Senate Passes the NDAA
Last week, the United States Senate passed the National Defense Authorization Act with strong bipartisan support. It bolsters our nuclear triad, improves the livelihood of our all-volunteer military force, establishes the United States Space Force, and reflects the priorities of North Dakota. I am thankful to my colleagues for their efforts and collaboration on this bill. Congress now moves one step closer to fulfilling its obligation to provide for the common defense of our nation. Now the House must act.
You can hear more about the bill below.
Ahead of the vote, I went to the Senate floor to speak on the importance of passing the NDAA. The primary obligation of Congress is to provide for the common defense of our nation. With this bipartisan legislation, we give our armed forces the resources they need.
Congrats to GFAFB
Last week, the Air Force officially re-designated the 319th Air Base Wing in Grand Forks as the 319th Reconnaissance Wing.
This re-designation by the Air Force is the right one, and I offer my congratulations to everyone who made it happen. Being a ‘host wing’ is a big deal, and it provides the Airmen assigned to Grand Forks the formal designation for the flying mission their work supports.
The base is well positioned for the future. It has a proven track record of success, equipped with a strategic location and a community that supports it. Combined with the years of experience of working with unmanned aircraft, Grand Forks is the perfect base for taking on the challenges our world faces.
American Legion's Centennial Year
I celebrated the American Legion’s centennial year in Grand Forks. We are thankful for our men and women who risked their lives to preserve our freedom. The American Legion is a great resource not for only our deserving veterans, but also for the local communities surrounding them.
Protecting Life
My colleagues, Montana Senator Steve Daines and Tennessee Senator Marsha Blackburn, joined me in introducing the Patient Rights Act, a bill to restrict federal funding for health care entities that do not respect all human life and patient rights.
The unborn deserve the same rights as any other human being. All patients- from the unborn to the elderly- are given the unalienable right to life, but our current system too often denies them of it. Organizations that do not honor the right to life at any of its stages do not deserve taxpayer funds, and this bill reflects that truth.
Senator Daines and I also helped Senator Blackburn introduce her bill, the Protecting Life and Taxpayers Act, which halts the use of taxpayer dollars to fund abortion services. While current law prohibits federal funds from being used for abortions, companies like Planned Parenthood still receive millions of taxpayer dollars each year. Because federal funds pay for other parts of an organization’s operations, more money is available to fund abortion services, thus turning these taxpayer dollars into de-facto subsidy for abortion. This bill closes that loophole by prohibiting federal funds not just from being used to pay for abortions, but also from going to any entity that performs abortions.
Addressing the Humanitarian Crisis at the Border
On Thursday, Congress passed the Border Supplemental Appropriations Act, a bill to provide emergency funding to address the humanitarian crisis at the southern border.
Each day thousands of immigrants arrive at our southern border, many of whom are children or victims of sex trafficking. We must be able to provide them with basic living conditions while they await their hearings, but our immigration operations are under-funded and ill-equipped to assist them.
After months of resistance from Democrats the Senate passed an emergency funding bill, backed by both parties and the President, to adequately fund humanitarian response efforts. I am pleased the House put politics aside and passed the bill. Partisan pandering has caused enough pain. Now, the bill goes to the President's desk for his signature.
New Iran Sanctions
President Trump dealt another blow to Iran by imposing further sanctions and giving his administration the authority to crack down on their funding sources.
Let’s be clear: Iran was sanctioned because they refuse to end their support for terrorist activities that threaten the safety of us and our allies, and these sanctions are working. Iran’s economy is weakening and their leadership is losing support. While a disproportionate response to their recent retaliation could have united the Iranian people against the United States, these new sanctions deal another blow to their already-struggling economy and remind the Iranian people that the real adversary is their leadership, not ours.
Our Next Generation of Workers
The U.S. Department of Labor released a new proposal on apprenticeship programs.
Apprenticeship programs help bridge the gap between the next generation of workers and our country’s workforce shortage. This proposal gives private businesses the opportunity to create paid and accountable apprenticeships where the emerging workforce can learn the skills they need.
I applaud Secretary Acosta for offering these solutions and President Trump for prioritizing programs that will help workers equip themselves for the available jobs in this rocketship economy.
North Dakotans in Washington
Contact Me
I currently have offices in Fargo, Minot and Washington, D.C. Offices in Grand Forks and Bismarck will open in July. You can stop by or call any of the following offices. You can also visit my website at www.cramer.senate.gov.
Minot
105 Federal Building
100 First Street SW
Minot, ND 58701
701-837-6141
Fargo
306 Federal Building
657 Second Avenue North
Fargo, ND 58102
701-232-5094
Washington, D.C.
400 Russell Senate Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20510
202-224-2043
Weekly Radio and TV Schedule
RADIO
What's On Your Mind
Wednesdays from 10:00 to 11:00 a.m. central
KFYR 550 AM - Bismarck
1100 The Flag - Fargo
KLTC 1460 AM - Dickinson
KTGO 1090 AM - Tioga
Jarrod Thomas Show
Thursdays from 10:00 to 10:30 a.m. central
KNOX 1310 AM - Grand Forks
Rick Jensen
Thursdays from 10:30 to 11:00 a.m. central
KHND 1470 AM - Harvey
Jay Thomas
Every other Tuesday from 3:00 to 3:30 p.m. central
PODCAST
Rob Port - Plain Talk Podcast
Thursday mornings
Say Anything Blog
TELEVISION
Chris Berg - Point of View
6:30 p.m. central (Semi-Monthly)
Valley News Live - Fargo
Photo credit: North Dakota Tourism Department and the Office of U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer
Credits:
PC: North Dakota Tourism