Thompson: Hamm’s Donation Another Example of the Out-of-State Billionaire Trying to Buy North Dakota’s Politicians

(GRAND FORKS, ND) — Last night, Kevin Cramer made an incredible admission that out-of-state billionaire Harold Hamm’s offer to be the campaign’s finance chair convinced him to run for the Senate. Unfortunately, it is just another example of the megadonor trying to buy North Dakota politicians.

Hamm, the Oklahoma oil and gas magnate, has given thousands of dollars to the campaigns of Doug Burgum, Wayne Stenehjem, and Doug Goehring, the three officials who are charged with regulating the industry where he made his fortune.

“Kevin Cramer shouldn’t have to wait for a billionaire’s word to decide whether or not to run for the Senate,” said David Thompson, North Dakota Democratic-NPL candidate for Attorney General. “Whether it’s Cramer in DC, or Burgum, Stenehjem, and Goehring in Bismarck, Harold Hamm knows he can dictate North Dakota’s public policy from out of state. As if it wasn’t enough that an oil and gas tycoon has given to the three members of the Industrial Commission of North Dakota, now he wants to funnel more money into the Cramer campaign.”

Thompson has previously published an investigative report on Harold Hamm’s involvement in improper campaign contributions to members of the North Dakota Industrial Commission.

Cramer’s Club: Eliminate the Renewable Fuel Standard

Kevin Cramer and the Republican Study Committee advocate killing the RFS

(BISMARCK, ND) — Kevin Cramer is no friend to ethanol producers. Over and over again, Cramer has proposed eliminating completely the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) – a policy which mandates certain blend levels in biodiesel fuels and is a key driver of ethanol production. Even though that policy could put North Dakota’s $640 million ethanol industry at risk, Cramer again pushed to do away with RFS just last month.

Why would Kevin turn his back on North Dakota? Because his Washington buddies told him to.

A member of the Republican Study Committee, Cramer proposed reforming RFS to “end ethanol fuel-blending mandates” and implementing policies ‘mirroring’ the Renewable Fuel Standard Elimination Act as part of the group’s policy reform wish list for the 2019 budget.

“It’s no secret – from tariffs and trade to the Renewable Fuel Standard – Kevin Cramer is no friend of North Dakota’s ag community, leaving farmers and producers by the wayside in favor of the DC-swamp establishment,” said Scott McNeil, Executive Director of the Democratic-NPL. “Even though it would put North Dakota’s ethanol industry on the road to ruin, Cramer is forcing the Renewable Fuel Standard toward the chopping block. Our farmers and producers need stronger, not weaker policies that help them thrive, but for thatthey can’t count on Cramer – he’ll turn his back to them every time.”

ICYMI: China Stops Buying Soybeans Despite Cramer Claims

The report comes days after Cramer dismissed farmers’ fears as “hysterics”

(BISMARCK, ND) — You just can’t trust Cramer: Despite Cramer’s relentless attempts to mislead North Dakota’s farmers – insisting their very real concerns about the harmful impact the Trump Administration’s tariffs could have on their livelihoods are nothing but political “hysteria” – North Dakota farmers aren’t buying it. And neither are the experts: According to CNBC, China has been canceling millions of bushels of soybeans over the past three weeks. It was reported that essentially zero new orders are being made.

For weeks, Cramer has hung his hat on the insistence that “very few places in the world grow soybeans,” so China will eventually cave to U.S. pressure, “because three times a day, there’s a meal in China. 1.4 billion people have to eat.” But despite Cramer’s claims, China is shopping around to places like Brazil, proving – as farmers warned – China might not “need us every bit as we need them.”

All of this comes on the heels of the Chinese government threatening a 25 percent tariff on soybeans, corn, and other agricultural products if Trump Administration continues with its misguided trade policies.

“Does Cramer think North Dakota farmers are blind? Despite their warnings about what a tariffs-induced trade war could mean for our ag economy, Cramer has been hellbent on trying to convince them that they don’t know their own business,” said Scott McNeil, Executive Director of the Democratic-NPL. “Now that China has halted soybean buys in the U.S. and is shopping around to other countries – will Cramer finally stand up for them? It just goes to show North Dakotans can’t trust Cramer. He would rather play politics with our farmers’ futures and advance his own career every time.”

