Press Releases

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND) issued the following statement on the U.S. Department of Labor’s (DOL) new proposal on apprenticeship programs:“Apprenticeship programs help bridge the gap between the next generation of workers and our country’s workforce shortage. This proposal gives private businesses the opportunity to create paid and accountable apprenticeships where the emerging workforce can learn the skills they need. I applaud Secretary Acosta for offering these... CONTINUE READING

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator and Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee member Kevin Cramer (R-ND) issued the following statement on the White House proposing new National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) guidance for energy and infrastructure projects:“Bureaucrats in Washington should not hold up necessary energy and infrastructure development. Today’s proposed guidance provides much-needed clarity for those who have been bogged down by ambiguous and onerous onerous regulatory delays. I... CONTINUE READING

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator and Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC) member issued the following statement on President Donald Trump’s intent to nominate Mark Esper as U.S. Secretary of Defense:“I am thankful President Trump is moving quickly to fill this important post. A Senate-confirmed Secretary in the Defense Department will help provide the stability and leadership our military needs. I look forward to meeting with Mr. Esper and working with him on our shared priorities.”  ### CONTINUE READING

Senators fight to add 'Lost 74' sailors to Vietnam memorial Washington Examiner Jerry Dunleavy 06.20.19 The effort to add 74 more names to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall got one step closer in the Senate on Wednesday, even as the federal bureaucracy pushed back against the idea. The bipartisan U.S.S. Frank E. Evans Act got its first major Senate hearing yesterday as senators on the National Parks Subcommittee made the case for why the names of the “Lost 74” sailors, who perished when... CONTINUE READING

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND) issued the following statement today regarding U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) announcement that farmers who planted cover crops on prevent plant acres will be permitted to hay, graze, or chop those fields in September instead of November this year:“I’ve always said it is important our policies incentivize farmers to do what they do best: grow food. This policy does exactly that by giving farmers more flexibility and discretion over how they... CONTINUE READING

WASHNGTON — U.S. Senator and Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee member Kevin Cramer (R-ND) issued the following statement on the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) releasing the final Affordable Clean Energy (ACE) rule:“I applaud President Trump and Administrator Wheeler for repealing the previous administration’s Clean Power Plan and replacing it with the ACE rule. Not only was the Clean Power Plan illegal, it threatened to raise electricity bills, reduce grid reliability, and... CONTINUE READING

WASHINGTON – U.S. Sens. Kevin Cramer (R-ND) and Ted Cruz (R-TX) with Reps. Lee Zeldin (R-NY) and Elaine Luria (D-VA) today introduced the Countering Hezbollah in Lebanon’s Military Act of 2019, which would withhold 20 percent of U.S. military assistance to the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) unless the President can certify they’re taking necessary steps to end Hezbollah and Iran’s influence over the LAF. United Nations Security Council resolution 1701 calls upon the Lebanese government... CONTINUE READING

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND) announced mobile office hours for Wahpeton and Lisbon on Thursday, June 27.  “While it’s not always easy or possible for people to get to my state offices, mobile office hours bring our services closer to constituents,” said Senator Cramer. “Having members of my staff in Wahpeton and Lisbon gives North Dakotans more time to explore solutions to the problems they face with people who are in a... CONTINUE READING

Highlight the Need to Pass USMCA WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND) today applauded President Donald Trump’s Executive Order released this week on modernizing the regulatory framework for agricultural biotechnology products.“Biotechnology regulations are cumbersome and costly, and they often stifle biotech startups in North Dakota and across the country from making the advancements that will keep American agriculture at the forefront of biotechnology,” said Senator... CONTINUE READING

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND) today on Flag Day joined U.S. Senator Steve Daines (R-MT) in introducing a Constitutional amendment to prohibit the desecration of the United States flag.“A flag worth dying for is a flag worth protecting,” said Senator Cramer. “While we should always be mindful of First Amendment rights, the American flag signifies the founding principles that countless men and women have given their lives to preserve. Adding a Constitutional amendment to... CONTINUE READING

