FLASHBACK: “For Cramer it is Loyalty to Trump above what is best for North Dakota”

BISMARCK, ND) –In April, NDxPlains’ Tyler Axness observed that, “For Cramer it is loyalty to Trump above what is best for North Dakota.” The article may be a flashback, but the words are truer now than ever. Cramer has consistently shown North Dakotans where his loyalties lie – and it isn’t with them. From the article: 

“[Cramer] believes loyalty to Trump is either above his responsibility to North Dakota or that they are one in the same. Either way, he is utterly wrong.
…
Cramer displays his eagerness to be obedient and subservient to President Donald Trump. It is loyalty to Trump over North Dakota. There has been and will continue to be times where President Trump is wrong about what is best for our state. In those moments, North Dakota deserves an independent thinker.”

Here’s a far from comprehensive list of the times Cramer was a rubber stamp for the president and his party – voting with the president 100 percent of the time – and putting his own political interests above North Dakotans.

  1. Cramer has called North Dakota’s farmers, ranchers, and businesses concerns over the president’s trade war “hysteria” and told them to have a higher “pain threshold” – despite 111,100 North Dakota jobs and over $60 million in exports being threatened by these policies.
  2. Cramer has toed the party line with a recent partisan budget proposal that would make significant cuts to Social Security and Medicare.
  3. Cramer voted for the partisan health care plan that would spike costs, impose an age tax on older Americans, and gut coverage for pre-existing conditions.
  4. Cramer likened voting against Trump’s agenda to cheating on your wife.
  5. “By his own conceit, Cramer is a malleable sycophant who will do Trump’s bidding without question.”
  6. Cramer claimed Trump told him that he loved him.

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Desperate Times: Cramer Calls In National Republicans For Damage Control

VP Pence Called In For “Damage Control Mission” Amid Fears Stoked By Ongoing Trade War
(Bismarck, ND) – Today the Cramer campaign announced that Vice President Pence plans to visit Grand Forks in the coming weeks – a blatant attempt to turn the heavy tide of recent negative press Cramer has faced, including a growing Cramer-endorsed trade war and rising health care costs for North Dakotans. In response, Courtney Rice, Press Secretary for the North Dakota Democratic-NPL released the following statement:

“It’s no coincidence that Cramer had to call in D.C. politicians for help to stop the bleeding from his campaign. On the heels of the ever-growing negative consequences from the administration’s trade war – and less than 24 hours after the Mayor of Grand Forks cited Heidi’s ability to work across the aisle and get results for the people of North Dakota in his endorsement of her – Cramer is attempting serious damage control. Unfortunately for him, a fancy visit from national party bosses won’t fool North Dakotans into thinking he’s on their side.”

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Cramer Hasn’t Returned Campaign Contribution from PAC Created for Roy Moore

PAC is “Facing Scrutiny from Campaign Finance Regulators”; Supported Accused Child Molester Roy Moore
(BISMARCK, ND) – Congressman Kevin Cramer has yet to return campaign contributions from a political action committee (PAC) that is “facing scrutiny from campaign finance regulators.” The group was formed to support accused child molester and former Alabama Senate candidate Roy Moore – whom Cramer defended, saying that Moore should be held to a “different standard”because the allegations against him allegedly occurred “40 years past.”

While another Republican candidate who received contributions from this questionable PAC has returned the money, Cramer is holding onto it.

“Crooked Cramer’s refusal to disassociate himself with a shady political organization is emblematic of his overall philosophy: putting himself and his political ambitions before North Dakota values,” said Scott McNeil, Executive Director of the North Dakota Democratic-NPL. “Simply put, Cramer needs to denounce this group and return their donation unless he once again wants to stand with the likes of Roy Moore.”

