News Releases
Hoeven Advancing Implementation of VA MISSION Act & LTC Legislation to Ensure Veterans Can Access Local Providers
MINOT, N.D. - Senator John Hoeven today brought together officials from the Fargo Veterans Affairs (VA) Health Care System, veteran service organizations and local veterans for a roundtable, where he outlined his efforts to: Ensure the proper implementation of the VA MISSION Act, including key provisions of the senator's Veterans Access to Long Term Care and Health Services Act. Maintain the Veterans Care Coordination initiative at the Fargo VA to ensure community care appointments are sched… Continue Reading
06.28.19
Hoeven Statement on Re-Designation of Grand Forks Air Force Base
GRAND FORKS, N.D. - Senator John Hoeven today issued the following statement marking the re-designation of the Grand Forks Air Force Base (GFAFB) as an Air Reconnaissance Wing, establishing it as the lead base for U.S. Air Force Global Hawk operations. Last month, Hoeven joined then-Air Force Secretary Heather Wilson in announcing the base's new role, which gives it authority over the following fleet: Four Block 20 Global Hawks carrying the Battlefield Airborne Communications Node (BACN) assi… Continue Reading
06.27.19
Senate Passes FY2020 NDAA with Hoeven-Sponsored Legislation to Support ICBM Modernization
WASHINGTON - Senator John Hoeven, a member of the Senate Defense Appropriations Committee, today joined the Senate in passing the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year (FY) 2020. Earlier today, Hoeven delivered remarks on the Senate floor in support of the legislation, outlining its importance to the nation and urging his colleagues to pass the bill, which: Supports a 3.1 percent pay raise for members of the Armed Forces, the largest increase in nearly a decade. Includes … Continue Reading
06.27.19
Corps Informs Hoeven Missouri River Should Stabilize at Current Level
WASHINGTON - Senator John Hoeven spoke with John Remus, Chief of Missouri River Water Management Division for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, who informed the senator that the Corps does not plan to increase current releases of 46,000 cfs out of Garrison Dam, and the Missouri River water level should not increase any further. The Corps did indicate that the river would remain at the current high level through August. "We've been closely monitoring the Corps' management of the Missouri River … Continue Reading
06.26.19
Hoeven Announces Funding for Water Infrastructure Projects in Three North Dakota Cities
WASHINGTON - Senator John Hoeven, chairman of the Senate Agriculture Appropriations Committee, today announced that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development has awarded a total of $1,340,000 in grants and $1,785,000 in loans for water infrastructure projects in North Dakota. Details of the funding are as follows: City of Medina - $537,000 grant, $668,000 loan - The funds will be used for water and sewer improvements, replacing water mains, fire hydrants and gate valves in t… Continue Reading
06.26.19
Hoeven Statement After Senate Passes Funding to Help Address Border Security Needs
WASHINGTON - Senator John Hoeven, a member of the Senate Homeland Security Appropriations Committee, today released the following statement after working to secure nearly $4.6 billion in funding requested by the Administration to help address security and humanitarian needs at the border. "We need to secure the border and enforce the law. We continue working to provide the Administration with the resources and tools necessary to deal with the emergency situation at the border. We approved this … Continue Reading
06.26.19
Hoeven: BOR Agrees to Plan for Transfer of Oakes Test Site to Dickey-Sargent Irrigation District
WASHINGTON - Senator John Hoeven today announced that the Bureau of Reclamation (BOR) has agreed to a plan to enable the transfer of the Oakes Test Area to the Dickey-Sargent Irrigation District (DSID). That includes: Transferring the operations and maintenance (O&M) responsibility for the facility from the Garrison Diversion Conservancy to the irrigation district. Completing a transfer agreement between BOR and DSID. Hoeven spoke with BOR Great Plains Regional Director Mike Black to … Continue Reading
06.25.19
Hoeven: FAA Issues Waiver Under Integration Pilot Program to Allow UAS Operations Over People in North Dakota
WASHINGTON - Senator John Hoeven today issued the following statement after the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued a four-year waiver to the North Dakota Department of Transportation to allow the operation of unmanned aerial systems (UAS) over people with the use of an approved parachute system. The waiver comes as part of the FAA's Integration Pilot Program (IPP). Hoeven worked with Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao to launch the IPP and sought to secure the state's role in the pro… Continue Reading
06.21.19
Hoeven Outlines Work to Provide Veterans With Health and Long-Term Care Closer to Home
WASHINGTON -Senator John Hoeven this week spoke on the floor of the U.S. Senate to mark the anniversary of the passage and signing into law of the VA Maintaining Internal Systems and Strengthening Integrated Outside Networks (MISSION) Act, legislation to strengthen the VA and ensure better access to health care for the nation's veterans. Hoeven worked to secure important priorities for North Dakota veterans in the VA MISSION Act, including: Key provisions from his Veterans Access to Long Term… Continue Reading
06.20.19
Hoeven: USDA Moves Up Haying and Grazing Date For Cover Crops to September 1
WASHINGTON - Senator John Hoeven, chairman of the Senate Agriculture Appropriations Committee and a member of the Senate Agriculture Committee, today announced that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has heeded his call to provide an earlier haying and grazing date for agriculture producers using cover crops on prevent plant acres. USDA's Risk Management Agency (RMA) will now allow haying and grazing of cover crops on September 1 in 2019 moving the previous cover crop date up from Novembe… Continue Reading
06.19.19
Hoeven Statement After Mexico Approves the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement
