Senator Cramer’s Weekly Update October 10-23

Event Celebrates Letter of Intent Signing to Improve Health Care Access and Services in Lake Region Communities

I celebrated the signing of a Letter of Intent between Essentia Health, Altru Health System, the City of Devils Lake, and Spirit Lake Nation to collaborate on initiatives, including the development of a new health care campus.

Local health care leaders, Spirit Lake Nation, and the City of Devils Lake are coming together to build a healing institution, which will have a healing impact on the entire Lake Region. Scripture says “a cord of three strands is not easily broken.” These strands are communities and relationships which depend on trust.

There have been decades of broken trust and promises. This was a monumental day marking the beginning of a new journey guided by an innovative vision to rebuild strong partnerships, reestablish lost trust, and provide access to quality health care the Lake Region deserves.

Standing Rock Sioux Tribe Visit

I visited the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe reservation at the invitation of Chairwoman Janet Alkire and met with tribal council members to discuss a wide array of issues. I had a wonderful and meaningful visit and I’m thankful to Chairwoman Alkire, the other members of the Council, and the entire team for their kind hospitality.

The day was filled with productive discussions—and a lot of listening on my end—on challenges including veteran services, rural health care needs, energy, transportation, and water infrastructure, resource development, banking, workforce issues, and law enforcement, with a special emphasis on cultural issues.

I toured the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe administrative building, the Indian Health Service hospital, and the Bureau of Indian Affairs Detention Center. The tour of the hospital included the optometry, dental, and behavioral clinic and I heard about plans for a new medical campus, which will improve health care access and services in the region. It was important to see these facilities firsthand.

I left with an extensive to-do list filled with tasks and follow up. I pledge to do everything I can to help the citizens of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe. As a sovereign government, they know what’s best for their members but we can work together as partners in government-to-government relations to upgrade facilities, repair infrastructure, and enhance the overall quality of life for all.

One of the highlights of my day was running into my former students from Sitting Bull College and having time to catch up on their lives. I look forward to future trips to Standing Rock.

Great Plains & EmpowerND Energy Conference

I spoke at the annual Great Plains & EmpowerND Energy Conference at Bismarck State College and participated on the “All of the Above: The Big Picture in State and National Energy Policy” panel moderated by North Dakota Petroleum Council President Ron Ness. The panel also featured Senator John Hoeven (R-ND), Congressman Kelly Armstrong (R-ND), and North Dakota Lieutenant Governor Brent Sanford (R-ND).

Now more than at any point in my lifetime, it is imperative the United States is energy secure. North Dakota leads in clean, safe production of numerous forms of energy and the federal government should be empowering – not stifling – our innovation.

The biggest threat to our energy supply is the Biden Administration. Shutting down certain U.S. energy businesses and producers in the name of climate change, while simultaneously begging communist Venezuela and Saudi Arabia for oil, puts Americans last.

The reality is, producing all forms of American energy will send positive signals to global energy markets, reduce costs, and lower global greenhouse gas emissions.

Solutions are going to come from North Dakota, not Washington, D.C. I applaud our energy community’s continued leadership which not only benefits North Dakota but all of America.

North Dakota Gateway to Science Building Tour

I toured the new North Dakota Gateway to Science building site, a hands-on science center to inspire the discovery of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM). The building includes an education wing with a lab classroom and additional classrooms. The new center also serves as the headquarters for Gateway to Science on the Go, a statewide outreach program.

The new Gateway to Science building will be instrumental in educating and inspiring children of all ages to learn more about science. Students will be able to discover and engage with state-of-the-art exhibits which will cultivate STEM education and long-term career opportunities in North Dakota. I look forward to its grand opening.

Event Celebrates Grand Opening of North Dakota Association of Rural Electric Cooperatives’ Lineworker Training Facility

It was a special moment celebrating the grand opening of the North Dakota Association of Rural Electric Cooperatives headquarters facility and the Lineworker Training Center. My father was a lineworker and I spent three summers at Cass County Electric working with lineworkers. They are dedicated and skilled tradesmen, braving the freezing winter cold and the sweltering summer heat to ensure the lights stay on when we need it the most. The demand for this skill set is enormous and we need them.

