Rounds, Mike

Mike Rounds is a Republican senator from South Dakota who chairs two influential Senate subcommittees: the Cybersecurity Subcommittee of the Senate Armed Services Committee and the Securities, Insurance, and Investment Subcommittee of the Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee. As chair of these subcommittees, Rounds sets their agendas and directs oversight in critical areas spanning national defense and financial regulation. The Cybersecurity Subcommittee has primary jurisdiction over all cyber-related oversight and legislation for the Department of Defense, while the Banking subcommittee oversees securities markets, insurance regulation, and investment policy.

Rounds brings substantial executive and legislative experience to these roles. He served as South Dakota's 31st governor from 2003 to 2011, where he focused on economic development and education. Before that, he served in the South Dakota State Senate from 1991 to 2000, rising to Senate Majority Leader in 1995. In the private sector, he was a partner in Fischer Rounds & Associates, an insurance and real estate firm. He earned a bachelor's degree in political science from South Dakota State University and was first elected to the U.S. Senate in 2014.

As Cybersecurity Subcommittee chair, Rounds has been deeply engaged in shaping defense policy. He has held a leadership role on this subcommittee since its creation in 2017, serving as chair during the 115th and 116th Congresses, ranking member during the 117th and 118th Congresses, and chair again in the current 119th Congress. Under his leadership, the subcommittee has advanced legislation addressing cyber workforce development, artificial intelligence integration into military operations, and Department of Defense cyber capabilities. In 2025, he introduced the Cyber PIVOTT Act to expand cybersecurity technical education scholarships.

As chair of the Banking subcommittee on securities and investment, Rounds has held hearings on emerging issues including artificial intelligence's role in financial services. In his opening remarks at a 2025 hearing on AI in capital and insurance markets, he emphasized the need for regulatory frameworks that support innovation while protecting consumers. He has also led efforts to oppose what he viewed as overreaching SEC regulations on AI, working with ranking members to block proposals he believed would slow financial sector innovation. Rounds serves on five Senate committees overall: Appropriations, Armed Services, Banking, Indian Affairs, and the Select Committee on Intelligence.