PRIORITIES | Nikki G for SD

COngressional priorities

Agriculture has always been critical to South Dakota's economy and culture. Today, South Dakotans are facing increasing pressures that force generational farms to consolidate, to declare bankruptcy, or even to sell to corporations. These threats weaken communities, schools, small-town main streets, and ultimately, the entire state.

I won't sugarcoat it; our small, family farmers are facing one of the toughest periods the industry has seen in a long time. I believe that the federal government needs to step up for farmers instead of corporations. The best way to solve the issues facing ag are stopping price gouging within the fertilizer & seed industry, equipment manufacturers, and the meat packing industry.

As a member of Congress, I will defend land owner rights by:

Protecting landowners from eminent domain abuse for private development.
Supporting policy that respects state and local input on land management decisions.
Opposing federal tax breaks for data centers and ensuring companies, not taxpayers, pay for the infrastructure, energy, and water required.

As a member of Congress, I would defend domestic agriculture by:

Pushing for legal action against meatpackers to open the meatpacking market and strengthen the Packers & Stockyard Act.
Hold agricultural chemical manufacturers accountable when their products cause harm and ensure access to a fair legal process.
Remove tariffs on critical farm inputs to lower costs.
Supporting consumer transparency by putting labels on meat that share to the consumer where their meat was raised and slaughtered.
Reduce burdensome federal regulations that unnecessarily increase costs for family farms and ranches.
Supporting year-round E15 availability and promoting research, infrastructure, and fuel standards to increase the adoption of E30 and higher ethanol blends.
Increase investments for biofuels to expand markets for soybeans and other commodities.

AGRICULTURE

DISABILITY INCLUSION

EDUCATION

My approach to education starts with a simple belief: every child in South Dakota deserves the opportunity to receive a quality education, no matter where they live or what path they choose. Whether a student grows up in Sioux Falls, McLaughlin, or a small farming community, they should have the opportunity to learn, grow, and build the future they choose.

That opportunity begins long before a child walks into a kindergarten classroom.

I believe high-quality early childhood education and pre-K can change the trajectory of a child’s life. When children start school ready to learn, they’re more likely to read proficiently, graduate from high school, and succeed in college, technical education, military service, or the workforce. Investing in our youngest learners is one of the smartest investments we can make for South Dakota’s future.

South Dakota’s educators work hard every day to give our children the best possible start in life. They deserve the resources, respect, and support they need to do their jobs well. Our parents deserve schools that are safe, welcoming, and focused on helping every student succeed. Too many schools, unfortunately, are being asked to do more with less. Rural districts face declining enrollment, workforce shortages, aging facilities, and challenges recruiting and retaining teachers.

That is especially true for students with disabilities. The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) has helped ensure that children receive the services and supports they need to succeed in school. Fragmenting responsibility for special education across multiple federal

departments would make it harder for families and schools to navigate the system and could weaken accountability. Students with disabilities deserve timely services and individualized support, while every student should have access to career and technical education, advanced coursework, and opportunities that prepare them for good-paying jobs here at home.

I also believe that creating uncertainty for students, families, and educators is the wrong approach. I oppose efforts to close the U.S. Department of Education redistributes its responsibilities across multiple federal agencies. South Dakota schools need a reliable federal

partner that helps ensure students have access to the resources they need, not more bureaucracy or confusion.

As a member of Congress, I will work to:

Fully fund the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) so schools can provide students with disabilities receive the education and services they deserve.
Protect Title I funding for schools serving students from low-income families.
Support competitive teacher pay and strengthen recruitment and retention efforts, especially in rural communities.
Ensure every student has access to high-quality instruction, regardless of their ZIP code.
Invest in rural schools so students in every community have access to the educational opportunities they deserve.

HEALTHCARE

My approach to health policy is pretty simple is simple: I believe that if you are sick in South Dakota, you should be able to go to the doctor and get the medicines

you need it no matter your income.

I also believe that without bodily autonomy, your right to keep the Government out of the doctor's office becomes null & void. We need to have the ability to control our own body.

