Mitchell Now publishes opinion pieces representing both sides of a variety of topics. Opinions presented do not necessarily reflect those of the newsroom or management. To join the conversation, email your opinion piece to news@kmit.com
Welcome to the 2025 Round[s] Up: A Year in Review! I hope you had a wonderful Christmas season surrounded by friends and family and that the new year has begun on a positive note. I was blessed to spend the holidays with family at my home in Fort Pierre. We had a great time celebrating our holiday traditions and reflecting on the best moments from the past year. My team and I are incredibly grateful for the continued confidence and support from South Dakotans. We remain dedicated to serving the people of South Dakota throughout the new year. Here is a recap of just a few things we kept busy with during 2025:
South Dakotans I met with: I held 239 meetings in DC with folks from our great state.
Visited with South Dakotans from 148 different towns across the state—from Union Center to Bruce and everywhere in between.
Other meetings: I had 210 other meetings.
Votes taken: 655. That’s more than any full year going back to at least 1989.
This year we worked hard to get President Trump’s team in place confirming 417 civilian nominees.
Hearings: I attended 95 hearings throughout 2025 for my committee assignments: Appropriations; Armed Services; Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs; Indian Affairs; and the Select Committee on Intelligence.
Classified Briefings: I attended a total of 33 classified briefings. These mostly pertain to my work on the Senate Armed Service Committee and the Select Committee on Intelligence.
Legislation introduced: In 2025, I introduced 51 different pieces of legislation.
Results: We were successful in getting results for South Dakota this year. 46 of my provisions were signed into law through the National Defense Authorization Act. This included funding for construction projects at Ellsworth Air Force Base and funding for a facility for the Watertown Army National Guard.
Additionally, I was pleased that our Wounded Knee Massacre Memorial Sacred Site Act was signed into law by President Trump. The Wounded Knee Massacre Memorial and Sacred Site Act would place 40 acres of land at the site of the Wounded Knee Massacre into restricted fee status, making certain that the land is held by both the Oglala Sioux and Cheyenne River Sioux tribes for generations to come.
My staff in South Dakota held mobile office hours in 60 towns across the state.
Our office received 113,105 incoming messages from constituents in 2025. This year broke the record messages I have received in one year since taking office. This is actually more mail than I received during my entire eight years working as Governor.
Our office received 518 requests from South Dakotans for assistance with federal agencies, with the primary issues being the IRS, Veterans Affairs, and US Citizenship and Immigration Services.
Steps taken in 2025: 1,742,682 or 836 miles. That’s about the same distance as walking across South Dakota from east to west almost three times!
As we head into a new year, I am excited to continue working on your behalf in Washington. If you need assistance with any federal agency or simply want to leave a comment or concern, please don’t hesitate to send me a message or call one of my offices in Aberdeen, Pierre, Rapid City, Sioux Falls or Washington.
