Profile in Courage: Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.)

It’s easy for lawmakers to dismiss the importance of “flyover states” and focus on large states with lots of issues (e.g., New York and California). Fortunately, states such as South Dakota are represented in Congress by bold and attentive leaders eager to fight back against failed tax-and-spend policies from Washington, D.C. Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) deserves particular praise for pushing back against and demanding accountability from government-owned broadband networks and advocating for pro-market reforms. The going has gotten tough at times, and the lawmaker has earned the ire of members of his own party for his unwavering devotion to principle. For sticking to his guns and fighting for a more limited, transparent government, Sen. Thune is a Profile in Courage.

Growing up in small-town South Dakota, Thune knew from an early age that he wanted to get into politics. Then-South Dakota U.S. Rep. Jim Abdnor was an early mentor figure to the future senator, and John would be sure to book a flight to Washington, D.C. and work for Rep. Abdnor after completing his studies at Biola University and the University of South Dakota. After observing some of the rough-and-tumble of Congressional politics, Thune tried his hand at several administrative roles. President Reagan appointed Thune to a position in the Small Business Administration, allowing him to see firsthand the regulatory obstacles and financing challenges often faced by entrepreneurs. Other roles, such as South Dakota railroad director and executive director of the South Dakota Municipal League, taught Thune to appreciate the interconnectedness of supply chains and communities.

Before long, Thune set his sights on Congress. The aspiring statesman entered the 1996 South Dakota (statewide) House race as “very much an underdog” but prevailed against Democrat Rick Weiland with nearly 60 percent of the vote. Thune was then reelected in 1998 and 2000 with more than 70 percent of the vote. His knack for clearly articulating conservative principles while reaching out to political opponents earned him the trust of his constituents and respect from across the aisle. It soon became clear that Thune was the right candidate to challenge then-Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle in the 2004 Senate election. The race was a nail-biter, but Thune convincingly made the case that that Daschle’s expansive vision of the federal government was out-of-step with the wants and needs of South Dakota voters. He defeated Daschle by less than 5,000 votes, a less-than-two percent margin in a state that Daschle had won by 25 percentage points in 1998.

Thune has been in the Senate for 18 years and counting. In his two decades of political leadership, Thune has fought for the rights of hard-working Americans targeted by Congress and the Internal Revenue Service. The lawmaker has pushed for kiboshing the federal estate tax (aka the “death tax”), which targets deceased Americans’ assets before anything can be passed onto heirs/business successors. As the Congressional Budget Office has explained, high estate taxes can hamper business growth by deterring entrepreneurs from investing in farms or businesses (which can be treated as “estates” by IRS bureaucrats). This can even impact larger businesses, with thousands of jobs hanging in the balance.

While Congress debated the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) in 2017, Thune urged for death tax repeal to be a part of the final package. The result was a compromise. The tax stuck around, but the TCJA doubled the base estate and gift tax exemption amount from $5 million to $10 million (and adjusted for inflation each year). This increase in the exempt income amount will expire in 2025, and Thune continues to fight for the tax’s elimination.

The Senator has also helped lead the charge against costly government-owned (broadband) networks (GONs). As detailed in the Taxpayers Protection Alliance’s (TPA) “GON with the Wind” broadband report, these state and local efforts are poorly targeted and often duplicative yet financed by tens of billions of taxpayer dollars. In December 2022, Sen. Thune launched a federal oversight effort on broadband spending, stating, “Every federal dollar that has been spent [on broadband] should go toward the stated purpose of expanding connectivity to truly unserved areas. Congressional oversight has been noticeably absent in these areas, and there is serious concern that the federal government would repeat previous mistakes where agencies’ gross mismanagement of broadband funds fell on the backs of taxpayers across the country.” In response to Sen. Thune’s oversight effort and request for information, TPA sent the lawmaker a letter in January 2023 attesting to the high costs and regulatory barriers constraining broadband deployment.

It’s increasingly hard to champion fiscal responsibility and stand against bloated spending initiatives and tax-happy schemes. For defying special interests and standing with the American people, Sen. John Thune is a Profile in Courage.