Senator Cramer’s Weekly Update may 6-12

Senate Passes Legislation to Reauthorize the Federal Aviation Administration

On Thursday, the U.S. Senate passed legislation to reauthorize the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) through 2028. I voted in favor of the legislation which passed by a vote of 88-4.

The FAA has to be authorized to operate, and every five years, we have a responsibility to ensure it has the tools to effectively oversee and manage our national aviation system.

North Dakota depends on safe and efficient aviation. Our state’s economy relies on airports being open and air traffic controllers to help manage the flights. We are landlocked in the middle of the North American continent, making interstate commerce and travel vital to the success of our state. Airports play a central role in ensuring both goods and people can get around.

From the University of North Dakota’s (UND) partnership with the FAA Center of Excellence for Unmanned Aircraft Systems to the Northern Plains UAS test site, our state’s aviation ecosystem is intertwined with the FAA.

This bill also bolsters our aviation workforce by providing new opportunities for flight schools like UND, and strengthening staffing levels at all of our air traffic control towers. I am grateful the Senate passed the bill.

Fox Business Interview Highlights Senate Resolution Condemning Biden Administration's Decision to Withhold Weapons from Israel

On Friday, I joined Larry Kudlow on Fox Business to discuss the resolution I joined with U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) and all of my Senate Republican colleagues but one. This resolution condemns any action by the Biden administration to withhold or restrict weapons for Israel.

President Biden is violating the principles of the national security supplemental package passed by the vast majority of Congress, and now he is pulling the rug out from our most precious friend and ally in the Middle East – the people of Israel.

EPA Administrator Testifies on Rules Targeting Coal Plants and Grid Reliability

I questioned U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Michael Regan during a Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee hearing on Tuesday.

I first questioned Administrator Regan on the EPA’s emissions standards for coal-fired power plants announced within the past few weeks. I reiterated the 90 percent carbon dioxide capture rate mandated by EPA in its Clean Power Plan 2.0 is not yet adequately demonstrated at the agency’s prescribed levels. I specifically highlighted comments submitted by SaskPower in Canada, whose plant was referenced by the EPA as justification for the rule. Their comments to the agency clarify the plant captures 65 to 70 percent after years of fine-tuning. I also expressed my concern that these rules are an impossibility by design, with the intention of shuttering coal power plants.

I then asked Administrator Regan how the agency’s rule would be durable in the face of the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in West Virginia v. EPA. I concluded my questioning by highlighting the necessity of 24/7 energy sources like nuclear and coal to back up the unreliability of renewable energy, like wind and solar.

North Dakota Delegation Emphasizes Need for BLM to Change Draft Resource Management Plan

U.S. Senator John Hoeven (R-ND), U.S. Representative Kelly Armstrong (R-ND), and I penned a letter to the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) regarding the draft Resource Management Plan (RMP) for the state of North Dakota.

These plans, as established by the BLM, serve as a guide for managing the agency’s land and resources. The State of North Dakota and several industry groups, including the North Dakota Petroleum Council and the Lignite Energy Council, provided comments to the BLM expressing numerous concerns with BLM’s preferred plan. As drafted, the plan would cut off access to coal and oil reserves under federal ownership, cutting state revenues and potential energy development. Our letter requests revisions to the draft RMP to ensure access to energy reserves and the resulting economic activity.

“As you know, the BLM has authority for the oversight and administration of over 245 million acres of land and 700 million acres of subsurface minerals nationwide. The disparity in surface and subsurface acres is on full display within North Dakota where the BLM manages only 58,500 acres of surface compared to over 4 million acres of coal, 489,300 acres of fluid minerals, and 362,600 acres of other minerals at the subsurface level,” we wrote in our letter. “Unlike large continuous tracts of federal lands more common in the Western United States, federal subsurface acres in North Dakota are scattered and intermingled with state and privately-owned minerals. When federal agencies like the BLM impose restrictions, they inevitably dilute or cut off the development of resources not under their control. More than anything, federal preemption of state and private rights is our central concern with the draft RMP.”

