BOX ELDER, SD — Senator John Thune arrived at Amazon Delivery Facility WSD2 today to participate in a ribbon cutting ceremony commemorating the work the facility has done since its opening in October 2018.
Joined by a group of representatives from Amazon as well as the Governor’s Office of Economic Development (GOED), the governor spoke on the facility and its employment of over 60 employees, work with 600 independent businesses locally, and charity work through Elsworth AFB, The Special Olympics, Youth And Family Services, and Monument Behavioral Development, saying “It’s exciting to see Box Elder be host to projects like this,” following by saying “We appreciate the contributions you make to the economy– We work really hard at making conditions that are really favorable– low tax, low regulatory, energy”.
Nick Cunningham, Site Leader at WSD2 spoke on his feelings entering the community, saying “We’re happy to be a part of the box elder community”, stating that in this short time they are already seeing close to eight to ten thousand packages shipped daily through both Amazon drivers and part-time contracted Flex drivers.
In an address to the press following the ceremony, concerns were raised regarding the 10% flat tariff announced by President Trump two weeks ago and its potential effect on South Dakota’s economy, stating “I have my own thoughts about tariffs, however I think what the president is doing– we need to give him some time to do that, if we can get better trading relationships with countries around the world, some of which have been taking advantage of America. We’ll see what the outcome of it all is, but y’know it’s something in policy matters that hasn’t been tried before”.
He went on to speak more locally on the issue when asked about his views, stating “I come from an agricultural state, and tariffs often have an effect. We often see them lead to retaliation which we’ve seen from countries around the world. At the end of the day, if we can achieve reciprocal trade agreements with countries around the world, particularly if it’s done to achieve a certain outcome– with Canada and Mexico it was really done to stop the flow of fentanyl”. It is currently unclear what Senator Thune’s meant by this, as the majority of fentanyl available is imported illegally and is thus not subject to Tariffs, and according to reports from the DEA the majority of fentanyl is sourced from China.
Lastly, when asked about public appearances and the potential for public town halls in the future, Sen. Thune stated that “There’s lots of different ways you can connect to the public” and stated that those who approach him in the public are welcome to ask questions, but did not elaborate on any official plans for public appearances.
