Senator Cramer’s Weekly Update May 15-21

Washington Times Op-Ed Highlights Importance of Water Infrastructure

I penned an op-ed in the Washington Times to highlight flood control and mitigation efforts in North Dakota and the mid- and long-term economic benefits of water infrastructure investments.

As Ranking Member of the Environment and Public Works Transportation and Infrastructure Subcommittee, I’ve helped craft and negotiate laws like the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and the Water Resources Development Act of 2022. These bills provided $592 million for flood mitigation and other critical water resources in the state.

Make no mistake: North Dakota will continue to flood. But our communities and economies are worth protecting. I look forward to the completion of projects outlined in the Water Resources Development Act of 2022 and the bipartisan infrastructure law, and finally celebrating the joys of spring without the heartache, and backache, of fighting another flood.

Remarks Recognize Vital Role of Independent Community Banks

It was great to meet with the Independent Community Bankers of North Dakota in my Washington, D.C. office on Tuesday. We discussed our legislative priorities and the important services they provide customers across the state.

On Wednesday, I spoke to hundreds of members from the Independent Community Bankers of America about their role in preserving the stability and resilience of the financial system.

Because of their size and scope of service, community banks can be nimble in their response to market fluctuations. We witnessed it during the aftermath of the Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank collapses, so despite the posture of many in the administration, reflexive and broad overregulation is not an appropriate reaction to recent events.

Especially now, we should be working to safeguard community banks’ uniqueness, bolster their position to drive our local economies, and empower their work from the federal level.

In addition to the regulatory landscape, I covered the Fair Access to Banking Act and SAFE Banking Act, two bills I reintroduced this Congress.

Environment and Public Works Committee Hearings

North Dakotans Testify at Transportation and Infrastructure Subcommittee Hearing

In a Transportation and Infrastructure Subcommittee hearing on the water management authorities available to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, I invited two North Dakotans to testify: Ms. Jennifer Verleger, Chair of the Western States Water Council and North Dakota Assistant Attorney General; and Dr. Andrea Travnicek, Director of the North Dakota Department of Water Resources. Both are knowledgeable about water resource management and Corps operations in the region.

My opening remarks underscored the importance of preserving cooperative federalism and states’ rights for water management. I also talked about the Snake Creek Embankment and wins in the 2020 and 2022 Water Resource Development Acts, like the creation of the Western Water Cooperative Committee.

In my questioning to Ms. Verleger and Dr. Travnicek, I asked about legal objections to the proposed Water Supply Rule, the future impacts of the Western Water Cooperative Committee, and the economic data the Corps included with its environmental assessment of the Snake Creek Embankment.

Permitting Hearing Addresses Permitting Timelines and Oil and Gas Leasing in North Dakota

Before questioning at this year’s second committee hearing on permitting form, I talked about average versus firm permitting timelines and oil and gas leasing in North Dakota.

We have plenty of fossil fuel permits issued well into the future, yet we're waiting on hundreds, and hundreds, and hundreds of prepared permit applications on federal lands in North Dakota – the cleanest oil in the world – even after U.S. District Judge Daniel Traynor ordered the administration to stop violating the law and resume required quarterly auctions on federal lands.

Then, I asked Brenda Mallory, Chair of the Council on Environmental Quality, about timelines for environmental impact statements and environmental assessments. We concluded by briefly discussing how court decisions like Chevron v. NRDC or West Virginia v. EPA influence agency operations.

Hearing Covers Water Levels at Lake Ilo and Modern Easement Maps

I urged Martha Williams, Director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, to work with local communities to expeditiously fix the dam at Lake Ilo, which the agency drained again this spring. It needs to identify and implement a long-term solution for the dam – not in a couple years, but now – so Dunn County residents don’t have to clean up rotting fish in the future.

We also discussed new Waterfowl Production Area easements, many of which do not receive satellite overlay maps, and the inconsistent drain tile setback requirements across federal agencies. Ideally, the Fish and Wildlife Service will adopt the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Natural Resources Conservation Service threshold as the uniform standard.

Hearing With Federal Regulators Reviews Recent Bank Failures

More rules and regulations without appropriate regulating will get us nowhere.

At a Banking Committee hearing on Thursday, I questioned regulators about the supervisory shortfalls which contributed to recent bank failures. Witnesses included Federal Reserve Chair for Supervision Michael Barr, Chair of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation Martin Gruenberg, and Acting Comptroller for the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency Michael Hsu.

I asked them about their supervisory responsibilities, the sale of First Republic Bank to JP Morgan, and how social media may have escalated public panic surrounding Silicon Valley Bank and accelerated the March 2023 run.

Legislation to Pull U.S. from New START Treaty

Senator Tom Cotton (R-AR) and I introduced the No START Treaty Act, which officially declares Russia to be in material breach of the New START Treaty and proposes America withdraw from the agreement. The legislation would strengthen the United States’ nuclear forces by placing limits on future arms control negotiations.

Russia has made it clear it will not play by the rules when it comes to their nuclear arsenal. It’s time to take a stand and stop tolerating its treaty violations.

Pulling the U.S. out of New START ensures we are not tying our hands while Russia cheats and China grows unconstrained. We need to modernize and grow our nuclear deterrent.

