Western South Dakota News

U.S. Senate Majority Leader John Thune delivered remarks on the Senate floor emphasizing the passage of a budget resolution aimed at setting the stage for legislation focused on border, energy, and national security. Thune criticized his Democratic colleagues for not prioritizing border security in their amendments.

Thune stated, "We considered a lot of amendments from my Democrat colleagues – not one of which, interestingly enough, was centered on border security, and very few of which addressed either national security or energy security."

He expressed skepticism about the Democrats' focus, noting that their leader seemed to misinterpret the purpose of the budget resolution as being related to tax cuts for billionaires. Thune clarified that it had nothing to do with tax cuts.

Thune emphasized the need to address what he described as chaos at the southern border under President Biden's administration. He asserted that Republicans are committed to closing this gap in national security and highlighted former President Trump's efforts to secure the border.

"In addition to surging support to the southern border, his administration has been focused on arresting and deporting criminal aliens," Thune said.

He noted that these efforts require additional funding from Congress and mentioned Republican plans to move forward with legislation aimed at securing the border and discouraging illegal immigration.

"And so Republicans are moving forward on legislation to fund continued efforts to deport criminal aliens," he added.

Thune concluded by expressing disappointment over Democrats' lack of interest in joining Republicans on this issue but affirmed their commitment: "We owe the American people a secure border, and we intend to give it to them."