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... CONTINUE READING

WASHINGTON — U.S. Senators Kevin Cramer (R-ND) and Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) introduced the Servicemembers’ Credit Monitoring Enhancement Act, bipartisan legislation to expand free credit monitoring for all servicemembers and their families. Current eligibility is limited to active-duty servicemembers and National Guard members.   “Our service members and their families put so much on the line to protect us and our way of life, yet their sacrifices leave... CONTINUE READING

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND) issued the following statement after voting against a resolution to remove the deadline for ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA): “The Constitution makes clear states have to ratify constitutional amendments. By every metric, states have not done so. The Democrats’ novel unconstitutional approach bypasses states’ rights and circumvents the process our Founders put in place. This is simply another liberal wish list... CONTINUE READING

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND), member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, and Senator Jon Ossoff (D-GA) reintroduced the Military Families Mental Health Services Act. This bipartisan legislation would improve access to mental health care services for military families by waiving out-of-pocket costs on TRICARE for their first three outpatient mental health visits per year. “Ensuring our servicemembers in North Dakota and across the U.S. have access to... CONTINUE READING

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Kevin Cramer (R-ND), member of the Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee, and Senator Martin Heinrich (D-NM), member of the Energy and Natural Resources (ENR) Committee, announced broad support for the Lake Access Keeping Economies Strong (LAKES) Act. Click here to learn more about the bill, which they introduced today to improve outdoor recreation facilities in U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE)-managed areas. The USACE is one of the largest federal... CONTINUE READING

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND), member of the Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee, and Senator Martin Heinrich (D-NM), member of the Energy and Natural Resources (ENR) Committee, introduced the Lake Access Keeping Economies Strong (LAKES) Act. This bipartisan bill would improve outdoor recreation facilities in U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE)-managed areas, provide new opportunities for public-private investments, and give local districts more flexibility to... CONTINUE READING

***Click here to download video. Click here for audio.*** WASHINGTON — U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND) at a Banking Committee hearing questioned Diane Yentel, President and CEO of the National Low Income Housing Coalition, about potential impacts of the Choice in Affordable Housing Act, legislation he introduced with Senator Chris Coons (D-DE) to improve the Housing Choice Voucher Program, the... CONTINUE READING

WASHINGTON—U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND), member of the Senate and Environment Public Works (EPW) Committee, issued the below statement on voting for a resolution he and his colleagues introduced to overturn the Biden administration’s heavy-duty vehicle emissions regulations. “We should be setting up our trucking and manufacturing sectors for success, not making them pay more or jump through new regulatory hoops. This rule will only add fuel to the... CONTINUE READING

***Click here to download video. Click here for audio.*** WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND) at an Environment and Public Works Committee hearing cautioned against efforts to socialize the power grid and questioned witnesses about states’ permitting authorities, as well as the impacts of high energy costs on U.S. manufacturers. Excerpts and full video are below. Senator Cramer first discussed the need for transmission reforms to accompany... CONTINUE READING

WASHINGTON—U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND) joined his Senate colleagues in urging Secretary of the Treasury Janet Yellen, Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo, and Secretary of State Antony Blinken to impose sanctions and take decisive actions against Huawei Cloud and other People’s Republic of China (PRC) cloud service providers for the threat they pose to U.S. national and economic security.  Huawei Cloud recently “launched its ‘Sky Computing Constellation’... CONTINUE READING

WASHINGTON—U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND), Ranking Member of the Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) Subcommittee on Transportation and Infrastructure, cosponsored the bipartisan Truck Parking Safety Improvement Act. This bill authorizes $755 million in grant funding, provided by the Department of Transportation (DOT), to expand truck parking capacity for the next four years; build new truck parking facilities; and convert existing weigh stations and rest areas into parking spaces... CONTINUE READING

WASHINGTON— U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND) joined Senators Tim Scott (R-S.C) and Ted Budd (R-NC) in introducing a resolution of disapproval under the Congressional Review Act to overturn a misguided rule from the Department of Labor (DOL) which would drastically increase costs for American farmers and their families. “America’s farmers work day and night to feed our nation and the world, but this rule undermines their competitiveness and... CONTINUE READING

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Cramer (R-ND) penned an op-ed in the Washington Examiner regarding American land acquisitions by entities with ties to foreign adversaries. He discusses the importance of exercising diligence at every level of government and strengthening food supply chains. The piece is in the context of the Fufeng Group’s move to buy acreage within 12 miles Grand Forks Air Force Base, a key Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR) facility and home to a Space... CONTINUE READING

BISMARCK – U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND) announced the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) awarded a total of $11,118,379 to North Dakota regional airports. The below grants will support a range of equipment upgrades, as well as runway and terminal improvements. $7,007,500 for Jamestown Regional Airport $980,000 for Minot International Airport $600,000 for Ellendale Airport $528,093 for Linton Municipal Airport Authority $459,786 for Kenmare Municipal Airport Authority $448,000 for... CONTINUE READING

BISMARCK — U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND) announced the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) awarded North Dakota organizations $3,459,057 as follows:   Spectra Health: $1,924,581 from the Health Center Cluster Program, which supports Community Health Centers in their delivery of comprehensive services. North Dakota Department of Health and Human Services: $1,055,244 from the National and State Tobacco Program, which aims to lower tobacco-connected diseases and... 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

WASHINGTON — U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer, member of the Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC), joined Senators Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) and Mike Rounds (R-SD) in calling for $500 million to fully fund U.S.-Israel cooperative missile defense programs in the Fiscal Year 2024 Defense Appropriations bill. “Since 1986, Congress and successive Administrations have demonstrated bipartisan support for joint U.S.-Israel missile defense collaboration. This partnership has helped build and... CONTINUE READING

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND) joined Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) in introducing the Restore Public Health Institution Trust Act. The legislation would require the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to review the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) decision-making and messaging processes and provide recommendations for improvement. “Inconsistent messaging and guidance from the CDC during the pandemic shook confidence in government... CONTINUE READING

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Kevin Cramer (R-ND) and Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) introduced a bipartisan, bicameral resolution designating April as "Second Chance Month." The resolution honors those who work to remove unnecessary barriers preventing formerly incarcerated individuals from becoming productive members of society. “Too often our criminal justice system is focused on punishment instead of redemption,” said Senator Cramer. “Christian faith teaches us to treat others... CONTINUE READING

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND) joined Senator Tim Scott (R-SC) in introducing the Employee Rights Act of 2023, which reforms labor policies to empower workers and better match the needs of today’s economy. In addition, the legislation establishes critical safeguards for small business owners and entrepreneurs and preserves the independent contractor model. “This administration's labor policies have burdened small business owners, discouraged people from... CONTINUE READING