Who is John Thune?


 All About John Thune:

Age: 61 years old
Hometown: Murdo, South Dakota; currently resides in Sioux Falls, South Dakota
Education: He has his master's degree in Business Administration from the University of South Dakota. 
Family: John Thune and his wife Kimberely have two daughters and five grandchildren. 
Religious Affiliation: Protestant 


Tenure in the Senate

John Thune was first elected into the United States Senate in 2004. Thune beat out a sitting Party Leader which had not happened in 52 years.  In 2010, John Thune ran for reelection unopposed which made Thune the first senator from South Dakota to run opposed since the adoption of direct elections in 1913. Thune would be reelected for a third term in 2016.  Senator Thune is currently serving as the Minority Whip and seeking reelection for his fourth term. Throughout his tenure,Thune has worked with interest groups such as Campaign for Working Families, Center for Security Policy, and National Rifle Association. Senator Thune is frequently votes corresponding with the Republican Party.
 

Professional Experiences

John Thune first went to Washington, D.C., to work for former U.S. Senator Jim Abdnor.  He was then later appointed to the Small Business Administration under President Ronald Reagan.  Thune decided to return to South Dakota in 1989 where he worked as the executive director of the South Dakota Republican Party. While in South Dakota Thune would also serve as state railroad director and executive director of the South Dakota Municipal League. John Thune would decide to head back to Washington, D.C. in 1996 when he was elected into U.S. House of Representatives. In total Thune would serve three terms as a U.S. House Representative. 


Committee and Subcommittee Assignments

  • Committees
    • Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry Committee
    • Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee 
    • Finance Committee
  • Subcommittees 
    • Subcommittee on Communications, Media and Broadband-Ranking Member
    •  Subcommittee on Taxation and IRS Oversight-Ranking Member
    • Subcommittee on Aviation Safety, Operations, and Innovation
    • Subcommittee on Commodities, Risk Management, and Trade
    • Subcommittee on Conservation, Climate, Forestry, and Natural Resources
    • Subcommittee on Health Care
    • Subcommittee on International Trade, Customs, and Global Competiviteness
    • Subcommittee on Livestock, Dairy, Poultry Local Food Systmes, and Food Safety and Security
    • Subcommittee on Surface Transporation, Maritime, Freight, and Ports

Sponsored Legislation

Senator John Thune is sponsoring several pieces of legislation during the 117th Congress including:

  • Preventing Mandates on Toddlers Act (S.3412)- This act is intended to prevent the use of federal funds to be used to enforce or implement vaccine and mask mandates in Head Start Programs.
  • Tribal Trust Land Homeownership Act of 2021 (S.3381)-This act would require the Bureau of Indian Affairs to complete all mortgage packages for residential and business mortgages on Indian land by a set deadline.
  • American Beef Labeling Act of 2021 (S.2716)-This act would reinstate mandatory labeling on beef that provides the origin of the beef.






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