President Biden’s Handling of Afghanistan Withdrawal

Floor Speech on President Biden Misleading Americans on Afghanistan Withdrawal

Following Senate hearings on President Biden’s failed Afghanistan withdrawal last week, I delivered remarks on the Senate floor on Wednesday. The withdrawal was an abject failure, and President Biden bears all of the responsibility. The reality is, the president misled the American people to justify his decisions and to downplay his failures. He misled us on the advice he received from senior military officials, the size of Afghanistan’s armed forces, that Americans were left in Afghanistan despite wanting to leave, and the failed retaliatory drone strike.

Now the terrorists are emboldened, our allies are questioning the United States’ resolve, and the United States is less safe. We need to continue investigating and hold the President accountable.

Resolution to Establish a Joint Select Committee on Afghanistan

The American people deserve to know what happened in Afghanistan, and it’s clear congressional hearings alone will not be sufficient for getting them answers. A bipartisan, bicameral joint select committee would be able to provide a comprehensive look at the truth behind why President Biden’s withdrawal failed and what we can do to prevent similar problems in the future.

Debt Limit Increase Passes Senate

On Thursday evening, I voted against Democrats' attempt to raise the debt limit.

This year Democrats have insisted on passing reckless spending bills - like their $2 trillion stimulus package in March and their $5 trillion Green New Deal-style legislation this month - on straight party lines. If they want to raise the nation’s borrowing limits to fund their partisan, big-government socialist agenda, they should do it the same way.

Bipartisan Bill to Help Connect New Veterans to Mental Health Services

Leaving active duty can be a very challenging time for our service members, yet many of them do not know help is available during that transition or where they can receive it.

Maggie Hassan (D-NH) and I introduced the Vet Center Outreach Act, bipartisan legislation to help connect newly separated veterans - who are often at the highest risk for suicide - with critical mental health support through the Department of Veterans Affairs. Our bill would help immediately connect veterans with personalized, available mental health services at a critical point in their return to civilian life.

Senators Press Homeland Security for Answers on Release of Haitian Migrants into U.S.

I joined Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) on a letter asking Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas to address reports that thousands of migrants in Del Rio, Texas were released into the interior of the U.S. instead of facing removal as the Administration had previously pledged.

The Department of Homeland Securty has openly admitted that the rapid influx of Haitian migrants into the interior was orchestrated by smuggling organizations, which only makes some aspects of the agency’s response more puzzling. The Administration’s response to the ongoing border crisis only makes it more likely that we will continue to experience surges like the one in Del Rio.

Bill to Strengthen Diplomacy in the Arctic

The Arctic is an issue of national security to our nation. It’s incredibly important the United States remains fully engaged in the Arctic. I joined Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) in introducing the Arctic Diplomacy Act of 2021, bipartisan legislation which will elevate Arctic issues in U.S. foreign policy by establishing an Assistant Secretary of State for Arctic Affairs who will lead and conduct U.S. foreign policy in the Arctic region and on Arctic issues.

North Dakota plays a pivotal role in the Arctic, given our proximity to the region. The United States is the only Arctic nation that does not have diplomatic representation in the Arctic at the ambassador level or higher. As the region continues to get busier, it is crucial the U.S. has a representative to play an active and influential diplomatic role in the region. Our bill provides exactly that.

Senators Oppose Democrats’ Plan to Make SBA a Direct Lender

I joined Senator Tim Scott (R-SC) on a letter to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Senate Small Business Committee Chair Ben Cardin, and House Small Business Committee Chair Nydia Velasquez warning against Democrats’ plan to make the Small Business Administration a direct lender through their $3.5 trillion spending package.

Allowing the SBA to establish and run a lending program that it regulates will harm job creators and hurt the United States economy as a whole.

North Dakota Agriculture Commissioner

I enjoyed catching up with North Dakota Department of Agriculture Commissioner Doug Goehring on how North Dakota’s agriculture industry is vital to the food security of our nation and the world.

I look forward to working with him to help shore up our supply chains and address farm labor issues.

Danaher Corporation CEO

It was great to meet Danaher Corporation CEO Rainer Blair this week and discuss the acquisition of Fargo’s Aldevron.

Aldevron is one of the companies helping make North Dakota a growing hub for scientific and technological advancements.

Spire Global

Thank you to leaders at Spire Global for the impressing conversation on Wednesday afternoon about our state’s space assets, economic development opportunities, and the potential to expand satellites to North Dakota.

Call with U.S. Export-Import Bank Nominee

I had a great call with Nominee for President of the U.S. Export-Import Bank, Reta Jo Lewis. We discussed the significant relationship the U.S. Export-Import Bank has in relation to our state and the Bank of North Dakota and I look forward to further discussions when she appears before the Banking Committee.

Grants for North Dakota

U.S. Department of Agriculture Awards Funds for Small Business and Entrepreneur Development

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Office of Rural Development awarded the following four grants totaling $167,397:

• $114,397 to Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians to provide technical assistance to assist entrepreneurs and small farmers on the reservation
• $23,000 to the City of Harvey to purchase training equipment for a learning center to promote entrepreneurship to create small and emerging businesses in Wells County area
• $15,000 to Dunn County for establishing a revolving loan fund for small businesses in the county
• $15,000 to Dunn County for establishing a revolving loan fund for small businesses in the county.

Transportation Department Awards $2.3 Million to North Dakota State University

The U.S. Department of Transportation awarded $2,583,300 to North Dakota State University. The funds will go toward a congressionally-mandated program, the Mountains-Plains Consortium University Transportation Centers, which seeks to advance state-of-the-art transportation research and technology for the next generation of transportation professionals.