Senator Cramer’s Weekly Update december 15-19

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Releases Final Environmental Review for DAPL

Last week, 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.

The National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) requires federal agencies to assess the environmental effects of major federal actions, in this case an easement covering 0.21 miles of federal land under Lake Oahe. During the Obama administration, on July 25, 2016, the USACE published a final Environmental Assessment (EA) and a Mitigated Finding of No Significant Impact for the DAPL crossing of Lake Oahe. Litigation was filed against the USACE on this determination. The Obama administration allowed thousands of protesters to illegally reside on USACE land causing serious public safety issues and environmental damage, including 9.8 million pounds of garbage and hazardous materials cleanup at taxpayer expense. After President Donald Trump took office, the USACE granted the easement on Feb. 8, 2017, allowing construction to be completed. Judge Boasberg ordered a remanded EA on June 14, 2017, which was completed in Aug. 2018, but rejected by the court on March 25, 2020. The court then ordered a full EIS.

The DAPL has safely delivered crude oil since becoming operational on June 1, 2017. Nevertheless, several federal court decisions have directed further analysis under NEPA. This is the third NEPA analysis covering the roughly 1,000-foot reservoir crossing provided by the USACE in over nine years. The Record of Decision is expected 30 days after after EIS publication in the Federal Register.

Senate Passes FY26 NDAA, Advances Strategic Wins for North Dakota, National Security

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 by a vote of 312 to 112 and I joined President Trump at the White House as he signed the NDAA into law.

The NDAA returns the U.S. Department of War to its first Constitutional duty to protect the American people by securing the southern border, reforming the Pentagon’s budgeting and acquisition processes to better facilitate innovation, and focusing on a peace through strength approach.

For North Dakota, the legislation delivers big because, of course, North Dakota delivers big for national defense. It upgrades the early warning radar at Cavalier Space Force Station, it invests heavily in Grand Forks Air Force Base’s intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance capabilities, and really important here, it funds Tranche 3 of the Space Development Agency’s Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture, a big part of modernization, now these are all missions that are operated right out of Grand Forks. It also advances what’s really the number one priority, it advances the Sentinel intercontinental ballistic missile program. It’s a cornerstone of our nuclear deterrence strategy and has been for decades. Finally, it directs the Secretary of War to provide a plan on establishing a combat status identifier or equivalent for our Remote Piloted Aircraft crews operating in Fargo. This is something I’ve been working on for a long time. Really, at every turn, this legislation prioritizes modernization, it recognizes that those Remotely Piloted Aircraft are being piloted by people, it provides innovation, and American strength. Without it, we risk losing our edge, and that’s happening quickly. Our adversaries are modernizing very fast. With this legislation, we do put the safety and security of the American people first.

The NDAA incorporates the Honoring Our Fallen Heroes Act, which I joined U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) in introducing, which provides support for families of first responders who die from service-related cancers caused by exposure to carcinogens, ensuring their sacrifice is recognized and honored.

Cavalier Space Force Station (SFS)

This year’s bill provides $22 million to upgrade the Perimeter Acquisition Radar Attack Characterization System (PARCS) at Cavalier SFS. The system, which tracks more than half of all objects orbiting the Earth, will see enhanced capabilities in detecting intercontinental and sea-launched missile threats, as well as improved space domain awareness. Cavalier SFS will be central to President Donald Trump’s Golden Dome missile defense shield, which aims to expand U.S. missile defense across all domains—protecting the homeland against ballistic, cruise, hypersonic missile, and drone threats. U.S. Senator Dan Sullivan (R-AK) and I introduced the bicameral GOLDEN DOME Act. The bill works together with President Donald Trump’s executive order on deploying a next-generation missile defense shield, ensuring the United States has the tools it urgently needs to defend against emerging missile threats.