CNBC: Angst hangs over farm belt after reports that China stopped buying US soybeans

  • Farm country is worried about reports that China has curbed buying U.S. soybeans due to the ongoing trade spat.

  • “Using soybeans as a retaliation for other trade disputes is really worrisome for farmers,” said Gregg Fujan, a soybean grower in Nebraska. “Those international markets are critical to our profitability. So hopefully the people doing those negotiations can come to an agreement and we can get this worked out.”

  • China buys roughly half of the U.S. soybean exports, and about 1 in 3 rows of soybeans grown on the nation’s farms goes to the world’s second-largest economy, according to the American Soybean Association.

  • In the three weeks ending April 26, China canceled just over 196,000 metric tons (or about 7.2 million bushels) of U.S. beans for the current marketing year, according to U.S. Department of Agriculture. That’s roughly equivalent to filling up the cargo holds of four mid-sized bulk ships.

  • Brazil, though, enjoyed record volumes of soybean exports last month, according to Anec, the country’s grain exporter group. Anec put exports at just over 11.6 million tons in April, or about 1 million above the March tally.

  • Soren Schroder, CEO of agricultural commodities dealer Bunge, said during a Bloomberg interview on Wednesday that U.S. soybean sales to China have essentially stopped. “All the business that’s being conducted with China now is being conducted from non-U.S. origins,” he said.

VIDEO: Cramer admits out-of-state billionaire Harold Hamm was the deciding factor in reconsidering Senate race

Rep. Kevin Cramer (R-Harold Hamm) won’t act in the best interest of North Dakotans

(BISMARCK, ND) – Yesterday in an interview that aired on WDAY, Kevin Cramer admitted that it wasn’t North Dakotans who prompted him to reconsider a run for Senate – it was a promise from an out-of-state billionaire to be his campaign’s National Finance Chair.

You read that right.

Kevin Cramer fessed up that nothing was more persuasive to get him into the U.S. Senate race than a phone call from a man worth a whopping $19 billion dollars. So who does Kevin Cramer represent – the constituents he was elected to serve or an out-of-state billionaire?

“Kevin Cramer says he wants to drain the swamp but we now know that he’s nothing more than a lap dog for out-of-state billionaire Harold Hamm,” said Dem-NPL Executive Director Scott McNeil. “Cramer has never been in politics for the right reasons – that’s why he uses his campaigns to enrich his family and has nearly doubled his net worth since he was elected to Congress. Now, he’s a puppet for out-of-state billionaires, which begs the important question – what kind of parachute deal has Hamm promised Cramer if he loses?”

ICYMI: Schneider Opposes Tariffs, Armstrong “Differ[s]” in First Debate

The two candidates for the US House of Representatives squared off at the North Dakota Newspaper Association’s Annual Conference

(BISMARCK, ND) — North Dakota Democratic-NPL endorsed candidate Mac Schneider and his Republican opponent Kelly Armstrong held their first debate in Bismarck over the weekend.

While Armstrong has spoken favorably about the administration’s trade policies prior to Saturday’s debate, Mac Schneider again stood by North Dakota farmers in opposing tariffsthat could put North Dakota agriculture at a competitive disadvantage in the near term and threaten access to markets in the long term.

From the Grand Forks Herald: First faceoff: U.S. House candidates focus on farm bill, ag issues in first debate

  • The two differed in thoughts on how to handle trade with China. The U.S. should play a role in making sure China is not violating trade agreements and is “playing by the rules,” Schneider said, but he disagreed with President Donald Trump’s tactics of putting tariffs on China. Schneider noted the move has resulted in retaliation from China, including the country’s announcements to increase its tariffs on U.S. soybeans.

  • “If you are for less trade, you are for fewer farmers,” Schneider said, calling for enforcement action instead of implementing tariffs.

  • “It’s time to try something different,” [Sen. Kelly Armstrong] said as he called China is a bad actor.

Cramer Disses Farmers and Ranchers in an Email to His Donors

Recent fundraising email shows Kevin Cramer would rather dismiss the concerns of North Dakota Farmers than stand up to his own party

(BISMARCK, ND) – In a recent email to donors, Kevin Cramer again called the outrage over his unwillingness to stand with North Dakota farmers “hysteria.”

