Human Rights Campaign Slams Kevin Cramer for Seeking Support from Anti-LGBTQ Hate Group

Instead of Working on the Farm Bill, Kevin Cramer is Seeking the Support of an Extreme, Anti-LGBTQ Hate Group

(BISMARCK, ND) — Today in an interview on KFGO, a spokesperson for the Human Rights Campaign – the nation’s largest civil rights organization working to achieve LGBTQ equality – slammed Kevin Cramer for seeking the support of an anti-gay hate group. Yesterday, CNN reported that Cramer sought and received the support of a designated hate group that defends conversion therapy and equates homosexuality to pedophilia.

In a questionnaire signed by the candidate, Cramer vowed to work to overturn marriage equality and oppose the Equality Act – referred to as the “Gay Bill of Special Rights” – which protects LGBTQ North Dakotans from employment and housing discrimination.

You can listen to the full interview by clicking here– excerpts from Chris Sgro, Director of Communications for the Human Rights Campaign, are below:

“They’re a radical hate group, as you mentioned. They want to overturn marriage equality. They compare being gay and transgender to pedophilia. They have supported the dangerous, debunked practice of so-called conversion therapy, which, which science has proven does not work. They’re- This is not a mainstream organization we’re talking about here, Joel. This is a group- This is a group that stands ready to attack not just gay and transgender people, but really commonsense values, North Dakota values.”

“And here you Kevin Cramer not just having their support but actively seeking their support. And this group is on the ground in North Dakota right now with their outside money trying to push him and his dangerous agenda.”

“You have to pledge to overturn marriage equality. Again, these are radical things. In North Dakota and across the country, these are these are radical views to hold. And here you have Kevin Cramer, who has a zero on the Human Rights Campaign scorecard, by the way, actively seeking their endorsement. As you mentioned, one of only two candidates across the entire country who thought it wise to seek the endorsement and support of a hate group.”

“So, Kevin Cramer, instead of working on the Farm Bill, instead of working on issues that are relevant and impactful on the everyday lives of North Dakotans is out seeking the endorsement and support of a group that is working to advance hate and that’s dangerous.”

“So, you know, I think for North Dakota voters, you have Senator Heitkamp who has been a co-sponsor of the very commonsense Equality Act, that just says if your LGBTQ, you shouldn’t be able to be fired for who you are and who you love, that you shouldn’t be discriminated against.”

ICYMI: Bipartisan Senate Farm Bill Advances to Floor Vote, Expected to Become Law Before September Deadline

(BISMARCK, ND) – In a refreshing example of bipartisan cooperation, the Senate Ag Committee advanced the 2018 Farm Bill by an overwhelming 20-1 vote, according to a new article featured in the Bismarck Tribune. Both Senators Heitkamp and Hoeven voted in favor of the bill, which avoided the partisan squabbling that derailed a similar effort in the House earlier this spring. Senator Heitkamp played a key role in the crafting, negotiation, and passage of the bill which she described as “a strong, bipartisan bill” that would be able to make it across the finish line.

Heidi’s enthusiasm for finding common ground with her colleagues stands in stark contrast to Kevin Cramer, who has been criticized for playing politics with the Farm Bill ever since he got to Washington. Simply put, Cramer is indifferent to the challenges facing his constituents – dismissing the concerns of his constituents as “hysteria,” claiming that North Dakota’s farmers have a low pain threshold and confessing his belief that playing politics with the farm bill is “what you do in this business.”

While Heidi has been hard at work building bonds across the aisle and getting results, Cramer has been busy passing the buck – blaming the White House for his legislative failures instead of getting things done for North Dakota.

Read a quick recap of the article below:

Bismarck Tribune: Bipartisan Senate farm bill gains momentum with 20-1 committee vote

  • A strongly bipartisan 20-1 vote by the Senate Ag Committee on Wednesday has sent the five-year 2018 Farm Bill to the full Senate and added momentum to get the measure passed by the time the current bill expires on Sept. 30.

  • Upper Midwest senators, in what was a somewhat rare move of bipartisanship, praised what has been accomplished so far in interviews and news releases Wednesday and were in agreement that the measure was a priority.

  • “I am beyond thrilled, “said Sen. Heidi Heitkamp, D-N.D., in a teleconference with reporters. “Members put regional and individual concerns to the side and got a strong, bipartisan bill across the finish line.”

