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Mike Rounds

 
Mike Rounds Image
Title
Senator
South Dakota
Party Affiliation
Republican
2021
2026
Social Media Accounts
Twitter
: @
SenatorRounds
Facebook
: @
SenatorMikeRounds
Donate Against (Primary Election)
Donate Against (General Election)
Top Contributors
(2022 - current)
33,950
Sanford Health
Sanford Health
$33,950
NextEra Energy
$30,700
State of South Dakota
$23,898
Avairpros
$22,400
Capital Group Companies
$19,400
Top Industries
(2022 - current)
456,467
Leadership PACs
Leadership PACs
$456,467
Securities & Investment
$424,328
Retired
$335,648
Insurance
$271,049
Commercial Banks
$262,685
VoteDown vs Influence Donors
Data supplied by OpenSecrets.org
Representative Offices
Address
221 Brown County Highway 19 S
Suite
Suite 112
City/State/Zip
Aberdeen SD, 57401
Phone
605-225-0366
Address
111 W. Capitol Ave.
Suite
Suite 210
City/State/Zip
Pierre SD, 57501
Phone
605-224-1450
Fax
605-224-1379
Address
603 Omaha St.
Suite
Suite 100
City/State/Zip
Rapid City SD, 57701
Phone
605-343-5035
Fax
605-343-5348
Address
320 N. Main Ave.
Suite
Suite A
City/State/Zip
Sioux Falls SD, 57104
Phone
605-336-0486
Fax
605-336-6624
News
02/12/2025 --starherald
State Sen. Mike Jacobson said he doubts the Trump administration will gut the federal Medicaid dollars he hopes to leverage for Nebraska through Legislative Bill 527 and 2024's LB 1087.
02/12/2025 --postregister
SAN MATEO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb 12, 2025--
02/12/2025 --qctimes
The legislation comes on the heels of an executive order signed last month by President Donald Trump promising “forceful and unprecedented steps to marshal all Federal resources to combat the explosion of antisemitism on our campuses and in our streets”...
02/11/2025 --rollcall
Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., leaves the House Republican Conference meeting in the Capitol on Tuesday.
02/11/2025 --dailypress
Trump suggested withholding funding from Jordan and Egypt to persuade them to accept Palestinians from Gaza.
02/08/2025 --theepochtimes
Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) and Congress's foreign affairs committees have been notified of the latest sale to Israel under the Trump administration.
02/07/2025 --rapidcityjournal
The requirement for EID tags is the key change in the rule, not which animals require identification. Previously, a metal ear tag was required for certain animals.
02/07/2025 --pantagraph
Chicago’s path to being a sanctuary city began more than 40 years ago. Here’s a look at the leaders and laws that have shaped Chicago’s involvement with the sanctuary movement.
02/03/2025 --hoodline
Mayor Keith Wilson announces 50 new shelter beds at Bybee Lakes Hope Center for those with substance use disorders in Portland.
02/03/2025 --duluthnewstribune
From the editorial: "Imagine, elk back in Northeastern Minnesota, their sprawling tree-limb antlers, their haunting bugle cries, and their thick bodies the size of pickup trucks."
01/31/2025 --journalstar
A proposal to change Nebraska law to define ride-sharing and app-based food delivery drivers as independent contractors ran into opposition Friday from Democratic lawmakers.
