Press Releases

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND), Ranking Member of the Senate Armed Services Seapower Subcommittee, hammered the Biden administration for its slim Fiscal Year 2024 (FY24) defense spending request, highlighted the importance of advancing American naval capabilities, and underscored the evolving threat of China. Opening Statement: An excerpt of the Senator's opening statement is below and the full transcript may be found here. For audio and video, click the corresponding... CONTINUE READING

***Click here to download video. Click here for audio.*** WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND) joined Fox Business’ Mornings with Maria to discuss the court decision ordering the Biden administration to resume oil and gas leasing in North Dakota, the Department of Defense’s (DOD) approach to China-owned entities purchasing U.S. land, and recent bank collapses. Excerpts and full video are below. On Court Decision Requiring Oil, Gas... CONTINUE READING

WASHINGTON—U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND), member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, issued the following statement after voting to repeal the 1991 and 2002 Authorizations for Use of Military Force (AUMF). “Congress has the ability to respond militarily to America’s threats, but each AUMF should be related to today’s threats. Repealing the 1991 and 2002 AUMFs rescinds the President’s blank check to bypass Congress. It’s time we take back our... CONTINUE READING

WASHINGTON — U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND), member of the Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee, issued the following statement after U.S. District Judge Daniel Traynor ordered the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to resume quarterly oil and gas lease sales in North Dakota. “Judge Traynor’s decision restores the rule of law and appropriately admonishes the federal government for its ‘multiple unfruitful assurances’ – or lies – to North... CONTINUE READING

***Click here to download video. Click here for audio.*** WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND) questioned Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Mark Milley at a Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC) hearing about the threat of China-owned companies purchasing land near U.S. military facilities. The City of Grand Forks became a flashpoint on this issue when the Fufeng Group, a Chinese manufacturing company, moved to construct... CONTINUE READING

WASHINGTON — U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND), member of the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee (SVAC), earlier this month announced a $1,860,775 grant to expand the North Dakota Veterans Cemetery in Mandan. Today, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) acknowledged the award’s significance, as it represents the billionth dollar the National Cemetery Administration has disbursed through its Veterans Cemetery Grant Program.  “Improving access to burial and... CONTINUE READING

BISMARCK – U.S. Senators Kevin Cramer and John Hoeven and Congressman Kelly Armstrong urged President Biden to approve Governor Burgum’s major disaster declaration request for the January 16-20 severe winter storms. This request for federal natural disaster recovery and mitigation resources was on behalf of Burke, Divide, McLean, Nelson, Renville, Sheridan, and Walsh counties. “North Dakota experienced power outages and significant impacts to electrical infrastructure due to... 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. Senators Kevin Cramer (R-ND) and Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) introduced the Honoring Our Fallen Heroes Act, which would ensure Public Safety Officers’ Benefits (PSOB) Program eligibility for first responders who develop permanent disabilities or pass away from line-of-duty carcinogen exposure. This issue is particularly pertinent among firefighters, who may be at higher risk of coming into contact with cancer-causing toxins and chemicals. “Firefighters and first... CONTINUE READING

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND) joined Senators Mike Rounds (R-SD) and Angus King (I-ME) in introducing the New Markets for State-Inspected Meat and Poultry Act of 2023, which would allow producers to sell their state-inspected meat and poultry products across state lines. “The meat processing sector is one of the most consolidated industries in the United States today,” said Senator Cramer. “By permitting the sale of state-inspected meats across state... CONTINUE READING

***Click here to download video. Click here for audio.*** WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND) pressed Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Michael Regan about the new Waters of the U.S. (WOTUS) rule and the EPA’s overregulation of the power sector at an Environment and Public Works (EPW) hearing. Excerpts and full video are below. Senator Cramer began by thanking Administrator Regan for visiting North Dakota to participate in a WOTUS listening session... CONTINUE READING

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND) announced the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) awarded $4,312,314 to support North Dakota family and health services. The resources will be disbursed as follows: $2,750,316 to the Coal Country Community Health Center $1,251,250 to the Three Affiliated Tribes for Head Start projects $310,748 to the University of North Dakota for undergraduate pharmacology, physiology, and biological chemistry research CONTINUE READING

WASHINGTON —U.S. Senators Kevin Cramer (R-ND) and Ron Johnson (R-WI) joined 14 of their Republican colleagues in reintroducing the Guidance Out of Darkness (GOOD) Act, which requires federal agencies to post their regulatory guidance online in a public location. By improving access to these documents, the legislation aims to help small businesses, workers, and households identify and comply with regulations. “Washington bureaucrats should not be able to hide what they are doing... CONTINUE READING

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND), member of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee (SVAC), and Senator Jacky Rosen (D-NV) introduced the VA Zero Suicide Demonstration Project Act to address deaths of veterans by suicide. This bipartisan legislation would implement a Zero Suicide Initiative pilot program at five U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) medical centers across the country, with one dedicated to serving rural communities. “North Dakota veterans bravely... CONTINUE READING

BISMARCK – U.S. Senators Kevin Cramer (R-ND), Cynthia Lummis (R-WY), Mike Braun (R-IN), and Mike Rounds (R-SD) reintroduced their Sustainable Budget Act, which would establish a bipartisan commission to identify a plan to address our unsustainable national debt and balance the budget. “For years, we have let our national debt balloon out of control. It’s time to stop this reckless spending and have an honest conversation about the real drivers of the... CONTINUE READING

***Click here for media resources.*** BISMARCK — U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND), member of the Senate Committees on Armed Services (SASC) and Veterans’ Affairs (SVAC), delivered remarks at the Officer and Enlisted Associations of the North Dakota National Guard Annual Conference. He expressed his appreciation for the North Dakota National Guard (NDNG) and provided an overview of pertinent policy priorities.   “Our National Guard stands on the shoulders of those who... CONTINUE READING

BISMARCK—U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND) joined Senators John Kennedy (R-LA) and Roger Marshall (R-KS) in introducing a Congressional Review Act (CRA) resolution to block the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) from reclassifying pistols with stabilizing braces as short-barreled rifles. Under the Biden Administration’s new rule, law-abiding gun owners could face up to 10 years in jail and thousands of dollars in fines for failing to register pistols with... CONTINUE READING

BISMARCK– U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND) announced the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) awarded the University of North Dakota (UND) $1,000,000 to support the advancement of a cost-effective emissions reduction solution for small production facilities. Specifically, the grant will help UND further develop a novel technological approach to reducing or eliminating methane emissions from storage tanks. The Bakken Production Optimization Program provided an additional $250,000... CONTINUE READING

BISMARCK – U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND) announced members of his staff will hold mobile office hours in Enderlin and Milnor on Tuesday, March 28. “Since it’s not always possible for people to travel to my in-state offices, these mobile office opportunities help bring the services we offer closer to the constituents who need them,” said Senator Cramer. “Having members of my staff in Enderlin and Milnor will give North Dakotans more... 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