Senator Cramer’s Weekly Update October 24-November 6

North Dakota Notches Court Win in Case on Damages from DAPL Protests

District Court for the District of North Dakota Judge Dan Traynor denied the United States’ motion for case management, which sought to limit the scope of North Dakota’s claims seeking damages from the federal government as a result of the Dakota Access Pipeline protests.

Judge Traynor is right to deny the Department of Justice’s motion, which is based more on arrogance than facts. The coordinated efforts by several federal agencies to facilitate illegal and often violent activity to shut down a properly cited and permitted pipeline must be exposed.

The State of North Dakota should not have to make its case with both hands tied behind its back. Full access to witnesses and evidence from all of the participating agencies is important and appropriate. This is a promising win in our state’s vigorous fight to ensure the people of North Dakota are reimbursed fully for the federal government’s negligence. I look forward to seeing what this new avenue of discovery turns up.

Op-Ed Breaks Down the Real Numbers Behind the Bipartisan Infrastructure

I penned a rebuttal to Forum columnist Ross Nelson’s inaccurate commentary on the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA). The IIJA is a worthwhile investment in hard infrastructure, which is fully paid for without raising taxes and greatly benefits North Dakota.

The law provides over $2 billion for just North Dakota’s roads and bridges, a 50% increase. Similarly, the IIJA made an investment of over half a billion dollars in our state’s water infrastructure needs. The vast majority of the funding from the IIJA empowers states by delivering the money by formula, giving flexibility to states rather than federal dictates. These investments are not theoretical, they are already coming to North Dakota.

The IIJA isn’t perfect, but it is conservative and responsible. Democrats stoked the demand side of our economy with trillions of dollars overheating the economy while we emerged from the pandemic and leading to the record-high inflation we see today. Investing in infrastructure is a critical infusion in the supply side of our economy.

President Biden Proposes Oil and Gas Tax Hike

With a week to go until the election, President Biden called for a windfall tax on energy companies.

Joe Biden is driving up oil prices by driving down the opportunity to produce more while complaining oil companies make too much money. He and his Administration cannot be this dumb. Now he wants higher taxes on energy companies, which will obviously raise the gasoline price.

I’ve got an idea for him: pursue the right policies and send the right signals so oil and gas companies can invest in the U.S. and produce more energy at home.

Kudlow

Interviews Discusses Biden’s Energy Policies, Midterm Elections and Climate Policies

I joined Larry Kudlow on Fox Business for two recent interviews where we discussed energy and climate issues and the midterm election.

On October 25, we covered President Joe Biden’s recent calls for a windfall tax on energy companies and a strategy to increase energy production if Republicans win the Senate majority in the midterm election.

If you discourage further production, companies will have less to do with their money. They can’t reinvest it. The energy sector needs long-term promises.

Regarding the midterm elections, we talked about what the Senate could do if we win back the majority. If there’s one thing the Senate has, it’s the power to obstruct. We have the power to say no to a lot of things like the confirmation of nominees.

If Republicans take the Senate, we must be prepared to say no to everybody Joe Biden sends our way until we get some concessions regarding energy production in the United States. In a divided government, this is how transactions can take place. We must use our leverage even if it’s just in the legislative branch.

In the second interview on November 2, we covered Democrats’ hypocritical climate and energy policies with Larry Kudlow. John Kerry, for example, ignores fossil fuels because he worships at the altar of climatology. He represents one of the greatest stories of hypocrisy in the world with his multiple houses, private jets, and big vehicles while telling the rest of us we have to take a subway to work because we need to save the planet. It’s lunacy.

We have to be realistic and cannot put people at the end of the value chain. Democrats have a massive political agenda that has very little to do with climate itself.

There’s value in American-made energy. The cleanest barrel of oil comes from the Bakken in North Dakota. That’s why I like to say the Bakken is the solution, not the Strategic Petroleum Reserve. We do it cleaner. We do it better.

Dakota Digital Discussion Highlights North Dakota’s Unmanned Aerial Systems Ecosystem

I participated in Dakota Digital’s Fall Discussion moderated by Mark Hagerott, PhD, Chancellor of the North Dakota University System. The webinar focused on my recent op-ed, “North Dakota’s Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) Ecosystem is Critical to Keeping Up With Our Adversaries.”

The people who settled North Dakota were innovators from the very beginning. They had to solve big problems just to survive, much less make a living on these harsh Great Plains. Our state’s UAS space has that same pioneering spirit and it has flourished.

The UAS ecosystem in North Dakota is contributing mightily to how we fight wars, how we defend the country, and how we defend liberty around the world. We’re seeing that being played out in Ukraine, as well as other areas.

Our UAS technologies are not only helpful in the context of national security, but also precision agriculture, maintenance programs at technical colleges, degree programs at universities, and additional research and development taking place at both the University of North Dakota and North Dakota State University.

