On January 6th, 2015, Senator Marion Michael “Mike” Rounds was sworn into the United States Senate. Senator Rounds serves on five committees: Senate Armed Services; Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs; Foreign Relations; Indian Affairs; and Veterans’ Affairs.
Rounds previously served as the 31st governor of South Dakota from 2003 – 2011, easily winning reelection in 2006. From 1991 to 2000, he was elected five times to the South Dakota State Senate. In 1995, his colleagues selected him to serve as Senate Majority Leader, a position that he held for six years. During his time in state government, Rounds was committed to growing the economy, keeping taxes low and strengthening South Dakota families.
With a growing national debt that threatens to destroy our economy, budget issues are a top priority of mine. We are required to balance our budget annually in South Dakota, and the federal government should do the same. I support a balanced budget amendment to the Constitution requiring the government to balance its books. I also believe lawmakers should follow the law and pass an annual budget in an open and transparent amendment process. I look forward to participating in the budget process under new Senate leadership and finding commonsense solutions to reducing the debt.