South Dakota

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It would not have been something that I would have done. And I know that the White House is not covered by the same guidance that we are, but it's not something that I would have done.

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It's a great message. I like the message. But it shouldn't be paid for with taxpayer dollars.

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[Rounds called the invitation] a mistake. … I think he's a pariah. [Rounds cited what Putin has] done in Europe and the damage that he's caused to Ukraine.

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I think there's value in being able to talk with your adversaries. … Our two countries, the biggest economies in the world, have a symbiotic relationship.

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I think you follow the court order, yeah. I mean, you can appeal. Obviously, there's a process. … They need to follow the court order.

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I'm hopeful a long-term trade agreement can be reached, but extending the trade truce provides much-needed stability for American producers and manufacturers while negotiations continue.

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I think there are a lot of Republican members, yes, obviously. Everybody wants to see wars come to a conclusion. We are hopeful that the administration's efforts will lead to getting … the shipping lanes open and taking some of the pressure off of the American peoples' pocketbooks via a lower price at the pump for gasoline. … It's an economic frustration. That's why again I hope that the administration is laser-focused on trying to get the strait open. [Thune called the Democratic-forced vote "political."]

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I think the courts are going to make quick work of it. I think the courts are going to step in and they'll make a decision because it's an important issue to resolve.

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[Thune called the report a] political hit job by a left-wing outlet. … I don't think there's ever been any implication that she or her campaign were in any way implicated in that.

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[Rounds, doubtful about how an export ban would work in practice, said] refining is going to be a bigger issue here than a lot of people thought, [pointing to reopening shuttered California refineries instead].

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The export ban, honestly, makes probably more sense to me. [Thune said suspending the gas tax would create holes in the Highway Trust Fund.]

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I would hope the team could hang together on this. … [I]f I'm running in an environment like this, obviously you're going to develop a campaign and a message that can win in your state.

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It was not what we had expected. … They owe us a report, and we did not get the report.

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Well, not before the election. No, I mean that'll probably be a post-election push.

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There's no specific proposal out there and obviously how that were to come together, Congress would have a big role. … [Asked whether he got advance notice:] I did not.

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We'll be looking at any proposal that is a viable solution. … [If] that would take pressure off of prices, I'm open to exploring it. [Thune called a federal gas-tax suspension a short-term fix that would leave holes in the Highway Trust Fund, and said the best solution would be reopening the Strait of Hormuz.]

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You don't want to stifle innovation but you also want to make sure that the more advanced threats can be mitigated. … [Put guardrails around it, but] I think you want to do it in a light-touch way that doesn't squash innovation.

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It smells very much like a reconciliation issue.

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We'll cross that bridge when we come to it. … He wants more money in the pockets of the American people. The Democrats want to grow government in Washington, D.C.

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That's up to the folks that want to put it on.

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This year, I'm spending as much time as I can in South Dakota talking to folks.

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We’ve had some very good generals that are no longer there that we respected.

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I'm hearing the same rumors as everybody else — that he was frustrated with some of his top generals being released, and that's not the first time I've heard that. I think that points to questions that we're going to be asking when we get back.

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I wish there had not been quite so much turnover with some of these senior officers.

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This hurts! American cattle producers have been disadvantaged for far too long.

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First-class mail is supposed to be delivered in three days. It's taking closer to 10 for a lot of the mail in South Dakota.

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It is my intent to only release this blanket hold when my concerns are fully resolved by USPS leadership and service returns to levels at least equal to the days of the Pony Express.

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$40 trillion in debt — seems to me that should get our attention. We’ll have to be dealing with it.

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The Democrat members need to be brought up to speed. But there has to be a clear understanding that the information that's being provided to them cannot be publicly discussed.

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Incompetent bureaucrats should not get bonuses when the mail does not run on time. If the Postal Service were serious about cutting costs, it should cut costs inside its own ivory tower before passing costs on to the American people who are still receiving terrible service.