Press Releases

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Kevin Cramer (R-ND), Jon Ossoff (D-GA), and Mike Rounds (R-SD) introduced the Gold Star Children Education Act to support the education of children of fallen U.S. servicemembers. This legislation would make children of servicemembers who died while serving on active duty eligible for enrollment in U.S. Department of Defense Education Activity (DODEA) schools on a tuition-free, space-available basis.  The DODEA manages 160 schools globally, providing K-12 education to... CONTINUE READING

BISMARCK – U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND) announced members of his staff will hold mobile office hours in Beach and Medora on Tuesday, July 30. “Since it’s not always possible for people to travel to my in-state offices, these mobile office opportunities help bring the services we offer closer to the constituents who need them,” said Cramer. “Having members of my staff in Beach and Medora will give North Dakotans more chances to explore solutions to the problems they face with people who are... CONTINUE READING

WASHINGTON – In a bipartisan letter to U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Thomas Vilsack, U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND) joined U.S. Senators Mike Crapo (R-ID) and Ron Wyden (D-OR) in expressing concern about the potential for potato wart to spread from potato imports originating in Canada’s Province, Prince Edward Island (PEI) to U.S. farms and production facilities. The Senators urged urging the USDA to implement additional mitigation measures to prevent introduction into the... CONTINUE READING

WASHINGTON – Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CPKC) and Canadian National Railway (CN) workers represented by the Teamsters Canada Rail Conference voted in late June to authorize a strike. Before a strike can legally occur, the Canada Industrial Relations Board (CIRB) must issue a ruling outlining shipments required to continue during a work stoppage. CIRB is expected to finalize a ruling in the coming days. U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND), Ranking Member of the Senate Environment and Public Works... CONTINUE READING

WASHINGTON – U.S. Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) facilities are often exposed to extreme weather events, posing significant challenges to border security operations, national security, and critical infrastructure. Just last year alone, there were 28 natural disasters across the nation causing at least $92.9 billion in damages, surpassing the previous record of 22 in 2020. The extreme weather conditions directly challenge the CBP's ability to fulfill its responsibilities, affecting both the... CONTINUE READING

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced a discretionary award of $1,140,635 to the North Dakota Department of Health and Human Services for a cooperative agreement under the Hospital Preparedness Program (HPP). The HPP provides funding to support recipients’ capacity to plan for and respond to large-scale emergencies and disasters. CONTINUE READING

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND) issued the following statement after the shooting at former President Donald Trump’s rally in Butler, Pennsylvania on July 13, 2024: "Kris and I and our family are praying for President Trump and all victims of today’s horrifying shooting. We are grateful to God President Trump is ok and mourn this senseless tragedy. It’s time to unite in prayer for our nation. God Bless our first responders and America!" CONTINUE READING

WASHINGTON – For nearly three decades, the Clean Water State Revolving Fund (CWSRF) and the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund (DWSRF) have been critical programs for drinking water, wastewater, and stormwater projects. Since 2021, more than $3.7 billion dollars has been siphoned from CWSRF and DWSRF to fund Community Project Funding and Congressionally Directed Spending, also known as earmarks. Without a change in the appropriations process, the formula funding each State Revolving Fund... CONTINUE READING

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced the award of $2,738,566 to the following programs and initiatives in North Dakota: $2,034,632 to the North Dakota Department of Health and Human Services to finance the program, “Epidemiology and Laboratory Capacity for Prevention and Control of Emerging Infectious Diseases (ELC).” $613,934 to North Dakota State University through the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute to support the research of lung... CONTINUE READING

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Electricity announced the award of $513,949 to North Dakota State University (NDSU). This funding will support NDSU as it develops a graph-based analytics tool for monitoring and managing stability issues in grids with high inverter-based resource penetration. CONTINUE READING

***Click here for audio.*** WASHINGTON – The U.S. Navy announced a $14,499,109 contract with Ideal Aerosmith, Inc. for the development of unmanned aerial systems (UAS) technology. Specifically, the contract will reimburse costs associated with hardware in the loop (HWIL), software in the loop (SWIL), and inspection and testing methodologies enabling attributable unmanned system development. Work on the project will be performed in Grand Forks and is expected to be completed by January 2027. “The... CONTINUE READING

WASHINGTON – Federal regulations prohibit any licensed importer, manufacturer, dealer, or collector to sell or deliver any firearm to an individual who does not reside in the state in which the licensee’s place of business is located. U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND) led his colleagues in introducing the bicameral Firearms Interstate Commerce Reform Act (FICRA) to modernize and streamline the legal framework governing interstate firearms transactions. House Majority Leader Steve Scalise... CONTINUE READING

WASHINGTON – The Federal Reserve, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC), and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) announced proposed regulations to implement the final components of the Basel III agreement to raise bank capital requirements. The proposal was created to set the standards for capital reserves, liquidity, and leverage at financial institutions. Under the proposal, large banks will be mandated to transition to the new framework on July 1, 2025, with full... CONTINUE READING

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Mark Kelly (D-AZ), Chairman, and U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND), Ranking Member, held a Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) Subcommittee on Transportation and Infrastructure hearing today that focused on the General Services Administration’s (GSA) Public Buildings Service (PBS). Commissioner Elliot Doomes testified before the subcommittee on behalf of the GSA. The oversight hearing focused on the GSA’s management of the federal government’s expansive real estate... CONTINUE READING

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) issued a $18,279,725.50 contract announcement with R. J. Zavoral & Sons, Inc. for construction of the Southern Embankment Reach SE-2B in support of the Fargo-Moorhead Area Flood Diversion Project. Construction on the project is expected to be completed by October 30, 2026. These funds were provided by the fully paid-for Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL), which U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND) helped craft and shepherd through Congress.... CONTINUE READING

BISMARCK – The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced the award of $5,328,829 for Head Start and Early Head Start programs in North Dakota. The funding will be distributed to the following programs and initiatives: $2,162,321 to Bismarck Public Schools. $3,166,508 to Grand Forks Public School District Building Authority. These programs promote early childhood learning, health, and development initiatives, as well as family and community support services. CONTINUE READING

BISMARCK — Three months after North Dakota’s Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL) historic Federal Tort Claims Act (FTCA) trial against the federal government, the case is nearing its conclusion. The state of North Dakota filed its post-trial brief on Friday, urging U.S. District Court Judge Dan Traynor to rule in favor of the state and hold the federal government accountable for its facilitation of “public nuisance, negligence, gross negligence, and civil trespass” on Army Corps... CONTINUE READING

BISMARCK – The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced the award of $750,897  through the Airport Improvement Program (AIP) to North Dakota to update an existing airport system plan. Additionally, the FAA announced a total of $519,629 through the Airport Infrastructure Grant (AIG) Program, which was established by the fully paid-for Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to provide airports with funding for modernization and safety projects. The funding will go... CONTINUE READING

FARGO – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced the award of $2,427,167 to the North Dakota Department of Environmental Quality for the following programs and initiatives: $2,147,167 to perform delegated program activities, conduct quality assurance activities, and maintain regional and national databases associated with environmental programs. $280,000 to North Dakota’s Leaking Underground Storage Tank (LUST) Prevention program, which includes leak detection, prevention, and... CONTINUE READING

BISMARCK – The U.S. Department of the Interior announced North Dakota will receive $1,988,436 in Payments in Lieu of Taxes (PILT) funding for 2024 to support the costs associated with maintaining vital community services. PILT payments are calculated based on the number of acres of federal land within each county or jurisdiction, and its population. The PILT program was fully funded when Congress passed six FY24 appropriations bills in March. In FY23, North Dakota received over... CONTINUE READING