News Releases
Hoeven Asks USDA Secretary Vilsack to Help With ARC Payments
WASHINGTON - During a hearing of the U.S. Senate Agriculture Appropriations Committee this week, Senator John Hoeven pressed U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Tom Vilsack to make sure that the Agriculture Risk Coverage (ARC) program is meeting producers' needs. Since November, Hoeven has been pressing USDA to use yield estimates from the North Dakota state FSA office to determine county ARC payments when National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) data is unavailable or incompl… Continue Reading
03.11.16
Hoeven Working to Improve Access to Health Services for Native Americans
WASHINGTON - At a Senate Indian Affairs Committee hearing this week, Senator John Hoeven pressed Mary Smith, Principle Deputy Director for the Indian Health Service (IHS), to address issues that reduce Native Americans' access to quality health services. Hoeven stressed the need to reform various practices and standards at IHS to improve both the availability and quality of health care for tribal members. "Our Native American tribes face a wide variety of issues that prevent their members from … Continue Reading
03.10.16
Hoeven: Senate Passes Bill to Prevent Drug Addiction, Help Law Enforcement Combat Drug Crime
WASHINGTON - Senator John Hoeven today announced that the Senate has passed the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act (CARA), bipartisan legislation to help combat the prescription opioid and heroin epidemic plaguing communities across the nation. "The Senate passed important legislation today to fight the prescription opioid and heroin epidemic that has infiltrated communities across the nation, including in North Dakota. The bill will help prevent and treat addiction and provide our commun… Continue Reading
03.09.16
Hoeven Announces Availability of $62 Million to Support Competitiveness of Special Crops
WASHINGTON - Senator John Hoeven, who serves on the U.S. Senate Agriculture Committee and Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee, today announced that the U.S. Department of Agriculture is making $62 million in competitive grants available to support states' efforts to enhance the competitiveness of specialty crops, such as fruits, vegetables, which include dry, edible beans, and horticulture products, including honey. The funds are provided through the Specialty Crop Block Grant Program and ma… Continue Reading
03.08.16
Hoeven Secures Commitment from Bureau of Reclamation to Work on Solutions to Lake Tschida Trailer Issue
WASHINGTON - At a Senate Energy and Water Appropriations Committee hearing this week, Senator John Hoeven secured a commitment from Bureau of Reclamation Commissioner Estevan Lopez to work with him on legislation to address concerns about changes to Lake Tschida leases that require trailers to be removed by 2021. "North Dakotans have raised concerns about changes the Bureau of Reclamation is making to leasing agreements at Lake Tschida," said Hoeven. "Many have invested in their trailer homes a… Continue Reading
03.08.16
Hoeven: HHS Awards More Than $540K to Spirit Lake Tribe
WASHINGTON - Senator John Hoeven, who serves on the U.S. Senate Appropriations and Indian Affairs Committees, today announced that the Department of Health and Human Services' (HHS) Indian Health Services Office has awarded $542,416 to the Spirit Lake Tribe. The funds, made available through HHS' Special Diabetes Programs for Indians, will go towards supporting diabetes treatment and prevention programs. "It's important for us to invest in programs that help North Dakotans have the tools they … Continue Reading
03.08.16
Hoeven Presses Energy Secretary to Support Programs to Develop Carbon Capture Technology, Drive Down Costs
WASHINGTON - During a hearing of the Senate Energy Committee last week, Senator John Hoeven urged Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz to support programs that help develop commercially viable technologies that reduce CO2 emissions. Hoeven highlighted innovative projects moving forward in North Dakota, such as the Allam cycle and using CO2 in enhanced oil recovery, but stressed how high costs can prevent energy companies from deploying such technology on a larger scale. The senator urged Moniz to pursu… Continue Reading
03.07.16
Hoeven, Burr, Ayotte and Tillis Introduce Veterans Choice Improvement Act
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senators John Hoeven (R-ND), Richard Burr (R-NC), Kelly Ayotte (R-NH), and Thom Tillis (R-NC) today introduced the Veterans Choice Improvement Act of 2016. This legislation makes the Veterans Choice Program, which was created in 2014 to allow veterans to get needed health care outside of the VA system, a permanent program with advance funding. This includes avoiding scheduling issues by allowing the VA to enter into provider agreements directly with local providers to fa… Continue Reading
03.07.16
Hoeven Pushes for TSA Improvements
WASHINGTON - As head of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Appropriations Committee, Senator John Hoeven this week chaired an appropriations hearing on the U.S. Transportation Security Administration (TSA) budget and steps the agency is taking to improve safety and remedy checkpoint security issues uncovered last June in an inspector general's report. TSA Administrator Peter Neffenger, a retired admiral and vice commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard who was confirmed to the post following th… Continue Reading
03.07.16
Hoeven Works to Secure Additional Corps Funding for Permanent Flood Protection in Minot
WASHINGTON - At an appropriations hearing on the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' 2017 budget, Senator John Hoeven worked to secure additional funding to advance permanent flood protection for the Minot region. Hoeven secured $200,000 in Fiscal 2016 funds to begin a flood protection study this year and is working to secure an additional $500,000 in Fiscal Year 2017 to advance the study. Hoeven thanked Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works Jo-Ellen Darcy and Army Corps Chief of Engineers L… Continue Reading
03.07.16
