Remarks
Thune: Democrats Will Have to Show Americans Why They Oppose Voter ID
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: Thune’s remarks below (as delivered): “Mr. President, since we began debate on the SAVE America Act, my Democrat colleagues have spent a lot of time hedging. “And that’s been particularly evident on the issue of voter ID - something that Democrats have spent years decrying as a tool of voter suppression, but are now suggesting they somehow sup… Continue Reading
03.25.26
Thune: Day 40 of Democrats’ Dangerous DHS Shutdown
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: Thune’s remarks below (as delivered): “Mr. President, we’re on day 40 of Democrats’ shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security. “Day 40. “And that’s on top of Democrats’ record-breaking, 43-day full-government shutdown in the fall. “Altogether, thanks to Senate Democrats, a lot of DHS employees have been working without pay for more tha… Continue Reading
03.24.26
Thune on SAVE America Act Debate: Democrats’ Rhetoric Is Out of Touch With Americans
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: Thune’s remarks below (as delivered): “Mr. President, if one thing is abundantly clear from polling, it’s that there are a lot of Americans out there - of both parties - who find voter ID requirements and proof-of-citizenship requirements for voter registration to be pretty commonsense policies. “One poll, in fact, showed that a whole lot of v… Continue Reading
03.23.26
Thune: Senate to Confirm Markwayne Mullin as Department of Homeland Security Secretary
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: Thune’s remarks below (as delivered): “Mr. President, the other nominee that we’ll be confirming this week is somebody we all know well: our colleague Markwayne Mullin. “President Trump has nominated Markwayne to be the secretary of homeland security. “It’s a tough assignment - made all the more challenging right now by Democrats’ having sh… Continue Reading
03.23.26
Thune: Senate to Confirm Colin McDonald to Lead Fraud Enforcement Division
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: Thune’s remarks below (as delivered): “Mr. President, as debate continues on the SAVE America Act, Republicans are also working to advance two nominees for important posts in the Trump administration. “One of those is Colin McDonald, whom President Trump has nominated to lead the new national fraud enforcement division at the Department of Ju… Continue Reading
03.23.26
Thune: Democrats Double Down on Radical Claims, Reject Commonsense Policies
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: Thune’s remarks below (as delivered): “Mr. President, we’ve been debating the SAVE America Act for seven days now. “And what’s been made clear in this debate is how out of touch Democrats are with most Americans. “Polls show that the commonsense policies in the SAVE America Act have support from the American people. “But Democrats have re… Continue Reading
03.22.26
Thune: Proof of Citizenship and Voter ID Shouldn’t Be Controversial
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: Thune’s remarks below (as delivered): “Mr. President, it’s rare for the Senate to be in session on a Sunday. “Needless to say, the fact that we are here today tells you that what we’re doing is important work. “And that is the SAVE America Act. “Mr. President, the core of the SAVE America Act is securing American elections. “And a big wa… Continue Reading
03.21.26
Thune: Democrats Refuse to Support Commonsense Reforms in SAVE America Act
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: Thune’s remarks below (as delivered): “Mr. President, the truth eventually will get out. “Democrats have spent the past week or two attempting to hedge on photo ID - to suggest that in fact Democrats actually support photo ID, it’s just the rest of the … SAVE America Act … that they’re concerned about. “So on Thursday the junior Republican se… Continue Reading
03.21.26
Thune: Securing America Starts With Funding DHS, Not Defunding Police
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: Thune’s remarks below (as delivered): “Mr. President, the situation at U.S. airports continues to worsen, thanks to Democrats’ refusal to fund the Department of Homeland Security. “Thousands of Homeland Security employees have been working without pay for more than a month. “The problems of having an unfunded Homeland Security Department cont… Continue Reading
03.20.26
Thune: The SAVE America Act Delivers Commonsense Protections for Women’s Sports and America’s Children
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: Thune’s remarks below (as delivered): “Mr. President, I said at the beginning of this debate that I was going to use the word commonsense a lot. “And that’s because the SAVE America Act unites a bunch of commonsense policies: the kind of things that are just intuitively obvious, or at least they should be, and should be getting 80 to 90 votes … Continue Reading
