WASHINGTON, March 14 -- Rep. Kelly Armstrong, R-North Dakota, issued the following news release on March 13, 2023: Congressman Kelly Armstrong (R-ND) announced that he joined Congressmen Tim Walberg (R-MI) and Jamie Raskin (D-MD) to reintroduce the Fifth Amendment Integrity Restoration Act (FAIR Act), a comprehensive reform to our nation's civil asset forfeiture laws. The FAIR Act raises the level of proof necessary for the federal government to seize property, reforms the IRS structuring statu  more

WASHINGTON, March 15 -- Rep. Kelly Armstrong, R-North Dakota, issued the following news release on March 14, 2023: Congressman Kelly Armstrong (R-ND) released the following statement on the introduction of H.R. 1, the Lower Energy Costs Act, aimed at addressing the energy crisis caused by the Biden administration's disastrous policies. Congressman Armstrong's legislation to streamline permitting for cross-border energy infrastructure is included in the comprehensive energy package. "From day o  more

WASHINGTON, March 16 -- Sen. Mike Crapo, R-Idaho, issued the following news release and letter: U.S. Senators Mike Crapo and Jim Risch (both R-Idaho), Marsha Blackburn (R-Tennessee), Kevin Cramer (R-North Dakota), Deb Fischer (R-Nebraska), Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Mississippi), Thom Tillis (R-North Carolina) and Roger Wicker (R-Mississippi) sent a letter to U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas requesting that the Department withdraw a proposal that would raise fees  more

WASHINGTON, March 15 -- Sen. John Hoeven, R-North Dakota, issued the following news release on March 14, 2023: Senator John Hoeven today announced that the North Dakota Veterans Cemetery (NDVC) in Mandan has been awarded a federal grant of $1,860,775. This funding will be used to provide 1,440 columbarium niches, landscaping and infrastructure on approximately one acre of land, supporting additional burial options for the state's veterans and eligible family members. As a member of the Senate M  more

WASHINGTON, March 18 -- Sen. John Hoeven, R-North Dakota, issued the following news release and letter: Senator John Hoeven (R-N.D.) this week joined Senator John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) in sending a letter to Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen to push back on energy tax increases proposed in President Biden's budget request for Fiscal Year 2024. Specifically, the senators outline the harmful impact of the administration's proposed $100 billion in targeted tax increases on energy, including the producti  more

WASHINGTON, March 15 -- Sen. John Hoeven, R-North Dakota, issued the following news release on March 14, 2023: Senator John Hoeven today helped introduce the Consumer and Fuel Retailer Choice Act of 2023, legislation sponsored by Senators Deb Fischer (R-Neb.) and Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) to allow the year-round sale of ethanol blends higher than 10 percent. The bill, which Hoeven has cosponsored since the 115th Congress, would: * Make permanent the Reid Vapor Pressure (RVP) waiver extension to   more

WASHINGTON, March 17 -- Sen. John Hoeven, R-North Dakota, issued the following news release: During remarks delivered on the floor of the U.S. Senate this week, Senator John Hoeven pushed back on President Biden's tax-and-spend policies and outlined the negative impact that the president's budget request for Fiscal Year (FY) 2024 would have on American consumers and businesses. "I support a Balanced Budget Amendment, and have done so since I first came to the Senate. I think that is something   more

WASHINGTON, March 18 -- Sen. John Hoeven, R-North Dakota, issued the following news release: At a hearing of the Senate Agriculture Committee this week, Senator John Hoeven urged U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Tom Vilsack to support efforts to maintain and strengthen the safety net for U.S. farmers and ranchers. The senator stressed the importance of good farm policy in maintaining Americans' access to an affordable, high-quality and reliable food supply. In particular, Hoeven   more

WASHINGTON, March 16 -- Sen. James Risch, R-Idaho, issued the following news release and letter: U.S. Senators Jim Risch and Mike Crapo (both R-Idaho), Marsha Blackburn (R-Tennessee), Kevin Cramer (R-North Dakota), Deb Fischer (R-Nebraska), Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Mississippi), Thom Tillis (R-North Carolina) and Roger Wicker (R-Mississippi) sent a letter to U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas requesting that the Department withdraw a proposal that would raise fee  more

WASHINGTON, March 16 -- Sen. Kevin Cramer, R-North Dakota, issued the following statement on March 15, 2023: * * * U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND) issued the below statement after the Surface Transportation Board (STB) announced its approval of a proposed merger between Canadian Pacific (CP) and Kansas City Southern Railway (KCS). "Today's decision will expand market access for North Dakota producers, unlock opportunities for commerce in Mexico, and make existing routes across North America   more