  • Despite some struggles that lie ahead, the Senate bill may have avoided one big fight. Senators put off any stiffer rules proposed by the House for able-bodied food stamp recipients such as raising the work requirement of 20 hours a week for people up from age 49 to 59 and no longer exempting parents or caretakers with children 6 years old and older.

  • Heitkamp understands concerns from both sides on the food stamp issue but said that with two-thirds of wage earners in the U.S. making under $20 an hour it sometimes is tough to make ends meet. The senator said there are about 54,000 North Dakotans on food stamps and that 73 percent are families with children and 33 percent had family members who are senior citizens or disabled.

IYCMI: Cramer Actively Sought, Received Support from Anti-LGBTQ Hate Group

Hate Group Supported Predator Roy Moore and Opposes Equal Rights for North Dakotans 

Cramer Must Disavow Hate Group, Financial Backing

(BISMARCK, ND) — Yesterday, CNN reported that Congressman Kevin Cramer sought and received support from an extreme, anti-LGBTQ organization. The nonpartisan Southern Poverty Law Center has designated Public Advocate of the United States as a hate group, but that didn’t stop Cramer from asking for their support. Additionally, the founder of the group has actively promoted the violent Pizzagate conspiracy theory.

Cramer – along with Neo-Confederate Virginia Senate candidate Corey Stewart – proactively filled out their candidate questionnaire, in which he promised to work towards overturning marriage equality and oppose laws protecting LGBTQ North Dakotans from employment and housing discrimination.

You can see the Dem-NPL statement HERE and more coverage of Cramer’s hate group ties below:

CNN: GOP Senate nominees Kevin Cramer, Corey Stewart sought support of extreme anti-gay group

  • Two Republican Senate nominees sought and received the support of an anti-LGBT group that links homosexuality to pedophilia and defends conversion therapy.
  • Both nominees also indicated support for overturning Supreme Court rulings legalizing same-sex marriage […]
  • The group’s founder and chief executive, Eugene Delgaudio, said in February he believes that former President Barack Obama was a “child molester” and that “adult homosexuals want to recruit and brainwash children.” He is an active promoter of the far-right pizzagate conspiracy theory.
  • The group has been running Google ads in support of Cramer, who is currently in his third term as North Dakota’s lone member in the US House. Delgaudio told CNN in an email exchange that he would not disclose other efforts the group has made online to support Cramer.

Forum: GOP Senate hopeful Kevin Cramer sought, received support of extreme anti-gay group, CNN reports

  • North Dakota GOP Senate candidate Kevin Cramer sought and received the support of a conservative anti-LGBT group that links homosexuality to pedophilia and defends conversion therapy, CNN reports.
  • Candidates’ completion of the survey was voluntary, and all candidates who submitted a response were informed prior to submission that its results would be made public.

High Plains Reader: GUILT BY ASSOCIATION? CRAMER ASKS FOR HATE GROUP’S SUPPORT

  • Hoping to win a Senate seat, current Congressman Kevin Cramer has thrown in his hat with an extremist hate group peddling conspiracy theories by seeking the group’s endorsement and financial backing.
  • In 2017, the group gave $10,100 to Roy Moore, according to Open Secrets, Center for Responsive Politics. Moore was the former chief justice of the Supreme Court in Alabama who strove to fill a state’s Senatorial seat until he was voted down after sexual misconduct with minors allegations arose.
  • Cramer has also publicly defended former Republican Secretary of State candidate Will Gardner after discovery was made that he pleaded guilty to public disorder after peeping through girl dorm windows at North Dakota State University with his pants unzipped and shirt untucked.
  • Cramer’s office was contacted for comment, but no statement was received.

POLITICO Huddle: CRAMER, STEWART SOUGHT SUPPORT OF EXTREME ANTI-LGBT GROUP

  • GOP nominees Kevin Cramer and Corey Stewart filled out a “Senate Candidate Survey” for Public Advocate of the United States, an anti-gay group CNN says “links homosexuality to pedophilia and defends conversion therapy.” The survey has eight questions on LGBT issues, including whether candidates agree that public schools should be barred from “brainwashing elementary school children with the Homosexual Agenda.” Cramer and Stewart “also indicated support for overturning Supreme Court rulings legalizing same-sex marriage, requiring schools to teach there are only two genders and allowing Christian business owners to refuse to participate in same-sex weddings without fear of legal reprisal,” CNN’s Andrew Kaczynski reports.