This isn’t the first time Cramer has defended accused sexual predators or associated himself with hateful groups. Cramer “sought and received the support of an anti-LGBT group that links homosexuality to pedophilia and defends conversion therapy.” And after North Dakota Secretary of State candidate Will Gardner’s criminal history as a Peeping Tom came to light, Cramer rushed to his defense – calling Gardner “a very good man,” and suggesting Gardner had a bright political career ahead of him because “Americans like a redemption story.”

At the time, North Dakota press skewered Cramer for his comments about Gardner, saying they “raised questions about his own political judgment, a quality already in question.” With Cramer’s refusal to return this organization’s contribution, they have more evidence to ponder.

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What They’re Saying: Trade War is “Economic Self-Mutilation”

ND is Ninth Largest Ag Exporting State; Tariffs Threaten Over $60M in Exports

(BISMARCK, ND) – The trade war is posing disastrous consequences for North Dakota’s farmers and businesses – 111,100 jobs and over $60 million exports are threatened by the tariffs – and the issue is more pressing than ever with the Trump administration announcing this week another round of tariffs, this time on $200 billion worth of Chinese goods.

But what has Cramer done? He’s told farmers to have a higher “pain threshold” and called their concerns “hysteria.” While Cramer may be willing to be a rubber stamp for the president and all of his policies, North Dakotans are dealing with the fallout. See what North Dakotans are reading about the damage the trade war is causing:

Fargo Forum: Commentary from 4th generation farmer: Trade wars are economic self-mutilation.
“Agriculture will be the casualty in a trade war. […] The tariffs on steel and aluminum will greatly affect Dakota farmers, especially corn and soybean farmers. […] Trade wars are economic self-mutilation.”

Fargo Forum: Trump tariffs prompt trade worries for N.D. soybean growers.
“Observers like Peterson are concerned that Monday’s new tariffs could be early shots in a growing trade war that could sweep up their commodity, with worrisome results for producers and the local economy. Soybeans are a huge export from North Dakota, Peterson said, and more than two-thirds of the statewide crop is shipped to China.”

Fargo Forum: Talk of tariffs creates unwelcome uncertainty for local ag, steel businesses.
“More than two-thirds of North Dakota’s soybean crop is shipped to China, which imports more U.S. soybeans than all other countries combined.
…
Pete Hanebutt, director of public policy at the North Dakota Farm Bureau, said tariffs and talk of tariffs represent a potential double whammy for farmers. Firstly, he said, they increase the cost of production for things like equipment and vehicles, and secondly, countries where North Dakota now sells agricultural products may switch to growers in other countries. China, in particular, could start buying things like soybeans elsewhere, according to Hanebutt. “That’s a huge impact for us. That’s real, and our farmers and our members are obviously very, very concerned,” he said.”

WHSV: North Dakota farmers looking for answers amid tariff uncertainty.
“North Dakota farmers are scrambling for answers in Washington. As a trade war brews between the U.S. and its partners, an atmosphere of uncertainty looms. North Dakota agriculture leaders say can’t afford to lose these relationships. ‘Worst case scenario, you could see farmers losing their farms,’ said Jeff Mertz, president of the North Dakota Grain Growers Association… He doesn’t like being used as a negotiating tool.”

WDAY: ‘We feel like we’re a bargaining chip’: N.D. soybean farmers fear trade war after Trump announces tariffs.
“‘There is no doubt that it will affect our bottom line,’ if there is a trade war, he said. ‘North Dakota is a producing state, not a consuming state, so we need free trade.’
…
‘As a soy grower, I depend on trade with China,’ said Davie Stephens, vice president of ASA. ‘This is a vital and robust market that soy growers have spent over 40 years building and, frankly, it’s not a market U.S. soybean farmers can afford to lose.’”

Bismarck Tribune: North Dakota to lose a lot in trade war.
“President Donald Trump’s insistence on creating balance with the nation’s trading partners could come back and bite North Dakota hard. North Dakota’s economy relies on the export of its agricultural products and the import of many other items. With other countries slapping retaliatory tariffs on the U.S. it could hurt the state’s rebounding economy.”

