Press Releases

***Click here for audio.*** WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) announced it awarded contracts to Gideon Contracting, LLC, and General Dynamics Mission Systems, Inc., for two projects at Grand Forks Air Force Base (GFAFB) in Grand Forks. The contracts will support two projects to improve the standard of living for airmen at GFAFB and further the Space Development Agency’s Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture. Specifically, the contracts will support the following... CONTINUE READING

***Click here for audio*** WASHINGTON, D.C. – Two bills cosponsored by U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND) passed the Senate unanimously. Cramer joined fellow North Dakota delegation members U.S. Senator John Hoeven and then-Congressman Kelly Armstrong in introducing the North Dakota Trust Lands Completion Act and the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library Act. North Dakota Trust Lands Completion Act ***Click here for audio*** This legislation authorizes North Dakota to relinquish its lands and... CONTINUE READING

***Click here to download video. Click here for audio.*** WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Thomas R. Carper Water Resources Development Act of 2024 (WRDA) passed the Senate on Wednesday by a vote of 97 to 1. Last week, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the bill on a broad bipartisan basis, with a vote of 399 to 18. WRDA is a biennial bill which authorizes flood control, navigation, and ecosystem restoration projects for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE). This year, WRDA is paired with a... CONTINUE READING

***Click here to download video. Click here for audio.*** WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congress passed the Thomas R. Carper Water Resources Development Act of 2024. Following extensive support in both the House of Representatives and the Senate, the package heads to the President for his signature. The package includes several bills to right size the federal government’s real estate portfolio, including U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer’s bipartisan FASTA Reform Act. Cramer serves as the Ranking Member of the... CONTINUE READING

***Click here to download video. Click here for audio.*** WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Senate passed legislation today containing major victories for North Dakota and the nation, including a 14.5% pay raise for junior enlisted servicemembers and a 4.5% pay raise for all other servicemembers, at a time when recruitment is a vital concern. The annual bill, known as the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year (FY) 2025, passed by a vote of 85 to 14 and advances a “warfighting, not... CONTINUE READING

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The National Science Foundation announced an award of $250,000 to Turtle Mountain Community College. This award will increase the science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) instructional and research capacities. Specifically, this project will enhance the cyberinfrastructure and cybersecurity necessary to facilitate development of the institution in STEM fields and for the protection of sensitive data. CONTINUE READING

BISMARCK, N.D. – Two Vision Benefit Managers (VBMs) dominate the vision insurance market, providing coverage to two-thirds of Americans with vision benefits. These VBMs often own the frame and lens manufacturers and control which labs an optometrist can use, resulting in less autonomy for providers and more limited choices for their patients. U.S. Senators Kevin Cramer (R-ND) and Chris Murphy (D-CT) introduced the Vision Lab Choice Act of 2024 to allow clinicians to use the medical labs of their... CONTINUE READING

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Department of Energy announced a grant of $999,999 to the University of North Dakota (UND) to improve unit operations of processing and manufacturing of critical materials. Specifically, this funding will allow UND to conduct a prototype demonstration of a proven process for producing low-cost, high-performance silicon monoxide with graphene coating (SiO/G) anode materials for lithium (Li)-ion batteries (LIBs) while reducing water, waste, chemical intensity, and... CONTINUE READING

***Click here to download video. Click here for audio.*** WASHINGTON, D.C. – Last month, President Donald Trump announced his intention to nominate North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum to serve as Secretary of the Interior. In his statement, President Trump also announced the creation of the National Energy Council, which will include every agency involved in each step of the energy development, production, and distribution process. As Secretary of the Interior, Burgum will chair the council. U.S.... CONTINUE READING

***Click here for media resources.*** SIMI VALLEY, C.A. – The Reagan National Defense Forum brings together leaders in the political and defense communities each year to discuss policies strengthening the defense of the United States. The theme of this year’s forum is “Peace Through Strength in a Time of Transition” and includes panels featuring members of Congress, administration officials, and senior military leadership, in addition to defense industry and technology executives. During this... CONTINUE READING

