Press Releases

BISMARCK – U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND) announced BNSF Railway and Canadian Pacific Railway (CP) publicly filed weekly grain backlog status updates as required by the U.S. Surface Transportation Board (STB). A summary of the reporting data specific to North Dakota from the last 10 weeks is below. Following STB’s April 2022 hearing on “Urgent Issues in Freight Rail Service,” BNSF Railway, CSX Transportation, Norfolk Southern Railway, and Union Pacific submitted service recovery plans, which... CONTINUE READING

BISMARCK – U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND) joined his colleagues in introducing the Farmers Freedom Act of 2023, legislation requiring the Biden administration to revert to the definition of prior converted cropland (PCC) from the Trump administration’s Waters of the United States (WOTUS) rule. During the Trump administration, the definition in the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Navigable Waters Protection Rule (NWPR) of 2020 determined a PCC must be used for production at least once... CONTINUE READING

*** Click here for photos.*** WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND), Co-Chair of the Senate Space Force Caucus and member of the Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC), delivered remarks at the Space Force’s Fourth Birthday Celebration. Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall, Chief of Space Operations General Chance Saltzman, and House Armed Services Chairman Mike Rogers also attended the event. Senator Cramer reflected on the establishment of the Space Force and the need to keep up... CONTINUE READING

***Click here to download video. Click here for audio.*** WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND), member of the Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee, joined Larry Kudlow on Fox Business to discuss expectations ahead of tomorrow’s Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) meeting. Additionally, they discussed rare earth development and whether the U.S. will be able to unleash domestic energy production and mine for these minerals. Excerpts and video below.    ... CONTINUE READING

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND), member of the Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC), joined his colleagues in a letter to the Chairmen and Ranking Members of the Senate and House Armed Services Committees, requesting strong language in the 2024 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) to address the national security threat posed by sensitive technologies with dual-use applications being acquired by America’s adversaries. Specifically, the letter implores the leadership of the... CONTINUE READING

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND) joined his colleagues in introducing the Child Welfare Provider Inclusion Act to protect child welfareproviders from being discriminated against for acting in accordance with their religious beliefs. Additionally, the legislation would prohibit federal, state, and local government agencies that receive federal adoption assistance from discriminating against child service providers based on their unwillingness to take action due to their religious... CONTINUE READING

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Kevin Cramer (R-ND) and Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) co-led members on a bicameral amicus brief to uphold the rights of all Americans to keep and bear arms, especially veterans and disabled individuals who need assistance to exercise their rights. The members state the Second Amendment is a fundamental protection of liberty which is deeply rooted in our nation’s history and tradition. The United States Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) announced a... CONTINUE READING

BISMARCK – U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND), member of the Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC), joined his colleagues in a bipartisan letter calling on the United Nations (UN) to bring a resolution to the UN Security Council recognizing and imposing sanctions on Hamas as a terrorist organization. The letter highlights Hamas’ continued diversion of aid meant for civilians to fund its operations. They impose import "taxes" on humanitarian consignments; seize and illicitly sell donated goods... CONTINUE READING

BISMARCK — U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND), Ranking Member of the Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) Subcommittee on Transportation and Infrastructure, issued the following statement after the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) published its final rule, imposing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions performance measures on state departments of transportation and metropolitan planning organizations. Earlier this month, Senator Cramer delivered remarks on the Senate floor regarding... CONTINUE READING

***Click here to download audio.*** BISMARCK — U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND), member of the Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC), spoke with Chief of Staff of the Air Force General David Allvin regarding Minot Air Force Base’s biased and misguided official communication warning Airmen against participating in the Dakota Patriot Rally held in Minot on Friday, November 17. The rally celebrated traditional conservative values, yet the Air Force message labeled the organizers as “alt-right” and... CONTINUE READING

