. The first was with the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, where I introduced Jay Clayton, nominee to be Director of National Intelligence. The second was with the Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee where I questioned Fed Chairman Kevin Warsh. Lastly, I gave a testimony at an Appropriations Committee Hearing on the President’s supplemental funding request, then followed up by asking Department of War officials questions about the Iran war. You can watch clips of all three of these below.
In addition to committee work, I cast several votes on the Senate floor. One vote of particular importance was a procedural vote to begin consideration of the Fiscal Year 2027 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which failed due to obstruction from my colleagues on the other side of the aisle. More on the last couple weeks in this Weekly Round[s] Up:
South Dakota Groups I Visited With: Leadership from the Sioux Falls Regional Airport; South Dakota AM Radio Broadcasters; South Dakota State FFA Officers; South Dakota Soybean; South Dakota Corn Growers Association; South Dakota Dairy Producers; South Dakota members of Boys and Girls Clubs of America; Matt Schull, CEO of Missouri River Energy Service and leadership; South Dakotans with 340B Health; Sara Bird with the National Association of School Psychologists; Standing Rock Sioux Tribal Council members; Karl Adam, President of the South Dakota Bankers Association; South Dakota Special Educators; South Dakota Vietnam Veterans; South Dakota Association of Cooperatives; South Dakota Agri-Business Association’s Tomorrow’s Ag Leaders Class of 2026; and South Dakota Girls and Boys Nation Delegates.
I also joined a call with Governor Larry Rhoden to welcome the Royal Thai Army delegation to South Dakota while on their visit hosted by MMS Products, Inc. in Sioux Falls. Over this past weekend I gave remarks at the National Chief Justice Conference and Conference of State Court Administrators Opening Ceremonies, hosted by South Dakota Supreme Court Chief Justice Steven Jensen at the Crazy Horse Memorial in the Black Hills.
Met with South Dakotans From: Aberdeen, Alexandria, Brandon, Belle Fourche, Black Hawk, Brookings, Castlewood, Colton, Doland, Elk Point, Frederick, Hamill, Huron, Java, Kennebec, Lake Preston, Langford, Lebanon, Lennox, Miller, Mitchell, Montrose, Mound City, Pierre, Platte, Presho, Pukwana, Rapid City, Redfield, Roscoe, Salem, Sioux Falls, Sisseton, Sturgis, St. Lawrence, Summerset, Valley Springs, Volga, Watertown and Webster.
Other Meetings: Palmer Luckey, Founder of Anduril Industries; Delegation of Cybersecurity Founders and Chief Executives; Rob Karofsky, Co-President Global Wealth Management and President UBS Americas; Dr. Jennifer London and Randy Kozuch; Brian Johnson, nominee for Director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau; Mauro De Lorenzo Rwanda President’s Senior Advisor and Brigadier General Jean-Paul Nyirubutama, the President’s National Security Advisor; Jonathan Smith, President of the American Postal Workers Union; Ethiopian Foreign Minister Gedion Timotheos; Rob Nichols, CEO of American Bankers Association; Assistant Secretary of Indian Affairs, William Kirkland; Jerry Geisler, Walmart’s Chief Information Security Officer; Members of European Parliament Committee on Constitutional Affairs; Maya MacGuineas, President of The Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget; Cameron Stanley, Department of War’s Chief Digital and Artificial Intelligence Officer; David Slade, Nominee to be First Vice President of The Export-Import Bank of the U.S.; Cameron Hamilton, Nominee to be Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency; Emil Michael, Under Secretary of War for Research and Engineering and Department of War’s Chief Technology Officer; and Liren Chen, CEO of InterDigital.
I participated in a fireside chat at the Bloomberg Government AI Executive Dinner and The Washington Center’s 2026 Distinguished Speaker Series. I also spoke at a Strategic Forces Association Luncheon about the B-21 program.
During the last two weeks I attended Senate Bible Study and Senate Prayer breakfast. Last week, I was our speaker at Senate Prayer Breakfast where my message centered around the idea of calling and purpose.
Artificial Intelligence Event: On Thursday, I hosted a Rapid Artificial Intelligence (AI) event which was a huge success! We had Majority Leader John Thune, Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, Michael Kratsios, Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy and Dario Gil, Department of Energy Undersecretary and more there to participate. I also spoke on a panel with my colleagues Senator Todd Young of Indiana and Senator Martin Heinrich of New Mexico to talk about the direction of artificial intelligence in the Senate. The event brought people from all over interested in the impacts of AI together including multiple South Dakotans who helped moderate the panels. AI is here and here to stay, it is important the United States remains at the forefront of its development.
Air Force Academy Board of Visitors Meeting: This past week, I announced that I have been selected to serve on the U.S. Air Force Academy’s Board of Visitors. This is a great opportunity I am thankful to have been chosen for. The students selected to attend the Air Force Academy are some of our nation’s best and brightest, and we must continue to provide them with a quality educational experience that prepares them to defend our country. I look forward to working with my Congressional colleagues, the Department of the Air Force and the cadets to make certain the U.S. Air Force Academy is fully resourced and positioned to prepare future generations to serve our country. Last week I had my first meeting with the other members and enjoyed our first of many conversations.
Hearings: We’ve been busy with hearings recently! On Wednesday, the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence held a nomination hearing for Jay Clayton to be Director of National Intelligence. I am honored to have been asked to introduce him at his hearing, which you can watch here. Click here to watch the questions I asked Clayton during the hearing.
During a Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Hearing, I questioned Fed Chairman Kevin Warsh. Click here to watch the exchange.
