Press Releases

BISMARCK, N.D. – In August, the People’s Republic of China (PRC) halted all international adoptions, except those between blood relatives. Prior to the announcement, approximately 300 children in the PRC had been matched with American families in the adoption process. U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND), a co-chair of the Congressional Coalition on Adoption, joined U.S. Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA), Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Ben Cardin (D-MD), and a bipartisan, bicameral group of... CONTINUE READING

BISMARCK, N.D. – The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced an award of nearly $500,000 to Dakota Angus, LLC. This funding, awarded through the Local Food Promotion Program (LFPP), will add up to five new routes for farm to consumer beef distributions and expand wholesale business through grocery stores, food hubs, convenient stores, and schools in underserved markets. The award will expand market opportunities for livestock producers, create additional local jobs, and diversify... CONTINUE READING

BISMARCK, N.D. – The U.S. Department of Transportation announced an award of $1 million through the Small Community Air Service Development Program (SCASDP) to the Grand Forks International Airport. Specifically, this award will assist the airport with revenue guarantee, start-up costs, ground handling offsets and associated marketing plan to recruit, initiate, and support new nonstop service between Grand Forks and Denver International Airport via SkyWest Airlines. “The Grand Forks... CONTINUE READING

BISMARCK, N.D. – The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) announced the award of $12,100,000 to the North Dakota Department of Transportation (NDDOT) for two bridge replacement and reconstruction projects. These funds were made available through the Bridge Investment Program (BIP) and will be distributed to the following projects: $9,400,000 for the Safe and Resilient Passages at Standing Rock Project. The NDDOT, in cooperation with local communities and stakeholders from the Standing Rock... CONTINUE READING

BISMARCK, N.D. – The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) announced an award of $20,714,004 through the Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements (CRISI) Program to the Red River Valley & Western Railroad (RRVW) Company for safety upgrades under the Safety Enhancements and Capacity Upgrades for Reliability and Efficiency (SECURE) Project. Specifically, the grant will replace 25 miles of century-old rail on RRVW’s 3rd Subdivision between Gwinner and Oakes, and construct two... CONTINUE READING

Ceremony to be held Nov. 4 at the AMVETS in Bismarck  ***Click here to download audio.*** BISMARCK, N.D. – A ceremony will be held on Monday, Nov. 4 in Bismarck to present a Purple Heart medal to honor the service and sacrifice of Private Franklin Joseph DuFrame, who gave his life in service to our nation in World War II. The replacement medal will be presented to Pvt. DuFrame’s son, Donald Franklin DuFrame of Lincoln, who served and enlisted in the Navy Reserve at 18 as a machinist mate 3rd... CONTINUE READING

BISMARCK, N.D. – The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Final Rule mandating the use of electronic identification (EID) tags on certain cattle and bison will take effect on Nov. 5. Approximately 300,000 tags will be needed for North Dakota ranchers to meet USDA’s EID mandate and brucellosis program, but USDA will only allocate 116,000 tags to the North Dakota State Veterinarian to meet the EID mandate. USDA told the State Veterinarian it will no longer lend support to ranchers for the... CONTINUE READING

BISMARCK, N.D. – The U.S. Department of Education announced an award of $1,922,389 to Turtle Mountain Community College for a research and development infrastructure project. Specifically, this project will improve research and development activities, including infrastructure, faculty development, and undergraduate research opportunities. CONTINUE READING

Click here to download audio. BISMARCK, N.D. – During a United Nations (U.N.) emergency special session in May, the General Assembly adopted a resolution upgrading Palestine to a “Permanent Observer State.” This allows Palestine to participate in all U.N. proceedings, increasing the Palestinian Authority’s ability to deny or dilute Israel’s status in the organization. U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND), a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, joined U.S. Senator Jim Risch (R-ID), Ranking... CONTINUE READING

