Senator Cramer’s Weekly Update November 20 - December 3

Reagan National Defense Forum Panel Discusses Boosting Recruitment, Ensuring Military Readiness

As a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC), I participated in the 10th annual Reagan National Defense Forum in California which brings together political leaders and stakeholders in the defense community to discuss ways the U.S. can strengthen its national defense and global leadership. The forum is centered on President Reagan’s doctrine of “peace through strength.”

During the forum, I joined a panel to discuss increasing national service, boosting recruitment, and ensuring military readiness. The panel featured Under Secretary of the U.S. Army Gabe Camarillo, Chief of the U.S. National Guard Bureau General Daniel Hokanson, and former Deputy Chief of Staff to President George W. Bush, Karl Rove. The panel was moderated by Ben Kesling of the Wall Street Journal.

Good recruitment is based on a sense of mission. Whether it is the national guardsman serving their neighbor during a flood or a Marine seeking to be a member of an elite group of fighters, both are aspirational.

EPA Publishes Final Rule, Increasing Regulatory Burden on Oil and Natural Gas Producers

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) finalized a rule expanding methane regulations. My full response is below.

In April, I led Republican members of the Senate EPW Committee in a letter to EPA Administrator Michael Regan opposing the rule. In the letter, we outlined impending consequences of the rule and asked the EPA Administrator to engage with producers, as well as listen to the states that would bear the brunt of these regulations.

In July, I joined Senator John Hoeven (R-ND) and Congressman Kelly Armstrong (R-ND) in sending a letter to EPA Administrator Regan, highlighting North Dakota’s concerns and calling for the EPA to withdraw or significantly revise the proposed regulation. We highlighted the rule’s restrictive approach to flaring associated gas, impacts on small producers, and conflicts with state regulatory programs which would be saddled with additional costs.

Fox Business Interview Highlights OPEC Meeting, Unleashing Domestic Energy Production

I joined Larry Kudlow on Fox Business to discuss expectations ahead of last week's Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) meeting. Additionally, we discussed rare earth metals development and whether the U.S. will be able to unleash domestic energy production and mine for these minerals.

Minot Air Force Base Leaders Were Wrong to Dissuade Servicemembers from Politically Conservative Rally

On November 21, Fox News reported Minot Air Force Base leadership sent a message to servicemembers warning them of the dangers associated with being near the Dakota Patriot Rally held at the state fairgrounds in Minot on Friday, November 17. The message warned that “participation with groups such as Turning Point Action could jeopardize their continued service in the U.S. military.”

I spoke with Chief of Staff of the Air Force General David Allvin regarding Minot Air Force Base’s biased and misguided official communication warning Airmen against participating in the rally. The rally celebrated traditional conservative values, yet the Air Force message labeled the organizers as “alt-right” and stated participation “could jeopardize their continued service in the U.S. military.”

During our conversation, General Allvin described the sequence of events which led to the misinformation and stated Minot Air Force Base issued an internal correction 52 minutes after the message was sent. However, the base did not issue a statement on its official website and Facebook page until Tuesday at 2:19 p.m. Eastern time, four days later.

Read more from KFYR here and KX here.

Space Force Celebrates Four Years

As Co-Chair of the Senate Space Force Caucus and a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC), I delivered remarks at the Space Force’s Fourth Birthday Celebration. Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall, Chief of Space Operations General Chance Saltzman, and House Armed Services Chairman Mike Rogers also attended the event. During my remarks, I reflected on the establishment of the Space Force and the need to keep up with our adversaries.

As we celebrate the Space Force’s fourth birthday, let us remember it’s not an infant anymore, but it’s not a toddler either. The Force has graduated well into the PhD program. We need to do everything at the speed of our adversaries, and the Space Force helps us do exactly that.

I was instrumental in the Space Force, securing its inclusion in the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2020, which President Trump signed in December 2019. Since then, I've used my seat on SASC to work with space leaders and bring them to North Dakota to see the state’s space potential firsthand. This included the first official trip for the Chief of Space Operations (then General Raymond), where he visited the University of North Dakota’s School of Aerospace Sciences and Cavalier Air Force Station, now known as Cavalier Space Force Station.