The Hill: GOP Senate candidates sought support of anti-LGBT group: report

  • GOP Senate candidates reportedly asked an anti-LGBT group that claimed a link between homosexuality to pedophilia for its support in their campaigns ahead of the November midterm elections.
  • The group was founded in 1978 by Eugene Delgaudio, who in February said he believes that former President Obama was a “child molester,” and has been designated by the Southern Poverty Law Center as a hate group for its anti-gay activism.
  • According to the publication, the anti-LGBT group has been running advertisements online supporting Cramer’s election bid.

Dorgan Slams Cramer for Boasting on Tax Bill Vote That Balloons the Deficit and Damages Medicare

The former Senator writes in the Fargo Forum: “Borrowing money to pay for tax cuts at a time when we have a nearly $21 trillion federal debt is just plain nuts, and they know it.”

“The fact is, the so-called tax cut legislation was bad tax policy, terrible fiscal policy and even worse health care policy.”

(BISMARCK, ND) — Former Senator Byron Dorgan had some tough words for Kevin Cramer in the Fargo Forum. While Cramer takes to the airwaves to boast about the GOP’s tax scam, policy experts are weighing in on how this bill will bust the budget, reduce access to affordable health care, and ultimately leave the next generation holding an estimated $11.7 trillion cumulative deficit over the next 10 years.

Well, Senator Dorgan has had enough of the black slapping and self-congratulating coming from the Cramer Camp. Dorgan let Cramer have it, pointing out that the corporate giveaway is not only terrible for taxpayers, but also puts people who rely on Medicare at risk and undermines protections for the over 300,000 North Dakotans with pre-existing conditions who rely on the Affordable Care Act for health coverage.

Fargo Forum: Dorgan: Tax cuts balloon the deficit and damages Medicare

  • Last week we learned that parts of the Medicare program will run out of money three years earlier than previously expected in part because of the tax cut legislation that was recently enacted.

  • That bad news finally exposes the full truth about the damage done by the tax cut bill written by the Majority party in Congress and President Donald Trump. Not only have they borrowed trillions of dollars and ballooned the federal debt in order to cut taxes mostly for the wealthy, they’ve also injured the Medicare program at the same time.

  • Borrowing money to pay for tax cuts at a time when we have a nearly $21 trillion federal debt is just plain nuts, and they know it.

  • When the economy is growing we’re supposed to be paying down the debt, not increasing it. Yet, according to the Congressional Budget Office, the official scorekeeper for Congress, the deficits will now soar over the next 10 years, pushing up the federal debt to amounts far greater than any year since just after World War II.

  • Sen. Heidi Heitkamp, D-N.D., has been attacked for voting against the tax cut bill. Well, I’m glad she did. She had the courage to say no to legislation that massively adds to the federal debt and at the same time damages the Medicare program by many billions of dollars.

  • Congressman Kevin Cramer, by contrast, boasts about his vote for the tax cuts. But he forgets to point out that he and President Trump added to the federal debt by nearly $2 trillion with those cuts and also hurt the Medicare program at the same time.

  • They were warned, but they wouldn’t listen.

  • The reason the tax cut bill also negatively affects the Medicare program was because of last minute provisions they added to the tax cut bill that eliminated the requirement for Americans to have health insurance coverage.

  • But when they eliminated the mandate that everyone be covered by health insurance, they knew were undermining critical provisions of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) that are important to the American people.

  • For example, the ACA prohibits insurance companies from denying health care coverage because of pre-existing conditions. It also keeps kids on their parent’s insurance policies until age 26. It eliminates the lifetime limits on insurance benefits.

  • Those provisions and others will be gone if President Trump and Cramer get their wish.

  • The fact is, the so-called tax cut legislation was bad tax policy, terrible fiscal policy and even worse health care policy.

  • These are mistakes we can fix. But we need serious people willing to work on difficult problems to put our country back on the right track.

  • Borrowing money to provide tax cuts was not smart fiscal policy.

  • We need to start making hard decisions on things that matter most for our future.

BREAKING: Kevin Cramer Must Apologize and Disavow Support from Anti-LGBTQ Hate Group

Why did Kevin Cramer seek the support of a radical hate group?  