Prairie Pothole Republicans Seek to Eliminate Permanent Federal Easement

Agri-Pulse published an article highlighting my efforts to protect private property rights and fight against bureaucratic overreach in the heavy-handed enforcement of conservation easements. It mentions legislation I introduced to rein in the federal bureaucracy and prohibit agencies from entering into a conservation easement for a term longer than 50 years.

Conservation easement agreements with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service should not be held in perpetuity. Not only do these tie the hands of future generations of farmers, but the federal agencies place undue burdens on land they don’t even own. To make matters worse, bureaucrats don’t listen to landowners’ concerns.

Not a single farmer has won a significant appeal with the agency. They’re supposed to be partners. The problem is if you’re in a partnership with the federal government, you’re the junior partner every time.

Letter Seeks Nonpartisan Assessment of Democrats’ Reckless Inflation Wreckage on America’s Federal Debt

I joined Senator Steve Daines (R-MT) in sending a letter to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) demanding an assessment of the short- and long-term effects of the Democrats’ reckless spending and inflationary policies on the nation’s fiscal future.

We wrote to obtain CBO’s assessment of the effects of rapid acceleration of interest rates on net interest costs of servicing the $31-trillion-plus—and growing—federal debt and effects of the runaway 40-year high consumer price inflation hammering American families and eroding workers’ paychecks.

Bill Introduced to Require DOJ to Prioritize Stopping Violent Crime and Fentanyl Trafficking Over Abusing the FACE Act to Prosecute Nonviolent Pro-Life Advocates

My colleague Bill Hagerty (R-TN) and I announced plans to introduce the Arrest Murderers Not Ministers Act. This bill requires the Department of Justice (DOJ) to redirect Fiscal Year (FY) 2023 law enforcement resources from politically driven prosecutions of nonviolent pro-life advocates under the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act to instead prosecute offenders who have committed violent crimes, drug trafficking crimes, including those involving fentanyl and other synthetic opioids, or illegal-immigration-related crimes.

Joe Biden and Merrick Garland’s Department of Justice continues to abuse its power by targeting peaceful, pro-life advocates. The Arrest Murderers Not Ministers Act directs the DOJ to use their resources to charge people who have committed violent crimes and actually broken the law.

Statement Brings Attention to Jimmy Lai’s Sham Conviction in Hong Kong

In October, I condemned the sham trial and conviction of Jimmy Lai in Hong Kong. Jimmy Lai is a man of integrity and character – a strong advocate for press freedom and democracy, a man of faith, a devoted husband and father, and a hardworking entrepreneur.

The Chinese Communist Party is using bogus fraud charges to smear Mr. Lai’s reputation and justify an additional sham National Security Law trial in December.

We have not forgotten the plight of Hong Kongers, Mr. Lai, and many other political prisoners in Hong Kong. The international community is closely watching Mr. Lai’s so-called “fraud” conviction and future National Security Law trials.

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

Bipartisan Infrastructure Law Success Story: North Dakota Receives $516,380 for Broadband Planning

North Dakota received a $516,380 grant from the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act for state broadband planning.

The state will use this funding to map out areas needing broadband development, which will be followed by implementation grants.

The program aims to ensure that all people and communities have the skills, technology, and capacity needed to reap the full benefits of our digital economy.

Department of Agriculture Awards $55 Million for a New Heart of America Medical Center

The U.S. Department of Agriculture Office of Rural Development has awarded a total of $55,243,000 to replace the Heart of America Medical Center in Rugby, North Dakota:

• $50,243,000 Community Facilities Loan
• $5,000,000 Community Facilities Guaranteed Loan

The new facility will include a critical access hospital, emergency room, procedure suite, imaging, lab, pharmacy, and business office. The hospital will provide 25 beds, of which six will be acute care beds, one observation bed, and 18 swing beds to provide senior living space.

It will include a clinic area and allow for the continuation of much-needed medical services to Rugby and the surrounding communities benefitting 12,758 rural residents living in Pierce, Benson, McHenry, and Rolette counties.

Department of Health and Human Services Awards $370,000 to North Dakota for Maternal and Child Health Services

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services awarded $370,173 to the North Dakota Department of Health and Human Services.

The funds will be used to provide maternal and child health services.

Department of Agriculture Awards $10.5 Million to North Dakota Meat and Poultry Processing Plants

The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced the following $10,471,525 in grant funding through the Meat and Poultry Intermediary Lending Program and Meat and Poultry Processing Expansion Program:

• $10,000,000 to Lewis and Clark Regional Development Council
• $471,525 to South 40 Beef LLC

These funds will help these entities to increase capacity, reduce the time and distance cattle producers currently travel, strengthen the capacity for independent processors, and help create a more diverse and secure U.S. supply chain.