Press Releases

WASHINGTON – As women remain the fastest growing group of veterans using U.S. Department of Veterans (VA) services, it is more important than ever to ensure women veterans have consistent access to the benefits and healthcare services they have earned. This is particularly important for those veterans who have experienced Military Sexual Trauma (MST), which has been linked to increased risk for suicide. Throughout the two million women veterans living in the United States, about one in... CONTINUE READING

***Click here for photos.*** WASHINGTON – On Wednesday, the Embassy of Canada to the United States sponsored a “Canada Day on the Hill” reception to recognize the relationship between the United States and Canada. During the event, U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND), co-chair of the bipartisan, bicameral American-Canadian Economy and Security (ACES) Caucus, highlighted the importance of the bilateral partnership between the two countries. “Whether it’s the fight for democracy or the fight for... CONTINUE READING

WASHINGTON – President Biden’s Fiscal Year 2025 budget request, announced at the beginning of March, includes a proposal to allow the Small Business Administration (SBA) to make direct loans through the 7(a) lending program. This ill-conceived proposal would manipulate markets by enabling the government to rival banks and credit unions in providing loans. U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND) joined U.S. Senators Tim Scott (R-SC) and John Kennedy (R-LA) in reintroducing the Protecting Access to... CONTINUE READING

WASHINGTON – The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced a total of $3,224,503 in Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) funding to airports across North Dakota. These funds will be administered through the FAA Airport Infrastructure Grant (AIG) Program as follows: $2,600,000 to Jamestown Regional Airport for the improvement, modification, and rehabilitation of a service road and taxiway and the purchase of snow removal equipment. $150,000 to Garrison Municipal Airport for the... CONTINUE READING

WASHINGTON — The Biden administration’s Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) finalized new regulations on Wednesday, effectively mandating the transition from light and medium-duty vehicles with internal combustion engines to battery-powered electric vehicles (EV). Following the agency’s announcement, U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND) issued a statement denouncing the restrictive and burdensome rule. “The Biden administration’s climate crusade continues in its quest to regulate liquid fuels out... CONTINUE READING

WASHINGTON – The United States and Canada share the world’s longest international border, spanning 5,525 miles with 120 land ports-of-entry. The bilateral and international U.S.-Canada alliance is built upon shared interests in the areas of economic stability and trade, sustainability, energy and critical mineral supply chain, and national security. The two countries share a $1 trillion trade and investment relationship, supporting more than seven million jobs. Launched in June of 2023, the... CONTINUE READING

WASHINGTON – Over the last couple of years, the crime rate in major cities across the country has drastically increased due to the implementation of nonsensical bail policies, which fail to hold violent criminals accountable. Last year, Washington, D.C. had 274 homicides—the highest number of homicides since 1997. According to the Council on Criminal Justice’s mid-year data, which examines monthly crime rates for 10 violent, property, and drug offenses in 37 cities, motor vehicle thefts... CONTINUE READING

***Click here to download video. Click here for audio.*** BISMARCK – U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND) joined Larry Kudlow on Fox Business to discuss the potential ban of TikTok in the United States and President Joe Biden’s $8 billion request for a “Climate Corps” program, which would hire 50,000 environmental activists to the government each year by 2031. On the Status of Legislation to Ban TikTok from U.S.: “The House overwhelmingly passed the legislation last week that sets the table for... CONTINUE READING

WASHINGTON – To bolster the home appraisal workforce and speed up the appraisal process, U.S. Senators Kevin Cramer (R-ND) and Jon Tester (D-MT) introduced the bipartisan Appraisal Industry Improvement Act, which would improve access to housing in rural communities across the country. “Across rural America, housing markets have a shortage of trained appraisers,” said Cramer. “Increasing the number of appraisers is essential to making the homebuying process faster for North Dakotans while also... CONTINUE READING

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced a total of $1,604,067 for the following projects and initiatives in North Dakota: $1,343,846 to the Three Affiliated Tribes to support Head Start programs, which promote early childhood learning, health, and development initiatives. $157,479 to the North Dakota Department of Health and Human Services under the State Primary Care Offices Program. This technical assistancefunding aims to support states and territories... CONTINUE READING