Grand Forks Herald: North Dakota manufacturers left to weather uncertainty of trade war.
“Steel and aluminum prices are rising in the region, and that means higher prices for farming equipment, recreational vehicles, motorhomes and more. With tariffs in place on steel and aluminum from U.S. allies since early June and threats of retaliatory tariffs from Canada in July, the North Dakota Trade Office said it already has noticed a 15 to 20 percent increase on base prices for steel and aluminum. North Dakota manufacturers who rely on these metals know they’re already paying more, but they’re less certain what price hikes will eventually mean for business and consumers.”

Fargo Forum: ‘Don’t forget about us’: Farmers rally for better prices, steps to buffer trade war impact on agriculture.
“Farmers, confronting slumping crop prices that don’t cover the cost of production and finding themselves pawns in an escalating trade war, rallied hours ahead of an appearance by President Donald Trump to deliver a message. ‘We need to tell them we need a price that will let us make a living on the farm,’ Mark Watne, president of the North Dakota Farmers Union, said at a rally of farmers at the Red River Valley Fairgrounds on Wednesday, June 27.”

West Fargo Pioneer: ‘We are in a trade war,” ND trade leader says as US, China swap tariffs.
“[North Dakota Trade Office Executive Director Simon] Wilson estimated that $1.4 billion to $1.8 billion in North Dakota soybeans are exported to China annually.”

Politico: Trump country hit hard by Chinese tariffs.
“[The trade moves are] likely to cut deep into the incomes of farmers, ranchers and agribusinesses… The brunt of the penalties are likely to affect U.S. soybean growers. Nearly one-third of U.S. soybeans, or about $14 billion, is sent to China each year.
…
U.S. farm groups, including the American Farm Bureau Federation, American Soybean Association, National Corn Growers Association and National Pork Producers Council, have been pleading with the Trump administration to adopt a different strategy of holding trading partners accountable. They argue farmers and ranchers are already dealing with a four-year slump in commodity prices, and U.S. officials should instead be focusing on opening new markets to help boost their bottom lines.”

Grand Forks Herald: Our view: Risky times for region’s ag producers.
“It’s a risky game of poker and, unfortunately, the stakes are high in the Dakotas and Minnesota […] Producers will be adversely affected.”

Politico Morning Agriculture: Long game vs. endgame.
“Now that a U.S.-China trade war is a reality, there appears to be no clear end in sight or exit strategy for the U.S.”

Williston Herald: Tariff talk already hurting farmers.
“Tariffs and talk of tariffs have already snipped 20 percent off of soybean farmer’s bottom lines, North Dakota Farmers Union President Mark Watne says.”

CNBC: North Dakota soybean processors hit hard by tariffs as China cancels orders.
“The head of the North Dakota Trade Office says Chinese buyers have killed all of their firm orders for food-grade soybeans, valued at $1.2 to $1.5 million. The cancellations happened just prior to and immediately after tariffs went into effect in July.”