As a small business owner, I understand what it means to struggle to pay for healthcare. Like more than 50,000 South Dakotans, including farmers, ranchers, small business owners, I buy my coverage on the Marketplace. While Republicans in Congress prioritized tax breaks to wealthiest corporations. Premiums skyrocketed. Congress's failure to act led the increase, full stop.

As a result, three quarters of Americans now say they are worried about their ability to afford much-needed healthcare.

I am committed to making health care more affordable and accessible for South Dakotans.

We can make health care affordable by protecting Medicare, Medicaid, and restoring the Marketplace tax credits that keep private market coverage in reach for thousands of South Dakotans. We can also invest in prevention, which keeps people healthy and reduces

overall health care costs.

The Rural Health Transformation Fund represents a historic investment in rural health, but we need more permanent solutions. In our own very rural state, health care access across the state is under threat as we see increasingly fewer providers and facilities for access to maternal health, primary care, emergency services (where we are currently experiencing EMS deserts), and nursing home care closures have slowly eroded over time.

I also believe one principle should guide this conversation: the government has no place in a woman’s bedroom or in the exam room with her doctor.

I also believe that some of the most personal decisions a woman will ever make about her health and future should remain between her, her family, and her health care provider—not politicians. At the same time, supporting women means far more than protecting reproductive

freedom. It means creating the conditions that allow women and families to thrive throughout

every stage of life.

In a rural state like South Dakota, these challenges are often even greater. Women may have to travel long distances for prenatal care or specialty services, struggle to find affordable child care that allows them to work, or have limited access to support services after experiencing abuse. We need long-term investments that recognize the unique needs of rural women, families, and

communities.

As a member of Congress, I would promote policies that support the health of women by:

Protecting a woman’s ability to make her own reproductive health care decisions in consultation with her doctor.
Protecting access to contraception and preventive health services, including breast and cervical cancer screenings.
Expanding access to affordable, high-quality child care and paid family and medical leave.
Investing in maternal health programs and improving access to prenatal, postpartum, and maternity care, especially in rural communities.
Strengthening programs that prevent domestic violence and sexual assault while ensuring survivors have access to safe housing, counseling, and legal services.

ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY

I know South Dakota is unique, but our economic opportunities are just as great as anywhere else in the world. With high-speed internet and the ability to work from home, you truly can do anything while you reside in our great state.

I believe that the growth on both sides of our state show the economic opportunities we have, as long as we support and harness the smallest businesses along the way.

We are becoming poorer in this state simply because of this administration. We need small and acceptable business loans for businesses in our rural communities. Nikki's job in Congress will prioritize fewer billionaires running the world and a lot more folks with great ideas to move this country forward economically. A few uber-wealthy men should not make all of the decisions for us in South Dakota.

My understanding of economic opportunity comes from both my experience as a small business owner and service as South Dakota’s Rural Development Director, where I worked with communities, employers, and local leaders across our state to strengthen economic growth. That experience showed me that a strong economy is built by the people who power it every day, workers, entrepreneurs, farmers and ranchers, businesses of all sizes, and

communities working together to create opportunity.

We can make life more affordable by addressing the costs that place the greatest strain on families, including housing, child care, health care, energy, and everyday goods. We can strengthen opportunities for workers by investing in education, career and technical training, apprenticeships, and pathways to good-paying jobs. We can support businesses of all sizes, including small businesses, farms, ranches, and employers across our state, by ensuring they

have the workforce, resources, and opportunities they need to succeed.

As a member of Congress, I would support working families and promote economic opportunity by:

Reducing the cost pressures that make it harder for families to get ahead, including housing, child care, health care, and energy costs.
Supporting policies that help wages grow and ensure workers benefit from a strong economy.
Expanding access to workforce training, apprenticeships, and education opportunities that lead to good-paying careers.
Investing in affordable housing, infrastructure, broadband, and community development so South Dakotans can live and work in the communities they call home.
Supporting businesses, family farms, and ranches that create jobs and strengthen local economies.

PUBLIC SAFETY

I believe all South Dakotans should always feel safe going to school, work, and participating in the great recreation our state offers.