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation awarded $32,482,941 for several projects in tribal nations across North Dakota to improve and strengthen water infrastructure. This funding was provided by the fully-paid-for Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND), Ranking Member of the Senate Environment and Public Works Subcommittee on Transportation and Infrastructure, helped craft and negotiate. “North Dakota’s tribal nations need updated water infrastructure to... CONTINUE READING

BISMARCK, N.D. – U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND), a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, announced his nominees to the U.S. military academies: Kendall Jones, Gus Maughan, and Luke Naslund. “One of the great joys of serving North Dakota in Congress is nominating some of our best young patriots for appointments to our military academies,” said Cramer. “After visiting with Kendall, Gus, and Luke, I am honored and grateful they are willing to answer the call to serve. They will be great... CONTINUE READING

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Great American Outdoors Act (GAOA), which was signed into law by President Donald Trump in 2020, established the National Parks and Public Lands Legacy Restoration Fund (LRF) and included $1.9 billion over 5 years to address the maintenance backlog across public land agencies, including the National Parks Service (NPS), Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Forest Service (USFS), and others.  Since the passage of the GAOA, North Dakota projects in Theodore Roosevelt National... CONTINUE READING

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Due to the anticipated winter storm forecasted by the National Weather Service for tomorrow, U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND) announced mobile office hours in Cando and Towner have been postponed to ensure the safety of constituents and staff. Mobile office hours were originally scheduled for Tuesday, November 19 at 10:00 a.m. CST in Cando and at 1:00 p.m. CST in Towner. The mobile office will be rescheduled and more information will be announced when available. Constituents... CONTINUE READING

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) announced an adjustment in hours of operation at 38 ports of entry (POE) along the U.S. northern border. These adjustments will be implemented beginning Jan. 6, 2025, and formalize operating hours which have been in effect for more than four years at 13 POEs across the northern border.  “As a northern border state, North Dakota’s 18 ports of entry play a vital role in facilitating... CONTINUE READING

BISMARCK, N.D. – The U.S. Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture announced a New Beginning For Tribal Students (NBTS) award of $250,000 to Cankdeska Cikana Community College (CCCC). This funding will allow the college to provide laptops to students and amplify the expanded student services being developed through other grant programming. The NBTS program is intended to increase the retention and graduation rate of Tribal students attending 1194, 1862, and 1890... CONTINUE READING

***Click here to download audio.*** WASHINGTON, D.C. –  The U.S. Senate unanimously passed the bipartisan Servicemembers’ Credit Monitoring Enhancement Act on Wednesday. The legislation, which will now head to the House, expands free credit monitoring for all service members including non-active duty reservists and traditional National Guard members. Current eligibility is limited to active-duty service members and full-time National Guard members. U.S. Senators Kevin Cramer (R-ND), Amy... CONTINUE READING

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Media coverage of the 2024 United States presidential election by national broadcast networks was the “most lopsided in history,” according to a recent report published by the Media Research Center. Since July, the report states ABC, CBS, and NBC gave Vice President Kamala Harris 78% positive coverage, while now-President-elect Donald Trump received 85% negative coverage. In October, trust in mass media hit an all-time low, with only 31% of Americans expressing confidence in... CONTINUE READING

WASHINGTON, D.C. – In September, North Dakota won a preliminary injunction against the U.S. Department of the Interior to block the Biden administration venting and flaring rule in North Dakota v. U.S. Department of the Interior. The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) venting and flaring rule establishes a new royalty on flared gas, institutes monthly limits on allowable flaring, and adds new application requirements for operators regarding their ability to capture natural gas before obtaining a... CONTINUE READING

BISMARCK, N.D. – In November 2023, the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) adopted a final rule requiring state departments of transportation and metropolitan planning organizations to measure greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions on the highway system and set declining targets. U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND), Ranking Member of the Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) Subcommittee on Transportation and Infrastructure, led a bipartisan Congressional Review Act joint resolution of disapproval to... CONTINUE READING