(BISMARCK, ND) — After a CNN investigative journalist exposed Kevin Cramer’s ties to an extreme anti-LGBTQ hate group supporting Congressman Kevin Cramer’s campaign today, the North Dakota Dem-NPL called on Cramer to immediately disavow the hate group’s endorsement and advertising paid for by the group on his behalf.

Seeking the backing of the extreme hate group, Cramer filled out the group’s questionnairewhere he outlined his commitments to their agenda – specifically vowing to work toward overturning marriage equality as the law of the land.

“North Dakotans are not a hateful people and seeking out and accepting the backing of an extreme hate group is unacceptable – and Kevin Cramer must apologize for doing so and immediately disavow the group’s endorsement and financial backing,” said Scott McNeil, Executive Director of the North Dakota Democratic-NPL. “North Dakotans are fiercely independent, and as our state celebrates that spirit of inclusivity during Pride Month, Kevin Cramer has a responsibility to demonstrate that he represents all North Dakotans – not just some. Marriage equality is the law of the land, and it’s extremely disturbing that Cramer vowed to actively work to overturn the Supreme Court’s decision and take away the freedom of North Dakotans. It’s also very troubling that Cramer would associate himself with a group that promotes violent conspiracy theories and downright offensive lies. Senator Heitkamp has been a strong champion for equality and voters have a clear choice in this election.”

CNN: GOP Senate nominees Kevin Cramer, Corey Stewart sought support of extreme anti-gay group

  • Two Republican Senate nominees sought and received the support of an anti-LGBT group that links homosexuality to pedophilia and defends conversion therapy.

  • North Dakota’s Kevin Cramer and Virginia’s Corey Stewart, who both won the Republican nomination in their respective states on Tuesday, filled out a “Senate Candidate Survey” for the group Public Advocate of the United States.

  • Both nominees also indicated support for overturning Supreme Court rulings legalizing same-sex marriage […]

  • The group’s founder and chief executive, Eugene Delgaudio, said in February he believes that former President Barack Obama was a “child molester” and that “adult homosexuals want to recruit and brainwash children.” He is an active promoter of the far-right pizzagate conspiracy theory.

  • The group has been running Google ads in support of Cramer, who is currently in his third term as North Dakota’s lone member in the US House. Delgaudio told CNN in an email exchange that he would not disclose other efforts the group has made online to support Cramer.

Stenehjem-backed Lawsuit Will Strip Away Pre-Existing Conditions Protections for North Dakotans

Thompson: North Dakota’s Attorney General violated state law by joining lawsuit

(GRAND FORKS, ND) — This week, the Department of Justice announced that it would not be defending current laws protecting people with pre-existing conditions from a lawsuit in which – as it turns out – North Dakota Attorney General Wayne Stenehjem has illegally attempted to commit State of North Dakota. Democratic-NPL candidate for Attorney General David Thompson today released the following statement:

“Wayne Stenehjem signing onto this lawsuit is not only unconscionable, because of its potential impacts for nearly 300,000 North Dakotans who have pre-existing conditions, but it was also illegal. If a judge sides with Stenehjem and the 20 other AGs who are pursuing this case, people with chronic diseases like diabetes or cancer will most likely be priced out of the insurance market with few options to get the high-quality care they deserve.

But that is not the end of Stenehjem’s mess. Not only is this Texas lawsuit aimed at hurting the most vulnerable members of our community, but Stenehjem is violating North Dakota Law by allowing the Texas Attorney General to represent the State of North Dakota as a party without our Attorney General safeguarding the interests of our State and its citizens. Under the law, it is clear that only the North Dakota Attorney General may represent our State in a court case such as this Texas federal court action. The Texas Attorney General may not legally represent the State of North Dakota as a party in that Texas case. Just like his behavior as a member of the Industrial Commission, Wayne Stenehjem is once again flouting North Dakota law, but this time in an attempt to strip sick people of important protections. For that reason, Stenehjem’s illegal attempt to have the Texas Attorney General represent the State of North Dakota in taking health care away from North Dakotans is disgraceful.”