Last week I provided a testimony at a Senate Committee on Appropriations Hearing on “A Review of the President’s Supplemental Funding Request of June 24, 2026”. During this hearing I was able to ask the witnesses, Secretary of the Department of War, Pete Hegseth and General John Caine, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff questions about the war in Iran. Click here to watch.
Lastly, I attended a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing where we reported 2,274 nominees out of committee. Later that week, 2,266 of these were confirmed by the full Senate.
Briefings: I received three classified briefing as part of my work on the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence. Additionally, I received a briefing on Genesis AI.
Legislation Introduced: Senator Heinrich and I recently introduced legislation to expedite scientific research on diseases through specimen collection. This is the first piece of legislation introduced using feedback from our American Science Acceleration Project (ASAP), a national initiative to support making American science 10 times faster by 2030. Click here to learn more.
Votes Taken: I voted 17 times over the past two weeks. As mentioned before, the Senate took a procedural vote on the NDAA FY27, which I voted in favor of. This legislation is typically broadly bipartisan, but this year it was blocked by my Democrat colleagues. I’m disappointed by this, but we’ll continue to work on getting the NDAA through the Senate to authorize funding for military programs that support our men and women in uniform.
Additionally, I voted on multiple nominees including Arthur Roberts Jones, of Texas, to be United States District Judge for the Southern District of Texas; Matthew A. Schwartz, of New York, to be United States Circuit Judge for the Second Circuit; Jeffrey T. Kuntz to be U.S. District Judge for the Southern District of Florida; Kara Marie Westercamp to be a Judge of the U.S. Court of International Trade; Benjamin M. Flowers, of Ohio, to be United States Circuit Judge for the Sixth Circuit; Michael C. Martin to be U.S. District Judge for the Eastern District of Michigan; Antonio M. Pozos to be U.S. District Judge for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania; and Daniel Mack Traynor to be U.S. Circuit Judge for the Eighth Circuit.
Lastly, I voted against a resolution that would have ended a Medicare pilot program testing AI-assisted reviews aimed at reducing waste, fraud and abuse while maintaining human oversight. I also voted against a resolution to remove United States Armed Forces from Iran. Click here to read more about these votes.
Steps Taken: 54,721 steps or 24.67 miles week one and 57,139 steps or 27.87 miles in week two.
My Staff in South Dakota Visited: Brookings, Eagle Butte, Ft. Thompson, Lower Brule and Viborg.
Video of the Week: I joined CNBC to talk about Kevin Warsh’s nomination hearing, click here to watch.
Yesterday..
Tonight…
I’m watching Toby Doeden’s 9PM concession speech where he said that “I promised to unite the Republican Party.” Well, I guess he did unite us, as Republicans united pretty strongly against him as he got whooped on a 70-30% basis (to this point).
Doeden never was able to move past his original 30%, and I think the die was cast when he declared on election night in June “I ended Dusty Johnson’s political career,” guaranteeing that he would not receive any of those votes.
Nobody likes a sore winner, and Doeden never seemed to want to unite Republicans from any portion of other factions behind him, despite giving it lip service. Although one or two former Hansen sycophants couldn’t suck up to him fast enough.
Governor Rhoden has always been a decent, honorable person and being that kind of person in an environment – which could at times be toxic – earned him a well deserved win tonight.
With 30% of the votes in, and the results appearing to be a complete shellacking running about 70-30, the special election has been called by the Associated Press for Governor Larry Rhoden over Toby Doeden.
In the first few counties which are pushing in runoff results, this looks like it could be a complete rout, as several of the rural counties are coming in on a 3 to 1 basis in favor of Governor Rhoden.
If this holds true, it means that Toby Doeden has not been able to move past the 30% he received in the primary election. In fact, it may show a little backsliding as well.
From the Secretary of State’s website:
According to the Secretary of State, State Senator Tom Pischke, who is facing felony charges for falsifying election documents has withdrawn from his campaign for the 2026 election.
This triggers a process where the Republican central committee members who reside in his district (including precinct people) will select someone to run in his stead. That process begins with the withdrawal..
12-6-55. Withdrawal by nominee–Time and place of filing.
Any person nominated to any elective office may cause that person’s name to be withdrawn from nomination by request in writing, subscribed and sworn to by that person before any officer qualified to administer oaths and take acknowledgments. The request shall be filed with the officer with whom the nominating petition was filed pursuant to § 12-6-4, not later than the first Tuesday in August at 5:00 p.m. before the next election. No person’s name withdrawn under this section may be printed upon the ballots for that office unless the same person is subsequently selected to fill the vacancy in accordance with § 12-6-56.
and they are replaced on the ballot via SDCL 12-6-56:
12-6-56. Party committee–Party candidate vacancies.
If a vacancy occurs by reason of death or withdrawal after a primary election, a party candidate for public office may be chosen if a meeting of the appropriate party central committee is held and the results are certified to the appropriate official within the times prescribed by § 12-8-6.
If the vacancy is a party candidate for presidential elector or statewide office, the vacancy shall be filled by the State Party Central Committee. If the vacancy is a party candidate for public office other than presidential elector or statewide office, the vacancy shall be filled by a vote of county party central committee members in attendance who reside in the affected district.
The certification of the results shall be signed by the person responsible for calling the meeting under § 12-6-57 or the person designated to conduct the meeting under § 12-6-57.
No information is immediately available as to whether a plea agreement has been reached yet in the felony charges Pischke is currently facing prosecution for.
But it’s very likely this marks the end of his political career.