***Click here to download audio.*** BISMARCK — U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND), member of the Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC), issued the following statement after Minot Air Force Base leadership sent a message to servicemembers warning them of the dangers associated with being near the Dakota Patriot Rally held at the state fairgrounds in Minot.  The message warned that “participation with groups such as Turning Point Action could jeopardize their continued service in the U.S.... CONTINUE READING

BISMARCK – U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND) announced the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) awarded a total of $2,059,750 to the Southeastern North Dakota Community Action Agency (SENDCAA) for Head Start projects. The SENDCAA Head Start and Early Head Start programs provide comprehensive early childhood education, health, nutrition, and parent involvement services to children from birth to five years of age and their families. CONTINUE READING

***Click here to download video. Click here for audio.*** BISMARCK – U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND), member of the Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee, joined David Asman on Fox Business to discuss the climate agreement between the U.S. and China to reduce emissions of methane and other greenhouse gases. The agreement was announced following a meeting this week between Presidents Joe Biden and Xi Jinping. Additionally, they discussed the administration’s recent move to reissue a... CONTINUE READING

BISMARCK – U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND), member of the Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee, announced the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) awarded a total of $410,409 to the North Dakota Department of Environmental Quality. This grant, through the Diesel Emissions Reduction Act (DERA) Program seeks to reduce diesel emissions and exposure throughout North Dakota. This project will support the replacement of highway vehicles and school buses with newer, cleaner vehicles to... CONTINUE READING

BISMARCK – U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND), member of the Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee, led a bicameral letter with U.S. Senator Roger Marshall (R-KS) and U.S. Representative Mark Alford (R-MO-04) to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), regarding the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit’s recent ruling in Red River Valley Sugarbeet Growers Association et al. v. Michael Regan. The Eighth Circuit’s ruling... CONTINUE READING

BISMARCK – U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND) announced BNSF Railway and Canadian Pacific Railway (CP) publicly filed weekly grain backlog status updates as required by the U.S. Surface Transportation Board (STB). A summary of the reporting data specific to North Dakota from the last 10 weeks is below. Following STB’s April 2022 hearing on “Urgent Issues in Freight Rail Service,” BNSF Railway, CSX Transportation, Norfolk Southern Railway, and Union Pacific submitted service recovery plans, which... CONTINUE READING

BISMARCK – U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND), a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC), was appointed to be a conferee to the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) Conference Committee. The NDAA Conference Committee is tasked with reconciling the differences between the House and Senate versions of the bill authorizing the nation’s defense priorities for Fiscal Year 2024 before final passage. Senator Cramer was able to get several North Dakota priorities in the Senate’s bill... CONTINUE READING

BISMARCK – U.S. Senators Kevin Cramer (R-ND) and Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Senate co-chairs of the Congressional Coalition on Adoption (CCA), introduced the Supporting Adopted Children and Families Act to enhance pre- and post- adoption support services. Senator Cramer also co-led a resolution recognizing November as National Adoption Month and November 18th as National Adoption Day.  “As adoptive parents, my wife Kris and I are keenly aware of the many blessings of adoption. It is crucial to pass... CONTINUE READING

BISMARCK – U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND) issued the following statement after the NFI Group, which is the parent company of Motor Coach Industries (MCI), announced it will continue operations at its facility in Pembina, North Dakota. “Reversing the previously-planned closure of the MCI plant is a significant win for the Pembina area. I am grateful the NFI Group recognized the value we provide in North Dakota and reconsidered their decision.” In September, the North Dakota delegation sent... CONTINUE READING

BISMARCK – U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND) applauded the Federal Emergency Management Agency's (FEMA) award of $1,378,043.21 to Dakota Valley Electric Cooperative. The award will go towards permanent repairs as a result of a severe winter storm, snowstorm, and straight-line winds from November 9, 2022 through November 11, 2022. The Dakota Valley Electric Cooperative provides power service throughout parts of three counties in North Dakota. This severe weather caused damage to the power... CONTINUE READING