MEDORA, N.D. – Senator John Hoeven today celebrated America’s 250th birthday with the grand opening of the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library. Hoeven delivered remarks as part of the ceremony, honoring Roosevelt’s life and legacy while outlining the critical role that his time in North Dakota played in shaping his presidency. Hoeven further acknowledged the hard work that went into establishing the presidential library, thanking his colleagues at the federal, state and local levels for their advocacy and efforts to move this project forward. Through his role in the U.S. Senate, Hoeven has worked to bolster these efforts and advance the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library. This includes:
- Introducing and securing passage of legislation to secure the library’s 93-acre site. Hoeven authored the bill enabling the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library Foundation to purchase the land from the U.S. Forest Service (USFS).
- The senator worked with local and state officials and the Medora Grazing Association to negotiate the legislation and find an agreement for the land purchase.
- The agreement ensured the availability of acres for grazing and included a written commitment from the USFS to maintain the Medora Grazing Association’s contract for its full 10-year term.
- Hoeven also passed legislation in the Interior appropriations bill to support loans of historic artifacts for display at the library.
- Most recently, the senator secured Senate passage of his bipartisan legislation to provide up to $50 million in federal matching grants for the library and authorization for the library to display artifacts and materials from Theodore Roosevelt’s life, and Hoeven is working to advance its approval in the House.
- Hoeven’s bill follows the model used for establishing and funding the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum, located in Springfield, Ill.
“Today, we not only celebrate 250 years of American history, reflecting on the blessings and freedoms we enjoy as citizens of this great nation, but we also take time to honor Teddy Roosevelt, one of our most iconic Presidents. As North Dakotans, we should feel immense pride in the important role our state played in shaping his character, helping him overcome great loss and charting his course in life. It is fitting then that our state is now home to both a national park and a presidential library that bear his name,” said Hoeven.
“Accomplishments like this don’t just happen. We’ve been hard at work to make this library a reality, and we appreciate the efforts of everyone involved. Your support was vital as we worked to secure this 93-acre site for the library, which required both reaching agreement with our grazers and other local stakeholders and passing my legislation to make this former Forest Service land available for purchase. We also have secured authorization in appropriations legislation to make artifacts available to the library, and we’re now advancing a bill to supply those materials on a permanent basis while also providing matching funds for the library, like Congress did for the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library. That bill has passed the Senate, and we continue working to move it through the House as well.”
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