Grand Forks

The legislation delivers major investments in Grand Forks Air Force Base’s intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) capabilities. The bill ensures the base can maintain inventory requirements for its RQ-4 Global Hawks, a critical component of the U.S. Air Force’s ISR operations. Among the provisions, the bill allocates $10 million for the development of corrosion-resistant coatings produced by Technology Applications Group (TAG) in Grand Forks. TAG, a leader in magnesium surface protection and the inventor of the Tagnite anodize coating, will enhance the durability and longevity of key aircraft systems. The NDAA also designates $500 million for Tranche 3 of the Space Development Agency’s (SDA) Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture. I recently visited Vandenberg Space Force Base with Secretary of the Air Force Dr. Troy Meink, observing 21 satellites from SDA’s Tranche 1 ahead of their launch, underscoring North Dakota’s growing role in the nation’s cutting-edge space defense efforts.

Minot

The FY26 NDAA secures $3.8 billion to advance the Sentinel intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) program, a cornerstone of the nation’s nuclear deterrence strategy. The Sentinel ICBM will replace the aging Minuteman III missiles, which have faithfully served for more than 50 years, ensuring that the United States maintains a modern and reliable nuclear arsenal. This funding builds on the $2.5 billion investment included in the budget reconciliation bill, signed into law on July 4, highlighting Congress’ bipartisan commitment to maintaining America’s strategic edge. The NDAA also mandates a minimum ICBM count of 400, reinforcing the nation’s capability to deter nuclear aggression and protect the homeland. Beyond nuclear modernization, the legislation encourages the U.S. Air Force to establish wing-level additive manufacturing facilities. These state-of-the-art facilities will support both conventional and nuclear long-range strike platforms, improving readiness while reducing repair costs and turnaround times, a key step in maintaining a nimble and technologically advanced force. Together, these measures position the United States to stay ahead of emerging threats, modernize its strategic deterrent, and ensure the men and women defending the nation have the tools and infrastructure they need to succeed.

Fargo

The North Dakota Air National Guard's 119th Wing, nicknamed the "Happy Hooligans," plays a central role in the state’s growing mission in remotely piloted aircraft (RPA) operations. These airmen conduct critical missions in support of combat operations, providing real-time intelligence and precision capability to strengthen U.S. forces at home and abroad. The FY26 NDAA includes report language, based on an amendment I introduced with U.S. Senator Jacky Rosen (D-NV). It directs the Secretary of War to provide a briefing to the Committees on Armed Services of the Senate and the House of Representatives no later than June 1, detailing the Department’s plan to establish a status identifier or equivalent recognition for such personnel, including a plan to communicate this information to the Department of Veterans Affairs.

North Dakota National Guard The legislation sets aside $5.2 million to plan and design a new Armory in Jamestown, a project the NDNG identified as a top priority.

Senate Veterans Affairs Committee Considers Bill to Improve Access to Care for Rural Veterans

The Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee examined legislation I introduced with U.S. Senator Tim Sheehy (R-MT) 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 bill would amend the VA MISSION Act of 2018 to create a new category under which care is required to be furnished through community providers, specifically for care sought by a veteran residing with 35 miles of the Critical Access Hospital or Rural Health Clinic.

The North Dakota Rural Health Association and a coalition of 22 rural healthcare providers across North Dakota submitted letters of support for our legislation, writing “Far too long veterans have been stuck in a system where access has been overshadowed by bureaucratic procedure. This legislation offers a streamlined, practical approach which builds on existing infrastructure and recognized designations in rural health care to meaningfully improve veteran access to care.” The bill is also supported by the American Hospital Association, America’s Warrior Partnership, and the National Rural Health Association.

North Dakota Veteran and Critical Access Hospital CEO Marcus Lewis similarly submitted a letter of support for the bill, writing, “My circumstances reflect those of many rural veterans. I live more than three hours from the nearest VA hospital and work more than two hours from that facility. Yet within 50 miles of my home are three community healthcare facilities, including the one I lead, First Care Health. Despite the availability of this high-quality local care, I am currently paying out of pocket for needed therapy because accessing services through the Community Care Network has proven prohibitively difficult.” Many of America’s veterans live in rural or highly rural areas and face major challenges to accessing quality and timely health care. North Dakota has one VA Medical Center in Fargo and eight Community-Based Outpatient Clinics (CBOCs) located in Bismarck, Devils Lake, Dickinson, Grafton, Grand Forks, Jamestown, Minot, and Williston. There are 37 Critical Access Hospitals in towns across North Dakota, but only five of those communities also have a VA CBOC.

