South Dakota’s Thune slams Dems for ‘historic obstructionism’

Senate Majority Leader tells DakotaFest crowd Capitol Hill gridlock, Trump disdain infecting traditionally routine governance

Sen. John Thune takes questions from reporters after participating in a panel discussion on agriculture policy at DakotaFest Wednesday in Mitchell. (Joe Sneve / The Dakota Scout)

MITCHELL — Senate Majority Leader John Thune on Wednesday accused Democrats of playing politics with White House nominees, calling the level of resistance from the minority party “unprecedented” and undermining Capitol Hill’s ability to govern.

While addressing hundreds packed into a steamy DakotaFest pole barn, Thune said Democrats are stonewalling President Donald Trump’s efforts to fill more than 1,300 positions that require Senate confirmation under the Constitution’s advise-and-consent clause. And the Murdo native said it’s costing taxpayers.

State: Internet outage not caused by hacking