See more:
Politico: The trade war comes to the prairie
Williston Herald: Steel tariffs will cost North Dakota’s oil and gas industry
Fargo Forum: Possible China trade repercussions feared in Upper Midwest
Bloomberg: Blindsided by China Tariffs, American Farmers Suddenly Face Huge Decision
Washington Examiner: Trump trade war will test the faithfulness of rural GOP candidates
Bloomberg: American Farm Groups Plead With Trump to Back Off China Trade Conflict
Washington Post: Farmers who propelled Trump to presidency fear becoming pawns in trade war
New York Times: Across Midwest, Farmers Warn of G.O.P. Losses Over Trump’s Trade Policy
NBC News: GOP faces rural rebellion over Trump trade agenda
Fargo Forum: Letter: Trump’s trade war with China is a big flop
CNBC: Canada announces retaliatory tariffs on steel and aluminum
Feedstuffs: Ag will be hit as U.S. moves ahead with steel, aluminum tariffs
CNN: Trump’s trade moves create midterm headache for Republicans
Grand Forks Herald: Trump’s approach to trade with China ‘detrimental to North Dakota,’ Mac Schneider says
CNN Money: Mexico imposes tariffs on $3 billion worth of US exports
CBS: Europe to impose retaliatory tariffs on U.S. imports
Politico: Republicans in turmoil over Trump’s trade moves
Bismarck Tribune: Editorial (St. Louis Post-Dispatch): Trade moves may backfire on president
Bismarck Tribune: North Dakota, Minnesota companies feel effects of tariffs
CNBC: China announces retaliatory tariffs on $34 billion worth of US goods, including agriculture products
Reuters: RPT-U.S. oil pipeline companies, producers seek relief from steel tariffs
CNBC: Soybean prices plunge to nine-year low on US-China trade war fears
City-Journal: The High Cost of Tariffs
AGWeek: Opinion: Trade wars leave farming as a casualty
AGWeek: Opinion: Trade tensions dominate markets
CNN: Trump takes trade policy on the road. It may not be welcome.
Fargo Forum: Commentary: Soy growers need trade, not tariffs
Grand Forks Herald: Our view: Trade worries abound in north country
CBS: Canada tariffs on $12.6B of U.S. goods take effect
MyNDNow: Heitkamp: N.D. can lose $61 million due to tariffs
Bloomberg: China to Cancel More U.S. Soy Shipments as More Tariffs Loom
Washington Post: The Finance 202: Republican candidates in key Senate races struggle with Trump tariffs
Washington Post: China cancels US soybean purchases as trade war takes hold
Associated Press: Trade war with China is on
NPR: Trade War With China Heats Up, But Tariff Effects Are Already Rippling Across U.S.
Bloomberg: Feeling the Trade-War Pain

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Crooked Cramer Enriches Himself at North Dakotans’ Expense

(BISMARCK, ND) – Crooked Kevin Cramer has shown North Dakotans time and again that he’ll always do what’s best for his own interests and pocketbook at their expense.

From using campaign money to pay himself and his family hundreds of thousands of dollars to accepting campaign donations from industry executives that he was in charge of regulating, Cramer’s actions were described as “morally kind of sticky” and raised “legitimate questions as to the appearance of impropriety.”

See for yourself:

KFYR: Rep. Kevin Cramer’s campaign fund use comes into question.

  • Rep. Kevin Cramer, R-N.D., is facing reports that he is using campaign funds to pay himself and his family.
  • A report published last week in Politico and Federal Elections Commission Filings shows Cramer paid family members more than $140,000 and reimbursed himself nearly $200,000 since 2013.
  • Money in politics is a hot button issue, now Congressman Kevin Cramer might be feeling the heat… “There are things that are legal for candidates to do but even if they’re legal they may not be super comfortable with them,” said Jordan Libowitz, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington.
  • “It’s the type of behavior that people have flagged in the past as just sort of part of the swamp so to speak. It’s a way that members of congress can sort of enrich themselves and their families just by virtue of their position,” said Kevin Robillard, Politico.

See also: Politico: Paying family with campaign funds could dog Cramer in Senate bid: “The practice is ‘legally alright but morally kind of sticky,’ said Jordan Libowitz, the communications director at CREW. ‘It’s important for supporters to know this money is basically going back into [the candidate’s] own pocket.’”

WDAY: ND Attorney general candidate accuses Rep. Cramer of misusing campaign funds.

  • A Grand Forks attorney has filed a complaint against U.S. Rep. Kevin Cramer. David Thompson, who is running for North Dakota Attorney General, said Cramer used his campaign funds for his own personal use.
  • “Congressman Cramer’s behavior demonstrates, in my estimation, the worst of Washington and goes to show why many North Dakotas have lost faith in politics,” Thompson said.
  • Thompson also accused Cramer of missing deadlines for reimbursements, but has “paid himself back anyway.”

Yahoo.
Cramer accused of “taking improper campaign contributions from coal mining officials” as Public Service Commissioner.”

