Central South Dakota News

U.S. Senator Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) has announced his support for President Trump's budget rescissions package, which aims to cut $9 billion in federal spending. The bill, having passed the Senate, will now move to the House of Representatives for final approval.

Rounds expressed concern over the initial proposal's impact on tribal radio stations. "This week, I voted to support President Trump’s rescissions package to claw back $9 billion of unnecessary federal spending for non-lifesaving foreign aid and taxpayer funded radio programs," said Rounds. He noted that the cuts would have severely affected tribal radio stations by eliminating up to 92% of their budgets.

To address this issue, Rounds worked with the Trump administration to secure funding for these stations. "In order for me to support this legislation, we had to find a way to continue support for these radio stations which offer potentially life saving information in some of the most rural parts of our nation," he stated. An agreement was reached to reallocate unused climate change funds, securing $9.4 million for tribal radio stations across 11 states.

Rounds emphasized the importance of reducing wasteful spending while maintaining essential services amid a growing federal debt. "With nearly $37 trillion in federal debt, we must preserve essential services but also take meaningful steps to reduce wasteful spending," he said.

As a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, Rounds committed to ensuring future appropriations bills continue supporting tribal radio funding while addressing unnecessary expenditures.