Press Releases

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

BISMARCK – The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced the award of $700,000 to the University of North Dakota (UND) for its Quentin N. Burdick Indian Health Programs. This fund will support the enhancement of educational opportunities for American Indians pursuing degrees in health professions. CONTINUE READING

BISMARCK — The Supreme Court of the United States issued an opinion in the cases of Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo and Relentless, Inc. v. Department of Commerce today, overturning the Chevron doctrine, a cornerstone of administrative law. The doctrine played a pivotal role in determining how much federal courts defer to executive agencies’ interpretation of statutes passed versus Congressional intent. U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND) issued the following statement on the Supreme Court’s... CONTINUE READING

BISMARCK – The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) adopted a finalized rule in March requiring publicly traded companies to disclose their greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions data. This is the first time the SEC has published a rule requiring companies to submit climate-related information. Critics contend it is “unlawful several times over.” Multiple lawsuits are pending in the Eighth Circuit, including a petition seeking review of the regulations filed by the Texas Alliance of Energy Producers... CONTINUE READING

BISMARCK – The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) awarded$28,816,840 for three projects in North Dakota. These funds were made available through the Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) grant program and will be distributed to the following initiatives: $23,816,550 to the City of West Fargo for the installation of a road-rail grade separation complete with pedestrian, bicycle, and ADA accommodations at the intersection of 9th Street NE and an existing... CONTINUE READING

WASHINGTON — President Biden announced a plan on Tuesday to exempt certain illegal immigrants from deportation. According to the White House, 500,000 spouses of U.S. citizens, and approximately 50,000 noncitizen children under the age of 21 whose parent is married to a U.S. citizen will be allowed to stay in the country and eligible to receive permanent legal status. U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND) issued the following statement regarding President Biden’s announcement. “Not even two weeks... CONTINUE READING