We live in a large state geographically, but we are the richest in the people who take care of each other. When citizens feel safe and heard, economic development can thrive. Nikki believes ensuring citizen safety is the way to guide and assist, not to harm, isolate, or discriminate. Due process is a right guaranteed to all citizens, converging with the First, Fourth, and Fifteenth Amendments.

Nikki will work hand-in-hand with law enforcement in communities across the state in towns big and small. She will work with department heads to understand safety issues in each area, trusting community leaders to make decisions that impact their residents. Our rights and safety are paramount to living a full life here in South Dakota, and should not be infringed.

Women in South Dakota are incarcerated at the highest rate in the WORLD. South Dakota is one of the most dangerous states to be a woman: Incest and rape is a rampant problem that is not discussed enough, as we have some of the highest rates of both.

I will work with victims, their advocates, and those who treat impacted folks in South Dakota to create better access to ways to leave dangerous situations and increase awareness that this does happen.

As a member of Congress, I will advocate for the rights of South Dakotans to not be infringed by:

Respecting the First, Fourth and Fifteenth Amendments to the Constitution.
Supporting eliminating ICE [enforcement] in the State of South Dakota.
Requiring stringent background checks of our police forces across the state, eliminating any person that has domestic violence in their background from receiving employ.
Respecting citizens right to peacefully protest.

The citizens of South Dakota all have a story to tell. It is vital that we listen, hear and understand our neighbors and the lives they lead to better know our capacity to give back. I believe all citizens with disabilities have a story to tell. Their disabilities should not define them. Their stories should enrich how we all work, live and take care of each other.

We should not leave any citizen behind in our state. First of all, our population is small enough that we don’t have any excuses: Our free land, parks and beautiful spaces should be clean, healthy and safe for all who reside here.

I support Special Education in our schools, but that’s not where that support should end. Accessibility is a lifelong need, and I will work with others in Congress to increase Medicaid funding for those who choose to live in their home with assistance, receive live-in caregiving, or live in assisted living facilities.

As a member of Congress, I will protect the rights of people with disabilities by:

Supporting the need for accommodations to be made for in-person and mail-in voting.
Working with organizations across the state to assist those living in centers and those living at home with family with quality care, financial and respite support.
Stay in contact with mental health professionals across South Dakota to address patterns and concerns they see every day.
Promoting opportunities to enhance the quality of life for older adults, children, youth, and adults with disabilities, and their caregivers.
Passing laws that make the lives of citizens with disabilities more equitable.

TRIBal sovereignty

I am committed to working with South Dakota’s tribal nations is grounded in respect,

partnership, and a recognition that the strongest solutions come when governments work together. I believe South Dakota’s tribal nations are sovereign governments with rich histories, cultures, and traditions, and our state and federal governments have a responsibility to honor that sovereignty through strong government-to-government relationships.

Through my work in rural development and engagement with tribal communities across South Dakota, I understand the importance of listening to tribal leaders and ensuring Native voices are included in the decisions that affect their people. The challenges facing tribal nations are complex, but progress is possible when we work together with respect and a shared commitment to creating opportunity.

South Dakota’s tribal nations are an essential part of our state’s history, culture, and future. Like many rural areas, they face challenges related to health care access, housing, infrastructure, workforce development, & economic opportunity. Addressing these challenges requires long-term partnerships and investments that reflect the priorities of each tribal nation.

As a member of Congress, I will work to:

Respect tribal sovereignty and support strong government-to-government relationships with South Dakota’s tribal nations.
Support federal investments that strengthen tribal nations, including infrastructure,

housing, agriculture, water resources, and economic development.

Improve access to health care in tribal communities, including mental health services, substance-use treatment, and other critical health resources.
Expand educational and workforce opportunities through partnerships with tribal

schools, colleges, and community organizations.

Address the Missing and Murdered Indigenous People (MMIP) crisis by supporting

efforts to seek justice for victims and families, improve coordination among law

enforcement agencies, and prevent future cases.

NIKKI gronli for us house

She's one of us, working for us.