Senators Push Back on Department of Education Title IX Sports Proposal

I joined Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) in submitting comments to U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona on his department’s proposed changes to Title IX, which would force schools to allow biological males and females to compete against each other in sports, undoing longstanding safeguards for women’s athletics.

Any interpretation of Title IX permitting biological males to participate in female athletics does irreparable harm to women as a protected class under the law.

This proposed rule is a monumental setback for the generations of women who have benefited from Title IX over the last 50 years. The Department should work with Congress on policies to strengthen the protections afforded to women in the original statute.

Legislation Addresses Shortage of Mental Health Providers in Schools

On Tuesday, I reintroduced the Mental Health Excellence in Schools Act with Senators Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) and Todd Young (R-IN). Our legislation aims to boost the pipeline of individuals training to become school psychologists, counselors, and social workers by authorizing the U.S. Department of Education to help cover students’ costs at certain graduate programs via partnerships with eligible academic institutions.

Like so many fields across the state, there simply aren’t enough school-based mental health professionals. Ensuring our kids’ well-being and academic success should be our first priority.

Our bill alleviates the financial strain of earning a graduate degree and encourages more practitioners to work in schools across the state.

Bipartisan Senators Reintroduce Bill to Test Portable Benefits

On Thursday, I introduced the Portable Benefits for Independent Workers Pilot Program Act to enhance independent workers’ access to certain retirement plans and health insurance protections offered to full-time employees.

The bill establishes a grant fund within the U.S. Department of Labor to incentivize states, localities, and nonprofits to experiment with scalable portable benefits models.

Independent workers make up a growing percentage of our workforce, yet they are often ineligible for many benefits employers typically offer. North Dakotans in non-traditional work arrangements deserve access to the same benefits as the rest of the working public.

Letter Cautions Federal Reserve Against Engaging in Climate Activism

I joined Senator Dan Sullivan (R-AK) and seven of our colleagues in sending a letter to Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell discouraging further engagement in environmental, social, and governance issues, as they are beyond the central bank’s statutory authority.

Through its encouragement of climate stress testing, a notch in its growing propensity for environmental activism, the Federal Reserve has signaled bank activities which do not serve net zero by 2050 objectives carry inherent risk. This drives capital away from domestic energy production and empowers adversaries at a critical time for U.S. economic and national security.

Resolution Designates June 10 “Vets Get Outside Day”

I joined two of my Veterans’ Affairs Committee colleagues, Senators Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA) and Angus King (I-ME), in introducing a resolution designating June 10 “Vets Get Outside Day.” Our legislation aims to encourage veterans experiencing mental health challenges to walk, run, hike, bike, and spend more time outdoors.

Fresh air and nature are often the best medicine, and there’s no better place to take advantage of outdoor opportunities than North Dakota.

To combat veteran suicides, our resolution recognizes the positive impacts nature therapies can have on our veterans.

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.

German Ambassador

I met with German Ambassador Emily Haber to discuss aligning climate and trade policies in a way which would reward our strong environmental performances and hold the world’s polluters accountable.

Ukrainian Members of Parliament

I had a productive conversation with Ukrainian Members of Parliament regarding their equipment needs in the fight against Russia, U.S. sanctions on Russia, support from Europe, and Ukraine’s successes thus far.

Deputy Secretary of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Nominee

It was good to meet Deputy Secretary of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs nominee Tanya Bradsher.

As a member of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee, I shared with her a number of issues important to North Dakotans, like access to benefits and care, innovative therapies, and health record modernization.

North Dakota Department of Financial Services Commissioner

North Dakota Department of Financial Institutions Commissioner Lise Kruse visited me following her election as Chair of the Board of Directors for the Conference of State Bank Supervisors. Congratulations to her on this well-deserved honor.

Blue Origin

Representatives from Blue Origin shared with me how they are working on increasing safety, decreasing expenses, and enhancing access to space. I appreciate them stopping by.

Kevin O’Leary

I met with Kevin O’Leary, chairman of O’Leary Ventures, on Tuesday. We discussed North Dakota’s rich business environment and entrepreneurial spirit.

Grants for North Dakota

University of North Dakota Receives Over $38 Million for Carbon Capture Utilization and Storage Technologies

The U.S. Department of Energy awarded $38,148,520 to the University of North Dakota’s Energy & Environmental Research Center to advance the implementation of carbon capture, utilization, and storage technologies at Rainbow Energy’s Coal Creek Station. The resources will also support the university's plans to complete site characterization and permitting efforts for a CO2 storage hub in central North Dakota.

This is another substantive victory from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, delivering a win-win for the people who work at Rainbow Energy and the reliable, clean energy they produce.

North Dakota has been implementing carbon capture, utilization, and storage for decades, and we are leading the way in new, innovative projects.

Department of Health and Human Services Awards Over $2 Million to North Dakota

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services awarded North Dakota organizations $2,075,056 as follows:

• $1,732,096 to the North Dakota Department of Health and Human Services for its Cancer Prevention and Control Program
• $300,000 to the Coal Country Community Health Center for its Rural Health Network and Development Program
• $42,960 to North Dakota State University for its veterinary diagnostic laboratory