BISMARCK, N.D. – The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced an award of $2,950,000 to support terminal expansion projects at the following North Dakota airports:  $2,000,000 to Hector International Airport for Phase 3 of a project to construct four new gates, rehabilitate holding rooms, and expand ticket and baggage handling areas. In August, the North Dakota delegation wrote a letter to DOT in support of the project. $950,000 to Northwood... CONTINUE READING

BISMARCK, N.D. – The Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) of 2022 included bipartisan language from U.S. Senators Kevin Cramer (R-ND), Ranking Member of the Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee Transportation and Infrastructure Subcommittee, and Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Chairman of the Senate EPW Subcommittee on Chemical Safety, Waste Management, Environmental Justice, and Regulatory Oversight, directing the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) to establish the Western Water... CONTINUE READING

Click here to download audio. BISMARCK, N.D. – The U.S. Department of Energy Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management announced the award of nearly $49 million to DCC East Project LLC in Grand Forks to construct a large-scale geologic carbon storage facility in support of Project Tundra. The project will add full-time equivalent jobs to the already existing 360 jobs at Minnkota’s Milton R. Young Station and the adjacent coal mine. “Project Tundra really is the embodiment of North Dakota’s... CONTINUE READING

BISMARCK, N.D. – The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development announced an award of $200,000 to the Rural Electric and Telecommunications Development Center, which operates under the North Dakota Association of Rural Electric Cooperatives and the Broadband Association of North Dakota. This investment allows the center to offer services to businesses and cooperatives such as technical assistance, financing, education, consultation, enhancing economic development and providing a... CONTINUE READING

***Click here for audio.*** BISMARCK, N.D. – The North Dakota Department of Transportation (NDDOT) received a $20,000,000 award through the Infrastructure for Rebuilding America (INFRA) grant program. This funding will help NDDOT enhance the US 52 route by adding railroad bypass lanes, improving safety, and increasing the efficiency of passenger and freight transportation across the state. Specifically, this project will rehabilitate approximately 45 miles of existing asphalt pavement from west... CONTINUE READING

***Click here for media resources.*** VALLEY CITY, N.D. – The North Dakota National Guard (NDNG) held a ceremony today to send off members of the 142nd Engineer Battalion being deployed to Fort Bliss, Texas, in support of Joint Task Force North. The joint service command is tasked with supporting federal law enforcement agencies in the “identification and interdiction of suspected criminal activities conducted within and along the approaches to the continental United States.” U.S. Senator Kevin... CONTINUE READING

***Click here to download media resources.*** GRAND FORKS, N.D. – Following today’s fireside chat at the 18th annual Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) Summit and Expo, U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND) and defense entrepreneur and founder of Anduril Industries, Palmer Luckey, participated in a townhall with students at the University of North Dakota (UND). The discussion focused on the topic of how small, nimble defense companies like Anduril are “rebooting the arsenal of democracy.”  “As a member of... CONTINUE READING

***Click here to download media resources. *** GRAND FORKS, N.D. – The 18th annual Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) Summit and Expo takes place this week in Grand Forks, with hundreds of UAS industry leaders and policymakers from across the country gathering in North Dakota.  U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND), member of the Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC), attended this year’s summit with entrepreneur Palmer Luckey, founder of Anduril Industries, a global defense technology company with the... 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

BISMARCK, N.D. – Over the weekend, several large wildfires in western North Dakota damaged property and communities, resulting in a death and an individual with serious injuries. North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum declared a statewide fire emergency on Oct. 3 to implement the necessary response and recovery actions. “Kris and I are praying for the families and communities affected by this devastating wildfire situation in western North Dakota,” said U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND). “I’m grateful... CONTINUE READING

BISMARCK, N.D. – A year ago today, Iran-backed Hamas terrorists launched a heinous attack on Israel, killing approximately 1,200 individuals and taking 251 hostages, in addition to launching thousands of rockets toward Israel. One year later, 97 hostages still remain unaccounted for, including seven Americans.  U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND) joined U.S. Senator Joni Ernst (R-IA) and every Republican Senator in introducing a resolution to condemn the brutal assault that occurred on October 7,... CONTINUE READING