Senator Cramer's Weekly Update may 30-june 5

Memorial Day Ceremony at North Dakota State Veterans Cemetery Honors Veterans

This Memorial Day I was grateful to visit with North Dakota veterans at the state veterans cemetery in Mandan as we honored those who made the ultimate sacrifice.

Thank you to all veterans for your patriotism and selfless service to our nation.

North Dakota’s First-Ever Dedicated Soybean Crushing Plant Breaks Ground in Spiritwood

On Thursday, I celebrated the groundbreaking of North Dakota’s first-ever dedicated soybean crushing plant and refinery with ADM, Marathon Petroleum, Governor Doug Burgum (R-ND), Senator John Hoeven (R-ND), Congressman Kelly Armstrong (R-ND), local leaders, and North Dakota’s agricultural community in Spiritwood, ND.

This groundbreaking is a celebration of our impressive soybean producers, robust fuel manufacturing industry, and foresight of local leaders. Green Bison Soy Processing will provide good-paying jobs, additional economic opportunities for Spiritwood and Jamestown, and more reliable and profitable markets for producers in the area.

The approximately $350 million soybean crushing and refinery complex will have the capacity to process 150,000 bushels of soybeans per day. The facility is expected to be complete prior to the 2023 harvest.

Federal Reserve Chairman Powell Shares Views on Inflation During Phone Call

I enjoyed the opportunity to visit with Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell on Tuesday afternoon following his meeting with President Biden. We discussed the strength of the U.S. dollar and the Federal Reserve’s plan to combat inflation.

I also invited Chairman Powell to North Dakota this summer for my "Bully Pulpit" speaker series, where a variety of influential public and business leaders visit North Dakota to hear from constituents and share their expertise in a format designed for constructive discussions.

Bismarck Mandan Chamber EDC Meeting Covers Many Issues

It was great to meet with the Bismarck Mandan Chamber of Commerce EDC today to discuss inflation, interest rates, workforce challenges, and the disconnect between a far-left environmental, social, and corporate governance movement and reality.

Now, more than ever, we need local, commonsense solutions to deal with the very real impacts of Joe Biden’s inflationary spending and policies. Amidst this backdrop, we need not pander to woke, ESG-toting corporations, but deal with the reality at hand. North Dakota, not the swamp of Washington, D.C., will be the antidote, but we cannot let big government bureaucracy get in the way.

We spoke about the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, which will work to confront inflation and supply chain problems facing North Dakota and American businesses.

There was also a brief discussion on the large trade imbalance with China and the need to pursue trade deals with allies, which would advance labor standards, lower global greenhouse gas emissions, and diminish China’s economic stranglehold over the West.

Kudlow Interview Discusses Inflation and China Tariffs

I joined Larry Kudlow on Fox Business to discuss President Joe Biden’s refusal to change course on his disastrous fiscal policies to combat skyrocketing inflation.

When Joe Biden became president inflation was 1.4%. It’s now 8.3%. I don’t know if there is an end in sight and it’s very concerning.

I also encouraged the Biden Administration to keep Section 301 tariffs on China. It’s one of the few smart things carried over from the Trump Administration to this Administration, but there has been talk about possibly lifting them. It’s the only leverage we have right now on China and we need to use it more.

We ought to be doing more business with people we know and love who share our values, like Europe. This gets back to producing more oil and gas that Europe needs from us.

Mornings with Maria Interview Discusses Biden’s Disastrous Economic Policies

I joined Maria Bartiromo on Mornings with Maria to discuss President Biden’s meeting with Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell and the Administration’s misleading rhetoric and dangerous policies which are crippling the American economy.

The first thing Biden could do is lift all of his regulatory craziness.

The reality is he inherited a robust economy built on a strong foundation, built on lower regulations and lower taxes. Instead of seeing that, President Biden doubled down on dumb. He passed the American Rescue Plan with just Democratic support, which added $2 trillion of fuel to the fires of inflation, increased regulations, and stopped oil development. All of these things send bad signals to investors and into the marketplace.