  • The Dickinson-based Dakota Resource Council and the Sierra Club filed a lawsuit last year aiming to stop the PSC from regulating the mining industry. The groups accused… former [Public Service] commissioner Kevin Cramer — now the state’s sole member of the U.S. House of Representatives — of taking improper campaign contributions from coal mining officials.
  • [The judge who ruled on the case] said that while accepting such contributions maybe be legal, the decision to do so is “ill-advised, devoid of common sense, and raises legitimate questions as to the appearance of impropriety.”
  • The environmental groups allege $50,000 had been funneled to the commissioners from coal industry officials since 2006. According to the lawsuit, Cramer received more than $10,000 in donations from Houston businessman Corbin Robertson Jr. and his wife, Barbara, from 2008 through 2011.

Don’t forget: Just a few weeks ago, Cramer skipped several parades in North Dakota to attend a high-dollar RNC fundraiser in Beverly Hills.

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Cramer & Washington Republicans Continue Making Health Care Less Affordable & Accessible

Recent Cuts to Health Programs Make It Harder to Find Affordable Care
Yesterday, the Trump administration announced it was slashing funding to nonprofit groups that provide advice on how to find affordable care, and will push individuals to sign up for health plans that don’t provide basic protections. This action is the latest in partisan efforts to spike health care costs and slash coverage for hardworking Americans. In response, Scott McNeil, Executive Director of the North Dakota Democratic-NPL released the following statement:

“Congressman Cramer and the Washington GOP are trying to score political points, while increasing costs for less care. Whether it’s slashing funding for outreach or reinsurance programs, or backing a lawsuit that seeks to declare coverage for pre-existing conditions unconstitutional, it’s clear that Cramer cares more about appeasing the fringes of his party than working across the aisle to lower health care costs for North Dakotans.”

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT 

Washington Post: Administration slashes grants to help Americans get Affordable Care Act coverage
By Amy Goldstein
July 10, 2018

Key Points:

  • The Trump administration is eliminating most of the funding for grass-roots groups that help Americans get Affordable Care Act insurance and will for the first time urge the groups to promote health plans that bypass the law’s consumer protections and required benefits.
  • The reduction, the second round of cuts that began a summer ago, will shrink the federal money devoted to groups known as navigators from $36.8 million to $10 million for the enrollment period that starts in November.
  • The new reduction of help for navigators, announced late Tuesdayafternoon by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, fits within a pattern of moves by the administration to weaken the sweeping health-care law that President Trump has vowed to demolish.
  • Trump and his aides have been taking a series of steps to weaken the law through administration maneuvers. The cuts to grass-roots groups around the country was announced three days after health officials revealed that, because of a pending lawsuit, they were suspending a program created by the law to even out the burden on health insurers whose customers are especially unhealthy or sick.
  • The president last fall also issued an executive order to try to make it easier for individuals and small businesses to buy health plans that cost less than ACA coverage because they cover fewer medical services and bypass the law’s rules intended to protect people from old insurance practices in which companies had charged higher prices to women, older people, and those with preexisting medical conditions.

Read the full article here.

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Shot/Chaser: Cramer Claims He Isn’t A Rubber Stamp… Then Votes With Trump 100% of the Time

Kevin Cramer has consistently been a puppet for party politics over North Dakotans, voting with the president even when it’s not in their best interest. Now he’s trying to have it both ways, attempting to convince North Dakotans otherwise, but his record tells a different story.

North Dakotans deserve a Senator who won’t be a rubber stamp for the president when he’s pushing a trade war and gutting protections for folks with pre-existing conditions – and it’s clear Kevin Cramer will never stand up to the president or his party.

SHOT: Cramer Claimed He Did Not Have A 100 Percent Voting Record With Trump.

CHASER: Cramer Voted with Trump 100 Percent of the Time.

