Press Releases

BISMARCK, N.D. – The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration announced an award of $2,220,687 to two North Dakota colleges and the North Dakota Highway Patrol. The funds will be distributed as follows: $1,249,653 to North Dakota State University (NDSU) under the High Priority Commercial Motor Vehicle (HP-CMV) Program. NDSU will use these funds to conduct research and testing of autonomous vehicles in winter conditions, focusing on two-lane rural... CONTINUE READING

BISMARCK, N.D. – When Congress passed the Working Families Tax Cuts Act, it established the Rural Health Transformation Program (RHTP) to strengthen rural health care by providing states funding to support innovation, expand access, and enhance quality of care. The U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS) announced the North Dakota Department of Health and Human Services will receive $199 million in initial funding for its RHTP. North Dakota’s approved application includes a five-year plan... CONTINUE READING

BISMARCK, N.D. – U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND), a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, announced his nominees to the U.S. service academies: “One of the great joys of serving North Dakota in Congress is nominating some of our best young patriots for appointments to our service academies,” said Cramer. “After visiting with Cormac and Oliver, I am honored and grateful they are willing to answer the call to serve. They will be great ambassadors of our state.” The nominees are as... CONTINUE READING

BISMARCK, N.D. – The Wildlife Crossings Program provides grants for infrastructure improvements designed to reduce wildlife-vehicle collisions. States and tribes can apply for grants to create safe paths for wildlife to cross roads and highways, often in the form of enlarged culverts, underpasses, and bridges. The program was authorized for five years in the 2021 Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which is set to expire next year. U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND), chair of the Senate Environment and... CONTINUE READING

***Click here for video. Click here for audio*** BISMARCK, N.D. – As part of its commitment to improve economic opportunity and rebuild the economy, the U.S. Senate held a hearing on fair access to banking. During the hearing, U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND) highlighted his Fair Access to Banking Act, a response to the practice commonly referred to as debanking, in which banks discriminate against law-abiding industries and groups by refusing to provide financial services to them. In... CONTINUE READING

***Click here for video. Click here for audio*** WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) issued its final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the Dakota Access Pipeline. After months of illegal protests and costly bureaucratic delays, Judge James Boasberg issued a highly partisan ruling in March 2020 requiring the EIS. U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND), Chair of the Senate Environment and Public Works Subcommittee on Transportation and Infrastructure, released a... CONTINUE READING

***Click here for video. Click here for audio.*** WASHINGTON, D.C. – Following the unprecedented anti-fossil energy initiatives from the Obama and Biden administrations, U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND), a member of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, introduced legislation to prevent discrimination against fossil energy sources when awarding Defense Production Act (DPA) funds. The Strategic Resources Non-discrimination Act amends the DPA to ensure the Executive Branch does not... CONTINUE READING

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Department of Education announced an award of $10,000,000 to the North Dakota Department of Public Instruction through the Education Innovation and Research Program. This grant will allow the creation, development, implementation, replication, and scaling of entrepreneurial, evidence-based, field-initiated innovations to improve student achievement and attainment for high-need students. CONTINUE READING

Defense bill boosts readiness and modernization, locks in wins for North Dakota’s military communities ***Click here for media resources.*** WASHINGTON, D.C. – Following negotiations between House and Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC) members, the Senate passed the Fiscal Year 2026 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) by a vote of 77 to 20. The bill passed the House overwhelmingly last week by a vote of 312 to 112 and now advances to the White House to be signed into law. The NDAA... CONTINUE READING

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND), chair of the Senate Armed Services (SASC) Airland Subcommittee, has been appointed to the U.S. Air Force Academy (USAFA) Board of Visitors by Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD). The Board of Visitors offers advice and recommendations on USAFA operations, including morale and discipline, curriculum and instruction, academic methods, facilities, and fiscal affairs. Cramer represents a state with two major active-duty Air Force bases, Grand... CONTINUE READING

