A senior adviser to South Dakota Senator Mike Rounds, Robert Skjonsberg, has also been active as a lobbyist for a range of notable clients, as highlighted in a recent report.
Skjonsberg has been registered to lobby the South Dakota Legislature for over ten years, representing more than a dozen clients. His portfolio includes major names like Meta, the tobacco company Altria, the Freedom Foundation, the Association of Equipment Manufacturers, as well as various agricultural groups like the South Dakota Dairy Producers and South Dakota Pork Producers, according to state records reviewed by Politico.
Additionally, Skjonsberg is named as a “co-owner” of 605 Strategies, a group that claims he played a role in guiding Rounds through his 2002 gubernatorial election, his 2006 reelection, and his Senate campaigns in 2014 and 2020.
Back in 2014, The Nation reported that there were records indicating Rounds’ administration had provided taxpayer support to companies in which both he and Skjonsberg were investors.
Since Skjonsberg began lobbying for Meta last year, Rounds has put forth several bills concerning artificial intelligence, an area where Meta has made significant investments.
As a member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rounds has been involved in creating legislation that affects the industries represented by Skjonsberg. This year, he introduced measures aimed at expanding grazing land for cattle producers and limiting purchases of agricultural land and businesses by foreign adversaries, as reported by Politico.
The Senate ethics rules prevent certain staffers from becoming affiliated with entities that provide professional services for compensation. These rules also prohibit employees from allowing external firms to use their names for compensated professional services, according to Politico.
Nonetheless, a spokesperson for Rounds informed Politico that the office had consulted with the U.S. Senate Select Committee on Ethics to ensure there were no conflicts of interest, emphasizing that compliance with Senate Ethics guidance is ongoing.
Representatives from both the Association of Equipment Manufacturers and Meta indicated to Politico that they had not engaged with Skjonsberg since March, when the 2026 session of the state legislature wrapped up.