Lineworkers have among the noblest careers in our society and they are heroes whose work often prevents the need to call first responders.

The North Dakota Association of Rural Electric Cooperatives’ new facility will better equip, train, and educate the next generation of lineworkers. They have created a beautiful place conducive for work and learning.

Squawk Box Interview Covers American Energy Production and Inflation

I joined CNBC’s Squawk Box to discuss the global need for American energy production. What’s detracted a lot of investment in the oil, gas, and other fossil industries is the long-term prospects of a return on investment. We know how to produce a lot more oil and gas and we can get back at it, but investors have to see a long-term return. Just the attitude coming from the Biden Administration sends the wrong signals to the markets.

We can do better and a lot more. We need a better trade policy that recognizes American energy, in concert with our allies, particularly in Europe, instead of seeking help from OPEC, Venezuela, or Saudi Arabia. Let’s get back to what we know and that is American energy is cleaner than most. We know how to produce it. We can become the exporter.

We also discussed rising inflation rates. I don’t even think it’s a debate anymore that the Federal Reserve was way too slow to respond to signs of inflation. It is now responding way too dramatically with its rate raises. Had it started sooner with more modest increases, we could have avoided the current situation we find ourselves in.

Inflation and the federal response is leading to some form of a recession. I would prefer that we look at the supply side to get us back to producing American energy and providing energy jobs to create a better supply chain.

Kudlow

Interview Discusses Strategic Petroleum Reserve Releases and Biden’s Failing Energy Policy

I joined Larry Kudlow on Fox Business to discuss President Biden’s plan to release an additional 15 million barrels of oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve ahead of midterm elections. This will backfire. It’s only going to have a minimal effect on the price of gasoline when the reserve is already down to only a three-week supply.

Let’s say Hurricane Ian’s younger brother comes into the Gulf Coast and wipes out the coast of Texas and Louisiana. Suddenly we need all of that capacity they were producing. Instead of unleashing the Bakken, West Texas, or other areas in the United States, we would need oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve. It’s only been tapped three times, twice in times of war and once during Hurricane Katrina.

We’ve made ourselves dependent again. From a national security and a geopolitical common-sense standpoint, we should be using our resources to influence the world rather than being influenced by the world.

Interview Discusses Jamie Dimon’s Comments on the Importance of American Energy Leadership

Larry Kudlow and I also discussed JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon’s CNBC interview blasting Joe Biden’s energy policies. As Consumer Price Index numbers remain catastrophically high, Americans are feeling the pain of the Biden Administration’s destructive policies.

Jamie Dimon is right – we need to lead on energy production, which will increase supply, make us less vulnerable to OPEC, and inevitably lead to lower prices.

We’re in a recession. We’re seeing inflation at a high level and rising. While the Federal Reserve tries to fix this by stifling demand, we know well the best way to get out of a recession and reduce inflation is to increase supply.

We need to build and produce more of what we have and what we’ve been blessed with and lead from ahead.

The Record with Greta Van Susteren Interview Covers Fufeng and the Chinese Communist Party

Following her trip to North Dakota, I joined Greta Van Susteren on Newsmax to discuss the Fufeng Group’s purchase of farmland in Grand Forks and the Chinese Communist Party.

I’ve long been in the camp we should have a strategic decoupling from China so we’re not reliant on an adversary. If you look at the record of the Chinese Communist Party and its purchases over the course of the last decade, we have an overreliance on it for things like pharmaceutical supply chains, food supply chains, and critical minerals.

China steals everything it can get its hands on. Grand Forks should reject this opportunity and look somewhere else. I’m more than happy to help them find a better tenant for the land than Fufeng and the Chinese Communist Party.

Letter Demands Federal Highway Administration to Stop Imposing Unlawful Climate Wish List on State DOTs

In a letter to Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) Deputy Administrator Stephanie Pollack, I joined Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV) in voicing strong opposition to the agency’s proposal to implement a greenhouse gas emissions performance measure on state departments of transportation and metropolitan planning organizations.

Nowhere in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act did Congress provide FHWA with any statutory authority to impose the performance measure or the requirement to set declining targets on state departments of transportation and metropolitan planning organizations. FHWA cannot create of its own choosing the authority that Congress debated, considered, and rejected.