At the hearing, Dr. Thomas O’Toole, Acting Assistant Under Secretary for Health for Clinical Services for the Veterans Health Administration, said the agency strongly supports the intent of this legislation as sees the need for it to meet the needs of rural veterans. “I think the sticking point, which you noted, is really how do we create some clarity in language and direction as it relates to prior authorization versus clinical necessity,” said Dr. O’Toole. “That can be achievable and we’re very much looking forward to working with you on how we get appropriate language to make that work.”

Appointment Announced to Serve on the U.S. Air Force Academy Board of Visitors

Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) appointed me to the U.S. Air Force Academy (USAFA) Board of Visitors. The Board of Visitors offers advice and recommendations on USAFA operations, including morale and discipline, curriculum and instruction, academic methods, facilities, and fiscal affairs.

In the Senate, I serve as the chair of the Senate Armed Services (SASC) Airland Subcommittee, and as a North Dakota Senator, I represent our two major active-duty Air Force bases, Grand Forks Air Force Base and Minot Air Force Base, and a vital Air National Guard base in Fargo which remotely operates MQ-9 Reapers.

The Board of Visitors is comprised of 17 members appointed by the President of the United States, the Senate Majority Leader, Senate Minority Leader, Speaker of the House, House Minority Leader, the Chair and Ranking Member of SASC, or the Chair and Ranking Member of the House Armed Services Committee.

Senate Confirms Historic Number of President Trump's Nominees

Despite Senate Democrats' historic efforts to prevent the confirmation of President Trump's nominees, the Senate confirmed 417 nominees this year. We confirmed over 85 percent of the civilian nominee backlog. Our efforts this year outpaced the last two administrations, and we confirmed nominees at the fastest rate in over 20 years.

Legislation Introduced to Prevent Discrimination Against Energy Sources

Following the unprecedented anti-fossil energy initiatives from the Obama and Biden administrations, I 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 disadvantage projects simply because certain sources of energy are utilized.

U.S. Representative Andy Barr (R-KY-06) introduced similar legislation in the U.S. House of Representatives.

DOW Awards More Than $39 Million Contract Modification for Space Operations in Grand Forks

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 and raises the contract ceiling for materials. In addition to Grand Forks, work will also be performed in Scottsdale, Ariz., and Huntsville, Ala. The Space Development Agency (SDA) is the contracting organization. Grand Forks Air Force Base hosts SDA’s ground-based Operations Center North where PWSA satellites are remotely piloted.

 The project is expected to be completed by August 2027. The cumulative face value of the contract is $1,085,940,546. 

Legislation Honoring Commander Delbert Austin Olson Passes House

Fair Access to Banking Bill Highlighted at Senate Banking Committee Hearing

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, I highlighted my 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 preparation for the hearing, I submitted a recent report on debanking released by the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency last week. The report details debanking activities practiced by some of the largest banks in America.

I began by asking Dean of the University of Wyoming College of Law Julie Hill, a banking and commercial law expert, about her earlier testimony regarding reputational risk, which is sometimes created by rumors and exploited by regulators, creating uncertainty. “As bad as bad regulation is, bad regulators are worse, and as bad as regulators are, uncertainty is even harder. And the reality is that reputation comes from rumors and rumors of rumors as much as it does from bad regulation. If we don't put some guardrails on the debanking side, we leave decisions up to a variety of views, political views and otherwise, both in the industry and with the regulators.” Hill described her research, explaining how in a study on reputation risk, it was almost always ancillary to other risky or illegal actions. “So they find a bank that engaged in money laundering, and they say, ‘You shouldn't have engaged in money laundering, because it's illegal, and it causes reputation risk,’ or they find a bank that opened unauthorized accounts, and they say, ‘You shouldn't open unauthorized accounts, because it's illegal, and it causes reputation risk,’” said Hill. “In those instances, reputation risk isn't really doing anything. We might 100% agree that it exists, but regulators don't need that tool to stop that illegal behavior or that risky behavior.” Hill continued, “Reputation risk becomes troublesome when it acts all on its own. So when it's just reputation risk, when you can't point to a violation of the law or increased financial risk, that's when regulators can use it just to punish people for political reasons. And in that case, it's not doing anything to make the financial industry safer. It's just politicizing the regulators, and that's what's wrong.”