Hoeven Working to Ensure Farm Bill Programs Address Challenges of Low Commodity Prices
WASHINGTON - During a hearing of the U.S. Senate Agriculture Appropriations Committee last week, Senate John Hoeven drove home the importance of ensuring that farm bill programs are implemented in a way that actually works for farmers and ranchers, especially during times of low commodity prices. Hoeven was joined at the hearing by agriculture industry leaders, including representatives from the American Farm Bureau Federation and the National Cattlemen's Beef Association, who he called on to he… Continue Reading
03.06.16
Hoeven Statement on the Passing of First Lady Nancy Reagan
WASHINGTON - Senator John Hoeven today issued the following statement on the passing of First Lady Nancy Reagan: "President Ronald Reagan and First Lady Nancy were a team, and together, they left an indelible mark on American history. Mrs. Reagan's charm, loyalty and keen reading of others made her an indispensable friend, partner and advisor to the president, both personally and politically. Through triumph and trials, including her cancer, an assassination attempt and President Reagan's Alzhe… Continue Reading
03.06.16
Hoeven Honors Deploying Army Reserve Members, Families at Send-Off Ceremony
BISMARCK, N.D. - Senator John Hoeven today joined the community in honoring members of the Bismarck-based U.S. Army Reserve Unit 945th Engineer Platoon (Asphalt), who will deploy soon for a mission overseas. Hoeven spoke at a send-off ceremony and thanked the soldiers and their families for their service to the country. "We are grateful to these soldiers for their service to our nation," Hoeven said. "We honor this brave unit and their loved ones, who are making tremendous sacrifices on our b… Continue Reading
03.04.16
Hoeven Meets with North Dakota School Nutrition Professionals to Push Child Nutrition Reauthorization
WASHINGTON - Senator John Hoeven, who serves on the Senate Agriculture Committee, met with the North Dakota Department of Public Instruction and school food service directors to plan strategies to pass the Improving Child Nutrition Integrity and Access Act of 2016. The legislation includes an agreement the senator worked for that will help to ease regulatory mandates on whole grains and sodium to alleviate unintended challenges facing school meal programs. The Senate Agriculture Committee appro… Continue Reading
03.04.16
Hoeven Announces More Than $14 Million in Fish & Wildlife Service Grants to Support Outdoor Recreation
WASHINGTON - Senator John Hoeven, a member of the U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee, today announced that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) has awarded two grants totaling $14.3 million to support hunting and fishing in North Dakota. The funds are made available through USFWS' Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration program, which helps states maintain and restore fish and wildlife resources, educate hunters and support sport shooting ranges. "Hunting, fishing and other outdoor recreati… Continue Reading
03.04.16
Hoeven Introduces Amendments to Strengthen Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act
WASHINGTON - Senator John Hoeven spoke on the Senate floor to press colleagues to support two amendments he has introduced to the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act. The Hoeven legislation will strengthen the overall bill by providing law enforcement with additional resources to address security vulnerabilities at the northern border that could be exploited by drug traffickers. "The numbers drive home the problem," Hoeven said. "In 2014, 61 percent of all overdose deaths in the United Sta… Continue Reading
03.03.16
Hoeven, Manchin Make Case for Their Coal Ash Recycling Legislation Before Environment and Public Works Committee
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators John Hoeven (R-N.D.) and Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) this week made the case before the Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee for their bipartisan legislation that will create a states-first approach to regulating coal ash. The measure provides both certainty for the safe and efficient recycling of coal ash and, for the first time, an enforceable state permit program for the disposal of coal ash. This legislation, builds on the senators' past efforts to find a … Continue Reading
03.01.16
Hoeven: Ag Committee Advances Plan to Address GMO Labeling
WASHINGTON - Senator John Hoeven, who serves on the Senate Agriculture Committee, today announced that the committee has advanced new legislation to address GMO labeling. The measure will avert a costly patchwork of different state labeling requirements for genetically modified food products, while providing consumers with more information about the food they buy at the grocery store. The key, Hoeven said, is to find a way to provide accurate information to the public in a format that works and … Continue Reading
03.01.16
Hoeven: NSF Awards Nearly $1 Million to Support Small Business Innovation, Agriculture Research in North Dakota
WASHINGTON - Senator John Hoeven, a member of the U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee, today announced that the National Science Foundation (NSF) has awarded two grants totaling $951,110 to Renuvix, a Fargo-based biotech company co-founded by Dr. Chisholm, a Senior Research Scientist at North Dakota State University (NDSU), and the University of North Dakota (UND). The funds are awarded as follows: Renuvix - $750,000 - To support research and development for cost-effective, environmentally f… Continue Reading
03.01.16
Hoeven Announces $435,000 Grant to NDSU for Cancer Research
WASHINGTON - Senator John Hoeven, who serves on the U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee, today announced that the National Cancer Institute, part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), has awarded a $435,000 grant to North Dakota State University's (NDSU) Chemistry and Biochemistry Department to support research into the fundamental nature and causes of cancer. Today's award is the first portion of an expected three-year project and is made available through NIH's Academic Research Enhance… Continue Reading
