Brian Bengs

@bengsforsd.bsky.social

Lt Col (Ret) USAF, USN Vet, Former Wind Cave National Park Ranger, Husband & Father now running for Senate to stand up for people who work for a living.

Israel attacking diplomatic targets in Qatar is blatantly illegal & brings no one closer to peace. Using US-supplied weapons to attack another US ally is unacceptable. As Israel’s primary benefactor, the US can & should impose accountability. #RuleofLaw

As an Independent Senate candidate in SD who won't take money from Big Money corporate PACs, social media is crucial to get my message out. If you're interested in my policy-driven, pro-worker, pro-democracy campaign, you can help me boost my message today by sharing this post. Thank you.

SOUTH DAKOTA POLL RESULTS, After positive Bios are

This quote from the NOTUS article I was in shows the necessity of Independents in the Senate. Party politics isn't working for regular folks, but a few principled Independents in the Senate could place pressure on dysfunctional institutions to work. People over parties.

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The fact that we still experience these preventable tragedies is a blaring siren that politics isn't working. Common sense reforms could have averted this while still preserving 2nd Amendment rights. I apologize to the victims for the failures of our political system.

Shooting at Minneapolis Catholic church leaves 2 children dead, 17 injured

A shooting targeting a mass at the Annunciation Catholic School in Minneapolis on Wednesday left at least two children dead and more than a dozen injured, authorities announced.

foxnews.com

109 years ago today, the National Park Service was created to “preserve unimpaired the natural and cultural resources and values of the National Park System…” I am proud to have been a WICA Park Ranger. I’m running for the US Senate to stand up for our parks & their stewards.

Social Security was establishing on 14 Aug 1935. On this anniversary, remember that it isn't just a safety net, but a promise. Millions of Americans depend on it as the primary defense against life in poverty. Protecting it means protecting our future. #ProtectThePromise

Today is Agent Orange Awareness Day, highlighting its lifetime health impacts to Vietnam veterans. The 2022 PACT Act expands benefits for vets suffering from Agent Orange & other toxins. Mike Rounds voted no, only switching when public support was too much to ignore.

Healthcare monopolies are great at cheating sick, poor, or elderly Americans out of coverage. The price of monopoly is paid from working folks’ pockets to CEOs. As a Senator, I would fight to make healthcare more accessible and affordable.

I'm running for Senate as an Independent because I do my own thinking. I care more about achieving real change for working folks in SD than toeing a party line. I can only be a legitimate challenger to Sen. Mike Rounds in '26 by acting outside party politics.

Mike Rounds is saying NOTHING while Congress hands over its tax (tariff) authority to the President, violating separation of powers with an arbitrary tax on the American people. That is Taxation without Representation.

The core of democracy, voter choice in a fair system, is being ignored in a Hatfield-McCoy feud. The President wants to use gerrymandering to disenfranchise his opposition, while his minions put parties over people and step aside. I support the Fair Representation Act.

Our founders considered tariffs (duties) a tax on Americans under sole authority of Congress. US CONST, Art I, Sec 8: “The Congress shall have Power To lay and collect Taxes, Duties, Imposts and Excises...." Why doesn’t Mike Rounds care about us or separation of powers?

The purpose of taxation is to fund gov't operations & programs that benefit the people. Trump funneled taxpayers' money to himself with a Scotland golfing vacation at his OWN resort. South Dakota's Senators are standing aside while their people get ripped off.

The richest of the rich (top 0.1%) in the USA hold almost 14% of America's $160.35T total wealth. Instead of making them pay their fair share, Mike Rounds voted to cut their taxes. You'll never guess who Big Money Mike gets 87% of campaign contributions from. #FollowTheMoney

Democracy only functions when voters are able to make a real choice for themselves. No district should be taken for granted by ANY party because of how "safe" it is. Mike Rounds takes South Dakota for granted, but this state deserves better. Let's give S Dakotans a real choice.

I was quoted in a POLITICO piece on red-state independents: "If you have a handful of independents that actually want some structural reform, that deprive either party of a majority, you can actually accomplish some significant business" Politics shouldn't be two-team game.

Poor S Dakotans are either in a food bank or a grocery store if they have SNAP benefits. USDA funding cuts created a $2.5M budget shortfall for Feeding South Dakota, our largest hunger-relief org. Mike Rounds' vote to cut $186B in SNAP funding will leave many S Dakotans hungry.

The president is touring the Federal Reserve today. I echo 1950s Republicans in advocating monetary policies where the "Federal Reserve System exercis[es] its functions in the money and credit system without pressure for political purposes from the Treasury or the White House.”

Mike Rounds has been a politician for 35 years. What has he done to make your life better? Playing to national party politics instead of serving South Dakotans is how Big Money Mike gets 87% of his donations from a set of 200 rich donors. SD deserves better. #FollowTheMoney

New cuts to public broadcasting orgs add to a long list of betrayals against rural Americans in the past month. Mike Rounds has voted to gut Medicaid, rural hospitals, and now public radio. Mike Rounds serves Big Money and a party line, not the people of SD. #FollowTheMoney

I said it before & I'll say it again: RELEASE. THE. FILES. This administration is suppressing the evidence to protect the guilty & attacking anyone who wants the truth revealed. S Dakotans see Mike Rounds is still silent. Why? Who does he want to protect? #FollowTheMoney

Our tax system is rigged in favor of the ultra rich because of how easily they can buy politicians. The system needs a change-up so the 1% pays their fair share, giving the middle class a break. Big Money donates to Mike Rounds. I'm backed by regular folks. #FollowTheMoney

With 3,300 unique donors & an average donation of just $21, our campaign has more contributors than both of our opponents combined. 99% of Mike Rounds' contributions came from investments, Big Money donors, and corporate PACs, compared to our 0%. #FollowTheMoney

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NPR reported that DOGE was given control over USDA funds to the tune of BILLIONS of dollars. We shouldn’t bite the hands that feed us, and we certainly shouldn’t give external meddlers the power to strangle the millions of farmers & ranchers who grow our food. #FollowTheMoney

The cuts in the "Big Beautiful Bill" disproportionately impact kids & the elderly on Medicaid, creating healthcare deserts for thousands of South Dakotans. Senator Rounds praised the BBB’s “generational benefits” & spun his vote for the BBB as “pro-family.” #FollowTheMoney