North Dakota Democratic-NPL Statement on Primary Election

Volunteer engagement points to good news for Dem-NPL candidates in November

(BISMARCK, ND) — Following Tuesday’s primary election, North Dakota Democratic-NPL Party Executive Director Scott McNeil released the following statement:

“We are very pleased with the showing of Democratic-NPL candidates had in Tuesday’sprimary election. From Senator Heitkamp and our other statewide candidates to legislative and local races, we have seen increased enthusiasm for the Dem-NPL’s message. We have also been heartened by the number of volunteers who have taken the time to knock doors, make phone calls, and support our candidates in their fight for a better future for North Dakota.

Additionally, we were glad to see local candidates who sought assistance from the Dem-NPL performed well including Nancy Guy (Bismarck City Commission), Amber Larson (Mandan City Commission), Katie Dachtler (Grand Forks Ward 2 City Council), and Rebecca Knutson (Fargo School Board).”

PANTS ON FIRE: Kevin Cramer is Lying, Running from His Votes to Undermine Protections for Pre-Existing Conditions

Cramer previously accused people with pre-existing conditions of trying to “game the system”

(BISMARCK, ND) — Kevin Cramer is so worried about his record on health care that he keeps lying about it. Today, he claimed he supported protections for pre-existing conditions, but his claim couldn’t be further from the truth. He’s also rewriting history about the dangerous Washington Republican health care bills – including the tax legislation, which is raising health care costs – so we wanted to set the record straight.

“Put simply, Kevin Cramer’s record on health care is dangerous for North Dakota – now, he’s lying about it to climb the political ladder and further his own career,” said Scott McNeil, Executive Director of the North Dakota Democratic-NPL. “Cramer can’t hide from his reckless health care record of raising costs and gutting protections for hardworking North Dakotans. Cramer owes North Dakotans a straight answer – does he agree with this administration that coverage for pre-existing conditions should be struck down? We need a yes or no – not talking points from Mitch McConnell and his D.C. machine.”

Today on ‘What’s on your Mind’ with Scott Hennen, Cramer said he supports protecting pre-existing conditions coverage which was “exactly what we did in the American Health Care Act,” and that the “same thing, of course, was in the Graham-Cassidy bill.” Despite his efforts to mislead voters, Cramer has championed efforts to gut protections for preexisting conditions, which is exactly what both legislative efforts he pointed to would have done. Listen to his full answer here.

Here are the facts:

ICYMI: Cramer’s Bitter White House-Blaming Reveal His Own Political, Legislative Shortcomings

Just Days after Bragging President Trump “Begged” Him to Run, Cramer Desperately Lashes Out at White House for Attention

(BISMARCK, ND) – Crybaby Cramer just keeps asking not what the White House can do for North Dakota, but what the White House can do for Kevin Cramer.

After bragging to the Associated Press that President Trump “begged” him to run for office over fancy D.C. dining, Cramer sounds more desperate than ever for his affections. In an interview with the Washington Post, Cramer said he hopes the president still comes to North Dakota on his behalf because “he promised me he would.”

According to an ND x Plains analysis from Tyler Axness, maybe that’s because Congressman Cramer’s tirade and public feuding and fallout with White House officials in the Washington Post is revealing of more than just his jealousy of Senator Heitkamp’s legislative prowess.

Axness points out that Cramer has a clear pattern of excuses and finger-pointing whenever he doesn’t get the attention he wants, or his inability to lead is exposed. This time, Cramer blamed the president thanking Heidi for her work on a bill she helping write, negotiate and pass on the fact that she’s a woman. “The public unraveling of his composure” is “unbecoming of the office he seeks,” Axness wrote. In other words, when Cramer doesn’t get a gold star for the homework he didn’t do, he throws a tantrum.

Read more here:

