News Releases
Bipartisan Missouri River Working Group Calls on Corps to Outline Preparations for Possible Flooding Next Year
WASHINGTON - Sens. John Hoeven (R-N.D.), Kent Conrad (D-N.D.), Roy Blunt (R-Mo.) and Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.), along with the delegations of the Missouri River Basin states, called on the Army Corps of Engineers today to apply lessons from this year's flooding as it prepares next year's operating plan for the Missouri River. The Missouri River Working Group is a bipartisan, cooperative coalition of lawmakers organized last month by Sens. Hoeven, Conrad, Blunt and McCaskill to improve flood contr… Continue Reading
08.05.11
Hoeven Events Schedule
BISMARCK, N.D. - Senator John Hoeven plans to hold events throughout North Dakota in August while the U.S. Congress is in recess. Some events are scheduled and others are still being planned. Advisories will be issued as additional events are scheduled. His agenda for public events tomorrow and the first part of next week is as follows: Saturday, Aug. 6 Tomorrow, Hoeven will be attending both the North Dakota Veterans Home grand opening and dedication in Lisbon at 10 a.m. and the Outstanding… Continue Reading
08.04.11
Hoeven, Gillibrand Working to Protect Consumers, U.S. Honey Industry From Mislabeled Products
Washington, D.C. - With deceptive manufacturing practices by foreign companies threatening domestic honey producers, U.S. Senators Kirsten Gillibrand and John Hoeven called on the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to implement a national standard of identity for honey. While North Dakota and New York's honey producers generated $53.4 million in sales in 2009, producers have been strained as cheap, adulterated honey from abroad has inundated the U.S. market."New York has some of the nation's fin… Continue Reading
08.04.11
Hoeven Announces Key EPA Approval for Fort Berthold Refinery
WASHINGTON - Senator John Hoeven today announced the Environmental Protection Agency has approved a key permit for the proposed petroleum refinery on the Fort Berthold Indian Reservation near Makoti, N.D. The Mandan, Hidatsa, Arikara (MHA) Nation Clean Fuels Refinery is expected to be one of the few oil refineries to be constructed in the United States in the last 30 years, and be capable of refining 15,000 barrels of oil per day. "This permit represents an important milestone and a tremendous… Continue Reading
08.03.11
Hoeven Call For 'National Day of the Deployed' To Recognize Soldiers' Sacrifices
WASHINGTON - Building on his resolution as North Dakota's governor, Senator John Hoeven yesterday introduced a resolution in the U.S. Senate to designate Oct. 26, 2011, as "Day of the Deployed" in recognition of the sacrifices of U.S. servicemen and women currently deployed around the world. "Our men and women in uniform work tirelessly to serve our country and protect our freedoms, and we cannot do enough to thank them and their families for the sacrifices they willingly make. A national 'Day … Continue Reading
08.02.11
Hoeven Statement on Passage Of An Agreement to Find Savings and Address the Debt Ceiling
WASHINGTON - Senator John Hoeven issued the following statement in response to today's passage in the U.S. Senate of the agreement to find savings and address the debt ceiling: "Today, the U.S. Senate approved legislation to reduce the federal government's spending and address the nation's debt limit without a tax increase. The President signed the bill this afternoon. The $2.4 trillion spending reduction plan will apply a 10-year cap to discretionary spending immediately, saving an initial $91… Continue Reading
08.02.11
Hoeven: Proposed Ag-Transport Regulations Don't Work
WASHINGTON - Senator John Hoeven, along with a bipartisan group of 21 other senators, called today for the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration to reconsider some of its proposals currently under review and open to public comment. In a letter to FMCSA Administrator Anne S. Ferro, the senators expressed concern that the agriculture transportation-related proposals misinterpret guidance already established by government agencies, and, if made into rules, are likely to encumber our nation's … Continue Reading
07.29.11
Hoeven: USDA Approves Request for Emergency Haying and Grazing for Five Flood-Impacted Counties
WASHINGTON - Senator John Hoeven today announced that U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack has approved emergency haying and grazing for the following counties: Burke, Bottineau, McHenry, Stutsman and Ward. Hoeven earlier this month requested that the national Farm Service Agency (FSA) permit emergency haying and grazing on Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) land for North Dakota counties affected by severe flooding. "Considering the hardship endured by our farmers and rancher… Continue Reading
07.29.11
Klobuchar, Durbin, Lugar, Hoeven, Kyl Bipartisan Resolution Condemning Attacks in Norway Passes Senate Unanimously
Washington, DC - U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Richard Durbin (D-IL), Richard Lugar (R-IN), John Hoeven (R-ND) and Jon Kyl (R-AZ) announced today that their bipartisan resolution condemning the horrific acts of violence in Norway has passed the Senate unanimously. The resolution denounced the acts of terror and expressed deep sympathy and unwavering support for the Norwegian people as they recover from the tragedy. All 95 other senators co-sponsored the resolution. "As the state with t… Continue Reading
07.29.11
Hoeven: We Need to Move Forward With Boehner Approach
WASHINGTON - Senator John Hoeven today spoke on the floor of the U.S. Senate to underscore the differences between the debt ceiling plan proposed by Speaker of the House John Boehner and that proposed by U.S. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid. Just prior to the Senator's speech the independent Congressional Budget Office (CBO) announced that, excluding the effects of the caps on funding for Iraq and Afghanistan and similar activities - and therefore the interest on the war debt - the total red… Continue Reading