03.19.26
Thune: Voter ID Is a Commonsense Standard Americans Expect
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: Thune’s remarks below (as delivered): “Mr. President, Americans are pretty used to presenting their photo IDs. “These days, you need one for just about everything you do. “Driving a car? “You better have your license on you. “Starting a new job? “You’ll need to show a photo ID. “Want to be an emergency snow shoveler in New York City? “Yo… Continue Reading
03.18.26
Thune: American Elections Are for American Citizens
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: Thune’s remarks below (as delivered): “Mr. President, I don’t think this is a hot take: Only American citizens should be voting in American elections. “Let me repeat that. “Only American citizens should be voting in American elections. “Of course, there’s only one way to be sure that only Americans are voting in our elections: Voters have to… Continue Reading
03.17.26
Thune: The SAVE America Act Protects Our Elections and Our Youth
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: Thune’s remarks below (as delivered): “Mr. President, today we are kicking off an extended debate on the SAVE America Act - a package of commonsense measures united around two themes: protecting our elections, and protecting our youth. “You’re going to hear me use the adjective commonsense a lot in this debate, Mr. President. “Because if ther… Continue Reading
03.17.26
Thune: Democrats Put Political Games Above Public Safety, National Security
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: Thune’s remarks below (as delivered): “Mr. President, today is day 32 of Democrats’ shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security. “On Thursday, Democrats once again blocked the Senate from proceeding to a DHS funding bill - a bill, I should note, that already includes a number of reforms to immigration enforcement: more money for body camer… Continue Reading
03.12.26
Thune to Bring SAVE America Act to the Senate Floor
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: Thune’s remarks below (as delivered): “Mr. President, later today we will finish up the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act - the latest piece of legislation in Republicans’ affordability agenda. “And next week, I will be bringing the SAVE America Act to the floor. “And we will be having a full and robust debate. “So, Mr. President, what is th… Continue Reading
03.11.26
Thune: Democrats Set Dangerous Precedent with Their Shutdown Politics
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: Thune’s remarks below (as delivered): “Mr. President, we’re almost now a month into the Democrats’ DHS - Department of Homeland Security - shutdown. “And Democrats have essentially walked away from trying to solve it. “That’s right. “After almost a month of forcing DHS employees to work without pay, Democrats have shown their true colors. “… Continue Reading
03.10.26
Thune: Senate Bill Paves the Way to More Affordable Housing
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: Thune’s remarks below (as delivered): “Mr. President, homeownership - that quintessential part of the American dream - has become increasingly unattainable for a lot of Americans - and for younger Americans in particular. “The New York Times reports that home prices have surged roughly 50 percent since the pandemic, and mortgage rates have al… Continue Reading
03.10.26
Thune: Democrats Hit New Low on Their DHS Shutdown
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: Thune’s remarks below (as delivered): “Mr. President, in just a moment I’m going to move to proceed to a piece of legislation that we have voted on a number of times already, and that is a bill that would fund the Department of Homeland Security. “This is now the [25th] day of the shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security. “And it follo… Continue Reading
03.09.26
Thune: Three Weeks and Counting on Democrats’ DHS Shutdown
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: Thune’s remarks below (as delivered): “Mr. President, we are more than three weeks into the Democrats’ DHS shutdown. “And Democrats keep telling us that they’re serious about funding this agency. “But their actions speak louder than their words. “Negotiations have been going now for well over a month. “And Democrats have sent two offers to … Continue Reading
03.05.26
Thune: Democrats Put Politics Ahead of Key DHS Priorities and Agency Employees
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: Thune’s remarks below (as delivered): “Mr. President, it’s another Thursday here in the Senate. “And it should be just another payday for employees at the Department of Homeland Security. “But thanks to Democrats’ shutdown, a lot of DHS employees are only receiving a partial paycheck today. “Democrats will have an opportunity to fix that thi… Continue Reading