NDxPlains: Cramer Continues Campaign of Complaints

  • The Washington Post interviewed Congressman Kevin Cramer and Senator Heidi Heitkamp following a couple of bad weeks for the Congressman. The article, published last evening, was revealing. What was exposed in the Post is Cramer’s bitterness toward the White House’s appreciation for Heitkamp’s accomplishments and his grasps for reasoning behind it all.
  • The fallout from Cramer complaining about Marc Short is evident. Recall that Cramer, a member of the Legislative branch, blamed Short, a member of the Executive branch, for Congress not getting legislation passed. Short heard the complaint and “quickly brought the interview to the attention of the National Senatorial Committee (NRSC). It is important to remember last year, Senior Senate Republicans walked away from Cramer out of fear of his “cringe-worthy” moments. At the time, CNN reported, “The maneuvering comes as some influential Republicans now are fearful that Cramer could damage their chances if he commits gaffes.” In the end, he’s their guy.
  • What is the catalyst for these complaints? Heitkamp being at the bill signing ceremony of a banking bill she co-sponsored and helped pass. Cramer called it “obscene.” One could ask why Cramer was even attending this ceremony at all. He wasn’t a co-sponsor of the bill. Many of the other 325 members who voted in favor of it didn’t attend.
  • Lastly in the Post article, he pulled out the woman card. Cramer expresses that he believes Heitkamp gets special treatment because she’s a female. Cramer’s had a past of lashing out at women in prominent roles. What does gender have to do with any of this?
  • Look, I haven’t said much new in this post that I haven’t already written on this website. Then why highlight it again you may ask? Because our lone Congressman keeps making awkward complaints and excuses that are unbecoming of the office he seeks. There is a pattern of behavior. Every few days we’re given another example. It is the public unraveling of his composure that needs our attention.

ICYMI: Growing Chorus in ND Say Cramer’s Peeping-Tom Defense, Other Missteps Call His Judgment Into Question

From his Gardner is a “good man” remarks to siding against ND’s farmers, Former Grand Forks Herald Editor and Publisher Mike Jacobs runs down Kevin Cramer’s lack of judgment

(BISMARCK, ND)  — Kevin Cramer seems to be spiraling. From defending admitted peeping-tom Will Gardner to failing to pass a Farm Bill to sticking up for the administration’s misguided trade policies that are hurting North Dakota’s manufacturers and farmers, he’s consistently put his political ambitions ahead of hard-working families in his home state.

Today, former editor and publisher of the Grand Forks Herald Mike Jacobs joined the growing chorus of North Dakotans wondering why in the world Kevin Cramer would defend and endorse Will Gardner’s political career. Highlights from Jacobs’ column on Cramer’s campaign in free-fall below:

Grand Forks Herald: Jacobs: N.D. winds, and politics, blow hard

  • A month ago Republicans were confident of a clean sweep on the North Dakota ballot in November, but contrary winds have begun to blow.

  • Republicans lost a statewide candidate when Will Gardner withdrew from the race for secretary of state, leaving the party scrambling — and settling eventually on the very man they’d rejected at their state convention. He’s the incumbent, Al Jaeger, who will run as an independent. The secretary of state contest will follow the federal candidates on the ballot; in other words, Republicans will have to leave the column in order to vote for him.

  • No one can be sure but it may be that Gardner would have survived the publication of his arrest record, but once exposed he quit the race. That might have ended the matter, but Kevin Cramer couldn’t keep his mouth shut, and he rushed to Gardner’s defense, calling him a good man and suggesting that he could be a candidate in another election some other time.

  • Cramer is the candidate for the U.S. Senate, the top of the ticket race. His defense of Gardner didn’t do either of them any good politically; Gardner was a gone goose by the time Cramer said anything, and Cramer’s statement raised questions about his own political judgment, a quality already in question. Cramer consistently displays a premature naïve enthusiasm.

  • Cramer has been an uncritical supporter of Donald Trump, not a political liability in itself, except that he’s been obsequious about it, suggesting, for example, that the president deserved the Nobel Peace Prize even before the North Korean summit. He was also an early apologist for Scott Pruitt, administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, whose latest policy initiative is to end the renewable fuels standard, a move that would have a wallet-draining effect on North Dakota farmers.

  • The standard is an example of how a little appreciated provision, like a well-placed bush, can cause the political winds to shift. Other examples include looming trade wars, one with China, which buys a big share of North Dakota’s soybean crop, and one with Canada and Mexico over the North American Free Trade Agreement. Despite initial opposition from the state’s congressional delegation, all Democrats at the time, NAFTA has proven to be very good for North Dakota. To these add the farm bill, defeated in the Republican-controlled House of Representatives and resurrected in the Senate.

  • It’s a sign of frustration that Republicans whined about Trump’s attention to Heitkamp, and there were worried suggestions that the president might forego campaigning against her, a decision that might doom Cramer’s chances.

