Press Releases

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND), member of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee, announced his bipartisan legislation with Senators Maggie Hassan (D-NH) and Bill Cassidy (R-LA) to strengthen the Solid Start program was signed into law. The Solid Start program was created by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) during the Trump Administration to contact every veteran three times by phone in the first year after they leave active duty service to check in and help connect... CONTINUE READING

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND), member of the Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC), announced he secured the following amendments in the Fiscal Year (FY) 2023 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA): To allow the Department of Defense (DoD) to modify contracts to address rising costs due to record-high inflation and supply chain issues. To retain leadership positions at the Space Development Agency (SDA) to ensure continued, high-level management of the agency by... CONTINUE READING

Mandan, N.D. – U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND), member of the Environment and Public Works Committee, celebrated the grand opening of the Lineworker Training Center and North Dakota Association of Rural Electric Cooperatives (NDAREC) headquarters facility.  “This is a special moment. My father was a lineworker and I spent three summers at Cass County Electric working with lineworkers; they are some of the most dedicated and skilled tradesmen. Lineworkers brave the freezing... 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

FHWA cannot create of its own choosing the authority that Congress debated, considered, and rejected WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND), Ranking Member of the Environment and Public Works Subcommittee on Transportation and Infrastructure, joined Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV) in sending a letter to Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) Deputy Administrator Stephanie Pollack voicing strong opposition to the agency’s proposal to implement a greenhouse gas (GHG)... CONTINUE READING

***Click here to download video. Click here for audio.*** WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND), member of the Senate Environment and Public Works and Banking Committees, joined Larry Kudlow on Fox Business to discuss JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon’s CNBC interview blasting Joe Biden’s energy policies. He also emphasized the importance of American leadership in energy production, development, and innovation. Excerpts and full video are below. On Jamie Dimon Blasting Joe... CONTINUE READING

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND), Ranking Member of the Environment and Public Works Subcommittee on Transportation and Infrastructure, announced the following Federal-Aid Highway Program funding totaling $335,482,642 for North Dakota from the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act: $184,776,387 from the National Highway Performance Program; $89,891,215 from the Surface Transportation Block Grant Program; $16,994,648 from the Highway Safety Improvement... CONTINUE READING

Fort Yates, N.D. – U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND) visited the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe reservation yesterday at the invitation of Chairwoman Janet Alkire and met with tribal council members to discuss a wide array of issues. “I had a wonderful and meaningful visit to the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe Nation yesterday. Thank you to Chairwoman Alkire, the other members of the Council and the entire team for their kind hospitality. The day was filled with productive... CONTINUE READING

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND), Ranking Member of the Environment and Public Works Subcommittee on Transportation and Infrastructure, announced North Dakota received $45,000,000 in Bridge Formula Program funding from the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. “The bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act is bringing real results to North Dakota. When we wrote the bill, my top priority was making sure the bulk of the money was delivered via... CONTINUE READING

***Click here to download video. Click here for audio.*** WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND), member of the Senate Environment and Public Works and Banking Committees, joined CNBC’s Squawk Box to discuss the global need for American energy production and rising inflation rates. Excerpts and full video are below. On American Energy Production: “What’s detracted a lot of investment in the oil industry, gas industry, and other fossil industries is the long-term... CONTINUE READING

BISMARCK, N.D. – U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND), member of the Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee, spoke at the 14th annual Great Plains EmpowerND Energy Conference at Bismarck State College and toured the new North Dakota’s Gateway to Science building site. Senator Cramer participated on the “All of the Above: The Big Picture in State and National Energy Policy” panel moderated by North Dakota Petroleum Council President Ron Ness. The panel also featured... 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

***Click here for photos.*** FARGO, N.D. – U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND), Ranking Member of the Transportation and Infrastructure Subcommittee, addressed the Upper Great Plains Transportation Institute’s (UGPTI) 36th annual awards banquet. Senator Cramer provided opening remarks and discussed the important transportation research UGPTI provides for entities across North Dakota, including the North Dakota Department of Transportation. He also highlighted his efforts to... CONTINUE READING

GRAND FORKS, N.D. – U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND), member of the Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC), spoke at the 16th annual Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) Summit at the Alerus Center in Grand Forks discussing the synergies between UAS and satellites, the importance of innovation, and the future of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) education. “The United States needs to be in a position to move at the speed of China. Just in the last year, their speed... CONTINUE READING

BISMARCK, N.D. – U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND) announced today members of his staff will hold mobile office hours in Hankinson and Oakes on Tuesday, October 18.  “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 Hankinson and Oakes will give North... CONTINUE READING

Legislation would reduce out-of-pocket costs for veterans seeking mental health or substance abuse treatment WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Kevin Cramer (R-ND), member of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee, and Jon Ossoff (D-GA) introduced a bill to reduce out-of-pocket expenses for veterans seeking mental health or substance abuse treatment at the VA. The bipartisan REMOVE Copays Act would allow veterans to attain copay-free mental health and substance abuse care through VA and community... CONTINUE READING

BISMARCK, N.D. – U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND) held a “Coffee with Cramer” town hall meeting with the North Dakota Association of Realtors where they discussed the housing market, the supply chain crisis, and challenges in the real estate industry. “I always appreciate meeting with the real estate community, hearing the challenges and opportunities they face. North Dakota is a fantastic place to live, and our realtors do a great job of showcasing the beauty and quality... CONTINUE READING

BISMARCK, N.D. – U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND), member of the Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee, announced the Department of the Interior (DOI) awarded $1,250,858.23 to North Dakota from the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF). $431,347.20 to the Bismarck Parks and Recreation District to develop of a piece of park property adjacent to 26th Street and the Hay Creek Trail to serve as a neighborhood park and trailhead for Hay Creek Trail; $148,787.50 to the... CONTINUE READING

***Click here to download video. Click here for audio.*** BISMARCK, N.D. – U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND), member of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, joined Larry Kudlow on Fox Business to discuss obstacles from the Biden Administration to tribal energy development and sovereignty. They also discussed reports OPEC+ is considering major cuts to production to raise oil prices. Excerpts and full video are below. On Tribal Energy Development and Sovereignty “Even in... CONTINUE READING

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND), member of the Senate Banking Committee, joined Senators Bill Hagerty (R-TN) and Tom Cotton (R-AR) in sending a letter to Amalgamated Bank President and Chief Executive Officer Priscilla Sims Brown, criticizing the bank’s manipulation of an international rules organization to force U.S. financial services firms to categorize gun purchases—an indefensible attempt to target law-abiding Americans exercising their right to purchase... CONTINUE READING