Amendments Added to Strengthen FY2023 National Defense Authorization Act

I’m pleased to see the inclusion of my amendments to strengthen this year’s National Defense Authorization Act. The specific amendment on inflation and contract flexibility better allows the Pentagon to tackle rising costs in the defense supply chain.

My other two amendments seek to retain leadership positions at the Space Development Agency and remove the cap on how many excess planes the Department of Defense can transfer to other federal agencies or states in need to fight wildfires.

The NDAA invests in our national security, our brave service members and their families, and our homeland.

It contains funding for North Dakota’s military assets and missions in Minot, Grand Forks, and Cavalier while providing support for our state’s National Guard and the entire North Dakota military community. I look forward to swift passage when the Senate returns in November.

Bipartisan Legislation to Support Veterans During Their Transition to Civilian Life Signed into Law

My bipartisan legislation with Senators Maggie Hassan (D-NH) and Bill Cassidy (R-LA) to strengthen the Solid Start program was signed into law on October 17. The Solid Start program was created by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) during the Trump Administration to contact all veterans three times by phone in the first year after they leave active-duty service to check in and help connect them to VA programs and benefits.

The Solid Start program was created to help veterans transition to civilian life, and I’m glad to see it being signed into law.

Making sure brave servicemen and women have access to the benefits, healthcare, and other resources they earned is a crucial part of my role on the Veterans Affairs Committee. The Solid Start program better supports our veterans ensuring they have access to the services they need.

Supporting Families of the Fallen Act Signed into Law

A bill I introduced with Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) to increase service members’ life insurance benefit coverage was just signed into law. The Supporting Families of the Fallen Act increases service members’ and veterans’ life insurance coverage from $400,000 to $500,000. Until last week, these coverage amounts had not been updated since 2005.

At a time when inflation is soaring to record highs, this new law will allow our veterans to better provide their families with stability and peace of mind for the future. It authorizes a raise in Veterans Affairs life insurance to account for inflation for the first time in 15 years.

Letter Seeks Answers on Changed PayPal Policy to Financially Punish Customers Over “Misinformation”

I joined Senator Thom Tillis (R-NC) in seeking answers over PayPal’s recent announcement of a policy intended to financially punish its customers for expressing views which PayPal arbitrarily classifies as “misinformation.” Though PayPal ultimately rescinded the policy before it could go into effect, we remain concerned about the processes and values in place at PayPal that allowed a policy such as this to move forward in the first place.

This update included language that would have allowed PayPal to fine any one of its 429 million users up to $2,500 per offense for spreading “misinformation.” Disturbingly, the drafting of the policy gave PayPal sole discretion regarding what constitutes “misinformation.” In effect, PayPal sought the ability to define, then punish its users’ public thoughts.

Rail Companies Issue Status Reports on Grain Car Backlog

I announced 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 for the last 10 weeks is below.

Grants for North Dakota

North Dakota Receives Increased Allotment of $335 Million from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law for Transportation

$335,482,642 in Federal-Aid Highway Program funding was awarded to North Dakota through the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act:

• $184,776,387 from the National Highway Performance Program
• $89,891,215 from the Surface Transportation Block Grant Program
• $16,994,648 from the Highway Safety Improvement Program
• $11,692,027 from the Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Improvement
• $9,113,971 from the PROTECT Formula Program
• $8,782,209 from the National Highway Freight Program
• $8,015,300 from the Carbon Reduction Program
• $3,957,675 from the Railway-Highway Crossings Program
• $2,259,210 from Metropolitan Planning

The bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act continues to deliver wins for North Dakota. This funding has already had a substantial impact on our communities.

These funds ensure goods are getting to market and every North Dakotan is driving on safe roads and highways.

North Dakota Receives $45 Million in Bridge Funding from Bipartisan Infrastructure Law

North Dakota received $45,000,000 in Bridge Formula Program funding from the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.

The bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act is bringing real results to North Dakota. When we wrote the bill, my top priority was making sure the bulk of the money was delivered via formula rather than a one-size-fits-all approach.

This historic funding gives North Dakota the flexibility to make investments that work for us and helps ensure every driver is operating on safe roads, bridges, and highways.