My Veterans Day 2021 Message

On Veterans Day, we pause to celebrate the service and the sacrifice of America’s veterans. I’m tremendously grateful our veterans answered the call to serve, and it’s because of their dedication to our nation we’re able to cherish our liberties and our God-given rights.

To our veterans and to their families, thank you for all you do and sacrifice. May God bless you and our great country.

The Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill

Congress Passes Infrastructure Package: Includes $413.5 Billion for Road, Bridge and Highway Projects

This bill is the right thing to do for North Dakota and our country, as it confronts the inflation and supply chain problems facing every American. Unlike the Democrats’ wasteful, partisan tax and spending spree, the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act makes long overdue investments in the roads and bridges every American uses and is fully paid for. Washington has long promised to prioritize our nation’s vast infrastructure needs, yet partisan politics have stood in the way of common sense.

House Democrats should have never held hard infrastructure hostage, and they should have never linked it to their sprawling, socialist wish list. These two bills are separate and this vote proved it. Bipartisan common sense prevailed while House Democrats were unable to cobble together the votes to pass a proposal they know does not have the full support from their own party, not to mention the American people.

Highlighting the Wins for North Dakota

On Wednesday, I joined North Dakota Department of Transportation Director Bill Panos, Associated General Contractors of North Dakota Executive Vice President Russ Hanson, and Greater North Dakota Chamber President and CEO Arik Spencer to highlight how the bill will benefit our state through permitting reform, grant programs for rural communities, increased funding and flexibility for North Dakota’s Department of Transportation, energy initiatives, drinking water and wastewater infrastructure, and more.

What I look for are opportunities where there are winners on all sides. And that’s what we have in this bill. There are really two things in our U.S. Constitution the federal government is charged with, everything else is left to the states. One of them, of course, is national security and the other is interstate commerce. The interesting thing particularly about surface transportation is that it’s a combination of the two. The bill invests in the system responsible for moving our goods and services, which simultaneously grows the American economy and geopolitical strength. It is our federalism system at work.

These wins include $2 billion for North Dakota’s roads, bridges, and highways, which is a 50% increase above current levels over the next five years, $213 million to improve and upgrade North Dakota’s drinking water and wastewater infrastructure, at least $100 million to expand broadband access in the state, and $94 million for North Dakota airports over five years to name a few.

Basin Electric Annual Meeting Highlights Carbon Capture Technology

I delivered remarks at the Basin Electric Annual Meeting on Wednesday, highlighting carbon capture technology and current legislation before Congress.

North Dakota is leading the way in the development of clean, reliable energy by investing and applying carbon capture technologies to lignite, oil, and ethanol facilities. The Biden Administration has put a target on coal country and domestic energy production, when we are part of the solution.

Basin Electric has been a wonderful partner in expanding access to affordable, reliable, and responsible energy and I look forward to continuing our work together.

Receiving the Associated Builders and Contractors’ Eagle Award

I was honored to receive the Eagle Award from the Associated Builders and Contractors on Monday. This award recognizes exemplary legislators and their strong support for the American construction industry.

The businesses represented by the Associated Builders and Contractors, which are locally-owned companies, are the heartbeat of North Dakota. They are entrepreneurs building the homes, businesses, schools, hospitals, and infrastructure that make up our communities.

Addressing the Crop Outlook and International Durum Forum

On Tuesday, I delivered remarks at the U.S. Durum Growers Association Crop Outlook and International Durum Forum in Minot highlighting what the federal employee vaccine mandate means for North Dakota producers.

Our durum growers and other agriculture producers are persevering despite the federal overreach by Joe Biden. As we continue to tackle issues like vaccine mandates, it is good to hear producers’ views on how to assist our workforce and help our producers stay strong in the face of federal overreach.

We also discussed Democrats' efforts to expand farm bill conservation programs through the budget reconciliation process, which harms the bipartisan basis of the farm bill.

North Dakota Retailers

Thank you representatives from the North Dakota Petroleum Marketers Association, National Association of Convenience Stores, North Dakota Retail Association, North Dakota Grocers Association, Energy Marketers of America, and National Retail Federation for meeting with me to discuss credit card interchange fees. Your businesses play a vital role in keeping our state running.

North Dakota University System Chancellor

I enjoyed meeting with North Dakota University System Chancellor Mark Hagerott. We discussed North Dakota’s leading role in the development of unmanned aircraft systems, cybersecurity threats and defense challenges in a growing digital world.

Lorraine Davis

I met with Lorraine Davis this week to hear about the great work she’s doing with the Native American Development Center in Bismarck. Her commitment to help Native Americans stay connected to their culture while providing essential services to enhance their quality of life is inspiring.

Grants for North Dakota

U.S. Department of Agriculture Awards $1.1 Million to North Dakota Colleges to Support Tribal Students and Communities

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture awarded the following four grants totaling $1,139,740 for Tribal Colleges and Institutions. Funding like this is crucial to better serve tribal students and communities in North Dakota.

• $454,740 to United Tribes Technical College for polymer degradation and impact on human health research
• $370,000 to North Dakota State University to increase enrollment, retention, and graduation rates of tribal students
• $220,000 to Fort Berthold Community College to create a Missouri River Consortium through the Tribal Colleges and Universities located along the Missouri River
• $95,000 to Fort Berthold Community College for Trauma-Focused Equine Assisted Learning integration.

U.S. Department of Justice Awards $1.5 Million to North Dakota Correction Department

The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) awarded $1,542,174 to the North Dakota Department of Corrections.

The funds will be used for the North Dakota Helping Educators Lead with Positivity program. The program embeds school-wide positive behavior intervention to increase positive behavior, decrease punitive consequences, and implement prevention-focused interventions earlier, which will result in sustainability. The program will work with five to eight North Dakota schools with a total of 4,000 students.

U.S. Department of Justice Awards $400k to University of North Dakota School of Law

The U.S. Department of Justice awarded $400,000 to the University of North Dakota.

The funds will be used by the Tribal Judicial Institute at the UND School of Law for the Fiscal Year 2021 Tribal Justice System Infrastructure Program.