Senator Cramer's Weekly Update June 20-26

Supreme Court Overturns Roe v. Wade and Stands for Life

On Friday, the Supreme Court issued a decision on Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization overturning both Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey.

This ruling from the Supreme Court is a win for life and states’ rights. It is one of the most consequential decisions in my lifetime.

In the last 50 years since the Roe v. Wade decision, millions of helpless babies have been murdered. Countless lives will now be saved and the fundamental principle of federalism is restored. This ruling reaffirms the tradition of the State of North Dakota to protect every human life whether unborn or aged, healthy or sick, and I am heartened the majority of the Supreme Court agrees.

Opposition to Senate Gun Legislation

If I had been in Washington, D.C., last week, I would have voted in opposition to the Senate’s gun control legislation.

I am committed to policies addressing mental health and securing our schools, but I cannot condone the infringement on Americans’ constitutionally guaranteed Second Amendment liberties.

This bill was crafted without any committee process or refining amendments. It is past time for the Senate to function within its rules and designed structure.

At the end of the day, I cannot support legislation which restricts the Second Amendment right to bear arms for law-abiding American citizens.

President Biden Requests to Suspend the Gas Tax

On Wednesday, President Biden requested a gas tax holiday from Congress.

When gas is $5 a gallon, the American people aren’t asking for 18 cents of relief, they want the Trump energy policies back. Suspending the gas tax is nothing more than a knee-jerk political stunt providing minimal relief while blowing a hole in our infrastructure funding.

Lest we forget, President Obama called this idea a “gimmick.” Asking Congress to suspend the 18-cent-per-gallon gas tax is a feckless motion to Americans paying $5 at the pump to drive to work and take their long-delayed vacations.

If the Biden Administration is serious about combating inflation and lowering gas prices, it needs to take a complete 180 on its energy policies and pro-regulation agenda.

Yard Work Injury

While working in the yard over the weekend, I sustained an injury to my right hand, which required immediate surgery. I continue to remain in North Dakota close to medical care as there is a high risk of infection.

Although I am missing this week of votes and hearings, I am monitoring Senate business closely and in constant contact with my colleagues and staff.

I plan to return to Washington, after the Independence Day state work period and expect to be doling out a lot of left-handed fist bumps.

Bill Introduced to Block Biden From Declaring Federal Emergencies on Abortion

I joined Marco Rubio (R-FL) in introducing a bill last week titled the Prohibiting Federal Emergencies for Abortion Act. The legislation follows reports the Biden Administration may declare a public-health emergency to protect access to abortion services nationwide after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade.

Our bill would block the abuse of this executive authority granted under the Public Health Service Act, including other emergency declarations under the National Emergencies Act and the Stafford Act.

Democrats will do anything to continue their horrific assault against unborn children. The Prohibiting Federal Emergencies for Abortion Act stops the Biden Administration from exploiting executive privilege to further their pro-abortion agenda. Every life is valuable and must be protected.

Bill Preserves Freedom of Choice in Payment for Goods and Services

Senator Bob Menendez (D-NJ) and I reintroduced the Payment Choice Act to ensure customers have the freedom to choose how to pay for goods and services. With the increased use of electronic and contactless methods of payment and many businesses refusing cash, consumers without access to financial services face a disproportionate burden.

Prohibiting cash payments is an act of discrimination against the millions of Americans who do not have bank accounts or prefer cash. It also forces customers to exclusively use a less secure form of payment.

The Payment Choice Act protects people’s right to participate in the economy using their preferred form of payment.

Supreme Court Rules New York’s Concealed Carry Regulations Unconstitutional

The Supreme Court ruled on Thursday that New York’s regulations making it difficult to obtain a license to carry a concealed handgun were unconstitutionally restrictive.

New York’s concealed carry law absolutely violates American citizens’ Second Amendment right to bear arms. I’m glad to see the Supreme Court reaffirm and protect this constitutional right.

Letter Urges the Environmental Protection Agency to Consider the Benefits and Realities of Digital Asset Mining

I joined Senator Cynthia Lummis (R-WY), Representative Patrick McHenry (R-NC), and 12 of our colleagues in sending a letter to Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Michael Regan urging him to fully study the potential environmental impacts of digital asset mining, including beneficial uses, before considering environmental regulation.

Bitcoin mining that utilizes flared gas is reducing methane emissions in Texas, New Mexico, Colorado, West Virginia, Ohio, and North Dakota. This private sector-led breakthrough is an important tool to a lower emission future.

Digital asset mining can have a substantial stabilizing effect on energy grids. It maintains robust baseload levels, yet it can be switched off quickly in times of peak demand.

Letter to President Biden Expresses Concern Over Tariff Moratorium on Imported Solar Panels

In a letter to President Biden, Senator Rob Portman (R-OH) and I expressed concern over his decision to impose a two-year tariff moratorium on imported solar panels. This decision increases our dependence on China, rewards unfair trade practices, harms U.S. workers, and represents an executive branch overreach.

The United States is already over-reliant on China for solar power. Currently, 80 percent of our solar panels come from China or Chinese companies.

China has used a variety of anti-free market practices, such as industrial subsidies, to come to dominate the solar sector. This is why the United States imposed anti-dumping and countervailing duty orders on unfairly traded solar panel imports from China as early as 2012 and why the Department of Commerce is investigating circumvention of those and exporters in other countries.

We cannot afford to trade dependence on Russian energy for that of Chinese solar panels. It is counter to the national interest to rely on our adversaries for our energy needs.

Bicameral Statement Calls on Biden Administration to Reverse Plan to Create Unofficial U.S. Consulate to the Palestinians in Jerusalem

On Wednesday, I joined Senator Bill Hagerty (R-TN), Representative Lee Zeldin (R-NY), and 79 of our colleagues in releasing a bicameral joint statement, calling on the Biden Administration to reverse course on its plan to erode the full and faithful implementation of the Jerusalem Embassy Act of 1995 by moving the Palestinian Affairs Unit out of the U.S. Ambassador to Israel’s reporting chain of command and renaming it the “U.S. Office of Palestinian Affairs” that would serve as an unofficial U.S. consulate to the Palestinians in Jerusalem.

This unprecedented arrangement is an effort to open an unofficial and de facto U.S. consulate to the Palestinians in Jerusalem. The Biden Administration’s decision is wrong and not how America should treat Israel, one of our closest allies in the world.

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

Department of Health and Human Services Awards $6.5 Million to North Dakota

The Department of Health and Human Services awarded the following three grants totaling $6,541,557:

• $2,808,827 to Grand Forks Public School District for Head Start projects
• $1,912,666 to Bismarck Public School District for Head Start projects
• $1,820,064 to the North Dakota Department of Health to improve Diabetes, Heart Disease, and Stroke Prevention programs.

The funds for Grand Forks Public School District and Bismarck Public School District come through the Head Start and Early Head Start programs, which promote school readiness for young children and toddlers from low-income families by enhancing their cognitive, social, and emotional development as well as early learning, health, and family well-being.

The funds for the North Dakota Department of Health come from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.