Legislation Calls Out Iran-China Ties

I joined Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) in introducing the Iran China Accountability Act, which calls attention to Iran’s ties with Communist China by prohibiting the obligation or expenditure of any taxpayer dollars to advance a nuclear agreement with Iran until the regime terminates their ties with Communist China and terrorist groups like Hamas.

Giving the largest state sponsor of terrorism a nuclear weapon only helps our adversaries. It is long past time for the Biden Administration to prioritize the national security of the United States and our allies.

The Iran China Accountability Act ensures American interests are protected and taxpayer dollars will not fund the Iranian terrorist regime.

Pro-Life Senators Pledge to Block Taxpayer Funding for Abortion

I joined Senator Steve Daines (R-MT) and Senator James Lankford (R-OK), on a letter signed by 45 other pro-life senators to send a unified message to Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) pledging to block any bill that would undermine the Hyde Amendment, which prohibits taxpayer funding for abortion, or any other pro-life protections.

My pro-life colleagues and I fully are committed to vote against the advancement of any legislation that would eliminate or weaken the Hyde Amendment or any other current-law pro-life protections, or otherwise undermine existing Federal pro-life policy. We firmly renew this commitment.

For more than 45 years, the Hyde Amendment has ensured that taxpayer dollars are not used to fund abortions, saving the lives of nearly 2.5 million preborn children.

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.

Starting June 3, the STB is requiring BNSF Railway, CSX Transportation, Norfolk Southern Railway, and Union Pacific to file service progress reports further explaining efforts to correct service deficiencies. They will continue to file service progress reports every two weeks for six months. Starting June 15, the STB will also require all class I railroads to report additional employment data for six months.

Grants for North Dakota

Indian Health Service Awards $57.7 Million from Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to North Dakota Tribes

The Indian Health Service awarded $57,715,390 from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act to North Dakota tribes to improve water and sanitation systems.

Tribes know best what their communities need and this funding from the bipartisan infrastructure law is a much-needed investment to improve their water and sanitation systems.

Department of Transportation Awards $6.7 Million to North Dakota Department of Transportation for Railroad Repair in Oakes

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Railroad Administration awarded $6,704,544 to the North Dakota Department of Transportation for Rural Economic Preservation Through Rail Replacement.

The proposed project will replace approximately 14.5 miles of old jointed rail with continuous welded rail on the Red River Valley & Western Railroad between Independence and Oakes, North Dakota. The project will result in a more dependable rail system and maintain economic competitiveness for the impacted area with a heavy focus on an agricultural market in anticipation of future demand.

U.S. Department of Agriculture Awards $17.3 Million for North Dakota Biofuel Producers and Facilities

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Rural Development Program awarded the following funding totaling $17,272,533.08 for biofuel producers and facilities in North Dakota:

• $6,777,977.90 to Hankinson Renewable Energy in Hankinson
• $4,562,256.25 to Midwest Energy Group in Underwood
• $4,259,723.53 to Red Trail Energy in Richardton
• $1,334,512.37 to Tharaldson Ethanol Plant I in Casselton
• $288,063.03 to Red River Biorefinery in Grand Forks
• $50,000 to Archer, Daniels and Midland Company Facilities

The bipartisan CARES Act continues to aid all industries from energy and agriculture to health care. Today’s funding invests in biofuel producers and facilities across North Dakota as the American economy recovers from the COVID-19 pandemic.

The funds are from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, legislation crafted in the Senate to aid all industries at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic which I helped pass in March 2020.

Interior Awards $2.3 Million for North Dakota Public Parks, Outdoor Recreation Projects

The Department of the Interior awarded $2,327,058 to North Dakota from the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF).

The funds are authorized by Congress through LWCF and the State of North Dakota will further allocate these funds to support local public parks projects, state conservation, and expand outdoor recreation access.