01/31/2025 --rawstory
Critics of President Donald Trump's tariff proposals, both left and right, are hoping that he will change his mind. But Trump is doubling down and saying that as soon as this Saturday, February 1, he may impose across-the-board 25 percent tariffs on all goods entering the United States from Canada and Mexico — both of which are major trading partners.Tariffs are not universally popular among Republicans; Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Kentucky), former GOP leader in the U.S. Senate, is a major critic of them. And tariffs, according to Semafor reporters Burgess Everett and Shelby Talcott, are one of the ways in which Trump "is taking the Republican Congress on an economic wild ride."In an article published Friday, Everett and Talcott explain, "He's threatening serious tariffs that could hit key U.S. allies this weekend, just days after confounding Congress with his plans to freeze federal spending. Some GOP lawmakers are hoping they can still head off the tariffs, and a few complained about the conflicting guidance on government money. But most — especially those from red areas — said they're feeling little heat for the president's moves.... It's an important moment for congressional Republicans, who are divided between free traders and more populist members."READ MORE: Trump’s 'coming trade wars' could imperil one of his top Senate allies — here’s howThe reporters add, "The latter camp has no problem with Trump threatening, and following through with, tariffs on allies. Senators in both parties pressed Howard Lutnick, Trump's nominee to lead the Commerce Department, about those levies during his confirmation hearing this week."Sen. Mike Rounds (R-South Dakota) is hoping Trump will show some restraint with tariffs.Rounds told Semafor, "I'm not getting the indication that it's going to be an immediate thing, because I know the president doesn't want to drive up the price for fuel. That would be a serious problem if we just all of a sudden stopped heavy crude from coming into refiners in the United States. So I think they’ll be reasonable.""Looming tariffs" and "the federal funding freeze," according to Everett and Talcott, are creating "nail-gnawing uncertainty for Congress."READ MORE: Inside Trump's scheme to concentrate power"The fault lines in the GOP are real, on both the tariffs and the spending freeze," the Semafor reporters note. "But many Republicans clearly have Trump’s back despite the prospective economic hit."READ MORE: 'Heinous personality': Internet unleashes on 'psychopath' Trump after he jokes about crashRead the full Semafor article at this link.
01/31/2025 --axios
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman gave government leaders, policy experts and journalists a sneak peek at coming technology Thursday during an off-the-record demo near Capitol Hill.Why it matters: The briefing was designed both to show how the U.S. can maximize economic benefits of AI, and to warm D.C. leaders to coming capabilities so they're less likely to be caught off-guard.Referring to new agentic technology that can independently complete tasks in the real world, Altman said: "My intuition would be that ... these things are [a] single-digit percent of the economic value we will pass to the U.S. economy." "This is going to be a big, big efficiency gain."State of play: Altman and OpenAI's Chief Product Officer Kevin Weil previewed new AI capabilities coming in Q1 and focused on how those capabilities will support science, education, health and government services, Axios' Maria Curi reported ahead of the meeting.It marked the second week in a row Altman was in D.C. after attending Trump's inauguration and announcing Stargate — a partnership among companies including OpenAI to invest billions in AI development.Spotted at the briefing Thursday: Interior Secretary Doug Burgum (confirmed yesterday) ... Lynne Parker, executive director of President Trump's Council of Advisors for Science and Technology (PCAST) ... Sriram Krishnana, White House senior policy adviser for AI ... Jacob Helberg, Trump's designee for Under Secretary of State for Economic Growth, Energy, and the Environment ... Sen. Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) ... Kellyanne Conway ... Wally Adeyemo, former deputy Treasury secretary under President Biden ... retired House Financial Services Chair Patrick McHenry ... former Sen. Laphonza Butler (D-Calif.).Go deeper: Behind the Curtain — Coming soon: Ph.D.-level super-agents
01/30/2025 --foxnews
Welcome to the Fox News Politics newsletter, with the latest updates on the Trump administration, exclusive interviews and more Fox News politics content.
01/30/2025 --bismarcktribune
A group of North Dakota lawmakers heard emotional testimony on a handful of bills related to reproductive health care and the insurance — or lack thereof — to cover it.
01/27/2025 --kron4
Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) is brushing aside economic concerns associated with the raids that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials have carried out in recent days, as Democrats warn that the mass deportations could harm the economy. Asked during a press conference on Monday — taking place during the House GOP’s retreat at Trump National [...]
01/27/2025 --samessenger
ST. ALBANS CITY – In light of President Donald Trump’s threats to impose a 25% tariff on Canada and Mexico, Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt.) met with business and industry leaders in St. Albans City Hall to hear their concerns.
01/27/2025 --kron4
It’s decision time for House Republicans as they gather for their annual policy retreat in Florida this week. While they are escaping the frigid conditions in Washington, Republicans must still face divisions in their ranks on how to execute President Trump’s ambitious legislative agenda. In a sign of Trump’s influence over the House GOP, the [...]
01/23/2025 --nbcnews
Senate Republicans are rejecting a request by moderate Democrats to jettison their party-line efforts on immigration and work on a bipartisan solution.
01/23/2025 --journalstar
Omaha Sen. Kathleen Kauth said the change would provide more transparency and accountability to the Legislature, but opponents said it was "a creep of partisanship into our process."
