Weekly Round[s] Up: June 10-16, 2024

Last week was another busy one out in Washington. Our main focus this past week in Washington was the Fiscal Year 2025 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), an annual piece of legislation that authorizes funding for our national defense. This is the tenth NDAA that I have helped author as a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC). I am pleased to report that this year’s NDAA includes several wins for our national defense, such as a $25 billion topline increase in defense spending. It also includes wins for our men and women in uniform, including a 4.5 percent pay raise for military members. More to come on what else is in the NDAA later this week. Hear about the rest of my week in my Weekly Round[s] Up: 

South Dakotans I met with: South Dakota members of the National Association of Home Builders; Ryan Rollinger, Principal at Harrisburg High School; students from Dell Rapids High School; South Dakota students participating in the National History Day National Competition; and Ronan Maher, a high school student from Sioux Falls who earned the Congressional Award – Gold Medal.

Speaking of South Dakota students, my office is currently hiring South Dakota college students to serve as interns. Positions are available in our Washington, D.C. office and our state offices in Sioux Falls, Pierre and Rapid City. Fall internships typically run from September to December but can be tailored to fit specific schedules. Interns will receive a stipend and our office will work closely with all universities to meet the necessary criteria for interns to receive college credit. Get more information and apply at rounds.senate.gov/internships.

Met with South Dakotans from: Dell Rapids, Harrisburg, Rapid City and Sioux Falls.

Other meetings: Bob Thomas, treasurer at the Alzheimer’s Impact Movement; and Sundar Pichai, the CEO of Google to discuss AI policy.

Votes taken: 7 – most of these were on nominations to judge positions in Massachusetts and positions on the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. We also voted on the Right to IVF Act. I voted no. Similar to the earlier bill on contraception, Senate Democrats are once again bringing a vote on a non-issue to scare the American people. IVF is legal and available in every state across the country. My Senate Republican colleagues and I all introduced a resolution to reaffirm our support for IVF.

Hearings: I attended one hearing in the Senate Banking Committee, where we heard from Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Director Rohit Chopra. I had the opportunity to ask him about a variety of topics impacting financial customers in the United States, including artificial intelligence and Regulation E. You can watch a clip of that here.

Classified briefings: I had one classified briefing on carrier survivability.

Title IX rule: I introduced a Congressional Review Act resolution of disapproval with my colleagues Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.) and Bill Cassidy (R-La.) to save Title IX from a Biden administration rule that tramples on rights for girls and women. Broadly, opposition to this Title IX rule is targeted at the Education Department importing Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity (SOGI) protections into Title IX, extending protection to gender identity and sexual orientation. This radical shift will allow biological males who identify as females to compete in women’s and girls’ sports. The Biden Administration’s glaring misinterpretation of the protections offered by Title IX will harm women who have the right to a level playing field. You can read more about this CRA here.

My staff in South Dakota visited: Castlewood, Fort Pierre, Highmore, Huron, Miller, Rapid City and Sioux Falls.

Steps taken this past week: 49,016 steps or 24.4 miles

Photo of the week:

South Dakota students in town for the National History Day National Contest. They did exceptional work on their projects this year!