WASHINGTON, March 16 -- Sen. Kevin Cramer, R-North Dakota, issued the following news release: U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND), founder and co-chair of the Senate Space Force Caucus, questioned General B. Chance Saltzman, Chief of Space Operations, about modernizing the Perimeter Acquisition Radar Attack Characterization System (PARCS) Radar Warning System, preparedness, and offensive operations. Excerpts and full video are below. Senator Cramer previously pushed for the Space Force to priorit  more

WASHINGTON, March 17 -- Sen. Kevin Cramer, R-North Dakota, issued the following news release: U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND), member of the Senate Banking Committee, joined "Eric Bolling The Balance" on Newsmax to discuss Silicon Valley Bank and the fiscal and monetary contributors to its collapse. Excerpts and full video are below. On Next Actions Following Recent Bank Failures: "We should resist making knee-jerk responses until we know more about what happened at each of these banks. Wha  more

BISMARCK, North Dakota, March 14 -- Sen. Kevin Cramer, R-North Dakota, issued the following news release: U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND) joined Chuck Todd on Meet the Press to discuss the Silicon Valley Bank collapse, budget and debt limit negotiations, and the release of Capitol surveillance from January 6, 2021. Excerpts and full video are below. On Silicon Valley Bank, Financial Regulations: "There are so many unique things about Silicon Valley [Bank] that aren't necessarily applicable s  more

WASHINGTON, March 16 -- Sen. Kevin Cramer, R-North Dakota, issued the following news release on March 15, 2023: U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND) questioned Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Assistant Administrator for Water Radhika Fox about the overreaching effects of the new Waters of the U.S. (WOTUS) rule at a Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) hearing. He thanked her for visiting North Dakota, where he hosted her and then-Acting Secretary of the Army Corps for Civil Works Jaime P  more

WASHINGTON, March 16 -- Sen. Kevin Cramer, R-North Dakota, issued the following statement on March 15, 2023: * * * U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND), member of the Senate Banking Committee, issued the below statement on the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank and subsequent reactions by the U.S. Department of the Treasury (DOT), the Federal Reserve Board, and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC). "The failures of Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank have led to nee  more

WASHINGTON, March 15 -- Sen. Kevin Cramer, R-North Dakota, issued the following news release: U.S. Senators Kevin Cramer (R-ND) and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) reintroduced the Chiropractic Medicare Coverage Modernization Act, which would expand Medicare coverage of chiropractic services to ensure patients enrolled in the program can access chiropractic care as a non-drug alternative for pain management. "Current Medicare restrictions prevent chiropractors from offering a full scope of treatment  more

WASHINGTON, March 15 -- Sen. Kevin Cramer, R-North Dakota, issued the following news release and letter: U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND), member of the Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee, joined Senators Deb Fischer (R-NE) and Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) in reintroducing the Consumer and Fuel Retailer Choice Act of 2023. The legislation would permit the year-round, nationwide sale of ethanol blends higher than 10%, ending years of regulatory uncertainty and preventing a patchwork of   more

WASHINGTON, March 17 -- Sen. Kevin Cramer, R-North Dakota, issued the following news release: 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 a total of $5,297,038 to the Bismarck and Mott Municipal Airports. The below will be administered through the FAA's Airport Infrastructure Grant (AIG) program, which received funding in the bipart  more

BISMARCK, North Dakota, March 18 -- Sen. Kevin Cramer, R-North Dakota, issued the following news release: 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 April 2022 hearing on "Urgent Issues in Freight Rail Service," BNSF Railway, CSX Tran  more

WASHINGTON, March 15 -- Sen. Kevin Cramer, R-North Dakota, issued the following news release: U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND), member of the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee, announced the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) National Cemetery Administration (NCA) awarded the state $1,860,775 to expand the North Dakota Veterans Cemetery in Mandan. These resources will be administered through the Veterans Cemetery Grants Program (VGCP) to support landscaping projects, infrastructure impro  more

WASHINGTON, March 16 -- Sen. Kevin Cramer, R-North Dakota, issued the following news release and letter: U.S. Senators Kevin Cramer (R-ND) and Angus King (I-ME), members of the Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC) and the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee (SVAC), sent a letter to the chiefs of each U.S. military service branch expressing concern about a lack of attention to servicemembers transitioning from active duty to veteran status. The Senators urged the Department of Defense (DOD) to  more