By Sen. John Thune: If President Joe Biden sincerely wants to address our country's infrastructure needs, he doesn't need to reinvent the wheel. Lawmakers historically work across the aisle to invest in infrastructure, and one doesn't have to look far for recent examples. Four months ago, a divided Congress passed comprehensive legislation investing in ports, harbors and waterways. Recent infrastructure packages have garnered widespread, bipartisan support because Republicans and Democrats alike understand that infrastructure is key to our economic prosperity. It enables South Dakota's commodities to reach markets around the world and tourists to visit our majestic state. So let me be clear: A bipartisan infrastructure bill is possible if Democrats are interested in working with Republicans on traditional infrastructure such as roads and bridges, and even modern infrastructure like broadband, if done correctly. The proposal from the White House, however, misses the mark on our nation's infrastructure needs and undermines the opportunity for bipartisan cooperation. Their proposal would spend more taxpayer dollars subsidizing and promoting electric vehicles than on investments in roads, bridges, ports and waterways combined. Less than 6% of the $2.2 trillion plan would invest in roads and bridges, and the most expensive pieces of the proposal stretch the meaning of infrastructure far beyond how everyday Americans would ever define it. Some items are worthy of bipartisan discussions. But it's an abuse of the term and, frankly, insulting to the American people's intelligence to describe billions of dollars for a "Civilian Climate Corps" and for schools to eliminate paper plates as "infrastructure." Critics argue that Republicans are nitpicking the meaning of infrastructure. Count me as someone who believes you should be straight with the American people if you're asking for one of the largest tax hikes in generations to pay for one of the most expensive proposals in American history. You don't have to be an economist to understand the highest combined federal-state corporate tax rate in the developed world would crush job growth when it's needed most. Our country needs to get back to work. One way to do that is through a serious infrastructure proposal tailored to actual needs. If the White House will work with Republicans, together we can expand infrastructure and economic opportunity -- instead of the federal government.

By Senator John Thune The Great Plains were homesteaded by men and women with a strong yearning for freedom and liberty -- seeking an opportunity for their hard work and resourcefulness to cultivate enough prosperity to provide for their families, build some savings, and see the next generation do a little better than themselves. Many who followed in their footsteps and made South Dakota home, like my grandparents, were immigrants who sought the same freedom and opportunity. Enriched by the indigenous heritage of the state, these timeless ideals remain woven in the fabric of our communities to this day and continue to make our state a special place to live, work, raise families, and worship. Within our deeply rooted sense of self-reliance and determination also lives an ingrained sense of community and civic duty. Our nation recently reflected on the military service of generations of men and women on Veterans Day. From the airmen at Ellsworth Air Force Base, to the strong participation in the South Dakota Army and Air National Guard from across the state, and through decades of service across the armed forces, patriotic South Dakotans have always demonstrated their sense of service. This sense of civic duty is also evident from our larger cities to our smallest of towns. It's the thread that so tightly holds the fabric of our communities sewn together. We see it in our schools and churches, assisting an elderly neighbor, and sending over a meal to he??lp a family stay nourished through tough times. We see it in helping to pull a tractor out of a muddy field, sandbagging homes and businesses during a flood, and rebuilding after a storm. We see it in police officers keeping our neighborhoods safe and in volunteer firefighters responding to an alarm. We see it in supporting a family while a spouse is deployed, or pitching in during the harvest when a tragedy has struck a family. This is the best of South Dakotans, and it happens every day in every town. We now face a collective hardship, and there has never been a more important time to act on our sense of community. The coronavirus pandemic has upended the world and thrown our nation and state a multitude of health and economic challenges. Scientists and doctors are making great strides in understanding the virus and are seeing promising breakthroughs toward vaccines and therapeutics. There is great reason to be hopeful--but it is incumbent on us to do our part to keep ourselves, our loved ones, and our neighbors safe until these treatments are authorized and can be widely distributed. There's plenty to be optimistic about, but we're not out of the woods yet. There are no cure-alls, but there are simple, straightforward, and common-sense ways to limit the spread of COVID-19: Practice good hygiene by washing hands and covering coughs and sneezes. Stay socially distant and avoid crowds, especially indoors. When social distancing is not possible, please wear a mask. These are steps all of us can take out of the strong sense of civic duty that binds South Dakotans together. Remember, we're in this together. Winters in South Dakota are notoriously tough, and I know I am not alone in recognizing that this winter may be tougher yet. Navigating this holiday season -- a time of family, gratitude, and celebration -- during a pandemic may challenge our traditions and test our resolve. And for those who have lost loved ones or are separated from those who are in recovery or are isolated by their risk category, you will especially be in my thoughts. South Dakotans are resilient, and we have overcome many challenges together. And it is together that we may get one step ahead of the coronavirus and buy additional time until vaccines can be delivered and our way of life begins to return to normal. This holiday season, I remain blessed to call South Dakota home, and know I am fortunate to live in a state that can unify behind this common challenge with a common set of tools to fight it.

By Sen. John Thune It's been a tough year for pretty much everybody. The global pandemic has changed our lives in ways we could not have imagined last Thanksgiving, and our celebrations may look a little different this year. Tough times can be, well, tough. We have strains and worries this Thanksgiving that we did not have in years past. But tough times can also highlight blessings. They can throw into sharp relief the things that we do have, some of which we might not ordinarily remember to be grateful for. In America we're used to abundance, and sometimes it can be easy to take that abundance for granted. Things like full grocery store shelves. An endless choice of paper towel brands and toilet paper. Whole aisles full of cereal. But during the early days of the pandemic, as supply chains were disrupted and store shelves emptied, we started to be grateful for what we could find at the grocery store … even if it wasn't our preferred brand. We also gained a new appreciation for grocery store workers, truck drivers, food supply workers, and farmers and ranchers -- the individuals who are responsible for all that food making it onto store shelves. Then there were all the other essential workers whose jobs we don't always think about, but whose contributions have been brought into focus by the pandemic. The delivery drivers who make sure we get our packages of essential items. The people who clean our hospitals and office buildings. The medical researchers who work year in and year out to deliver new treatments and cures for diseases, and who are working right now to find ways to treat and cure COVID -- with two promising vaccines on the horizon. And of course, the heroic doctors and nurses who are directly confronting this pandemic and who are doing their jobs under conditions of extreme stress. This year and every year, we have cause to be grateful for our country, and the people who defend it. The police officers who protect our streets 365 days a year, pandemic or no pandemic, no matter what the challenges. And the men and women of the United States military, who stand watch around the world so that we can live in peace and freedom. Our nation is not perfect of course, and we haven't always gotten it right. But we never stop trying. We enjoy tremendous blessings in this country -- blessings that we should not take for granted. And I'm grateful every day to be a citizen of this great country. Of course, I can't mention Thanksgiving without thinking about how blessed I am to call South Dakota home. I am thankful for the beauty of our state -- for our wide-open spaces, rolling prairies, soaring hills -- and I am thankful for the kindness, graciousness, and resilience that characterize South Dakota communities. It is an honor to represent South Dakotans in the United States Senate. As we remember our abundance this year despite the challenges we've faced, let's remember those whose lives have been truly overturned by this pandemic -- who have lost loved ones or income or their livelihoods. And let's remember to give out of our blessings. Food banks around the country are in need of donations, and there's no better way to have a happy Thanksgiving than to share what we've been given with those who have less. In his first letter to the Thessalonians the Apostle Paul says, "Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." In all circumstances, even pandemics, there is reason to give thanks. I pray that every American has a happy Thanksgiving filled with blessings. And I thank God for the privilege of living in the United States of America.