BISMARCK – The University of North Dakota’s (UND) Energy and Environmental Research Center (EERC) has been awarded $4,200,000 to develop commercially-viable hydrogen cell technology. Through this project, researchers could potentially lower the required operating temperature of O-SOECs, improving cell and stack durability, and enabling the use of less costly steel alloys for system construction without sacrificing efficiency. In October, the Department of Energy (DOE) awarded $925 million to... CONTINUE READING

BISMARCK – Friday concluded the fifth week in North Dakota v. United States, a lawsuit filed by the state under the Federal Tort Claims Act (FTCA), seeking $38 million in damages due to the unlawful occupation of Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL) protestors on federal lands more than seven years ago. As a result of the violent and illegal activities which took place on federal, state, and private land, North Dakota experienced a public safety crisis after the federal government failed to follow its... CONTINUE READING

BISMARCK – As a result of soft-on-crime policies and the pro-crime agendas of progressive prosecutors, major cities across the United States have seen a historic rate in violent crime over the last couple of years. The violent crime rate has also been escalated by failures in the current immigration enforcement policies, which incentivize and reward criminal acts in some of the nation’s largest cities. U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND) joined U.S. Senators Katie Boyd Britt (R-AL) and Ted Budd... CONTINUE READING

WASHINGTON – As mandated by the Clean Air Act, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is required to set the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) every five years for fine particle pollution, or particulate matter (PM). In December 2020, the EPA reviewed and decided to retain the standard set in 2012 for both PM2.5  and PM10 or 2.5 micrometers or less in diameter and 10 micrometers in diameter, respectively. Despite the agency’s figures showing direct emissions of PM2.5 are down 40... CONTINUE READING

WASHINGTON – In an unprecedented attempt to establish unwarranted federal control over the U.S. broadband industry, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) adopted “digital discrimination” rules in November, which will go into effect on March 22, 2024. Under these rules, internet service providers (ISPs) are subject to a “disparate impact" standard, making them accountable for any unintentional discriminatory effects of their policies. Under this framework, ISPs face liability, including... CONTINUE READING

WASHINGTON – Over the last two decades, the United States has significantly increased agricultural exports and imports. Between 2013 and 2023, agricultural exports expanded at a compound annual growth rate of 2.1 percent, whereas imports increased by 5.8 percent. Classified as the world’s second largest agricultural trader, the United States’ total agricultural exports reached $196 billion in 2022. Despite removing technical barriers to trade and negotiating free trade agreements, U.S.... CONTINUE READING

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) issued a contract announcement of $23,872,642.50 to R.J. Zavoral & Sons, Inc. for the construction of the Southern Embankment Reach SE-2B, in support of the Fargo Moorhead Metropolitan Area Flood Risk Management Project. Construction on the project is expected to be completed on August 31, 2027.   These funds were delivered by the fully paid-for 2021 Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. As Ranking Member of the Environment and Public Works... CONTINUE READING

***Click here to download video. Click here for audio.*** WASHINGTON – The American bus manufacturing industry has been facing a crisis in recent years, with several prominent manufacturers succumbing to bankruptcy. Unfortunately, decades-old payment practices used by the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) have contributed to today’s challenging business environment and are unnecessarily raising costs for bus manufacturers and their customers. Amendments to the FTA are referred to the Senate... CONTINUE READING

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND) joined Brian Brenberg, Jackie DeAngelis, and Taylor Riggs on Fox Business to discuss border security, the threat of TikTok, and rising inflation. Excerpts and full video are below. On Border Security: “The problem Joe Biden has on this issue is the American people get to compare two presidents and not just their rhetoric, but their actions, and not just their actions, but the outcomes. We've lived four years with Donald Trump as president where he... CONTINUE READING

BISMARCK – Effective January 1, 2024, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) issued a new annual adjustment to the Farm Labor Survey (FLS) Adverse Effect Wage Rates (AEWR) for the employment of temporary or seasonal nonimmigrant foreign workers (H–2A workers). According to the American Farm Bureau Federation, the national average AEWR will be $17.55 this year, an 5.6% increase from last year. This marks the third year in a row the AEWR has increased more than 5%. For 2024, North Dakota’s AEWR is set... CONTINUE READING