Press Releases

***Click here to download video. Click here for audio.*** WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND) discussed the devastating economic and environmental impacts of stifling American energy production during a Senate Banking Committee hearing. He highlighted the indisputable fact that America’s energy production is cleaner, safer, and more cost effective than our global competitors, especially our adversaries. Senator Cramer also emphasized the direct relationship of signals sent... CONTINUE READING

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Kevin Cramer (R-ND) and Tim Scott (R-SC) introduced the Raising Expectations with Child Opportunity Vouchers for Educational Recovery (RECOVER) Act to empower parents to solve the learning loss crisis facing today’s students. “Schools received hundreds of millions of dollars during the COVID-19 pandemic and a massive portion still remains unspent as children across the country struggle to catch up in school. The RECOVER Act gives this money back to... CONTINUE READING

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND), member of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, issued the following statement after voting to repeal the Biden Administration’s new regulation, “National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) Implementing Regulations Revisions.” The regulation reverses common sense permitting reforms implemented by the Trump Administration, further bogging down the federal permitting process and delaying vital... CONTINUE READING

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND), member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, issued the following statement after the Senate ratified the Protocols for Finland and Sweden accession into the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO): “Vladimir Putin is still waging an unprovoked and unjustified war on Ukraine, which has rightfully revived concerns of a Russian invasion from neighboring countries – especially those with a history of neutrality during... CONTINUE READING

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND) issued the following statement following the release of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Fiscal Year (FY) 2023 final rule for inpatient and long-term care hospitals: “After urging CMS to reconsider payment updates for acute care hospitals to account for the increase in expenses from the COVID pandemic, supply chain crisis, and record-high inflation, I’m pleased to see the agency heed our calls. The final rule... CONTINUE READING

***Click here to download video. Click here for audio.*** WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND) discussed the impact of government regulation on rental costs during a Senate Banking Committee hearing on today’s housing market.  Senator Cramer focused on problems in the housing rental markets, in large part exacerbated by government intervention. Senator Cramer pointed to a recent study conducted by the National Multifamily Housing Council (NMHC) and the... CONTINUE READING

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND) announced the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) awarded $2,225,000 to the Upper Great Plains Transportation Institute of North Dakota State University under the Tribal Technical Assistance Program. The grant will provide services including training, technical assistance, and technology transfer for American Indian Tribal governments in a cooperative effort with the Federal Highway Administration and the Bureau of Indian Affairs.   CONTINUE READING

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND), member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, issued the following statement on the successful U.S. counterterrorism mission which killed al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri: “The successful strike which killed al Qaeda terrorist Ayman al-Zawahiri is a testament to the strength of U.S. intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR). These capabilities, for which North Dakota plays a critical role, keep Americans safe and hold... CONTINUE READING

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Kevin Cramer (R-ND), Dan Sullivan (R-AK) and 24 of their colleagues issued the following joint statement in support of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi stopping in Taiwan during her diplomatic trip to Asia: “We support Speaker of the House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi’s trip to Taiwan. For decades, members of the United States Congress, including previous Speakers of the House, have travelled to Taiwan. This travel is consistent with the United... CONTINUE READING

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND) announced the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) awarded the following three grants totaling $4,590,868: $3,230,446 to Mayville State University for Head Start projects;   $1,071,922 to the North Dakota Department of Health for a cooperative agreement under the Hospital Preparedness program; and $288,500 to the University of North Dakota for the Model State-Supported Area Education Centers. The funds for Mayville State... CONTINUE READING

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Kevin Cramer (R-ND), Ranking Member of the Transportation and Infrastructure Subcommittee, and Jeff Merkley (D-OR) introduced a bill to establish a Western Water Cooperative Committee. The Western Water Cooperative Committee would ensure the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Army Corps) flood control projects in Western States are operated consistent with congressional directives and adhere to state water rights and water laws. The committee also establishes a... CONTINUE READING

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Kevin Cramer (R-ND) and Thom Tillis (R-NC) introduced legislation to improve the integrity of our asylum system by deterring illegal immigrants who would attempt to abuse our asylum system. The Asylum Integrity Act would replace the current regulatory definition of “frivolous” with a statutory definition that finds frivolousness where an application has been knowingly filed by the asylum applicant and either:  Includes a fabricated... CONTINUE READING

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND) announced today members of his staff will hold mobile office hours in Mott and Hettinger on Tuesday, August 16. “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 Mott and... CONTINUE READING

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND) announced today the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Office of Rural Development awarded Reservation Telephone Cooperative a grant of $18,501,541 to provide access to high-speed internet. The funds will be used to deploy a fiber-to-the-premises network. This network will connect Dunn, McKenzie, and McLean counties in North Dakota as well as communities in Montana. This project will also serve the Fort Berthold Reservation... 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) announced the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) will extend the deadline for agricultural producers to return their pre-filled applications for Phase One of the Emergency Relief Program (ERP). A new deadline will be announced at least 30 days after the last Phase One applications mailings have been sent. USDA also announced multiple program fixes to account for issues North Dakota’s producers have experienced since the program was... CONTINUE READING

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND), member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, announced the U.S. Department of Army awarded a $20 million multiple award contract to four North Dakota companies: Gast Construction Company in Fargo, Incorporated, MDM Construction, LLC in West Fargo, Smithco, Incorporated in Fargo, and T.F. Powers Construction Company in Fargo. The contract supports maintenance, repair, and construction activities at the North Dakota National Guard facilities. CONTINUE READING

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Kevin Cramer (R-ND) and Alex Padilla (D-CA) introduced legislation to make states eligible to receive excess planes from the Department of Defense (DoD) to increase their wildfire suppression and emergency response capabilities. The Emergency Aircraft Act would also remove the current cap on how many excess planes DoD can transfer to other federal agencies for wildfire suppression purposes. “The Emergency Aircraft Act of 2022 removes arbitrary... CONTINUE READING

***Click here to download video. Click here for audio***WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND), ranking member of the Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) Subcommittee on Transportation and Infrastructure, issued the following statement on Senate passage of the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) of 2022: “Every two years, the Water Resources Development Act offers an opportunity for Congress to provide the Army Corps of Engineers direction to set up... CONTINUE READING

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Kevin Cramer (R-ND) and Thom Tillis (R-NC) introduced the Asylum Accountability Act, legislation which would significantly sharpen the penalty for those who fail to appear in immigration court by permanently barring absconding illegal immigrants from gaining a benefit under the Immigration and Nationality Act. The surge of crossings at our southern border is driven by illegal immigrants believing they will be able to apply for asylum, abscond from their... CONTINUE READING