WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND), a Senate Budget Committee member, joined a bicameral letter led by Senator John Thune (R-SD) to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) urging the acting director to reject recommendations that would increase the population threshold for communities to be classified as metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs). Doing so could cause certain communities with populations less than 100,000, like Bismarck, Minot, or Grand Forks in North Dakota, to be stripped of their MSA classification, potentially affecting their eligibility to receive funding through federal programs.
“We strongly encourage you to reject any increase in the minimum urbanized area population needed to qualify as an MSA,” the members wrote. “Adhering to this recommendation has the potential to harm communities across the nation.”