Press Releases

BISMARCK – U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND), member of the Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee, applauded the U.S. Department of Interior (DOI) for approving a new federal mine plan for BNI Coal to support the continued operation of Center Mine. The Center Mine supplies coal to the Milton R. Young Station which consumes virtually all of the coal produced at the mine under agreements in place through 2037. BNI mines and reclaims about 200 acres a year to supply lignite coal... CONTINUE READING

BISMARCK – U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND), member of the Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee, joined nearly 40 of his Senate colleagues in a letter to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) asking for the withdrawal of the “Clean Power Plan 2.0,” a proposed rule which will force the closure of coal and gas-fire power plants. The senators said the proposal would require generation shifting from fossil-fuel power to other types of energy, which is in direct... CONTINUE READING

BISMARCK – U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND) participated in a roundtable hosted and sponsored by the Bismarck Mandan Chamber EDC where participants discussed issues impacting their businesses such as interest rates and inflation, permitting reform, the EPA Methane ruling, healthcare affordability, and more. Senator Cramer also provided attendees with an update on some of his legislative priorities, highlighted the state’s continued benefits from last... CONTINUE READING

BISMARCK – U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND) joined U.S. Senators Marco Rubio (R-FL) and Mike Braun (R-IN) in writing a letter to the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) demanding an investigation into the American Library Association’s (ALA) active religious discrimination against Brave Books, a Christian children’s book publisher. As part of their Library 2023 Worldwide Virtual Conference, ALA gave guidance on how to prevent individuals from holding events... CONTINUE READING

BISMARCK—U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND), member of the Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee, issued the following statement after the Biden administration’s White House Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) released a proposed rule to circumvent bipartisan permitting reforms and expand the scope of environmental reviews. “The Biden administration and radical environmentalist Democrats are trying to have their cake and eat it, too. Instead of staying... CONTINUE READING

BISMARCK – U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND) announced the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development awarded a total of $30,000 through its Special Evaluation Assistance for Rural Communities and Households (SEARCH) Grant Program to Steele, ND. These funds will help conduct a study of the city’s existing water and sewer systems to determine deficiencies and develop a plan for the city. 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... CONTINUE READING

***Click here to download video. Click here for audio.*** WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND) issued the following statement today after the Senate passed the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2024 (FY24) with a vote of 86 to 11. “The National Defense Authorization Act is a critical part of Congress’ first Constitutional duty to protect and defend the nation. This year’s bill provides critical... CONTINUE READING

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND) joined his Senate colleagues in introducing a joint resolution, under the Congressional Review Act, to overturn a Biden administration rule which would send American tax dollars to overseas competitors despite the administration’s own Buy America regulations. The resolution would ensure American businesses remain at the forefront of electric vehicle (EV) innovation and manufacturing. “The Biden... CONTINUE READING

WASHINGTON—U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND) joined his Senate colleagues in introducing bicameral, bipartisan legislation requiring U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s (CBP) hours of operations at northern ports to match or exceed pre-pandemic hours. The bill’s creation was spurred by CBP’s recent announcement it will reduce hours at certain northern ports and maintain adjusted hours at others. This includes entry at Maida, Northgate, and Sherwood in North... CONTINUE READING

***Click here to download video. Click here for audio.*** WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND), during a Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC) hearing, questioned Lt. General Gregory Guillot, USAF, and Lt. General Stephen Whiting, USSF, on domain awareness, airborne ISR missions and equipment, and the Space Development Agency’s Tracking Layer program which will be operated out of the Grand Forks Air Force Base. The hearing considered the nominations of Lt. General... CONTINUE READING

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND) announced the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development awarded a total of $1,000,000 for the purchase of construction equipment for a 76,000-square-foot Critical Access Hospital (CAH) and nursing home for Towner County Hospital Authority (TCHA). The $20,481,000 project includes a 10-bed acute care hospital, a 30-bed long term care facility, and a 5-bed basic care unit. This consolidated-facilities project will establish... CONTINUE READING

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND) joined U.S. Senators Marco Rubio (R-FL) and Mike Braun (R-IN) in reintroducing the Protect Equality and Civics Education (PEACE) Act. The legislation will prohibit the use of taxpayer dollars from funding and promoting divisive concepts such as Critical Race Theory under the U.S. Department of Education’s American History and Civics Education program. “Woke concepts like critical race theory only serve to spread division. We are all... CONTINUE READING

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND), member of the Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC), issued the following statement after two amendments he cosponsored were included in the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2024. Both passed the Senate with broad, bipartisan support. “China has become the United States’ greatest geopolitical competitor. Whether it is their purchase of our farmland or America’s critical supply chains being... CONTINUE READING

***Click here to download video. Click here for audio.*** WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND) delivered remarks on the Senate floor in remembrance of Fargo Police Officer Jake Wallin, who was killed in the line of duty on July 14, 2023. “While we are slowly learning the details of this senseless and tragic day, we know Officer Wallin is a hero who died serving his community. Heroes like Jake bravely... CONTINUE READING

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND) announced the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) awarded a total of $4,297,639 to the following programs and initiatives: $734,528 to the University of North Dakota (UND)for the North Dakota Rural and Tribal Suicide Care Project. $3,563,111 to Mayville State University for Head Start and Early Head Start programs. CONTINUE READING

***Click here for media resources.*** DURBIN – U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND), Ranking Member of the Environment and Public Works (EPW) Subcommittee on Transportation and Infrastructure, joined Polar Communications and several other broadband partners to highlight $122 million of fiber broadband projects granted throughout eastern North Dakota. Red River Communications, MLGC, BEK Communications Cooperative, Halstad Telephone, Broadband Association of North Dakota, Governor... CONTINUE READING

BISMARCK – U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND), member of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee and the Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC), joined Senators Gary Peters (D-MI), Dan Sullivan (R-AK), and Sherrod Brown (D-OH) in introducing the Keeping Military Families Together Act of 2023. The bipartisan legislation would grant the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) permanent authority to bury spouses and dependent children of members of the Armed Forces serving on active duty at... CONTINUE READING

BISMARCK – U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND) met with Commissioner Brendan Carr from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to discuss extending the life of North Dakota’s 701 area code, reforming the Universal Service Fund, and restoring spectrum authority. “North Dakota is one of only a dozen states with a single area code, and 701 is part of our identity as North Dakotans. Only a small number of the 300 service areas use all of their assigned numbers yet an outdated... CONTINUE READING

BISMARCK—U.S. Senators Kevin Cramer (R-ND) and John Hoeven (R-ND) and Congressman Kelly Armstrong (R-ND) called on Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Michael Regan to withdraw the agency’s proposed rule imposing burdensome and duplicative methane emission regulations on energy producers. The delegation pushed back on the rule’s one-size-fits-all approach and outlined how it would force energy producers to shut down operations due to unworkable mandates, harming... CONTINUE READING