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 hearing on “Urgent Issues in Freight Rail Service” in April, BNSF Railway, CSX Transportation, Norfolk Southern Railway, and Union Pacific submitted service... CONTINUE READING

BISMARCK – U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND), Ranking Member of the Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) Subcommittee on Transportation and Infrastructure, announced the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) awarded $351,500 to the Mott Municipal Airport Authority. This funding will help support the reconstruction of a terminal building for the efficient movement of passengers and baggage. The resources will be administered by the FAA’s Airport Terminal Program (ATP), a grant... CONTINUE READING

BISMARCK – U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND) announced the addition of Abbey Schieffer as Communications Director to his Washington, D.C. staff. “With her Midwest roots and experience, Abbey is a great addition to my Washington staff,” said Senator Cramer. “I look forward to having her on our team as we serve the great people of North Dakota.” Schieffer was most recently Deputy Communications Director for Representative Don Bacon (NE-02). She earned... CONTINUE READING

BISMARCK – U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND) received the Life Protector Award from the North Dakota Right to Life (NDRL) and issued the following statement: “Thank you for the honor of this award and your commitment to advancing the work it represents. It was wonderful to be in the company of individuals so dedicated to being voices for the voiceless, and I look forward to supporting efforts to protect life in the 118th Congress.” 117th Congress Highlights: In November 2022,... 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 Environmental Protection Agency and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers publishing a new definition of Waters of the United States (WOTUS) in the Federal Register. The Final Rule will take effect 60 days following publication.  “It does not make sense to redefine WOTUS while the Supreme Court considers Sackett v. EPA. The new definition... CONTINUE READING

BISMARCK – U.S. Senators Kevin Cramer (R-ND) and John Hoeven (R-ND) and Congressman Kelly Armstrong (R-ND) sent a letter to the President urging him to approve Governor Doug Burgum’s request for a major disaster declaration to cover the November 9-11, 2022 winter storms. They requested to unlock federal natural disaster recovery and mitigation resources on behalf of seven counties: Dickey, Kidder, Mercer, Nelson, Ransom, Sargent, and Wells. “Snow fell at a rate of three inches... CONTINUE READING

***Click here to download video. Click here for audio.*** BISMARCK – U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND) joined Larry Kudlow on Fox Business to discuss the discovery of Obama-era classified documents in President Biden’s office and home. Among other subjects, the Senator addressed how the appointment of a special counsel could impact ongoing investigations in the House of Representatives and the flow of information. Excerpts and full video are below. On Special Counsel... CONTINUE READING

BISMARCK – U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND) announced the National Science Foundation (NSF) Division of Chemical, Bioengineering, Environmental, and Transport Systems (CBET) awarded $500,000 to North Dakota State University (NDSU). The grant will help support a university project to analyze factors affecting river ice processes. In addition to research, NDSU’s proposal includes a K-12 education component to encourage early interest in winter hydraulics, as well as a public education... CONTINUE READING

WASHINGTON – 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 hearing on “Urgent Issues in Freight Rail Service” in April, BNSF Railway, CSX Transportation, Norfolk Southern Railway, and Union Pacific submitted service... CONTINUE READING

BISMARCK – U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND), Ranking Member of the Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) Subcommittee on Transportation and Infrastructure, announced the U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement (OSMRE) awarded North Dakota more than $3.1 million for abandoned coal mine reclamation projects. The funding for this Abandoned Mine Land (AML) Reclamation grant was increased in the Bipartisan... 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 North Dakota Attorney General Drew Wrigley filing suit against the U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) for the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) cancellation of quarterly oil and gas lease sales without notice or public input.  “Attorney General Wrigley is right to sue the Biden Administration for its illegal suspension of... 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, announced the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation awarded Watford City $100,000 for an advanced metering infrastructure project. Among other initiatives, these resources will support the installation of a telemetry base station, help modernize existing municipal water meters, and streamline the exchange of water loss and usage data... CONTINUE READING

***Click here to download photos.*** BISMARCK – U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND), member of the Senate Armed Services and Veterans Affairs Committees, helped welcome home members of the North Dakota National Guard 957th Engineer Company at a ceremony recognizing their yearlong mission at the southwest border. “Heroes are ordinary people who do extraordinary deeds. To me, this is the definition of our North Dakota National Guard. Their excellence can be characterized by a... CONTINUE READING

***Click here to download video. Click here for audio.*** BISMARCK – U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND) joined Yahoo Finance to discuss a Republican majority in the House of Representatives, returning to regular order legislating, and bipartisan opportunities in the new Congress. Excerpts and full video are below. On Republican House Majority in the 118th Congress: “I think what’s happening is a number of [House Republicans] have never served in the majority. They've only been in... CONTINUE READING

WASHINGTON – 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 hearing on “Urgent Issues in Freight Rail Service” in April, BNSF Railway, CSX Transportation, Norfolk Southern Railway, and Union Pacific submitted service... CONTINUE READING

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND) joined bipartisan colleagues in commenting on the Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC) proposed rule to prohibit employers from imposing non-compete clauses on employees.  “Restrictive non-compete agreements suppress economic growth, discourage innovation, and are barriers to market entry for entrepreneurs. Non-competes are neither pro-business nor pro-worker, and Americans deserve flexibility to freely pursue their careers. This... CONTINUE READING

***Click here to download video. Click here for audio.*** WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND) joined Larry Kudlow on Fox Business to discuss potential permitting reform legislation and government spending in the new Congress. Excerpts and full video are below. On Senate Permitting Reform Legislation: “[There’s a] pretty good opportunity to talk about a transaction of some sort between [Senators] Manchin and Capito’s bills. In there, I do think there's still a... CONTINUE READING

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND) announced the U.S. Department of Education awarded a total of $4,866,137 to North Dakota universities and K-12 schools: $2,320,788 to West Fargo Public Schools $1,200,000 to University of Mary $889,991 to Minot State University $455,358 to the Dickinson Public School District These grants are funded by two Department of Education programs. The Mental Health Service Professionals Demonstration Program (University of Mary, Minot State... CONTINUE READING

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND) announced the bipartisan Repealing Existing Substandard Provisions Encouraging Conciliation with Tribes (RESPECT) Act he co-sponsored with Senator Mike Rounds (R-SD) was signed into law.  The RESPECT Act strikes 11 outdated federal laws that discriminated against Native Americans, including ones that stripped children from their families for the purpose of placing them in “Indian reform schools,” such as the... CONTINUE READING

WASHINGTON – 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 hearing on “Urgent Issues in Freight Rail Service” in April, BNSF Railway, CSX Transportation, Norfolk Southern Railway, and Union Pacific submitted service... CONTINUE READING