WASHINGTON — U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND) announced the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has awarded the North Dakota Department of Health a grant for $1,820,064. This grant award from the Centers for Disease Control and National Center for Chronic Diseases Prevention and Health Promotion will be used for diabetes, heart disease and stroke prevention programs in North Dakota.   ### CONTINUE READING

WASHINGTON — U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND) announced the U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Railroad Administration has awarded the Minot Intermodal Facility a $400,000 Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements Grant.  This grant award will help complete preliminary engineering and federal environmental review for additions to the Minot Intermodal Facility, including additional rail lines, container storage and grade crossing improvements.  ### CONTINUE READING

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator and Senate Veterans Affairs (VA) Committee member Kevin Cramer (R-ND) issued the following statement today on the U.S. Senate unanimously passing the “Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veterans Act,” a bill provide Vietnam veterans who served offshore and were presumed to have been exposed to Agent Orange with necessary health care benefits:“All who risked their lives in the Vietnam war deserve to be honored and given access to the care and benefits they need. This bill rectifies... CONTINUE READING

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND) issued the following statement today on the U.S. Senate unanimously passing Senate Resolution 189, a resolution he cosponsored condemning all forms of anti-Semitism: “Anti-Semitic beliefs have no place in this Congress and no place in our society. While some House Democrats have struggled to accept that reality, this resolution affirms that the United States Senate believes hatred and prejudice towards Jewish people should never be... CONTINUE READING

EPW Subcommittee Chairman Cramer Introduced ND Ag Commissioner and Addressed Cooperative Federalism WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator and Environment and Public Works (EPW) Subcommittee on Fisheries, Water, and Wildlife Chairman Kevin Cramer (R-ND) convened a hearing today entitled “A Review of Waters of the U.S. (WOTUS) Regulations: Their Impact on States and the American People.” This was a joint hearing with the full EPW Committee, and the first subcommittee hearing held under Chairman... CONTINUE READING

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND) issued the following statement today on the border security deal reached last Friday by President Donald Trump and Mexico:“President Trump pledged to put America’s safety first, and this bilateral agreement with Mexico represents another step toward fulfilling that promise. This joint effort includes unprecedented steps by Mexico to increase immigration enforcement, expedite the return of asylum seekers who illegally cross... CONTINUE READING

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Kevin Cramer and John Hoeven and U.S. Representative Kelly Armstrong wrote a letter to U.S. Attorney General William Barr and U.S. Acting Secretary of Defense Patrick Shanahan urging their involvement in achieving an equitable settlement for the state of North Dakota for damages resulting from the United States Army Corps of Engineers’ (USACE) negligence during the Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL) protests.“Due to the Corps’ failure to fulfill its mandatory... CONTINUE READING

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator and Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee member Kevin Cramer (R-ND) issued the following statement regarding the Environment and Protection Agency’s (EPA) updated guidance on Section 401 of the Clean Water Act:“President Trump ordered the EPA to bring its implementation of water regulations into the 21st century, and today Administrator Wheeler took a good first step toward accomplishing that. These actions will help... CONTINUE READING

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator and Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee member Kevin Cramer (R-ND) issued the following statement after meeting with Department of the Interior (DOI) Assistant Secretary for Fish, Wildlife, and Parks nominee Rob Wallace today:“I appreciated meeting with Mr. Wallace who, if confirmed, will have oversight of the Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS). We discussed the importance of reigning in the FWS’s unwieldly enforcement of North Dakota’s wetlands. Their... CONTINUE READING

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND) issued the following statement today after meeting with Canadian Ambassador to the United States David MacNaughton:“I met with Ambassador MacNaughton to discuss issues affecting the northern border and trade relations between our two nations. I also reaffirmed my support for the United States-Mexico-Canada (USMCA) agreement. Canada imports energy, software, agricultural commodities, manufacturing goods, and many other products from North... CONTINUE READING