Farmers know that the looming trade war could be a disaster for their bottom line. So does former North Dakota Governor and USDA Secretary Ed Schafer, who has previously called Cramer’s comments unfair, “politics.”

So why doesn’t Kevin Cramer stand up for North Dakota farmers and ranchers?

This isn’t the first time Cramer has called these very real fears “hysteria.” Back in April, he used the word to describe the common knowledge that a trade war would be bad for farmers, and since then it has been reported that China has stopped buying U.S. soybeans.

That’s not hysteria. That’s pointing out that there are real consequences for Cramer’s actions.

“Kevin Cramer has his head firmly buried in the sand when it comes to tariffs,” said Scott McNeil, Executive Director of the North Dakota Democratic-NPL. “When farmers ask him to side with his constituents instead of Washington powerbrokers like Mitch McConnell, he condescendingly calls them hysterical. Farmers know that they would be the first casualties of a trade war, yet Cramer continues to put his own political ambitions in front of the well-being of our agricultural producers.”

Tick Tock: How Long will it Take Cramer to Put ND Farmers Before his Own Political Ambitions?

WATCH THE CLOCK: Over a month after Cramer deleted his tweet opposing harmful tariffs, Cramer still won’t tell the truth or put North Dakotans first

(BISMARCK, ND) – It took less than one hour for Kevin Cramer to abandon North Dakota farmers and producers in favor of his own political career – deleting his tweet opposing harmful tariffs and replacing it with robust support. But one month, three days and counting later, Cramer is still refusing to put North Dakotans ahead of his own ambitions. How long will it take for Cramer to stand up for our state? The clock is ticking.

North Dakota exports more than two-thirds of its soybean crop to China – and if China’s retaliatory 25 percent levies on soybeans go into effect, that could spell catastrophe for North Dakotans. Cramer is fully aware of the risks – more than 100 business groupshavecalled on Congress to protect Americans from tariffs, and he’s already come under fire in the state for putting partisan politics and personal ambition over North Dakota’s ag economy.

But instead of telling the truth about the tariffs, Cramer has resorted to dishonesty: Becoming a talking points robot, and trivializing the very real concerns of North Dakota farmers and producers as nothing more than political “hysteria.”

“Kevin Cramer knows how much the tariffs would devastate an agriculture state like North Dakota, that’s why he originally tweeted out his opposition. But an about-face didn’t take long once he realized his reward might be greener political pastures – and more green in his own pocket,” said Scott McNeil, Executive Director of the North Dakota ND Dem-NPL. “The longer the clock ticks on, the more Cramer desperate becomes – lying, blaming, and talking-point parroting that’s verging on pathetic. Now the question is – will the clock run out Cramer to finally tell the truth and stand with North Dakotans?”

Extreme, Harmful & Self-Serving: Cramer’s “Missed Opportunity” to Repeal Health Care Protections Would Have Devastated North Dakota

On the anniversary of the AHCA, a look back at Cramer’s vote to rip health care away from thousands of North Dakotans

(BISMARCK, ND) – One year ago today, Kevin Cramer sided with his powerful friends in Washington over the well-being of North Dakotans. Voting for the American Health Care Act (AHCA) might have been a good move for Cramer’s career, but it could have ripped away health care access and resources from families back home.

Today, Cramer’s agenda is still just as extreme and self-serving as it was last year. As a refresher, the bill that Cramer called a “missed opportunity” could have:

  • Stripped health care coverage from over 30,000 North Dakotans. According to the Congressional Budget Office’s estimates, under the AHCA, over 23 million Americans would lose health insurance by 2026.

  • Put 300,000 North Dakotans with pre-existing conditions at risk paying much more for basic care. The AHCA would have jeopardized the ability of North Dakotans with cancer, diabetes, and other chronic diseases to get affordable access the health care services they need.

  • The AHCA’s “Age Tax” could have significantly increased costs for seniors.The price increase would have made it impossible for many seniors to afford health coverage.

  • Raised premiums by 20 percent in 2018 alone. One estimate showed that North Dakotans would have paid nearly $1,000 more per year under the AHCA.

