Roughrider Roundup – December 13, 2021

Happy Monday!

Dear Fellow Republicans,

We wanted to provide you with a roundup of everything you might have missed from North Dakota’s great Republican leaders this past week. Please share with family and friends!

– Perrie Schafer, NDGOP Chairman

North Dakota

ND gov. slams Biden’s ‘overreaching, unlawful’ vaccine mandates
Fox Business
North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum argues federally mandates vaccines are counterproductive because they only create more resistance. He also weighs in on how Biden’s energy policies are impacting jobs.

Burgum urges federal government to reinstate oil-and-gas leases
The Center Square
Burgum, who is in Coronado, Calif., attending the Western Governors’ Association (WGA) winter meeting, met with Interior Secretary Deb Haaland and asked her to direct the Bureau of Land Management to stop delaying the lease auctions, according to a news release.

Minn-Dak beet co-op steps up with $44 per ton net payment
Agriculture Week
North Dakota Lt. Gov. Brent Sanford, a Republican, addressed the co-op members, saying his administration is working to prevent negative impacts of “federal overreach” in the Biden administration. Among the concerns are “overreaching vaccine mandates on private business,” he said, and a re-energization of the Waters of the United States.

North Dakota Mill and Elevator Posts Profit
Feed and Grain
The company’s operations provided more than $250.76 million to the region’s economy and another $581.8 million in secondary economic activity, bringing the total economic impact to more than $883.5 million, according to the audit report of the North Dakota State Mill and Elevator by North Dakota State Auditor Josh Gallion for the year ended June 30, 2021.

Burgum to visit North Dakota National Guard soldiers at U.S.-Mexico border next week
AM 1100 The Flag
While on site, Burgum will receive briefings from North Dakota National Guard officials and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and visit with members of the Bismarck-based multi-role bridge unit as they support U.S. Customs and Border Protection in ongoing efforts to secure the border. The mobilization was requested by the U.S. Army through the National Guard Bureau and is a continuation of the southern border military mission that began in 2018. 

Girls Who Code conclude six-week program with special graduation
Wahpeton Daily News
“Learning more about coding, computer science and other technology will give our students a greater opportunity to thrive in today’s classrooms and tomorrow’s economy while also addressing our state’s significant need for a workforce equipped with 21st-century skills,” North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum said. “Hour of Code is made possible by the dedicated teachers, administrators and volunteers who are committed to ensuring that students of all ages are equipped with the digital skills they need to succeed, and we are grateful for their work.”

ND Attorney General Wayne Stenehjem in D.C. for annual conference
KFYR
Stenehjem says he is finding the meeting helpful in terms of initiatives for the state of North Dakota. One of the topics of conversation is vaccine mandates. Stenehjem has joined other states in suing the federal government over the policy. “This is a stretch beyond anything that has ever been attempted before, and I think that at some point you have to stand up and say, no matter how beneficial the result might be. The federal government does not have that authority,” said Stenehjem.

After court ruling, UND employees won’t be required to get coronavirus vaccinations
Grand Forks Herald
According to a release from North Dakota Attorney General Wayne Stenehjem, the mandate would have applied to any employee who works on federal contracts, even if the work they did was unrelated to the contract. Stenehjem represented the state in a multi-state lawsuit against the contractor mandate, which was being heard in the Eastern District Court in Missouri.

Cost-share program deadline extended for ranchers
The Journal and Tioga Tribune
The deadline for applications has been extended until Jan. 21, 2022. “We encourage producers to first seek assistance from U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Emergency Assistance for Livestock Program (ELAP),” Agriculture Commissioner Doug Goehring said.

Federal judge blocks another Biden vaccine mandate
KVRR
“The Biden administration has yet again exceeded its authority in apparent disregard of the Constitution and the rule of law,” North Dakota Attorney General Wayne Stenehjem said. Stenehjem noted that with Tuesday’s order, federal courts have now blocked the three most invasive federal vaccine mandates. “I will continue to work with Attorneys General across the nation to protect the citizens of North Dakota from federal overreach.”

Department of Agriculture announces Coyote Catalog program
KX News
The North Dakota Department of Agriculture is partnering with the Game and Fish Department to help producers who have some unwanted guests on their property. The Coyote Catalog is meant to bring landowners together with hunters to benefit both sides, providing sport for hunters while keeping coyotes away from livestock. “They’re attacking lambs during lambing season, during calving season, they’re harassing cows out there. This is a great opportunity for those landowners, for those livestock owners,” said Agriculture Commissioner Doug Goehring.

Burgum: Honor the legacy of those who died at Pearl Harbor, fly flags at half-staff today
KX News
“Eight decades after the ‘date which will live in infamy,’ we continue to honor the legacy of those service members who paid the ultimate price for our freedom at Pearl Harbor,” Burgum said. “In the words of Navy Admiral Chester W. Nimitz, ‘They fought together as brothers-in-arms. They died together and now they sleep side by side. To them we have a solemn obligation.’ Today, and every day, we share our eternal gratitude for the heroes of Pearl Harbor and all of our military veterans and current service members who served and continue to serve our nation with courage and honor in the name of liberty and justice for all.”

Washington, D.C.

