July 20, 2026Methodology v2.2 · Data: BLS, 20102025
Political Grades
government — just the stats

CongressSouth Dakota

John Thune

U.S. Senator, South Dakota · Republican · in office since Jan. 3, 2023

John Thune
U.S. Senator · South Dakota · Republican · in the Senate since Jan. 2005
Overall grade · among senators
No. 87 of 91
−0.89σ · 65% of the grade measured
How this grade is built
35%Bills they move (LES)−0.06
30%South Dakota: trend + condition (35% condition, 21.5y served)−0.84
25%Alignment (promises vs. votes)reserved
10%Attendancereserved
South Dakota outcomes over their Senate service
CategoryLatestScore vs. peers
Education scale score281.124+0.24σ
Air quality AQI36.524−0.74σ
Water quality % of community systems6.425+1.35σ
Unemployment %2.125+0.40σ
Health coverage % of adults 18-6410.724−1.40σ
Tax burden % of personal income3.824+0.14σ
Energy cost cents/kWh12.924−0.58σ
Cost of living index, US=10088.624−1.42σ
Crime deaths per 100,0006.624−1.45σ
Teen births per 1,000 females 15-1915.324−1.62σ
Wellbeing mean days of past 304.524−1.57σ
Obesity % of adults37.024−1.72σ
Early literacy % of 4th graders39.924+0.09σ
Gun deaths deaths per 100,000 (age-adjusted)17.324−1.22σ
Food-aid access index (higher = easier access)0.623−0.69σ
Jobless-benefit access % of unemployed receiving UI19.224+0.76σ
Their own recordValue
Legislative effectiveness LES · chamber avg = 1.0
0.60
Missed votes0.8%
Ideology 0 = left · 1 = right (GovTrack)0.79
Promises keptIn human review

A senator’s constituency is the whole state, so they are scored on the same verified state outcomes as the governor — ranked against other senators — alongside their own legislative record. Influence is shared with 99 colleagues and the governor; the score shows relative movement, not sole credit. Methodology v2.2

What Thune voted to fund

These pies aggregate the largest verified spending items — appropriations and mandatory outlays — in the bills Thune cast a recorded vote on, sliced by category, every dollar quoted from the bill text. Authorizations, guarantee ceilings and pay-fors are excluded, exactly as on the bill pages. This shows what the bills contained, by Thune’s own votes — not a claim that Thune wrote the spending or that it did or didn’t work. Click any slice to read the cited line-items.

