Press Releases

WASHINGTON — On Tuesday, the United States Senate passed the national security supplemental funding by a vote of 79-18, providing approximately $95 billion in assistance to Israel, Ukraine, and Taiwan as they counter aggression from Russia, Iran, and China. U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND) released the following statement after voting in favor of the package:   “I spoke with President Trump the day before we voted on the previous bill and urged the House to take up his plan. Today’s... CONTINUE READING

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced Microbeam Technologies Incorporated, located in Grand Forks, North Dakota, has been selected to receive $2,499,978. This funding will allow the company to use a bench-scale system to demonstrate the ability to extract and produce high purity gallium and germanium from a lignite-derived, mixed rare earth element concentrate obtained from selected gallium and germanium-rich lignite carbon ore.  This funding, provided by the fully-paid-for... CONTINUE READING

BISMARCK – The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced an award of $2,979,825 to the following projects and initiatives: $1,924,581 to Spectra Health, awarded through the Health Resources and Services Administration’s Health Center Cluster grant program, which provides funding to community health centers across the United States. $1,055, 244 to the North Dakota Department of Health and Human Services, awarded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, to support the... CONTINUE READING

***Click here for audio.*** WASHINGTON — Late Friday night, the United States Senate passed legislation to reauthorize Title VII of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) for another two years, along with other reforms. U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND) co-led an amendment with U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL), Mike Lee (R-UT), and Mazie Hirono (D-HI) to prohibit warrantless access to communications and other information of Americans, enhance privacy and civil liberty protections, and... CONTINUE READING

WASHINGTON – The National Science Foundation (NSF) announced an award of $3,252,604 to three colleges in North Dakota through the Tribal Colleges and Universities Program, which seeks to increase the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) instructional and research capacities of specific institutions of higher education. The NSF awards will be distributed to the following institutions: $1,536,078 to Turtle Mountain Community College. $898,948 to Sitting Bull... CONTINUE READING

WASHINGTON – In the midst of an opioid pandemic, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) announced in 2023 it has significantly decreased the number of veterans with opioid prescriptions by 67% since 2012. However, estimates show opioids remain the default treatments for acute pain, with more than 3.75 million patients initiating long-term opioid use after a low-risk surgery. Increasing the availability of non-opioids treatment options plays an important role in managing acute pain, while... CONTINUE READING

WASHINGTON — On Wednesday, the United States Senate dismissed articles of impeachment against U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas twice by a vote of 51 to 49. The U.S. House of Representatives impeached Secretary Mayorkas in early February for his unlawful handling of the crisis at the southern border. The two articles of impeachment against Secretary Mayorkas alleged willful and systemic refusal to comply with U.S. immigration laws and breach of public trust by falsely... CONTINUE READING

WASHINGTON – At the beginning of March, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) finalized its climate disclosure rule, requiring publicly traded companies to disclose their greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions data. Upon implementation, this final rule will stifle economic opportunity while raising costs for consumers. U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND), member of the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs, joined Ranking Member Tim Scott (R-SC) in introducing a Congressional... CONTINUE READING

WASHINGTON – In 2023, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) finalized a rule which rolls back the state preemption of in-use locomotives regulation, opening the door to the California Air Resources Board’s (CARB) waiver to implement stricter regulations on in-use locomotive emissions than the national standard. CARB’s In-Use Locomotive Regulation would prohibit the operation of locomotives in California more than 23 years after manufacture unless those locomotives are operated in a... CONTINUE READING

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senators Kevin Cramer (R-ND) and John Hoeven (R-ND),  along with Congressman Kelly Armstrong (R-ND), introduced the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library Act,  which would support the construction of the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library (TRPL) in Medora, North Dakota. The legislation would authorize funding for the library’s continued construction, ensuring the preservation of President Roosevelt’s history and legacy.  “The Theodore Roosevelt Presidential... CONTINUE READING

***Click here to download video. Click here for audio.*** WASHINGTON – The Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC) held a hearing on Tuesday where members heard testimony from Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall, Chief of Staff of the Air Force General David Allvin, and Chief of Space Operations General B. Chance Saltzman. The military leadership were questioned about their Defense Authorization Request for Fiscal Year 2025 and the Future Years Defense Program (FYDP). During the hearing,... CONTINUE READING

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Air Force has developed a trend of rapid divestment from airborne intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) platforms without producing new capabilities to replace them. These actions leave our troops unprotected, force our Commanders to accept greater risk, and deny our civilian policy makers the best information available before having to decide whether to use military force. On Monday, U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND), member of the Senate Armed Services... CONTINUE READING

BISMARCK – Enacted in 2008, Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) gives the federal government authority to conduct warrantless surveillance of suspected foreign terrorists located abroad. Specifically, the law allows the government to target almost any person or group abroad and acquire their communications without an individualized court order. However, Americans’ communications are inevitably caught up in the surveillance and their information has been abused by... CONTINUE READING

BISMARCK — On Thursday, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) announced its “Engaged in the Business” Final Rule, significantly expanding the criteria for who is considered a firearms dealer under federal law with profound implications for gun ownership. This costly, burdensome rule infringes on Second Amendment rights, while unlawfully expanding background check requirements and circumventing established exceptions for occasional firearm sellers.   U.S. Senator Kevin... CONTINUE READING

BISMARCK – Typically E15 fuel cannot be sold during the summer months due to Reid Vapor Pressure (RVP) requirements under the Clean Air Act (CAA). U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND) has long supported the year-round, nationwide sale of E15 to allow consumers and producers regulatory consistency and choice. In 2022 and 2023, Senator Cramer joined a number of his colleagues to call on the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to permit the year-round sale given energy supply disruptions caused by... CONTINUE READING

BISMARCK – U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND), member of the Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee, issued the following statement on the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) final onshore oil leasing rule, which will hike up the bonding requirements and fees for oil and gas companies, raise royalty rates, and tighten permitting regulations on federal lands. “Inflation is soaring, and energy is at the heart of it. This rule is the direct result of the Biden administration’s partisan... CONTINUE READING

BISMARCK – While federal law routinely penalizes recidivist child exploitation offenders for their crimes, a loophole in the existing Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ) fails to sufficiently discipline repeated child exploitation offenders with prior military convictions. To close this significant loophole, U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND) joined U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) in cosponsoring his Parity for Child Exploitation Offenders Act to ensure enhanced sentencing for defendants with... CONTINUE READING

***Click here to download video. Click here for audio.*** BISMARCK – On Thursday, U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND) joined Larry Kudlow on Fox Business after the passage of his bipartisan Congressional Review Act (CRA) resolution to nullify the Federal Highway Administration’s (FHWA) illegal final rule which require states to measure tailpipe emissions on the National Highway System and then set declining targets to reduce emissions from roadway travel.  Further, Senator Cramer spoke about the... CONTINUE READING

BISMARCK – The National Park Service (NPS) announced an award of $110,950 to North Dakota from the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF). These funds are authorized by Congress through LWCF and allows the state to further allocate these funds to support local public parks projects, state conservation, and expand outdoor recreation access. The grants will be distributed to the following projects in North Dakota: $56,000 to the town of Lisbon to improve two campgrounds within Sandager... CONTINUE READING

WASHINGTON – In late October 2023, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) released a final rule to expand the circumstances under which a company may be considered a joint employer. The new rule undermines the franchise business model by forcing liability on companies for another business’ employees, even if they do not directly manage them. Additionally, it creates uncertainty among small and local businesses as to their legal liabilities, leading to higher operational costs and less... CONTINUE READING