“If implemented, the BLM’s new RMP will effectively remove large tracts of intertwined private, state, federal, and Indian minerals from production. As a consequence, North Dakota and the nation will be denied access to vital energy reserves and corresponding economic activity,” our letter continued. “Economic data provided by the state of North Dakota in its comments estimates the state will be deprived of $34 million annually in royalties and tax revenue if this RMP is implemented. This is for oil and gas alone and does not include coal production or royalties to private mineral owners.”

Senators Lead MOMS Act to Help Bolster Culture of Life, Empower Women, Nourish Families

In the week before Mother's Day, a group of senators introduced legislation to help address the challenges many mothers face throughout their pregnancy journeys, and the expensive endeavor of raising a family. This comes at a critical moment as the number of U.S. births in 2023 was the lowest since 1979, according to provisional Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) data. Last year, the total fertility rate in America hit an all-time low.

On Thursday, I joined U.S. Senators Katie Boyd Britt (R-AL) and Marco Rubio (R-FL) in introducing the More Opportunities for Moms to Succeed (MOMS) Act. This legislation would provide vital support to women during the initial phases of motherhood – prenatal, postpartum, and early childhood development – and bolster access to resources and assistance to help mothers and their children flourish.

Specifically, the MOMS Act includes my Unborn Child Support Act, which would support expectant mothers and their unborn children by allowing mothers to receive child support from the father during pregnancy, should they choose to do so.

Being pro-life means valuing both mother and child. The financial strain of pregnancy and raising a family is real. Our MOMS Act helps provide pregnant women with the resources they need at all stages of motherhood. I’m glad to join Senators Britt and Rubio in this effort to empower women and advance a culture of life.

Upon implementation, the MOMS Act would:

• Establish Pregnancy.gov – a federal clearinghouse of resources available to expecting and postpartum moms, as well as those with young children.

This clearinghouse would increase access to adoption agencies, pregnancy resource centers, and other relevant public and private resources available to pregnant women within their zip code and surrounding areas.

As part of Pregnancy.gov, HHS would be required to include and maintain a national list of federal funding opportunities available to non-profit and healthcare entities for pregnancy support.

• Improve access to pre-natal and post-natal resources.

This legislation would establish a grant program for non-profit entities to support, encourage, and assist women in carrying their pregnancies to term and caring for their babies after birth.

It would also provide tools for pre-natal and post-natal telehealth appointments by instituting a grant program to purchase necessary medical equipment and technology in rural and medically underserved areas.

• Require states to apply child support obligations to the time period during pregnancy.

Bipartisan Letter Calls on USPS to Pause Delivery Network Changes, Protect Local Mail Delivery

The U.S. Postal Service (USPS) announced its intention to implement further changes to its processing and delivery network under the “Delivering for America” plan. I joined U.S. Senators Gary Peters (D-MI), Susan Collins (R-ME), Jacky Rosen (D-NV), Cynthia Lummis (R-WY), and their colleagues in sending a letter to the U.S. Postal Service Board of Governors and Postmaster General Louis DeJoy, requesting the agency pause its changes until it studies the impacts of its full plan and restore services in areas where changes have been implemented.

The proposed plan issued by the USPS suggests moving mail processing further away from local communities by transferring operations out of local facilities and into more distant hubs. The letter notes the agency’s plan will cause critical delays for mail in local communities across the nation, including Bismarck and Grand Forks.

“We call on USPS to pause all changes, pending a full study of this plan by its regulator. While USPS claims these changes overall will improve service while reducing costs, there is evidence to the contrary in locations where USPS has implemented changes so far,” we wrote in our letter. “USPS must stop implementation, restore service in those areas where changes were implemented, and fully understand the nationwide effects of its plan on service and communities.”

“The Postal Service’s primary responsibility is to provide timely and reliable delivery to every community across the nation,” our letter continued. “While USPS must continue adapting as an agency to remain stable and serve the public’s current needs, it must proceed with caution and understand the implications of its plans in order to protect mail delivery for all communities.”