Cramer’s idea of a “missed opportunity” would have been a health care catastrophe for North Dakotans. This is not policy prescription that puts North Dakotans first.

With his vote, Kevin Cramer put Kevin Cramer’s career ambitions first. Again.

“One year after Cramer voted for a health care prescription for disaster, his policies are just as extreme, self-serving, and bereft of real solutions as ever,” said Scott McNeil, Executive Director of the North Dakota Democratic-NPL. “We can always count on Cramer to turn his back on North Dakotans when we need him most. After voting to rip health care away from families if it’ll help his political career, he even had the gall to call that snake oil a ‘missed opportunity.’ It’s time to tell Kevin Cramer – North Dakotans want real solutions, not another bought-and-paid-for politician who’ll sell us out to the highest bidder.”

Extreme, Harmful & Self-Serving: Cramer’s “Missed Opportunity” to Repeal Health Care Protections Would Have Devastated North Dakota

On the anniversary of the AHCA, a look back at Cramer’s vote to rip health care away from thousands of North Dakotans

(BISMARCK, ND) – One year ago today, Kevin Cramer sided with his powerful friends in Washington over the well-being of North Dakotans. Voting for the American Health Care Act (AHCA) might have been a good move for Cramer’s career, but it could have ripped away health care access and resources from families back home.

Today, Cramer’s agenda is still just as extreme and self-serving as it was last year. As a refresher, the bill that Cramer called a “missed opportunity” could have:

  • Stripped health care coverage from over 30,000 North Dakotans. According to the Congressional Budget Office’s estimates, under the AHCA, over 23 million Americans would lose health insurance by 2026.

  • Put 300,000 North Dakotans with pre-existing conditions at risk paying much more for basic care. The AHCA would have jeopardized the ability of North Dakotans with cancer, diabetes, and other chronic diseases to get affordable access the health care services they need.

  • The AHCA’s “Age Tax” could have significantly increased costs for seniors.The price increase would have made it impossible for many seniors to afford health coverage.

  • Raised premiums by 20 percent in 2018 alone. One estimate showed that North Dakotans would have paid nearly $1,000 more per year under the AHCA.

Cramer’s idea of a “missed opportunity” would have been a health care catastrophe for North Dakotans. This is not policy prescription that puts North Dakotans first.

With his vote, Kevin Cramer put Kevin Cramer’s career ambitions first. Again.

“One year after Cramer voted for a health care prescription for disaster, his policies are just as extreme, self-serving, and bereft of real solutions as ever,” said Scott McNeil, Executive Director of the North Dakota Democratic-NPL. “We can always count on Cramer to turn his back on North Dakotans when we need him most. After voting to rip health care away from families if it’ll help his political career, he even had the gall to call that snake oil a ‘missed opportunity.’ It’s time to tell Kevin Cramer – North Dakotans want real solutions, not another bought-and-paid-for politician who’ll sell us out to the highest bidder.”

Republican Efforts to Suppress Native American Vote Get National Attention

The Nation explains how GOP plays politics with the right to vote in North Dakota and attempted to disenfranchise thousands

(BISMARCK, ND) – The North Dakota GOP won’t be able to get away with it this time. A new article in The Nation shines a light on their efforts disenfranchise thousands of Native American voters through an onerous – and unconstitutional – voter ID law.

State Representative Dan Ruby flat out stated that these actions were an attempt to stifle turnout after Senator Heitkamp’s 2012 victory, not preserve the integrity of North Dakota’s elections:

The prospect of losing an election in a state Republicans otherwise dominated—they held every statewide office and both legislative chambers—served as a wake-up call. “I think that shined a light on it in a way that it was decided that now we should fix the issue,” Ruby told me.

“North Dakotans will not stand for their fundamental rights being taken away because of partisan politics,” said Representative Joshua Boschee (District 44), the Democratic-NPL candidate for Secretary of State. “Republicans knew exactly the people their voter ID law would disenfranchise, but they went ahead and passed it anyway. We need leadership in the Legislature and the Secretary of State’s office who will work to expand access to the ballot box so our communities can have their voices heard from Bismarck to Washington, DC.”

