Welcome from Senator Tim Johnson
I am very proud to represent South Dakota as your Senator for the 112th Congress. My promise is to work hard and make a difference for you, just as I have tried to do my entire political career. I will always think of what is best for South Dakota and our great country as we deliberate the many issue facing us in the coming year.
In this session of Congress I am honored to serve as Chairman of the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs, a position that comes with added responsibility and added opportunities to serve South Dakota. I intend to continue to champion common-sense solutions to ensure that South Dakota's small banks and small businesses continue to create jobs and provide needed consumer credit.
As in the past, I will also continue to serve on the Appropriations Committee and serve as the Chairman of the Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Subcommittee of the Appropriations Committee. In this position I will continue our fight to achieve full funding for the VA. I am very proud that, under my leadership, veterans healthcare was fully funded for the first time in decades. While those funding levels will help a lot of veterans, I do not believe that funding for our veteran's programs should be held hostage to the political process, and that is why I will push for full and mandatory VA funding.
As a member of the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, I will work to protect investments in alternative fuels. Renewable fuels, like ethanol and soy based bio-diesel, are not only smart national energy policy, but they contribute jobs and income to South Dakota's economy. I remain committed to fighting the dual threats of rising energy prices and America's rising dependence on foreign energy sources.
As a member of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, I am committed to representing the voice of South Dakota's American Indians and American Indians/Alaskan Natives throughout the United States. I will continue to maintain a strong working relationship with South Dakota's American Indian communities. Even with considerable development over the past generation, American Indian tribes in South Dakota face high unemployment rates, poor access to health care and education challenges. I believe that with hard work and cooperation, progress can be made in reducing these burdens. Helping to spur small business growth is an important step in this process.
There are, obviously, many other challenges, as well. In South Dakota we do not run from problems, we solve them. With your help and support, I intend to work as hard as I always have for you and the next generation of South Dakotans. I ask for your continued support and your participation to help lead our state and our country to a better future.
Thanks.