MonDak Congressional delegation unites over Brazilian beef imports
Williston Herald
Brazilian beef continues to be a sizzling topic on Capitol Hill. A bipartisan letter with the full support of the MonDak’s Congressional delegation has just gone out to the U.S. Department of Agriculture urging the agency to immediately suspend fresh beef imports from Brazil. The letter includes Republican Sens. Steve Daines of Montana, as well as Kevin Cramer and John Hoeven of North Dakota, and Democratic Sen. Jon Tester of Montana.

Coalition proposes new passenger train through southern North Dakota
Inforum
An informal group is hoping to formalize its organization to restore a passenger rail line from Minnesota through southern North Dakota and into Montana in the coming months. With new federal dollars under the Build Back Better transportation infrastructure bill, they’re hopeful that the dream of bringing back the rail line that would eventually reach the west coast will become a reality. Jason Stuart, vice chairman of the Big Sky Passenger Rail Authority that is helping spearhead the coalition, said this time is different as it’s a coordinated effort. Already, dozens of counties and cities along the proposed route have signed on to the coalition. Stuart, of Glendive, Montana, said North Dakota’s two senators, Kevin Cramer and John Hoeven, have signed a letter in support of forming an official working group on the project.

Exclusive: Republicans say WHO pandered to China by skipping ‘xi’ in COVID names
The Washington Times
But GOP Sens. Cynthia Lummis and John Barrasso of Wyoming, Sen. Joni Ernst of Iowa, and Sen. Kevin Cramer of North Dakota expressed their doubts, citing in the letter exceptions to the “rule”…“In light of these two discrepancies, it seems the standard for naming viruses is arbitrarily based on names that are most beneficial to favored members of the WHO, particularly China,” said the letter. “Indeed, the arbitrary nature of the naming policy only further underlines concerns that the WHO kowtows to the Chinese Communist Party and Chinese General Secretary Xi Jinping that were brought to the surface after the WHO and China’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic began in Wuhan.”

Pelosi: Inflation numbers ‘only add urgency’ to pass Biden agenda
The Washington Examiner
Sen. Kevin Cramer of North Dakota called the report “a scary indicator of Joe Biden’s soaring inflation.” “This is a de facto tax, chipping away at family’s paychecks and eating the savings of hardworking American families,” Cramer said. “Build Back Broke would only make it worse!”

As Pentagon calls for industry innovation, top acquisition nominees remain stalled
Yahoo News
North Dakota Republican Sen. Kevin Cramer is awaiting multibillion-dollar decisions about replacing or overhauling intercontinental ballistic missiles based in his state, which will affect defense firms, local jobs and defense strategy for years to come. He said Schumer shares some responsibility for the delays. “I get frustrated about it, and to the point it starts affecting national security, I get concerned about it,” Cramer, who sits on the SASC with Hawley, said of the holds. “We cannot move at the speed of China without people who can say yes to really important questions, and that frustrates me.”

Senate passes deal clearing way to raise debt ceiling
Yahoo News
“I will not green light [Democrats’] big government socialist agenda, which we know adds billions if not trillions of dollars to our national debt,” Sen. Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.) said in a statement after voting against advancing the bill. Cramer accused Democrats of “holding farmers, ranchers, patients, and health care providers hostage” by including the measures to avoid Medicare cuts.

GOP Senators Slam Build Back Better Bill
One America News Network
“This is absolutely the wrong way to go. People need to understand exactly what’s in this bill, understand these gimmicks and know this is not what we need for our economy and our country. We need to get back to them pro-growth policies,” said Hoeven. Hoeven also said Democrat policies are discouraging people from going back into the work force.

North Dakota tribal groups receive funding for head start programs
Grand Forks Herald
According to a Tuesday, Dec. 7, release from Sen. Kevin Cramer, R-N.D., the Cankdeska Cikana Community College will receive nearly $1.4 million in funding, while the Three Affiliated Tribes will receive more than $1.2 million. The funds come through the Head Start and Early Head Start programs, which promote school readiness for young children and toddlers from low-income families. The programs work to enhance children’s cognitive, social and emotional development, as well as early learning, health and family well-being.

GOP senators say they believe House will take up anti-vaccine mandate bill, force Biden veto
Fox News
“We’re gonna pass this Congressional Review Act on a bipartisan basis in the Senate sending a very clear message that this is an overreach by the Biden administration and we need to stop it,” Sen. John Hoeven R-N.D., said in a press conference with other Republicans. “And I think in the House, there a very good chance that they will get enough people to sign on to this, to actually force a vote,” Hoeven added. “Now, we understand that, that when that goes to the administration the president may well veto it. But we’ve sent a very clear bipartisan message on behalf of the people that this mandate needs to be stopped.” 

Senate Republicans introduce bill to crack down on Palestine ‘martyr payments’
The Washington Times
Senate Republicans have introduced legislation aimed at cracking down on foreign banks that knowingly facilitate “martyr payments” by the Palestinian Authority to families of terrorists. The proposal underscores the GOP’s effort to double down on pro-Israel policies as Democrats increasingly side with Palestinians in the Middle East conflict…[T]the bill introduced Monday has 11 Republican cosponsors, including…Kevin Cramer of North Dakota[.]


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