I referred to my Fair Access to Banking Act, which would eliminate the ability of banks to use ambiguous terms such as reputational risk to discriminate against customers and penalize banks for denying services based on anything other than empirical data consistent with the banks’ established, impartial risk-management standards. I asked witnesses for their perspective on whether “a penalty, or enforcement mechanism help hold those banks accountable […] and provide for better guidance? […] Does prohibiting debanking imply a mandate to bank?” Kathleen Sgamma, a Principal at Multiple-Use Advocacy which represents the oil and gas sector, responded by stressing the importance of regulators refraining from encouraging debanking “the biggest issue over the last five years from my industry has been making sure the regulators can’t use all these levers. To me, that's the really important part.” Dean Hill concluded by explaining “banks benefit from government supervision and government insurance, which they pay for. So at least in theory, you should be pricing that into your bank model. But the truth of the matter is that there are customers, which it is just difficult to profitably bank. That can be people who overdraw their account or bad credit risks, or it could be marijuana businesses, where the compliance burden is just so high that when you price that into the cost of the account, it becomes prohibitive. I think that there is something of a line between de-banking and being forced to bank, but you've got to be careful about it, because...it will be very difficult, for a bank, to bank some customers.”

Wishing Jewish Communities a Peaceful and Joyous Hanukkah

As Hanukkah - the Festival of Lights - begins, I send my best wishes for a peaceful and joyous holiday to Jewish communities across the United States. It’s a timely reminder that light always overcomes the darkness.

Space Force Celebrates 6th Birthday

Thanks for six years of deterring our adversaries, preserving our space advantage, and defending our freedoms from above. Ever ready, ever committed. It was great to meet my next defense fellow, Guardian Maj. Lauren Collins, whose extensive experience will be an invaluable asset to our team. Semper Supra!

From Cavalier Space Force Station to the Grand Forks Air Force Base and the Space Development Agency in Grand Forks, North Dakota is on the front lines of America’s space superiority. I'm honored, as co-chair of the Senate Space Force Caucus, to help grow North Dakota’s role as a national hub for aerospace and defense.

Air Force Hosts Holiday Reception

I had a great evening celebrating the holiday season with U.S. Air Force and Space Force leadership on the same day Congress sent the National Defense Authorization Act to President Trump's desk. I'm grateful for the men and women who serve our country every day. Thank you for all you do.

"Varney & Co." on Fox Business

I joined Stu Varney on Fox Business' "Varney & Co." to discuss President Trump pledging retaliation after three Americans were killed in Syria attack. We also spoke about President Trump saying the deal to end the war in Ukraine is “closer now than we have ever been.”

Meeting with Lt. Gen. Dale White, Nominee for Direct Reporting Portfolio Manager (DPM) for Critical Major Weapons Systems

Reforming acquisition methods and improving procurement efficiency often happens outside the spotlight, but it is part of the comprehensive approach of President Trump and Secretary of War Hegseth to achieve military dominance. Lt. Gen. White, the nominee for Direct Reporting Portfolio Manager for Critical Major Weapons Systems, shares that vision. He is the right person at the right time to lead the Sentinel program. I look forward to seeing him confirmed!

U.S. Bank CEO Gunjan Kedia

U.S. Bank is a staple household name in the Midwest. I enjoyed meeting U.S. Bank’s new CEO Gunjan Kedia and talking about the challenges and opportunities we face.

U.S. Department Of Education Awards $10 Million to NDDPI

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.