On Monday, U.S. District Court Judge Daniel Hovland rejected an appeal from the State to delay the earlier ruling that struck the residential address requirement from voter ID law.

Cramer’s Me-First, North Dakotans-Last Health Care Plan Would Have Raised the Cost of Coverage

The Cramer-supported American Health Care Act (AHCA) would have raised premiums by 20 percent and likely brought back lifetime and annual spending caps

(BISMARCK, ND) – When it comes to priorities, North Dakotans can always count on Cramer to count himself first – regardless of how North Dakota families might suffer. Through his efforts to gain support for and pass the AHCA, Cramer pushed a plan that would have caused insurance premiums to skyrocket, making affordable health coverage an impossibility for many families.

According to the Congressional Budget Office report on the bill, the AHCA would have likely led to significant costs by bringing back lifetime or annual spending caps. By eliminating certain Essential Health Benefits (EHBs), insurers could charge exorbitant amounts for services like maternity care, mental health and substance abuse treatment, and for necessary prescription drugs.

Kevin Cramer voted for it, anyway.

Even though the official Congressional Budget Office estimate said that North Dakotans could expect a 20 percent increase in premiums in 2018 alone. Further analysis put the dollar amount at nearly $1,000.

Kevin Cramer called it a “missed opportunity,” anyway.

“The last thing North Dakota families need is higher health care premiums, but for Kevin Cramer, costing them an extra $1,000 was well-worth racking up political points in his push for the AHCA,” said Scott McNeil, Executive Director of the North Dakota Democratic-NPL. “That’s because, for Cramer, his own political and career interests always come first. We need serious solutions that will lower premiums and protect quality care for those who need it most. But for Cramer, working hard for anyone but himself just isn’t in the cards – and he’ll continue to force North Dakotans to sacrifice their care and their wallet for the sake of his own political ambitions.”

ICYMI: More Broken Promises – Hiring and Investment Boom from Corporate Tax Reform Has Not Come To Pass

Cramer and his Republican sidekicks promised ‘rocket fuel’ for the economy – but many workers aren’t seeing benefits

Despite the corporate giveaway, evidence of hiring and investment is lacking, with U.S. borrowing ballooning

(BISMARCK, ND) – Despite the massive corporate tax cuts at the center of President Trump’s tax overhaul, corporate executives have no major plans in sight their tax windfall into their workers, according to a new report from the New York Times. Wealthy shareholders are winning big, and American corporate executives are playing it safe rather than hiring new workers or increasing the salaries of their current employees.

After claims of job creation, new factories, and higher wages, Republicans in Washington are, once again, failing to live up to their empty promises to the American worker. While corporate profits swell, many Americans aren’t feeling the effects of the GOP tax overhaul. Meanwhile, conservatives are swiping the country’s charge card to finance their corporate giveaway, with the deficit predicted to jump to $1.9 trillion.

Highlights from the article below:
New York Times: Investment Boom From Trump’s Tax Cut Has Yet to Appear

  • After years of costly layoffs and plant closings, things are looking up for the heavy-machinery giant Caterpillar, which forecasts solid global sales growth and increased demand this year. Yet despite the corporate investment incentives at the center of President Trump’s tax overhaul, the company’s executives have no plans to supercharge investment or expansion.
  • Caterpillar’s plans for new investment remain low by historical standards. Instead, the company has started using cash to repurchase its own stock as a way to return cash to shareholders, something it hadn’t done since 2015.
  • Senator Marco Rubio, Republican of Florida, told The Economist in remarks published last week that after the tax cuts passed, corporations “bought back shares, a few gave out bonuses; there’s no evidence whatsoever that the money’s been massively poured back into the American worker.”
  • As they anticipated a windfall from tax cuts, the nation’s banks increased their pace of buybacks by more than 50 percent last year, to $77.5 billion from $51 billion in 2016, according to data compiled by S&P Global Market Intelligence. The 10 largest banks, led by JP Morgan Chase and Citigroup, accounted for 70 percent of those buybacks.
  • A survey by the National Association for Business Economics also finds capital spending expectations rising from a year ago – but two-thirds of respondents said the new tax law did not cause them to change hiring or investment plans.