  • Roll Call: Cramer Was One Of 77 Republican Members Who Voted Trump’s Way On Every Vote During Which Trump Pushed For A Particular Outcome. [Roll Call, 3/5/18]
  • CQ: Cramer Scored 100 Percent In Presidential Support For Voting In Agreement With Trump’s Positions. [Congressional Quarterly – Vote Study Scores – House 2017, Accessed 2/20/18]

ICYMI: Trade War at Issue in #NDSEN as Cramer Rubber Stamps President’s Policies

Kevin Cramer has demonstrated time and again that he’ll be a rubber stamp for all of the president’s policies – even when those policies hurt North Dakotans. Unfortunately for Cramer, North Dakotans are taking notice, and they’ll hold him accountable in November.

Associated Press: How the trade war is changing minds in a Senate battleground
By Jonathan Mattise and Steve Peoples
July 7, 2018

Key Points:

  • Concerns [over trade] are roiling high-profile Senate contests in Missouri, Indiana, Pennsylvania and North Dakota and forcing GOP candidates to answer for the trade policies of a Republican president they have backed on almost every other major issue.
  • Now, as [the president] sparks an international trade war four months before the midterm elections, few policies could be more problematic for Trump’s allies in pivotal Senate contests.
  • The Trump administration imposed a 25 percent tax on $34 billion worth of Chinese imports on Friday, and China is retaliating with taxes on an equal amount of U.S. products, including soybeans, electric cars and pork. The administration has penalized steel and aluminum imports from allies such as Canada and Mexico, leading to retaliation against American-made products such as blue jeans, motorcycles and whiskey.
  • Nationwide, the U.S. Chamber reported that $75 billion in U.S. exports will soon be subject to retaliatory tariffs. Many of the hardest hit states are those that backed Trump and feature top-tier Senate races in November.
  • In North Dakota, Democratic Sen. Heidi Heitkamp has seized on Republican challenger Kevin Cramer’s description of the tariff fallout as “hysteria.” Cramer blames China for the trade dispute that could affect as many as 111,000 jobs.

Read the full article here.

Burgum’s Buyouts Show Effects of Financial Mismanagement, Misguided Cuts

Forced to do more with less, state agencies brace for another round of buyouts because of Burgum and the Republican supermajority’s poor stewardship

(BISMARCK, ND) — Following the announcement of more buyouts to meet Governor Doug Burgum’s deep and harmful budget goals, Scott McNeil, Executive Director of the Democratic-NPL, released the following statement:

“Starting this week, hundreds of North Dakota’s state employees will face a terrible choice of giving up their careers by taking a buyout or risk termination for continuing to do their jobs. Nonspecific, across-the-board cuts are no way to balance the budget, especially when the Governor is using the state’s air fleet like his personal chauffeur. Governor Burgum’s decision to pursue 5 to 10 percent budget cuts not only affects the lives of dedicated and experienced state workers, but it also puts the important services they provide in jeopardy.

Our state agencies, the people they employ, and the thousands of North Dakotans who depend on their services are under attack by a Governor whose misguided ideological crusade and mismanagement of state resources are rubber-stamped by a Republican supermajority in the legislature. That is no way to run an efficient, well-balanced government that puts North Dakotans first, it’s a recipe for buyouts, layoffs, and reduced access to vital programs.”

NEW VIDEO: Cramer’s Repeated Calls to Cut Social Security & Medicare

Cramer Doesn’t Want North Dakotans to Know His True Record on Social Security & Medicare

Following Congressman Kevin Cramer’s ad in which he falsely claims that he’ll protect Social Security and Medicare, today the North Dakota Democratic-NPL is launching a new video highlighting the numerous times Cramer has called for these programs to be cut. The video is backed by a Facebook ad buy.

