Press Releases

WASHINGTON – Under Section 30D of the Internal Revenue Code, eligible taxpayers may qualify for a tax credit of up to $7,500 following the purchase of a new, qualified plug-in electric vehicle (EV) or a fuel cell electric vehicle (FCV) purchased between 2023 to 2032. According to the Tax Foundation, these aggressive tax credits, established under the Inflation Reduction Act, are anticipated to cost roughly $180 billion over the next decade. The Biden administration has utilized this tax credit... CONTINUE READING

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA) announced the award of $210,000 to the Roosevelt Custer Regional Council for the establishment of an economic development planning framework, process, and strategy supporting private capital investment and job creation in the region. The council supports communities in Southwest North Dakota which includes the counties of Adams, Billings, Bowman, Dunn, Golden Valley, Hettinger, Slope, and Stark. CONTINUE READING

WASHINGTON – On Wednesday, leadership from the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps testified before the Senate Armed Services Subcommittee on Seapower regarding the National Defense Authorization Request for Fiscal Year 2025 and the Future Years Defense Program. U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND), Ranking Member of the subcommittee, emphasized the importance of learning, experimenting, and scaling emerging technologies ahead of the United States’ adversaries.    “The plain truth is something we all need to... CONTINUE READING

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has finalized two rulemakings, placing burdensome new emission standards for light, medium, and heavy-duty vehicles. Despite American consumers largely rejecting electric vehicles (EVs) because they are too expensive or do not meet their needs, these rulemakings effectively force the transition toward EVs. U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND), who opposes the Biden administration’s federal mandates on EVs, joined his colleagues in... CONTINUE READING

WASHINGTON – On Tuesday, the White House Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) rolled out additional National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) permitting requirements. This rule will impose hurdles to the permitting and environmental review process for infrastructure and energy projects. U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND), Ranking Member of the Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) Subcommittee on Transportation and Infrastructure, released the following statement after the announcement of the... CONTINUE READING

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced the award of $3,262,046 through the Health Resources and Services Administration’s Health Center Cluster grant program, which provides funding to community health centers across the United States. The award will be distributed to the following programs and initiatives in North Dakota: $1,801,916 to Northland Health Partners Community in Turtle Lake.   $1,460,130 to Family Healthcare Center in Fargo. CONTINUE READING

“Recent public reports have revealed a biased culture and slanted coverage at NPR’s headquarters, which is a profound disservice to the journalistic integrity expected of NPR and your local affiliates whose excellent reputation is tarnished by association.” WASHINGTON – Former National Public Radio (NPR) Senior Editor Uri Berliner announced his resignation after an article was published in the Free Press, accounting the network’s record of biased reporting and losing the trust of the public. In... CONTINUE READING

BISMARCK – On Thursday, North Dakota was joined by Montana, Texas, and Wyoming in filing a lawsuit in North Dakota Federal District Court challenging the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) newly finalized Waste Prevention, Production Subject to Royalties, and Resource Conservation Rule. This rule establishes a new royalty on flared gas, institutes monthly limits on allowable flaring, and adds new application requirements for operators regarding their ability to capture natural gas before they can... CONTINUE READING

BISMARCK – The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced the award of $4,093,055 to three airports in North Dakota for the following projects and initiatives:  $2,918,323 to the Grand Forks Regional Airport Authority for the reconstruction of 4,206 feet of runway to maintain structural integrity of the pavement and minimize foreign object debris.  $1,014,732 to the Dickinson Municipal Airport Authority for the reconstruction of the existing 10,200... CONTINUE READING

BISMARCK – On Thursday, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced four final rulemakings regarding fossil fuel electric generation. These rules, first announced individually in 2023, will dramatically tighten emissions regulations for fossil fuel generation and dangerously degrade the state of America’s electrical power grid. The Biden administration has specifically targeted coal power plants in these regulations and created unrealistic and unworkable emission reduction goals... CONTINUE READING

***Click here for audio.*** WASHINGTON — The United States Air Force announced on Wednesday it has narrowed down the number of companies in the service’s Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) drone program, naming General Atomics as one of the two remaining vendors in the next phase of this initiative. “Congratulations to General Atomics for the incredible ingenuity that went into this cutting-edge aircraft and for its continued leadership in unmanned systems,” said Cramer. “Today’s announcement... CONTINUE READING

WASHINGTON – Every year, more than 600,000 individuals are released from prisons across the United States after serving their sentences. Even though individuals reentering society have paid their debt for the crimes committed, they still face significant collateral consequences such as struggling to find employment, securing a place to live, and being barred from receiving financial aid. To serve as reminder of the challenges those reentering society may face, U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND)... CONTINUE READING

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management (FECM) announced the University of North Dakota (UND) Energy and Environmental Research Center will receive $11,600,000 to investigate how CO2 injected into an unconventional reservoir in the Bakken Formation will result in increased oil and gas production while additionally increasing the lifespans of the wells which will eventually benefit from this research. These funds will help assess the... CONTINUE READING

WASHINGTON — On Tuesday, the United States Senate passed the national security supplemental funding by a vote of 79-18, providing approximately $95 billion in assistance to Israel, Ukraine, and Taiwan as they counter aggression from Russia, Iran, and China. U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND) released the following statement after voting in favor of the package:   “I spoke with President Trump the day before we voted on the previous bill and urged the House to take up his plan. Today’s... CONTINUE READING

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced Microbeam Technologies Incorporated, located in Grand Forks, North Dakota, has been selected to receive $2,499,978. This funding will allow the company to use a bench-scale system to demonstrate the ability to extract and produce high purity gallium and germanium from a lignite-derived, mixed rare earth element concentrate obtained from selected gallium and germanium-rich lignite carbon ore.  This funding, provided by the fully-paid-for... CONTINUE READING

BISMARCK – The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced an award of $2,979,825 to the following projects and initiatives: $1,924,581 to Spectra Health, awarded through the Health Resources and Services Administration’s Health Center Cluster grant program, which provides funding to community health centers across the United States. $1,055, 244 to the North Dakota Department of Health and Human Services, awarded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, to support the... CONTINUE READING

***Click here for audio.*** WASHINGTON — Late Friday night, the United States Senate passed legislation to reauthorize Title VII of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) for another two years, along with other reforms. U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND) co-led an amendment with U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL), Mike Lee (R-UT), and Mazie Hirono (D-HI) to prohibit warrantless access to communications and other information of Americans, enhance privacy and civil liberty protections, and... CONTINUE READING

WASHINGTON – The National Science Foundation (NSF) announced an award of $3,252,604 to three colleges in North Dakota through the Tribal Colleges and Universities Program, which seeks to increase the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) instructional and research capacities of specific institutions of higher education. The NSF awards will be distributed to the following institutions: $1,536,078 to Turtle Mountain Community College. $898,948 to Sitting Bull... CONTINUE READING

WASHINGTON – In the midst of an opioid pandemic, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) announced in 2023 it has significantly decreased the number of veterans with opioid prescriptions by 67% since 2012. However, estimates show opioids remain the default treatments for acute pain, with more than 3.75 million patients initiating long-term opioid use after a low-risk surgery. Increasing the availability of non-opioids treatment options plays an important role in managing acute pain, while... CONTINUE READING

WASHINGTON — On Wednesday, the United States Senate dismissed articles of impeachment against U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas twice by a vote of 51 to 49. The U.S. House of Representatives impeached Secretary Mayorkas in early February for his unlawful handling of the crisis at the southern border. The two articles of impeachment against Secretary Mayorkas alleged willful and systemic refusal to comply with U.S. immigration laws and breach of public trust by falsely... CONTINUE READING