07.29.11
Hoeven Meets With U.S. Trade Ambassador Kirk to Advance Free Trade Agreements
WASHINGTON -Senator John Hoeven yesterday afternoon met with U.S. Trade Ambassador Ron Kirk to continue his efforts to get the South Korean, Colombian and Panamanian free trade agreements to the floor of the U.S. Senate. Hoeven has been advocating for passage of the agreements, and asked Ambassador Kirk if there was anything more the Administration needed to move them forward. Kirk indicated he feels that they're prepared to bring the agreements to the floor by September, and he thanked the Sen… Continue Reading
07.29.11
Conrad, Hoeven Ask Secretary Clinton to Review Souris River Basin Operations Agreement
Washington - Senators Kent Conrad and John Hoeven have asked Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to review the parameters of an agreement with the Canadian government that determines water management in the Souris River Basin following record flows that led to a devastating flood in Minot and other surrounding communities this year. In a letter to the State Department, North Dakota's Senators requested a review of the operations of the dams in the Souris River Basin in light of this year's histo… Continue Reading
07.28.11
Hoeven: The American People Want Us To Come To An Agreement
WASHINGTON - Senator John Hoeven today spoke on the Senate floor urging Congress to reach an agreement to address the debt ceiling and find savings. A transcript of Senator Hoeven's remarks follows: I rise this morning to speak about the need to come to an agreement on how we handle the debt ceiling. We need to come to agreement on addressing our nation's deficit and the debt. Let's review where we are right now. If you look at our fiscal situation, right now t… Continue Reading
07.28.11
Hoeven, Wyden, Begich Introduce TRIP Bond Program to Help Build Transportation Infrastructure
Washington, D.C. - Looking to leverage private investment and an untapped market for tax credit bonding to rebuild America's transportation infrastructure, U.S. Senators John Hoeven (R-N.D.), Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) and Mark Begich (D-Alaska) have introduced legislation to create a tax credit bond program dedicated to transportation infrastructure. Transportation and Regional Infrastructure Project bonds or TRIPs will be a financing tool to fund the rebuilding of the nation's crumbling transportation… Continue Reading
07.27.11
Conrad, Hoeven Encourage North Dakota Students to Apply for U.S. Senate Youth Program
Washington- North Dakota Senators Kent Conrad and John Hoeven announced today that the United States Senate Youth Program (USYPP) is now accepting nominations for its 50th Anniversary Washington Week. The senators encouraged North Dakota high school students interested in public service careers to apply for the program, which brings students from across the country to the nation's capital to experience the federal government in action. Student delegates receive an all-expense paid trip and a $5… Continue Reading
07.27.11
Delegation Announces More Than $1.4 Million in Funding to Help Co-ops Recover from Storm Damage
Washington - Senators Kent Conrad and John Hoeven and Congressman Rick Berg announced today that the State of North Dakota will receive more than $1.4 million in funding from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to compensate the Mountrail - Williams Electric Coop for storm damage to its infrastructure that resulted in a loss of electric power to essential services earlier this spring. "North Dakota was hit hard by the spring blizzard. The storm devastated our power co-operatives and … Continue Reading
07.27.11
Hoeven Presses Need to Maximize Flood Protections This Year, Prevention Next Year In Meeting With Gen. McMahon
WASHINGTON - Senator John Hoeven today called on U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Northwest Division Commander Gen. John McMahon to maximize efforts to protect residents on the Missouri River from flooding this year, and to have a solid plan in place to prevent flooding next year. McMahon, who is in charge of managing the Missouri River system, met with Hoeven this morning in Washington to brief the Senator on the Corps' strategy for the 2012 season, which the agency plans to release Friday. McMaho… Continue Reading
07.26.11
Delegation Announces $600,000 for Homeless ND Veterans
Washington - Senators Kent Conrad and John Hoeven and Congressman Rick Berg announced today that the North Dakota Coalition of Homeless People in Bismarck will receive a $600,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs to help prevent and end homelessness among veterans. The North Dakota Coalition of Homeless People will use the grant to provide services to approximately 200 participant households throughout the state of North Dakota. "It is shame that those who have bravely served o… Continue Reading
07.25.11
Hoeven Honors North Dakota Senate Majority Leader Bob Stenehjem in the Congressional Record
WASHINGTON - Senator John Hoeven today entered the following statement into the Congressional Record honoring the late North Dakota Senate Majority Leader Bob Stenehjem: Mr. President, today I honor the life and exemplary service of North Dakota's late Senate Majority Leader Bob Stenehjem. Bob died last week in a car accident in Alaska on his way back from doing one of the things he loved best when not working: fishing in the great outdoors. During the 10 years he served as Majority Leader of … Continue Reading
07.22.11
Hoeven, 11 Republican Colleagues Work To Advance Pending Trade Agreements, Trade Adjustment Authority
WASHINGTON - Senator John Hoeven and 11 other Republican senators worked this week to advance pending trade agreements with South Korea, Colombia and Panama. In a letter to President Barack Obama, the 12 senators urged the Administration to forward the agreements to the U.S. Congress for approval. In return, the senators agreed to give the Trade Adjustment Assistance bill, which the president has linked to the trade agreements, a separate up or down vote. Although the Administration won't send… Continue Reading