News Releases
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
06.10.19
Hoeven Statement After Administration Reaches Agreement with Mexico to Help Secure the Border
WASHINGTON - Senator John Hoeven issued the following statement after the Administration reached an agreement with Mexico to help secure the border. "We need to secure our border, and that requires that the U.S. and Mexico work together to stem the flow of migrants and illegal drugs. The agreement reached between the Administration and Mexico will help ensure that Mexico is doing its part to secure the border and stop illegal immigration. Now, our nations need to continue working together to ac… Continue Reading
06.07.19
Hoeven Announces Additional $1 Million Grant for Williston Basin International Airport
WASHINGTON - Senator John Hoeven today announced that the U.S. Department of Transportation's (DOT) Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has awarded a grant of $1 million to fund the seventh phase, consisting of 6,000 feet of taxiway and 2,365 feet of service roads, at the Williston Basin International Airport. These funds are in addition to the $7 million Hoeven announced last week. "This is an investment in infrastructure that will support economic growth in the Williston region now and for… Continue Reading
06.07.19
Hoeven Statement After EPA Issues Guidance on Section 401 of the Clean Water Act
WASHINGTON - Senator John Hoeven issued the following statement after the Environmental Protection Agency issued guidance on Section 401 of the Clean Water Act as directed by the President's Executive Order 13868 "Promoting Energy Infrastructure and Economic Growth." EPA's guidance modernizes and clarifies the existing requirements for the water quality certification process. The President executive order on April 10 required EPA to issue this guidance within 60 days. With this guidance issued,… Continue Reading
06.07.19
Hoeven Working to Provide Flexibility, Certainty for Producers Using Cover Crops on Prevent Plant Acres
WASHINGTON - Senator John Hoeven, chairman of the Senate Agriculture Appropriations Committee and a member of the Senate Agriculture Committee, this week urged the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to provide greater flexibility and certainty for agriculture producers using cover crops on prevent plant acres. Specifically, the senator is pressing for clear guidelines for cover crop termination and an earlier date for the haying and grazing of cover crops, which the USDA's Risk Management Age… Continue Reading
06.06.19
Hoeven Marks 75th Anniversary of D-Day in Normandy
NORMANDY, FRANCE - Senator John Hoeven today marked the 75th anniversary of the D-Day invasion during World War II in Normandy as part of a Congressional delegation. Hoeven and the delegation joined President Donald J. Trump and French President Emmanuel Macron at an official ceremony at the American Cemetery at Colleville-sur-Mer, where 73 North Dakota servicemembers are buried. The senator also met with WWII veterans from the U.S. who also made the trip for this special occasion, as well as G… Continue Reading
06.05.19
North Dakota Delegation to Hold Service Academy Informational Evening in Fargo on June 13
FARGO, N.D. - Senator John Hoeven, Senator Kevin Cramer and Congressman Kelly Armstrong today announced that their offices will host an informational Service Academy Evening at the Fargo Armed Forces Reserve Center on June 13 starting at 6:00 p.m. The event will provide students with information about the application and appointment process for the U.S. Naval Academy, U.S. Air Force Academy, U.S. Military Academy at West Point and U.S. Merchant Marine Academy. "As members of Congress, we are h… Continue Reading
05.31.19
Hoeven Announces $7 Million Grant for Williston Basin International Airport
WASHINGTON - Senator John Hoeven, a member of the Senate Transportation, Housing and Urban Development (THUD) Appropriations Committee, today announced that the U.S. Department of Transportation's (DOT) Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has awarded a grant of $7 million for the construction of taxiway and other general aviation needs at the new Williston Basin International Airport. "Providing western North Dakota with much needed infrastructure supports growth and expansion," said Hoeven.… Continue Reading