Capitol Ministries International Training Conference

It was a real blessing to participate in the Capitol Ministries International Training Conference. Capitol Ministries means a great deal to my colleagues and me as we study the Word of God. I believe this practice should be a part of our everyday routine as we serve the American people.

FHWA Publishes Final Rule, Imposes Greenhouse Gas Emissions Performance Measures on State Departments of Transportations

The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) published its final rule, imposing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions performance measures on state departments of transportation and metropolitan planning organizations.

As the ranking member of the Transportation and Infrastructure subcommittee, I was intimately involved in negotiating and passing the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. The committee specifically debated whether to grant the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) this authority, and the committee’s unanimously-passed bill chose not to include this poison pill.

Once again, the Biden bureaucracy is returning to their stale playbook of inventing illegal, punitive regulatory schemes. They clearly have learned nothing from the Supreme Court, which has made clear: the absence of a prohibition is not a license.

This final rule is contrary to congressional intent, usurps state authority by putting the federal government in the driver’s seat, and is fundamentally unworkable in rural states like North Dakota. I look forward to leading a Congressional Review Act resolution of disapproval overturning it.

Earlier this month, I delivered remarks on the Senate floor regarding my amendment to the bipartisan Transportation Appropriations Bill, which would have defunded the U.S. Department of Transportation’s proposed rule. Click here to watch the full floor speech.

Senators Call on the UN to Designate Hamas a Terrorist Organization, Impose Sanctions

I joined my colleagues in a bipartisan letter calling on the United Nations (UN) to bring a resolution to the UN Security Council recognizing and imposing sanctions on Hamas as a terrorist organization.

The letter highlights Hamas’ continued diversion of aid meant for civilians to fund its operations. They impose import "taxes" on humanitarian consignments; seize and illicitly sell donated goods intended for Palestinian civilians; confiscate donated supplies; and dismantle and repurpose humanitarian facilities to create rockets and missiles, some of which misfire and land in Gaza, causing Palestinian civilian casualties and posing threats to aid workers.

As we wrote in our letter, "There are multiple consequences of the UN not recognizing Hamas as a terrorist organization. First, the lack of a unified voice among the international community risks eroding the UN’s credibility in response to one of the worst terrorist attacks in history. Additionally, as the largest financial contributor to the UN, the U.S. must take urgent action to prevent the flow of funds into the hands of Hamas."

We continued, “The absence of UN sanctions on Hamas is a glaring loophole, circumventing U.S. financial controls, such as the rigorous standards set by the U.S. Department of Treasury, potentially allowing Hamas to evade U.S. sanctions.”

Senators Lead Bicameral Amicus Brief to Support the Second Amendment

U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) and I co-led a bicameral amicus brief to uphold the rights of all Americans to keep and bear arms, especially veterans and disabled individuals who need assistance to exercise their rights. We stated the Second Amendment is a fundamental protection of liberty which is deeply rooted in our nation’s history and tradition.

The United States Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) announced a final rule reclassifying pistols with stabilizing braces as short-barreled rifles. This change subjects purchasers of these pistols – often people with disabilities or in need extra stability to safely use the weapon – to a burdensome regulatory scheme.

The amicus brief states the rule infringes Americans’ Second Amendment liberties, and Congress did not grant ATF the authority to criminalize the exercise of a constitutional right. The Firearms Regulatory Accountability Coalition (FRAC), based in Bismarck, North Dakota, filed its challenge to ATF’s final rule in District Court. The District Court denied the request for a preliminary injunction, and FRAC has filed an emergency appeal in the Eight Circuit Court of Appeals.

“The Rule is especially concerning for Americans with disabilities or otherwise lacking physical strength to comfortably fire pistols, including veterans. Importantly, the Second Amendment protects the rights of all law-abiding adult citizens—not just the strong and able-bodied,” our brief notes.

Senators Introduce Legislation to Protect Faith-Based Child Welfare Providers

I joined my colleagues in introducing the Child Welfare Provider Inclusion Act to protect child welfare providers from being discriminated against for acting in accordance with their religious beliefs. Additionally, the legislation would prohibit federal, state, and local government agencies that receive federal adoption assistance from discriminating against child service providers based on their unwillingness to take action due to their religious beliefs.