01/23/2025 --sgvtribune
Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and his top aide, Brian Hook, have faced threats from Iran.
01/19/2025 --cbsnews
On this "Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan" broadcast, incoming National Security Adviser Mike Waltz, and Middle East envoy Brett McGurk join Margaret Brennan.
01/19/2025 --cbsnews
The following is the full transcript of an interview with Rep. Mike Waltz, incoming Trump administration national security adviser, on "Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan" that aired on Jan. 19, 2025.
01/18/2025 --cbsnews
"It's 'Real Housewives' meets 'The Bachelor' meets 'The Apprentice,'" one source said of the scene at Mar-a-Lago. "Viper pit."
01/18/2025 --huffpost
A monthly child allowance went away, but bigger food benefits and health care subsidies could be here to stay.
01/14/2025 --kron4
Pete Hegseth, President-elect Trump's choice for Defense secretary, on Tuesday emerged largely unscathed from an at times blistering confirmation hearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee. Democratic lawmakers on the panel took aim at Hegseth’s lack of experience leading an agency as large and complex as the Pentagon, claims related to his treatment of women [...]
01/14/2025 --huffpost
Democrats grilled Trump’s defense secretary pick over ugly allegations against him. But barring a last-minute surprise, he appears on track to be confirmed.
01/14/2025 --forbes
Smith asked to dismiss the cases without prejudice, meaning they could still be brought again in the future.
01/14/2025 --dailykos
Defense secretary nominee Pete Hegseth will publicly face senators for the first time Tuesday after weeks of privately pushing back on criticism over his qualifications and personal past.Hegseth, a 44-year-old Army National Guard veteran and former Fox News Channel weekend host, has faced strong criticism from Democrats over his thin resume compared to previous defense secretaries, along with allegations of excessive drinking, sexual assault and mismanagement of veterans organization finances — all of which he denies.Many Republicans have been vocally supportive of Hegseth’s nomination, but others have remained noncommittal as the reports surfaced about his past behavior.President-elect Donald Trump has remained strongly supportive of Hegseth, who has worked to win favor with Senate Republicans in one-on-one meetings over the last month.Trump posted on social media in December that “Pete is a WINNER, and there is nothing that can be done to change that!!!”Here’s what to watch as Hegseth’s hearing gets underway on Tuesday morning:How he would run the departmentRepublicans have said they view Hegseth’s combat experience as an asset, but Democrats say they are deeply concerned that he is largely inexperienced and untested on the global stage.The PentagonThe Defense Department has a budget exceeding $800 billion, with about 1.3 million active-duty troops and another 1.4 million in the National Guard and Reserves and civilian employees based worldwide. Hegseth would face a daunting array of global crises, from the wars in the Middle East and Ukraine and the expanding alliance between Russia and North Korea to the growing competition with China.Look for Democrats to question Hegseth on the specifics of how he would manage the huge department — and how he would represent the United States in diplomatic situations around the world.“We need a serious candidate, one that is capable of doing this job,” said Nevada Sen. Jacky Rosen, a Democrat on the committee.Republicans say his resume is an advantage over traditional Pentagon leaders and praise him for wanting to overhaul the department.“While maybe not the credentials that have traditionally been on the resume of nominees for secretary of defense, I think that he brings plenty and he brings some things that some of those more traditional nominees didn’t bring,” said North Dakota Sen. Kevin Cramer, a Republican member of the panel. “He’ll be disruptive in a good way.”Women in combatHegseth said as recently as last year that women “straight up” should not serve in combat roles. So attention will be on the two female Iraq War veterans on the committee — Republican Joni Ernst of Iowa and Democrat Tammy Duckworth of Illinois, who lost both legs when a Blackhawk helicopter she was piloting was hit by a rocket-propelled grenade.Sen. Tammy DuckworthDuckworth said ahead of the hearing that she will question Hegseth on whether he will try and reduce the role of women in combat and how he would do so. How would it affect recruiting? Would men be deployed more often as a result? “We can’t go to war without them,” she said.Ernst has met with Hegseth twice after saying she wants to hear more about his views. She has not yet said if she will support him.Hegseth said on "The Megyn Kelly Show” in December that “if we have the right standard and women meet that standard, roger. Let’s go.”Allegations of sexual