WATCH:

Cramer has advocated again and again and again and again for making significant cuts to vital programs like Social Security and Medicare. Here are just a few examples:

  1. Cramer claimed Social Security and Medicare cuts were unpopular, but necessary – and specifically mentioned means testing and raising the retirement age.
  2. Cramer claimed cuts to Social Security and Medicare were required to lower the deficit.
  3. Cramer voted for his party’s disastrous health care plan – against the urging of the AARP – that would have harmed Medicare and imposed an age tax on older Americans.
  4. Cramer voted for a budget that would have begun the privatization of Medicare.
  5. Cramer’s fellow House Republicans recently released an extremist budget proposal that would enact massive cuts to Social Security, Medicare, and other vital programs.

“Kevin Cramer is desperately trying to rewrite history, but his record speaks for itself. Time and again, he supported cuts to Social Security and Medicare, programs that thousands of North Dakotans rely on,” said Scott McNeil, Executive Director of the North Dakota Democratic-NPL. “Cramer’s backward priorities leave us wondering: who is he looking out for in Washington, North Dakotans first or himself?”

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#FBF: Cramer’s Farm Bill Failures

Cramer Has History Of Playing Politics With Farm Bill

Don’t let the misinformation campaign fool you: Congressman Kevin Cramer – who has never even served on the House Agriculture Committee – has a history of playing politics with the Farm Bill.

Cramer voted for a purely partisan Farm Bill, despite the historically non-political nature of this legislation. He voted to cut funding to crop insurance and rural infrastructure – both of which North Dakota producers rely on. Cramer’s partisan bill also cuts over $20 billion in nutrition assistance programs, leaving behind North Dakota families who need assistance the most. That’s why over 300 ag-focused groups, the National Farmers Union, and North Dakota hunger relief advocates opposed the legislation.

Reminder: Cramer is a dues-paying member of an extreme anti-agriculture group that has pushed for eliminating the Renewable Fuel Standard, eliminating the sugar program, and for devastating cuts to crop insurance and nutrition programs, all of which help North Dakota farmers and ranchers.

This isn’t the first time Cramer played politics with the future of North Dakota’s farmers. In 2013, Cramer was criticized for holding up passage of a bipartisan bill over his partisan political tantrums, with the Williston Herald Editorial Board calling on him to make it his top priority and to legislate more like Senators Heitkamp and Hoeven.

Williston Herald Editorial Board: Cramer needs to take a lesson from Hoeven and Heitkamp.

  • North Dakota needs its representation to step up… We feel Cramer needs to take a lesson from Hoeven and Sen. Heidi Heitkamp in how to wield influence.
  • He needs to partner with the neighboring states of Montana, Minnesota and South Dakota on both sides of the aisle to make this work. He needs to make the farm bill his No. 1 priority, whether it is pushing to reconsider the House version or passing the Senate version.
  • The bill and North Dakota farmers need Cramer to reach into his influence to sway his fellow House members and reach out for bipartisan support, if for no other reason but to show signs of life in the farm bill fight.
  • [North Dakota voters] need to see real leadership, real influence and real fight in passing the farm bill.

“There’s only one person in this race who has, and will continue, to advocate on behalf of North Dakota’s interests – and it isn’t Kevin Cramer,” said Scott McNeil, Executive Director of the North Dakota Democratic-NPL.

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#TBT: Cramer Calls Farmers’ Concerns Over Trade Fight “Hysteria,” Says They Need Higher “Pain Threshold”

As threats of a trade war heighten – with real, dire consequences for North Dakota farmers – Kevin Cramer calls concerns “hysteria,” telling farmers they “don’t have a high enough pain threshold.”

Cramer has pledged to be a rubber stamp for the President and vote with him 100 percent of the time and, when confronted with the harmful effects Trump’s trade fight is having on North Dakotans, Cramer has, at best, only given mealy-mouthed answers. Now we’re seeing what the consequences of Cramer’s reckless promise to vote with Trump all the time would entail:

WHSV: North Dakota farmers looking for answers amid tariff uncertainty.
“North Dakota farmers are scrambling for answers in Washington. As a trade war brews between the U.S. and its partners, an atmosphere of uncertainty looms. North Dakota agriculture leaders say can’t afford to lose these relationships.
…
With commodity prices already low, Mertz is fearful his industry could tank if a trade war with Mexico happens. He says they use North Dakota barley to make Corona. He doesn’t like being used as a negotiating tool.”

