Press Releases

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

WASHINGTON – In November 2023, the U.S. Department of Transportation’s (DOT) Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) finalized a rule, forcing state departments of transportation and metropolitan planning organizations to measure greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions on the highway system and set declining targets, despite lacking any authority from Congress to do so.  As a result of this federal overreach, U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND), Ranking Member of the Senate Environment and Public... CONTINUE READING

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced a total award of $6,015,160 in discretionary funding to the following programs and initiatives in North Dakota: $3,000,000 to the University of North Dakota, provided through the Federal Office of Rural Health Policy to fund a cooperative agreement supporting the Rural Health Information Hub (RHIhub). $1,564,410 to the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe through the Administration for Children and Families’ American Indian and... CONTINUE READING

***Click here to download video. Click here for audio.***  WASHINGTON – During a Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC) hearing on Tuesday, Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Charles Q. Brown, Jr. provided testimony on the Department of Defense budget request for Fiscal Year 2025 and the Future Years Defense Program. U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND) specifically asked Secretary Austin and General Brown on the future of intelligence, surveillance,... CONTINUE READING

WASHINGTON – At the beginning of March, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) announced its final rule to restrict credit card penalties, capping late fees at $8, down from $32. The rule, which is expected to go into effect on May 14, 2024, fails to consider how the proposal would harm American consumers, resulting in lower credit scores and reduced credit availability.  With the introduction of a Congressional Review Act (CRA) resolution of disapproval, U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer... CONTINUE READING

WASHINGTON – Each year, the Social Security Administration (SSA) determines the cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) by analyzing the Consumer Price Index in order to reflect the fluctuations in goods and services across the country. The SSA last announced a 3.2% adjustment in October of 2023 and will reveal the next COLA in October of 2024.   Introduced by Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee Chairman Jon Tester (D-MT) and Ranking Member Jerry Moran (R-KS), and cosponsored by U.S. Senator Kevin... CONTINUE READING

BISMARCK – The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced an award of $3,414,039 in discretionary funding for the following Head Start and Early Head Start projects in North Dakota: $1,354,289 to the North Dakota School for the Deaf, located in Devils Lake.  $2,059,750 to the Southeastern North Dakota Community Action Agency (SENDCAA), located in Fargo. These funds, distributed through the Administration for Children and Families, will support Head Start and Early Head Start... CONTINUE READING