ICYMI: North Dakota Businesses Are Forced to Bear the Costs of Washington’s Trade War

(BISMARCK, ND) – North Dakotans are starting to feel the effects of Washington’s budding trade war, according to a recent article featured in the Fargo Forum. Companies large and small are experiencing increased uncertainty, rising steel and aluminum prices and fewer customers willing to purchase their products. Now that the gloves have come off in this long-brewing trade dispute, local business owners are expressing concern that North Dakota jobs may be at stake. Rather than stepping in to protect North Dakota’s businesses, Kevin Cramer has given them the cold shoulder – dismissing their anxiety as “hysteria.”

Cramer’s devotion to toeing the party line is clearly more important to him than representing the interests of North Dakotans. As his constituents are forced to tighten their belts, Cramer has gone so far as to suggest that North Dakota’s farmers are objecting to the administration’s trade war because they have a low threshold for pain. The fact is, Kevin Cramer is so distracted by chasing a promotion that he’s unable to be an effective voice for North Dakota’s farmers and manufacturers.

Heidi Heitkamp, on the other hand, is speaking up on behalf of all North Dakotans, coming out strongly against the administration’s reckless and harmful trade policies. Heidi understands that North Dakotans are tough – but she also knows there’s no reason for them to be the first victims of Washington’s trade war. That’s why she’s building bonds across the aisle, leading a coalition dedicated to protecting the country’s farmers and manufacturers from the White House’s ill-advised plan.

Read a quick recap of the article below:

Forum: North Dakota, Minnesota companies feel effects of tariffs

  • “It’s been pretty difficult lately, because things have been so up and down in D.C.,” said Stacey Breuer, a spokesperson for Bobcat, the heavy equipment manufacturer that employs 3,000 workers in four North Dakota cities. New tariffs coincide with rising steel prices, which have crept upwards for months on market uncertainty, she said.

  • Those concerns echo throughout the market, from companies as big as Bobcat to those as small as Wheatland Steel and Trim, a Tower City, N.D., company specializing in steel roofing and siding. Moses Wipf, a manager with Wheatland, said farmers might want to build themselves a new pole barn, but the increased price of steel—and a lull in corn and soybean prices—might put it out of reach.

  • The same goes for TrueNorth Steel, which has corporate offices in West Fargo. Company president Dan Kadrmas said he was at the White House not long ago to celebrate the benefits of the GOP tax overhaul, but these new tariffs have his company scrambling.

  • Simon Wilson is executive director of the North Dakota Trade Office. Like Breuer, he underscored how much uncertainty recent months’ talk of tariffs has injected into the market. And now, with the U.S. actually trading economic punches with its allies, he said jobs are at stake. He shared the story of a central North Dakota business, which he declined to identify, that’s heavily dependent on aluminum. The new tariffs could mean layoffs, he said. “It (has) a local community effect,” he said “People have less hours on the production line, they have less money to spend.”

  • Sen. Heidi Heitkamp, D-N.D., has also voiced concern over growing trade tensions, recently meeting with the Mexican ambassador to the U.S. and leading state agriculture producers. “We need smart trade policies to allow our farmers to reach new markets — not tariffs and hostility toward our top trading partners — and this meeting was a good opportunity for our partners in Mexico to hear that North Dakota farmers want to continue a strong trade partnership that keeps our rural communities strong,” she said in a statement.

Cramer: ND Farmers “Don’t Have a Very High Pain Threshold”

As the Cramer-backed trade war heats up, North Dakota farmers need an ally

(BISMARCK, ND) — First, he attacked the White House. Now, Kevin Cramer is going after North Dakota’s farmers.

In recent comments reported after Senator Heidi Heitkamp brokered a meeting between North Dakota farmers and the Mexican Embassy, Kevin Cramer defended misguided and irresponsible trade policies by trying to shift the blame onto Americans who “don’t have a very high pain threshold.”

That’s easy for him to say, since it’s not his livelihood on the line. While farmers, ranchers, and manufacturers worry about how they will provide for their families, Kevin Cramer has a big money backer to make sure his campaign coffers are full.

“I’ll tell you who doesn’t have a high tolerance for pain: Kevin Cramer. Any time he doesn’t get exactly what he wants or confronted by facts that go against his narrative, the Congressman lashes out,” said Scott McNeil, Executive Director of the North Dakota Democratic-NPL. “North Dakota’s farmers, ranchers, and manufacturers need certainty in the market and deserve a representative in Washington who will fight for them. Kevin Cramer is willing to trade the financial security of farming families. That’s not sticking up for North Dakota.”