For a small crowd, South Dakota Sen. Mike Rounds held a wide-ranging conversation as he looks toward the next years and election.
The Senator spoke to a small crowd affiliated with Americans for Prosperity, a conservative political group, at a Rapid City hotel Monday.
While Rounds mainly targeted taxes, there was an palpable worry in questions surrounding the current tariff situation. While he conceded concerns, he said the trade war is a moving target
“The first thing other countries want to do is retaliate against us by not buying from us," Rounds said. "So, it is of concern, and we are following it carefully, but it has been an object that has changed. So, what might be at 9 in the morning, a tariff being announced, by 9:30, 10, 10:30, there have been modifications made publicly.”
Concerns about China, one of the largest importers of American ag products, and how that may impact producers. Further, he said American consumers should buckle up.
“The bottom line is consumers will pay a part of that," Rounds said. "So, you’re going to see some impact, and that’s one of the reasons people have said ‘heads up, if you’re watching this, we don’t know exactly what those tariffs will be yet,’ because those have changes on a number of different items.”
That is also reflected in Rounds’ perspective on the President’s Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, which has taken extreme cuts to government operations in the name of efficiency. He said while understanding the Presidents’ efforts, mistakes are being made.
“If you’re impacted directly by a DOGE cut, let us know, and let us go back and see if it was done by accident," Rounds said. "President Trump really wanted to have a more surgical approach to actually making some of these (cuts), but in the meantime, DOGE, with good intent, went in and shut a lot of stuff not realizing what the impact would be on the state and local level.”
While a prominent Democratic challenger, Julian Beaudion, has announced for Rounds’ seat, the longtime Senator says he’s focused on the job. He has not yet announced a 2026 run.