Democrat for US House unveils proposals to lower tariffs, stabilize Social Security

South Dakota Democratic U.S. House nominee Nikki Gronli announced her top economic priorities Wednesday, including a return to tariff policies predating President Donald Trump, capping insulin costs, giving Medicare more drug-price bargaining power, and requiring higher-income people to contribute more toward Social Security.

Social Security is the federal retirement program funded through a payroll tax on individuals’ wages up to the taxable maximum, which is $184,500 per year. The trust fund that pays people benefits is projected to go into the red in 2032, requiring cuts to the program if Congress takes no action.

Gronli said she wants to eliminate the taxable maximum. 

“It will be made solvent by eliminating the income tax cap,” Gronli said. “That is long overdue.” 

Medicare is the federal health insurance program for people 65 and older. Gronli said the program’s ability to negotiate drug prices is too limited, driving up costs for taxpayers and patients. 

She also called for a $35 monthly insulin price cap for everyone.

Gronli criticized the Trump administration’s higher tariffs, saying they have increased costs for South Dakotans. Tariffs are a tax paid by those importing a foreign good.

“The next Congress must take action and end this added tax on South Dakota families,” she said. 

Gronli also said she would prioritize more funding for the Meat and Poultry Processing Expansion Program, which provides grants to help independent processors expand meat-processing capacity. Additionally, she proposed a heifer tax credit to expand the nation’s cattle herd, though she did not offer details of such a program. Cattle numbers have been low in recent years while beef imports have risen.

Gronli was the state director of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Rural Development program under former President Joe Biden, and she previously served as vice chair of the state Democratic Party. 

Gronli said her priorities differ from her opponent, Republican Marty Jackley. He is the state’s attorney general and formerly served as U.S. attorney for South Dakota.

“He’s made it clear that he supports the policies harming South Dakota,” Gronli said during a press conference on Wednesday in downtown Sioux Falls. “He’s made it clear he’s fine with the chaos and corruption in Washington, D.C., and Congress.”

Gronli told South Dakota Searchlight she was referring to things such as the non-Congress-approved war in Iran, Trump’s tariff policies and challenging of mail-in voting, and his administration sometimes ignoring court decisions. 

Jackley for Congress campaign spokesperson Jason Glodt responded with a written statement. 

“Marty Jackley is the only candidate in this race who has a proven record fighting government corruption,” he wrote. “Marty has been prosecuting fraud for over a decade, passed government accountability legislation, and he will take that same fight to Washington to protect taxpayers.”

He agreed the two candidates differ. 

“Gronli served in the Biden administration and is advocating for Biden-era policies that will result in bigger government and higher taxes,” Glodt wrote. “Marty Jackley has a proven record fighting for less government, government accountability, and lower taxes.”

South Dakota’s lone U.S. House seat will be open because Republican U.S. Rep. Dusty Johnson ran for governor and lost in the June primary election.

The general election is Nov. 3, advance voting is underway, and the voter registration deadline is Oct. 19.