WASHINGTON - Senator John Hoeven, chairman of the Senate Agriculture Appropriations Committee and a member of the Senate Agriculture Committee, today issued the following statement after Mexico approved the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA). "Now that Mexico has approved the agreement, the U.S. and Canada should follow," said Hoeven. "Access to the Canadian and Mexican markets is incredibly important to our agriculture producers and other industries, which is why we need to get this trade ag… Continue Reading
06.19.19
Hoeven Statement on Affordable Clean Energy Rule
WASHINGTON - Senator John Hoeven today released the following statement after Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Andrew Wheeler, Energy Secretary Rick Perry and Interior Secretary Bernhardt, signed the Affordable Clean Energy (ACE) Rule, which replaces the costly one-size-fits-all emissions regulations for coal power plants issued by the previous administration. The previous rules unfairly targeted North Dakota and required a 45 percent reduction in the state's carbon dioxide (C… Continue Reading
06.17.19
Hoeven Statement on New Precision Agriculture Task Force to Connect American Farmers
WASHINGTON - Senator John Hoeven, chairman of the Senate Agriculture Appropriations Committee and a member of the Senate Agriculture Committee, today issued the following statement after the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) announced the formation of a task force to help ensure farmers and ranchers have the connectivity necessary to utilize precision agriculture. The Task Force for Reviewing the Connectivity and Technology Needs of Precision Agriculture, in consultation with the U.S. Depa… Continue Reading
06.17.19
Hoeven Working to Leverage North Dakota's UAS Expertise to Aid in Fighting Wildfires
WASHINGTON - At a recent hearing of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, Senator John Hoeven urged Shawna Legarza, Director for Fire Aviation and Management at the U.S. Forest Service, and Jeff Rupert, Director for the Office of Wildland Fire at the Department of the Interior (DOI), to make use of North Dakota's expertise in unmanned aerial systems (UAS) to aid in fighting wildfires. The senator outlined the technology's benefits during recent flooding in the state and how it could… Continue Reading
06.14.19
Hoeven Working to Ensure Inclusion of Basis in Trade Assistance, Secure Trade Deals to Keep Pressure on China
WASHINGTON - At a hearing of the Senate Agriculture Committee this week, Senator John Hoeven urged officials from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) to advance key priorities for agriculture producers in North Dakota, including: Accounting for the increase in basis in the $16 billion of agriculture assistance. Hoeven stressed that the disruption in foreign market access impacts some regions and producers more heavily, like soybean … Continue Reading
06.13.19
Hoeven: Senate Passes Legislation Expanding Health Benefits for Navy Veterans Who Served in Vietnam
WASHINGTON - Senator John Hoeven today issued the following statement after the Senate passed the Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veterans Act of 2019, bipartisan legislation to expand health benefits coverage for Blue Water Navy veterans who were stationed on ships off the Vietnamese coast. The bill requires that all those who served off the coast of Vietnam are presumed to be eligible for health care for illnesses linked to Agent Orange exposure, ensuring the Department of Veterans Affairs complies wi… Continue Reading
06.13.19
Senate Passes Hoeven-Cosponsored Legislation to Expand American Legion Membership, Recognize Veterans Who Served Outside of Established War Eras
WASHINGTON - Senator John Hoeven today issued the following statement after the Senate passed legislation he cosponsored to expand membership eligibility for the American Legion to honorably discharged veterans who have served in unrecognized times of war since World War II. Under the Legion's current charter, membership is limited to those who have served at least one day on active duty during specific "war era" dates. However, more than 1,600 veterans have been injured or killed in conflict t… Continue Reading
06.12.19
North Dakota Delegation: President Issues Disaster Declaration to Help North Dakota Communities Recover from Spring Flooding
WASHINGTON - Senators John Hoeven and Kevin Cramer and Congressman Kelly Armstrong today issued the following statement after President Trump issued a major disaster declaration covering this year's widespread spring flooding in North Dakota. The declaration covers the period from March 21 to April 28 and triggers the release of funding under the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) for the impacted counties and to help reduce these regions' risk of future flooding. This follows a letter t… Continue Reading
06.12.19
North Dakota Delegation Makes Case to Transportation Secretary Chao That Washington State Crude-By-Rail Ban Violates Interstate Commerce Clause
WASHINGTON - Senators John Hoeven and Kevin Cramer and Congressman Kelly Armstrong this week contacted Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao to make the case that a recently-passed Washington State crude-by-rail law violates the Interstate Commerce Clause of the U.S. Constitution and interferes with the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) and its primary authority over the shipment of crude oil within the United States. The Washington State law requires crude oil unloaded in the state to meet… Continue Reading
06.12.19
Hoeven & Cramer Help Introduce Legislation Designating June 27 as National Post-Traumatic Stress Awareness Day
WASHINGTON - Senators John Hoeven and Kevin Cramer this week helped introduce bipartisan legislation that designates June 27 as "National Post-Traumatic Stress Awareness Day" and the month of June as "National Post-Traumatic Stress Awareness Month." "Our men and women in uniform are asked to endure tremendous hardship while in service to our nation, which often impacts them and their loved ones well beyond their time in the military," said Hoeven. "It is crucial that we provide the support and… Continue Reading