Bureaucratic nonsense should never get in the way of helping kids in need. Activists on the left have tried for years to discriminate against child welfare agencies for their religious beliefs. We need to support faith based adoption and foster agencies, recognizing their faith compels compassion and their call to service.

Senators Introduce Legislation to Address Federal Government Overreach on Farmers, Ranchers, and Landowners

I joined my colleagues in introducing the Farmers Freedom Act of 2023, legislation requiring the Biden administration to revert to the definition of prior converted cropland (PCC) from the Trump administration’s Waters of the United States (WOTUS) rule.

During the Trump administration, the definition in the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Navigable Waters Protection Rule (NWPR) of 2020 determined a PCC must be used for production at least once every five years to maintain exemption from the Clean Water Act (CWA). Under the Biden administration’s definition, the land may lose its exclusion if it undergoes a “change in use,” including when the area is unavailable for the production of crops. The new definition lacks the clarity farmers and ranchers need to ensure they can remain compliant and their land is not subjected to greater regulation through the CWA.

Landowners need more freedom to use their land as they see fit without excessive, burdensome environmental regulations. The Biden administration is deferring to a loosely-defined and arbitrary definition for prior converted croplands which creates uncertainty for landowners, especially those in the Prairie Pothole region.

Our producers will always be better caretakers of the land than federal bureaucrats in Washington, and the administration should acknowledge it.

Rail Companies Issue Status Reports on Grain Car Backlog

BNSF Railway and Canadian Pacific Railway publicly filed weekly grain backlog status updates as required by the U.S. Surface Transportation Board. A summary of the reporting data specific to North Dakota from the last 10 weeks is below.

Spirit Lake Chairwoman and Tribal Council Meeting

It was a fun weekend at Spirit Lake Nation, seeing friends and meeting new ones. The staff, food, and service at Spirit Lake Casino are great! Education, law enforcement, land ownership, and economic opportunity are a few of the challenges the Tribal Council is working on.

Vin Weber

I enjoyed catching up with former Congressman Vin Weber, who represented Minnesota in the U.S. House. We discussed his time in public service, as well as the legacy of Dick Armey, our friend and the former House Majority Leader.

Phil Gramm

I had a productive conversation with my good friend and former U.S. Senator Phil Gramm about American military ship maintenance and supporting our nation’s sea power.

Missouri River Energy Services

I met with Missouri River Energy Services CEO Matt Schull to catch up after my August visit to meet with the group in Valley City. We discussed permitting reform, transmission congestion, and their work to provide customers with reliable and affordable power.

Bentley Systems

It was great to meet with Greg Bentley, the CEO of Bentley Systems, to discuss the benefits of utilizing innovative construction management software for infrastructure projects.

Kratos Defense

Met with Eric DeMarco, the President and CEO of Kratos Defense, to discuss their testing of the Valkyrie combat drone at Grand Forks Air Force Base and their work with driverless trucks supporting Minn-Dak hauling sugarbeets in Wahpeton.

Applied Digital

I had a good conversation with representatives from Applied Digital to hear updates on their North Dakota facilities in Jamestown and Ellendale. We also discussed progress on their new Ellendale facility, which will provide high-paying, high-tech jobs to the local community.

Xcel Energy

Appreciated the chance to meet with Bob Frenzel, the CEO of Xcel Energy, to speak about permitting reform and supply chain shortages.

National Archives Tour with Andrist Family

It was great to tour the National Archives with the Andrist family. I appreciate everyone at the archives who welcomed us and spent time showing us the incredible American history stored there.

HHS Awards More Than $2 Million to Southeastern North Dakota Community Action Agency

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) awarded a total of $2,059,750 to the Southeastern North Dakota Community Action Agency (SENDCAA) for Head Start projects.

The SENDCAA Head Start and Early Head Start programs provide comprehensive early childhood education, health, nutrition, and parent involvement services to children from birth to five years of age and their families.