BRANDON -- South Dakota's lone congressman defended some of the Trump administration's mass firings and funding freezes as needed "disruptions" while acknowledging "there are methods that can be improved."

South Dakota Searchlight interviewed U.S. Rep. Dusty Johnson, R-South Dakota, on Feb. 28 when he visited the Brandon Valley Area Chamber of Commerce.

Johnson did not know how many federal employees in the state had been fired, or how much federal funding had been frozen or eliminated in the state.

"Certainly, we would like the information on employees impacted," Johnson said, "and so I'm looking forward to getting that information as soon as I can."

He added that funding freezes at the beginning of an administration are not unusual, and that "Joe Biden never gave me any of those dollars about how much had been frozen."

"Now, I do have the sense that was smaller in size and scope than maybe the funding freezes we're dealing with now, but it's not the kind of thing the last administration provided either," Johnson said.

The Trump administration, acting through its Department of Government Efficiency led by the world's richest person, Elon Musk, has fired more than 30,000 federal employees, according to some reports. The administration has also frozen or attempted to freeze or eliminate trillions of dollars' worth of grants, loans and foreign aid, sparking litigation from some states and affected organizations.