The Daily Republic: Noem: Time for Bipartisanship

Noem: Time for Bipartisanship

Rep. Kristi Noem bemoaned the lack of bipartisan cooperation in Washington during a stop in Mitchell Wednesday.

“They’ve got to decide that the future of their country is more important than the future of their political careers,” she told a group of about 40 telecommunications professionals in a company meeting room at Vantage Point Solutions, 2211 N. Minnesota St.

En route to a Friday debate in Rapid City with Democratic challenger Matt Varilek, Noem took time to tour Vantage Point’s corporate offices. The tour was conducted by CEO Larry Thompson.

Noem said she missed the freedom and sense of purpose she had as a member of the South Dakota Legislature.

She told her audience that her best day in Washington was “marking up the farm bill in ag committee” with her fellow legislators.

“That was a fun day because we were really legislating,” Noem said.

She decried the lack of progress on a new farm bill and said it has been a major issue for drought-impacted South Dakotans. Farmers and ranchers are forced to plan for the coming year without knowing what new farm policies may be, she said.

The bill has passed the Senate and the House Agriculture Committee, on which Noem serves, but no vote has been scheduled in the full House. The former farm bill expired Sept. 30.

In the proposed new bill, producers will give up direct payments but will get better crop insurance support, Noem said, but livestock producers also need a safety net.

“They don’t have a crop insurance program to participate in,” she said.

Noem said the old order and system of operation is changing in Washington, but it is happening very slowly. Members now get more input into how bills are created and moved ahead.

Still, many bills never see the light of day or are debated, she said.

“In Washington, you can have a good idea, but it may never be scheduled for a hearing,” Noem said. “The House can pass bills all day long, but the Senate may never see them. It’s easier to ignore a bill than to schedule and vote on it.”

Noem said a sense of bipartisanship is needed. She said she has made it a practice to seek Democratic support before she introduces a bill.

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