Rep. Johnson voted yes on the “big, beautiful” budget bill, but the bill is bad for South Dakota’s quality of life
I may be best-known for my battles with pipeline companies, both Summit Carbon’s proposed carbon dioxide pipeline and the Dakota Access oil pipeline. I had the distinction of being named first in the landowners’ lawsuit against Summit’s efforts to force their way onto our land, which wound its way to the state Supreme Court, where we prevailed last year.
It’s well-established that South Dakota does not care for the carbon dioxide pipeline, but the U.S. House’s budget reconciliation bill gives a massive handout to carbon companies with 45Q tax credits. This corporate welfare is why companies like Summit persist in pushing projects we don’t want. Our lone representative, Congressman Dusty Johnson, voted yes on the bill.
He touted all the reasons this “big, beautiful bill” will be good for South Dakota, but good for whom, exactly? He doesn’t mention billions of dollars in 45Q tax credits at all, but cheerfully explains reductions to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and Medicaid. He seems quite proud of the cuts and work requirements that will leave more South Dakotans hungry and lacking in health care. Not to mention the negative impacts on our grocery stores and small health-care facilities.
As a pipeline fighter, folks may be surprised at my concern over cuts to food assistance and health care access, but I taught for over 30 years in our public schools so I understand how budgets affect people’s lives. I also have direct experience with helping disabled people acquire that designation, and let me tell you, that is a difficult and lengthy process. It may take years for people who are not able to work to be recognized as disabled by the government. These cuts will be devastating for them.
So when I hear that these budget cuts will help reduce waste and fraud, I call foul. Currently over 75,000 South Dakotans utilize SNAP, so these cuts will be felt everywhere. The work requirements may sound like common sense until you dig in. The cut-off age for a dependent child is 7 years; what this means is that if you are a parent on SNAP, you must work 20 hours per week if your youngest child is 7 or older, whether or not you have childcare or how far you have to drive to get to that job. Or even if there is a job to be had.
We all know people’s budgets are tight, and this is reflected by Feeding South Dakota, who has reported a 15% increase in usage over last year. They are already struggling to meet people’s needs, so what will happen if these cuts are implemented? Hunger is what will happen.
Next, let’s consider our state budget, which had to be trimmed this past legislative session. The state will be expected to absorb an additional $9 million - $18 million in costs being shifted to the states as early as 2028, as reported by South Dakota Searchlight on May 23. Can we tighten our belts that much?
If all this weren’t enough, let’s look at how health care will be hurt by the Medicaid cuts. Nearly 150,000 South Dakotans are enrolled in Medicaid, and many of these folks are senior citizens and people with disabilities. If fewer people can be covered, our health-care facilities will feel the pinch immediately because even though people may not have coverage, they still get sick and injured.
As for how this will impact hospitals and clinics, this quote from Shelley Ten Napel in South Dakota Searchlight on May 30 says it best: “The proposed cuts will be especially harmful to rural South Dakota. When coverage rates fall, rural health centers lose critical funding — putting access to primary care, maternal care, dental services and behavioral health at risk for everyone in those communities.”
Thousands of South Dakotans already travel considerable distances for a doctor’s visit, these cuts will make a bad situation worse if closures start. Plus, those are jobs lost from communities, another blow.
I don’t think this bill is as beautiful as Rep. Johnson makes it out to be. The pipeline companies got a rosy deal, but it looks pretty ugly for the rest of us.
Betty Strom is a landowner and retired teacher from Sioux Falls. She has spent years defending her land against pipeline companies and is a member of Dakota Rural Action.
Photo: public domain, wikimedia commons
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