Congressman Dusty Johnson Visits Watertown to Tackle Farm Bill, Taxes, and State “Fumbles” (Podcast/Video)
- Steve Jurrens
- 54 minutes ago
- 3 min read
Northeast Radio SD News – Watertown, SD - In a wide-ranging interview with Northeast Radio SD on Monday, May 4, 2026, U.S. Representative and gubernatorial candidate Dusty Johnson laid out a blunt assessment of the challenges facing South Dakota, from the halls of Congress to the local tax burden in Watertown.
Fresh off the House passage of the latest Farm Bill, Johnson used his visit to Watertown to explain the legislation’s impact and pivot to sharp criticisms of the current state administration’s handling of economic development and rural healthcare.
A “Skinny” Farm Bill with Big Impact
Johnson, who served as one of six subcommittee chairmen responsible for drafting the bill, described the recently passed legislation as a “skinny” version because much of the heavy lifting had been done in previous reconciliation efforts.
“We tackled about 85% of the Farm Bill already last year... we fixed that reconciliation. What’s left behind are some smaller issues; they’re still important, but mostly related to rural development.”
He emphasized that the bill provides critical updates to crop insurance and Title 1 programs, which raise reference prices to reflect the modern “input environment” that has shifted drastically over the last seven years. He also noted significant investments in rural broadband, aimed at connecting the most remote areas of the state.
The Cost of “Fumbling the Ball”
The conversation took a sharper tone when discussing state-level leadership. Johnson expressed deep frustration over the loss of a data center project in Deuel County. The project, which would have paid $5 million a year in property taxes to a county that currently only collects $11 million in total, is reportedly moving across the border to Minnesota or North Dakota.
“Our state legislature and our governor didn’t strike the right balance during Session. Now that the Deuel County project’s gonna leave... It would have reduced the property taxes for people around the Clear Lake area more than anything else we could ever imagine. It would have been a total game changer.”
Johnson also took aim at Governor Larry Rhoden’s administration regarding the Rural Health Transformation Fund. He alleged that administrative errors in the application process cost the state nearly $15 million in federal support.
“It’s so hard to have John Thune, Mike Rounds, Dusty Johnson, Donald Trump work to build this great football, hand it off to state government, and then see them fumble the ball. That $15 million could do so much to help our rural hospitals.”
Tax Hikes and the Affordability Crisis
Addressing the “affordability crisis” in South Dakota, Johnson slammed recent sales tax increases signed into law by Governor Rhoden and supported by Speaker of the House John Hansen. He argued that the net effect of these bills is a massive tax shift that hurts renters and modest homeowners while disproportionately benefiting the wealthy.
“Our sales tax is gonna go up three different times... Those are the biggest sales tax increases than we have seen from the last seven or eight governors combined. It’s gonna be bad news for the state as a whole, but it’s also gonna be bad news especially for anybody who rents.”
National Security and Public Safety
On the national stage, Johnson echoed Donald Trump’s sentiments on Artificial Intelligence and Cybersecurity, warning that the U.S. cannot afford to lose the “AI battle” to China. Closer to home, he highlighted the arrival of the B-21 Raider stealth bomber at Ellsworth Air Force Base, expected within the next 12 months, as a cornerstone of South Dakota’s contribution to national defense.
Finally, Johnson touched on his “Safer South Dakota” initiative, calling the state’s parole system a “disaster.” With South Dakota holding the third-worst recidivism rate in the nation, Johnson promised a more aggressive approach to rehabilitation and accountability.
“50% of the people that the state government lets out of prison go on to commit another crime within three years... We are giving repeat offenders too many bites at the apple.”