Washington Examiner: “But if the White House has found ways to shelter red-state farmers… they’ve been keeping it to themselves. On Thursday, China announced retaliatory tariffs on soybeans — a move that will disproportionately harm North Dakota.”

Wall Street Journal: Trade Fight Threatens Farm Belt Businesses.
“The president’s global trade offensive is threatening the livelihoods of many farmers. Mounting trade disputes, spurred by U.S. threats to withdraw from the North American Free Trade Agreement and tariffs on billions of dollars’ worth of goods from key trading partners, have cut U.S. agricultural exports and sent commodity prices tumbling. Many farmers, who depend on shipments overseas for one-fifth of the goods they produce, say they are anxious, especially because they are already expecting bumper harvests or grappling with a dairy glut.
…
Some farmers fear trade battles will jeopardize foreign markets for U.S. agricultural products that took decades to establish.
…
Others worry another bumper harvest this fall will compound pain inflicted by tariffs. The USDA expects farmers to reap the fourth-largest corn crop and third-biggest soybean crop in history.”

“It’s no surprise that someone who likened voting against Trump’s agenda to cheating on your wife would blindly follow such an ill-conceived policy, even when it’s detrimental to North Dakotans,” said Scott McNeil, Executive Director of the North Dakota Democratic-NPL. “North Dakota farmers are already experiencing devastating pocketbook consequences from Cramer’s inaction. It’s clear that his blind loyalty and his political ambitions are more important to him than standing up for North Dakota farmers and businesses.”

Background:

Cramer Asked North Dakotans To Blindly Trust Trump’s Actions On Trade:

  • Cramer On Trade: “President Trump Is Asking For Something That We Are To Give Him And That Is Patience […] The Longer Time We Give Him I Think The Better The Trade Deal Is At The End Of It.” CRAMER: “President Trump is asking for something that we are to give him and that is patience. And the longer that we, the longer time we give him I think the better the trade deal is at the end of it.” [Breitbart News Daily – Interview with Kevin Cramer – 6/29/18]
  • Cramer Claimed The Trade Negotiation Would End Quicker If “We” Stand With Trump And Help Him. CRAMER: “Right now, while we’re in the middle of a negotiation, I think if we want this to end quickly what we are to be doing is standing with our president and help him.” [NPR – Interview with Kevin Cramer – 6/15/18]
  • Cramer Claimed A Soybean Tariff Would Cause “Short-Term Pain,” But That Pain Did Not Change “The Long Term Goal.” According to NBC News, Cramer stated, “‘North Dakotans are sophisticated people and with a soybean tariff, it’s gonna be short-term pain, but that doesn’t change the long term goal.’” [NBC News, 4/8/18]

Cramer Refused To Acknowledge The Negative Effects Of Trump’s Trade Policies:

  • Amid Soybean Tariffs, Cramer Claimed It Was Not “All Doom And Gloom” For North Dakota Producers. According to KNOX-AM, “Many in the farm sector are concerned about a possible trade war with China having a negative impact on North Dakota soybean growers. But Congressman Kevin Cramer says he doesn’t believe it’s all doom and gloom.” [KNOX-AM, 1:04PM, 5/17/18]

Cramer Claimed Concern Over Trade Policies Was “Hysteria.”

  • Prairie Public HEADLINE: “Cramer: Cool The ‘Hysteria’ Over Chinese Tariffs.” [Prairie Public, 4/9/18]
  • On Tariffs, Cramer Claimed He Did Not “Fall For The Hysteria Thing.” According to Bismarck Tribune, “With that, he said the situation is ‘not without risk’ and ‘it causes me some concern’ but ‘I don’t fall for the hysteria thing.’” [Bismarck Tribune, 6/1/18]