Voted to fund — every dollar, cited

income security$215.5B

veterans$146.9B

  • VA Medical Services — inpatient/outpatient care for veterans (FY2025 advance appropriation)$71,000,000,000
    H.R. 4366 — read the cited text →
  • Appropriation to the Cost of War Toxic Exposures Fund for veterans' health care (PACT Act), available Oct 1 2024Dept. of Veterans Affairs - Cost of War Toxic Exposures Fund$24,455,000,000
    H.R. 3746 — read the cited text →
  • VA Medical Community Care — care at non-Department facilities (FY2025 advance appropriation)$20,382,000,000
    H.R. 4366 — read the cited text →
  • Appropriation to the Cost of War Toxic Exposures Fund for veterans' health care (PACT Act), available Oct 1 2023Dept. of Veterans Affairs - Cost of War Toxic Exposures Fund$20,268,000,000
    H.R. 3746 — read the cited text →
  • Veterans Benefits Administration — General Operating Expenses$3,899,000,000
    H.R. 4366 — read the cited text →
  • Mandatory appropriation to the Medical Facilities account for the 31 FY2023 major medical facility leasesDepartment of Veterans Affairs (Medical Facilities account)$1,880,000,000
    S. 3373 — read the cited text →
  • Mandatory appropriation to enter into enhanced-use leases of VA property (FY2022)Department of Veterans Affairs$922,000,000
    S. 3373 — read the cited text →
  • Mandatory appropriation to the Medical Facilities account for major medical facility leases (FY2031)Department of Veterans Affairs (Medical Facilities account)$650,000,000
    S. 3373 — read the cited text →
  • Mandatory appropriation to the Medical Facilities account for major medical facility leases (FY2030)Department of Veterans Affairs (Medical Facilities account)$620,000,000
    S. 3373 — read the cited text →
  • Mandatory appropriation to the Medical Facilities account for major medical facility leases (FY2029)Department of Veterans Affairs (Medical Facilities account)$610,000,000
    S. 3373 — read the cited text →
  • Mandatory appropriation to the Medical Facilities account for major medical facility leases (FY2028)Department of Veterans Affairs (Medical Facilities account)$600,000,000
    S. 3373 — read the cited text →
  • Initial mandatory appropriation seeding the Cost of War Toxic Exposures Fund (FY2022)Cost of War Toxic Exposures Fund$500,000,000
    S. 3373 — read the cited text →
  • Mandatory appropriation to the Medical Facilities account for major medical facility leases (FY2027)Department of Veterans Affairs (Medical Facilities account)$450,000,000
    S. 3373 — read the cited text →
  • Mandatory appropriation to the Medical Facilities account for major medical facility leases (FY2026)Department of Veterans Affairs (Medical Facilities account)$400,000,000
    S. 3373 — read the cited text →
  • Mandatory appropriation to the Medical Facilities account for major medical facility leases (FY2025)Department of Veterans Affairs (Medical Facilities account)$200,000,000
    S. 3373 — read the cited text →
  • Mandatory appropriation to the Medical Facilities account for major medical facility leases (FY2024)Department of Veterans Affairs (Medical Facilities account)$100,000,000
    S. 3373 — read the cited text →

science$35.0B

defense$29.2B

other$24.4B

commerce & housing credit$22.0B

  • Appropriation to the Dept. of Commerce Nonrecurring Expenses Fund, FY2023 ($11B each for FY2024/FY2025 'Government efficiencies'; PAYGO-exempt)Dept. of Commerce - Nonrecurring Expenses Fund$22,000,000,000
    H.R. 3746 — read the cited text →

transportation$15.3B

water$11.7B

energy$10.7B

community & regional development$6.7B

health$676.0M

Voted against — every dollar, cited

community & regional development$406.0B

transportation$187.6B

education$162.6B

energy$117.3B

commerce & housing credit$105.8B

health$104.2B

other$102.9B

income security$85.8B

broadband$83.1B

water$28.5B

agriculture$22.3B

veterans$14.5B

science$5.0B

environment$2.6B

defense$2.0B

Federal spending during Thune’s current term

Total U.S. federal outlays for each fiscal year of Thune’s current term. This is the whole federal budget — mostly Social Security, Medicare, defense, interest on the debt, and prior commitments — not money Thune personally directed. A president proposes and Congress appropriates; no single official controls it.

FY23
$6.13T−$1.69T deficit
FY24
$6.74T−$1.82T deficit
FY25
$7.01T−$1.77T deficit

Source: OMB Historical Tables, Table 1.1 (Summary of Receipts, Outlays, and Surpluses or Deficits: 1789-present) · figures. Nominal dollars, by fiscal year (Oct–Sep).

How Thune is graded

A senator’s constituency is the whole state, so Thune is graded on the same verified state outcomes as the governor — measured as the change on their watch versus the other 49 states, capped because influence is shared with 99 colleagues, the governor and a world economy — blended with what they personally control: how effectively they move legislation and how they vote. Every part decomposes on the card above, and the “measured” figure says how much of the grade is real versus still reserved.

Legislative Effectiveness Scores come from the Center for Effective Lawmaking, which benchmarks each chamber’s average to 1.0. Voting statistics come from GovTrack. The Honesty ledger — promises matched against this member’s votes — publishes only with an evidence trail and two agreeing human reviews.