I have long supported efforts to address delayed mail delivery in North Dakota and throughout the country. Earlier this year, our delegation pressed the USPS Inspector General (IG) to include North Dakota communities in its postal audit of the Minnesota-North Dakota District. We have also secured a commitment from the IG to audit postal facilities in Dickinson, Grand Forks, and Fargo, which will be included in the full district audit report to be released in May.

HUD Awards More Than $4.5 Million to 15 Public Housing Authorities in North Dakota

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) announced the award of $4,517,125 to improve, modernize, develop, and finance public housing projects in the following 15 authorities in North Dakota:

• $1,403,817 to the Fargo Housing and Redevelopment Authority
• $840,784 to the Burleigh County Housing Authority
• $679,011 to the Minot Housing Authority
• $368,060 to the Housing Authority of Cass County
• $306,177 to the Housing Authority of the City of Williston
• $200,107 to the North Central Housing Authority
• $174,601 to the Rolette County Housing Authority
• $124,008 to the Barnes County Housing Authority
• $99,698 to the Mercer County Housing Authority
• $79,994 to the Traill County Housing Authority
• $74,484 to the Nelson County Housing Authority
• $58,121 to the Towner County Housing Authority
• $43,160 to the Benson County Housing Authority
• $43,072 to the Emmons County Housing Authority
• $22,031 to the McIntosh County Housing Authority

NPS Awards More Than $1.3 Million in Historic Preservation Grants in North Dakota

On Monday, the National Park Service (NPS) announced the distribution of $1,373,867 to historic preservation offices in North Dakota. Specifically, the NPS awarded $869,584 to the State Historic Preservation Office and $504,283 to the following Tribal historic preservation offices:

• $144,260 to the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe
• $132,771 to the Three Affiliated Tribes of the Fort Berthold Reservation (Mandan, Hidatsa, and Arikara Nation)
• $117,983 to the Spirit Lake Tribe of Fort Totten
• $109,269 to the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians

Grants distributed through the Historic Preservation Fund support local and state preservation programs, and fund protection of Tribal sites and cultural traditions.

NeighborWorks America Awards $469,000 to CommunityWorks North Dakota

NeighborWorks America announced it will award a total of $469,000 in Fiscal Year 2024 funding to members of its national network serving North Dakota. This grant will support the development and preservation of affordable housing, and create jobs while revitalizing and sustaining neighborhoods.

NeighborWorks America is a public nonprofit organization, established by Congress in 1978 to support and enhance a network of nearly 240 local and regional nonprofit partner organizations across all 50 states. In FY 2023, North Dakota received $587,700 in grants from NeighborWorks America. These grants have been used to provide housing and financial counseling services to North Dakotans.

U.S. Department of Education Awards Grant to United Tribes Technical College to Enhance American Indian Teacher Opportunities

The U.S. Department of Education announced an award of $239,904 to support United Tribes Technical College’s Meadowlark Project, a plan designed to enhance educational opportunities for future American Indian teachers serving young children with disabilities. Additionally, the project will recruit, enroll, and support 12 scholars from traditionally underrepresented groups to graduate as teachers with professional credentials in special education to work with elementary school children and their families.

Defense Credit Union Council

I spoke with Defense Credit Union Council CEO Anthony Hernandez and Chief Advocacy Officer Jason Stverak about their work on behalf of the credit unions serving our military and veteran communities across the United States.

CoBank

Any day in the swamp is made better when North Dakotans visit, especially when we’re talking about energy and agriculture. Mac McLennan of Minnkota Power Cooperative and a CoBank Board Member stopped by to chat about North Dakota’s energy leadership, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's overreach, and the importance of passing a Farm Bill.

CitiBank

I appreciated Gonzalo Luchetti, the Head of U.S. Personal Banking for Citibank, coming by to discuss regulations facing the banking industry and their impacts on consumers.