assaultHegseth has been fighting back against allegations of excessive drinking and the revelation that he made a settlement payment after being accused of a sexual assault that he denies.Sen. Joni ErnstDemocrats are expected to demand an explanation from Hegseth. In a letter to him last week, Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren, who is on the Armed Services panel, questioned if Hegseth would be able to lead, saying she was “deeply concerned by the many ways in which your past behavior and rhetoric indicates that you are unfit."Republican Sen. Ernst, who is a survivor of sexual assault, said her second meeting with Hegseth had “ encouraging conversations.” She said Hegseth committed “to completing a full audit of the Pentagon” and to hiring a senior official who will “prioritize and strengthen my work to prevent sexual assault within the ranks.”Many Republicans have rallied around Hegseth, with some appearing to question if the reports are true. Tennessee Sen. Bill Hagerty said last month that it is a “shame” that something that has been previously investigated “is back to some he said, she said thing.”Will he have the votes?Hegseth is likely to have near-unanimous Republican support on the committee and potentially in the full Senate. But it could depend on how effectively he is able to defend himself, and his point of view, in the hearing. He can only lose four Republican votes in the 53-47 Senate if all Democrats vote against his confirmation, as Vice President-elect JD Vance could cast a tie-breaking vote.South Dakota Sen. Mike Rounds, a Republican member of the Armed Services panel, said Hegseth has been straightforward with Republican senators that he knows he will have to address some of the allegations against him.“I think he will,” Rounds said, “and at the same time, we’ll give him ample opportunity to talk about what he believes his role would be as a secretary, and the vision that he has for the department.”Rounds said he expects to support Hegseth, unless anything changes. “I think the president gets the benefit of the doubt in his nominees,” he said.Campaign Action
01/14/2025 --missoulian
Opinion: Lynx critical habitat is the worst place for clearcuts. The surest way to drive lynx to extinction is allowing the Forest Service to continue their massive deforestation of the West.
01/11/2025 --kron4
House Republicans have a problem. They want to pass a massive agenda for President-elect Trump, preferably in his first 100 days of office. And they don’t want to add to the federal deficit. That looks impossible. Trump’s agenda includes an extension of his 2017 tax cuts, with possible plus-ups that include no taxes on tips [...]
01/11/2025 --tulsaworld
So do we have any legislators who have the backbone to stop this madness? If not we will quickly become a Third World country, says K.D. Brown of Tulsa.
01/10/2025 --foxnews
President-elect Trump named Bill Briggs as Deputy Administrator of the U.S. Small Business Administration and Ed Russo as his pick for the Environmental Advisory Task Force.
01/10/2025 --abcnews
538 looks at the 2024 election results to see which Senate and House candidates were the strongest and weakest.
01/07/2025 --qconline
The lawsuit alleges the reported results deceived consumers, distorted public perception and undermined confidence in the electoral process.
01/07/2025 --martinsvillebulletin
House Speaker Don Scott, D-Portsmouth, expects a "boring session" of the General Assembly to begin on Wednesday, but that may be wishful thinking.
01/07/2025 --kron4
Outgoing Senate Intelligence Committee Chair Mark Warner (D-Va.) said that his meeting with former Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (Hawaii) has left him with more questions as she looks to win confirmation in the coming weeks to lead the U.S. intelligence community. Warner sat down with Gabbard, Trump's pick for director of national intelligence, on Wednesday, a [...]
01/03/2025 --foxnews
The House speaker vote was a litmus test of President-elect Trump's ability to unify a fractious Republican Party.
01/03/2025 --wvnews
Republican Mike Johnson has narrowly won reelection to the House speakership on a dramatic first-ballot vote, overcoming hard-right GOP holdouts in a tense standoff. Upon taking the gavel, Johnson vowed to slash the size and scope of the federal government....
12/30/2025 --romesentinel
This guest column is part of the annual End-of-Year Guest Column series, in partnership with The Genesis Group, featuring insights from local elected officials, business leaders, and community voices.
12/30/2025 --kron4
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) heads to the House floor on Friday in hopes of being formally reelected Speaker. While Johnson has the endorsement of President-elect Trump to remain Speaker, one Republican is pledging to oppose him, and several others are not committing to supporting Johnson. That has raised questions about whether he can win enough [...]
