WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND), member of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee, announced the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) National Cemetery Administration (NCA) awarded the state $1,860,775 to expand the North Dakota Veterans Cemetery in Mandan. These resources will be administered through the Veterans Cemetery Grants Program (VGCP) to support landscaping projects, infrastructure improvements, and the construction of 1,440 columbarium niches.

“North Dakota’s veterans deserve our utmost appreciation for their resolve to protect our great nation and willingness to make the ultimate sacrifice,” said Senator Cramer. “It shouldn’t have taken an act of Congress to make sure our veterans cemetery in Mandan was not discriminated against simply because they chose to bury men and women from the Reserve and National Guard. I am glad the Burial Equity for Guards and Reserves Act, which was signed into law last year, has solved the problem. This funding will go a long way in helping honor North Dakota’s heroes.”

Background:

  1. The Burial Equity for Guards and Reserves Act, which is now law, ensures state veterans cemeteries that bury reserve components and the National Guard are no longer ineligible for federal Veterans Affairs grants. Click here to read Senator Cramer's op-ed on the bill.  
  2. In August 2022, Senator Cramer attended the North Dakota Veterans’ Cemetery’s 30 Year Commemoration ceremony. Learn more here.