***Click here to download video. Click here for audio.*** WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Department of War (DOW) announced an increase in the size of its contract with General Dynamics, a global aerospace and defense company, by $39,307,155. This contract modification will support the Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture (PWSA) ground management, integration, operation, and sustainment efforts. The supplemental funding will verify and validate PWSA system capability readiness and performance... CONTINUE READING

***Click here to download video. Click here for audio.*** WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee (SVAC) examined U.S. Senators Kevin Cramer (R-ND) and Tim Sheehy’s (R-MT) legislation to improve veterans access to local care options, the Critical Access for Veterans Care Act. This bill would allow veterans living in rural America to seek health care services at local Critical Access Hospitals or Rural Health Clinics. “The Community Care program literally can be a lifeline,”... CONTINUE READING

***Click here for media resources.*** BISMARCK, N.D. – During a ceremony at the White House today, President Donald Trump signed U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer’s (R-ND) bipartisan, bicameral Miracle on Ice Congressional Gold Medal Act into law. The legislation honors the 1980 U.S. Men’s Olympic Hockey Team and its victory over the four-time reigning champion Russian Olympic Hockey Team in the Lake Placid Olympic Games. It awards the Congressional Gold Medal, the highest honor Congress can bestow on... CONTINUE READING

BISMARCK, N.D. – Not even a Midwest winter storm could keep concerned landowners, developers, farmers, and ranchers from making their voices heard as U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND) hosted key Trump administration officials at the first national Waters of the United States (WOTUS) listening session. Cramer, chair of the Senate Environment and Public Works Subcommittee on Transportation and Infrastructure, welcomed state, local, and federal officials to North Dakota’s Capital City for the event.... CONTINUE READING

***Click here for audio statement.*** BISMARCK, N.D. – The Pentagon announced it identified the remains of North Dakotan U.S. Army Air Forces Staff Sgt. Irvin C. Ellingson, 80 years after his aircraft was shot down during a combat mission to Tokyo, Japan. While Ellingson survived the crash, he was held as a prisoner of war and perished in the Tokyo Military Prison during a fire. Near the end of World War II, 62 American service members were held captive in Tokyo. Ellingson served as a radar... CONTINUE READING

***Click here for audio.*** BISMARCK, N.D. – During a ceremony at the White House, President Donald Trump signed a historic resolution to unwind the awful Biden-era Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) Resource Management Plan (RMP) for North Dakota. The resolution was introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives by North Dakota U.S. Congresswoman Julie Fedorchak (R-ND) and in the Senate by U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND). This bill initiates the process for BLM to replace the RMP while... CONTINUE READING

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers have announced a proposed rule, Updated Definition of Waters of the United States (WOTUS). The proposed rule clarifies definitions after the landmark Supreme Court ruling in Sackett v. EPA limited the federal government’s jurisdiction over water according to the Clean Water Act. U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND), chair of the Senate Environment and Public Works Transportation and Infrastructure... CONTINUE READING

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced an award of $202,000 through the Airport Infrastructure Grant (AIG) program for projects at two North Dakota airports. The funding will be distributed as follows: $137,001 to the Grafton Municipal Airport for a 4,828 square foot hangar. $64,999 to the Harvey Municipal Airport for a 5,625 square foot hangar. The AIG Program was established by the fully-paid-for Bipartisan... CONTINUE READING

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Veterans live in every community across the country. Yet unlike most Americans, they can’t simply use the closest health care providers. A backwards Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) requirement prevents veterans from seamlessly accessing certain health care providers in their communities. These men and women honorably served our country but must jump through bureaucratic hoops to receive the VA health care they earned. Over three million veterans received health care... CONTINUE READING

***Click here for media resources.*** WASHINGTON, D.C. – The University of North Dakota (UND) and Voyager Technologies [NYSE: VOYG], a defense and space technology company, officially signed a joint investment agreement during a ceremony in Washington, D.C. UND is a leading institution for national security and aerospace education, and its Space Studies Department is the oldest and largest in the nation. The university is the first school to join the U.S. Space Force’s University Partnership... CONTINUE READING