12/30/2025 --dailykos
In an attempt to salvage House Speaker Mike Johnson's career, Donald Trump took to Truth Social to endorse the Louisiana Republican in a rambling post days before the new Congress is set to hold its leadership vote.After slamming Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign’s spending and bragging about his presidential victory, Trump said that Johnson should be reelected speaker to help him pass his agenda."Speaker Mike Johnson is a good, hard working, religious man. He will do the right thing, and we will continue to WIN. Mike has my Complete & Total Endorsement. MAGA!!!" Trump wrote.But it's unclear whether Trump's last-minute foray into the speaker race will get Johnson over the finish line.Republicans are angry at Johnson for negotiating with Democrats to keep the government funded, with 38 Republicans defying both Johnson and Trump—who helped negotiate the ultimate funding agreement—and voting against the bill.Republicans also defied Trump by not including a debt ceiling increase in the funding deal that passed on Dec. 20, revealing that a sizable faction of the House GOP is willing to buck Trump.So far, Rep. Thomas Massie, Republican of Kentucky, said on X that he will vote against Johnson. Similarly, Rep. Victoria Spartz, Republican of Indiana, signaled on Monday that Johnson has a lot of work to do to win her vote. Spartz, who was elected as a Republican, said she will not participate in the Republican conference.xI will vote for someone other than Mike Johnson. I’m not persuaded by the “hurry up and elect him so we can certify the election on J6” argument. A weak legislative branch, beholden to the swamp, will not be able to achieve the mandate voters gave Trump and Congress in November. pic.twitter.com/vrD3l45XDX— Thomas Massie (@RepThomasMassie) December 27, 2024“Our next speaker must show courageous leadership to get our country back on track before this ‘Titanic’ strikes an iceberg at any moment,” Spartz wrote in a rambling statement.Roughly a dozen other Republicans are on the fence.Rep. Chip Roy, Republican of Texas, who feuded with Trump during the government funding mess, is gauging whether Rep. Jim Jordan, Republican of Ohio, should get in the race. Other Republicans have floated Trump’s co-president Elon Musk as a possible speaker candidate.Ultimately, with Republicans' extremely narrow House majority, Johnson can't afford to lose votes from his caucus if he wants the gavel. Republicans will have just 219 seats when the new Congress is sworn in on Jan. 3, as former Rep. Matt Gaetz won’t be taking the seat he won in November. Even if Trump’s endorsement gets some of the fence sitters back in Johnson’s camp, just two defections could derail Johnson’s bid. If Johnson cannot garner a majority on Friday, Congress will be thrown into a state of chaos—again.Without a speaker in place, Congress cannot hold a joint session on Jan. 6 to certify Trump’s 2024 presidential victory. As Politico reported, “Congress is legally required to convene on Jan. 6 to certify the election results. But without a speaker, the House won’t be able to establish rules governing how it operates. And members who would need to vote on any successful objection can’t be sworn in until after those rules are adopted.”Republicans have proven that they are willing to go without a speaker. In January 2023, it took 15 rounds of voting for the GOP conference to coalesce around Kevin McCarthy. A few months later, in October, the House was without a speaker for 22 days after Gaetz ousted McCarthy without any replacement in mind. That chaotic mess is what led to Johnson’s speakership.It already looks like the start of the 119th Congress is going to be a disaster of Republicans’ own making. Get your popcorn ready.Right now, Daily Kos is falling short of our 2024 goal. Your donations are how we make ends meet. Can you please donate $5 right now so we can close the books on 2024?
12/30/2025 --rapidcityjournal
In the wake of former President Jimmy Carter's death at 100, elected officials in South Dakota reflected on a man who "lived a remarkable life."
12/25/2024 --fox5sandiego
Beyoncé provided more excitement than either game during Netflix’s NFL debut on Christmas Day. Riding into her halftime appearance on a white horse, the 32-time Grammy winner rocked her hometown Houston crowd with a nearly 13-minute performance on Wednesday. She surprised fans by bringing out Shaboozey to perform “Sweet Honey Buckiin” and Post Malone joined [...]
12/25/2024 --hoodline
Missouri invests $4.8 million to upgrade Rocky Mount's sewer systems, aiming to modernize waste management by December 2025.
12/22/2024 --kenoshanews
Donald Trump is suggesting that his new administration could try to regain control of the Panama Canal.
 
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