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.

Looking Back: Cramer Ambushed Older Americans with Age Tax and Medicare Cutbacks in Backroom Deal

Cramer voted for bill that would hike premiums for older Americans

He described the AARP-condemned bill as a “missed opportunity”

(BISMARCK, ND) – As the one-year anniversary of partisan efforts to rip away health care protections for North Dakotans approaches, it’s worth taking a look back at what Cramer’s vision for North Dakotans’ care would have looked like, had his hyper-partisan, backroom deal been signed into law.

“Kevin calls the fact that his back-room,hyper-partisan deal to rip health care away from older Americans a ‘missed opportunity,’” said Scott McNeil, Executive Director of the North Dakota Dem-NPL. “Is he serious? North Dakotans breathed a sigh of relief when the Cramer-backed bill failed because it would it would have slapped them with a new Age Tax, surged their premium costs, and threatened vital programs by weakening their Medicare. But for a self-serving politician like Cramer, losing a chance to boost his own career at the expense of North Dakotans is a ‘missed opportunity’ – and that’s the last thing our seniors deserve.”

The American Health Care Act (AHCA) would have posed a direct assault on the ability of older Americans to receive care:

  • Age Tax: By revoking an Affordable Care Act provision that prohibited insurance companies from charging older customers sky-high premiums, the Cramer-backed law opened the door for companies to impose an “age tax” on older Americans, with premiums five times the amount charged to younger customers.

  • Weakened Medicare, Threatening Vital Programs: The Cramer-backed AHCA also contained provisions that undermined the Medicare guarantee, weakening the popular program with millions of beneficiaries nationwide. By threatening Medicare funding, the AHCA could have cut benefits to vital programs, which could have meant lower quality of care for millions of older Americans.

  • Premium Increases: Under the AHCA – Cramer’s idea of a “missed opportunity” – older Americans would have faced potentially up to thousands of dollars in premium increases, pricing many out of the market entirely.

ICYMI: Even GOP Sen. Marco Rubio Says There’s “No Evidence” of Republican Tax Bill Helping American Workers

Kevin Cramer’s would-be colleague criticizes the GOP corporate giveaways they voted for

(BISMARCK, ND) – Despite what Kevin Cramer has been saying for the past year, North Dakotans know that the corporate giveaway masquerading as a tax cut for the middle class will not help out the average working family in the long run. But now one of their own has let slip the truth about the tax scam, and it doesn’t look great for Cramer’s Cronies.

Republican Senator Marco Rubio of Florida, in an interview with the economist, actually told the truth about the deficit-and-debt exploding bill:

“There is still a lot of thinking on the right that if big corporations are happy, they’re going to take the money they’re saving and reinvest it in American workers,” [Rubio] says. “In factthey 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.”

Now that his colleagues in the GOP are finally acknowledging the truth about their marquee accomplishment, will Cramer change his tune?

Based on his Cramer-before-North Dakota track record, workers likely shouldn’t hold their breath.

Happy Anniversary: Cramer Voted for “Mean” Bill to Strip Over 30,000 North Dakotans of Health Coverage

Cramer-backed American Health Care Act (AHCA) would have hurt those with pre-existing conditions the most
(BISMARCK, ND) – This week, we’re approaching the anniversary of Kevin Cramer’s vote to pass the American Health Care Act (AHCA) of 2017, legislation that President Trump called just plain “mean” because it could have forced more than 30,000 North Dakotans off their health insurance.

Additionally, more than 300,000 North Dakotans with pre-existing conditions could have lost their health coverage or been charged more for basic care.

Cramer’s vote on May 4, 2017, was an attempt to roll back important progress made toward expanding health care access and proved that he’d rather stand with partisan Washington big-shots like Mitch McConnell that can help him with his own career rather than with North Dakota families.

But this shouldn’t be a surprise, given Cramer’s history. Instead of working to improve health care options for North Dakotans, Cramer was more concerned with attacking North Dakotans with diabetes, cancer, and other pre-existing conditions – saying they were trying to “game” the system. In fact, he’s voted nearly 60 times to strip coverage from North Dakota’s most vulnerable populations.

“In the words of President Trump, Kevin Cramer’s vote to kick over 30,000 North Dakotans off their health coverage – including over 18,000 men and women who gained health insurance through the Medicaid expansion – was just plain ‘mean,’” said Scott McNeil, Executive Director of the North Dakota Democratic-NPL. “Cramer showed his true colors with that vote– he cares more about voting in lockstep with party leaders that can help him get ahead than he does about the health and safety of North Dakotans. With Cramer, our families will always take a backseat to the ideological concerns of his donors and his own political ambitions – and that’s not what we deserve.”

Boschee Receives Victory Fund “Game Changer” Endorsement

Endorsement highlights potential statewide impact in Secretary of State race

(BISMARCK, ND) – The North Dakota Democratic-NPL is proud to announce that Representative Joshua Boschee has earned a “Game Changer” endorsement from Victory Fund in his race for Secretary of State.

Victory Fund is America’s leading national organization advocating for LGBTQ candidates at the local, state, and national levels of government. Endorsements from the group highlight not only a commitment to public service and equality but also emphasize the candidate’s viability.

“Victory Fund is pleased to endorse Rep. Josh Boschee for Secretary of State,” said Victory Fund President & CEO Annise Parker. “Rep. Boschee’s commitment to modernizing the Secretary of State’s office and ensuring all eligible North Dakotans’ right to vote is protected makes him the best candidate for Secretary of State. When he wins in November, Rep. Boschee will continue to be a voice for all North Dakotans.”

“I am honored to be joining the ranks of Victory Fund endorsed candidates,” said Representative Joshua Boschee (Dem-NPL 44) and candidate for Secretary of State. “Throughout my career, I have been an advocate for equality for all North Dakotans, and I look forward to bringing that important perspective to the Secretary of State’s office. Our citizens need a modern, responsive Secretary of State’s office that will advocate for their fundamental rights, especially the right to vote.”

“The people of District 44 know Josh is a tireless public servant with a strong moral compass, and he looks forward to bringing that same energy to the Secretary of State’s office,” said Scott McNeil, Executive Director of the Democratic-NPL. “The Victory Fund endorsement emphasizes his leadership ability and his commitment to our shared values of equality and open access to our state’s most important services.”

REPORT: Heitkamp pays North Dakotans who intern in her office, Cramer accepts free labor

#TBT from NDxPlains: Cramer has family on campaign payroll, refuses to pay interns

Former Heitkamp intern: “You don’t have to be ‘well-to-do’ to work for her. That’s just who she is and it’s reflected in how she runs her office.”

(BISMARCK, ND) – There’s a new push to get Members of Congress to pay their interns,and a report from Pay Our Interns details those who do – Senators Heidi Heitkamp and John Hoeven are on the list. Notably absent is Kevin Cramer, whose fondness for nepotism has led him to have family members on campaign payroll – and reimburse himself about $200,000.

Reports show that a typical internship can cost students up to $6,000, but apparently Cramer can’t stomach paying the North Dakotans who intern for him on Capitol Hill.

“It’s shameful that Kevin Cramer refuses to pay the North Dakotans who intern in his office, but still finds hundreds of thousands in campaign cash to line his own pockets,” said Scott McNeil, executive director of the North Dakota Dem-NPL. “Republican or Democrat, North Dakota’s Members of Congress have had a proud tradition of paying their interns the wages they’ve earned – Kevin Cramer should get on board because it’s the right thing to do.”

ND AG COMMUNITY: Cramer Choosing Political Ambitions with “Blind Allegiance” to Trump Tariffs Over North Dakota Farmers is Unacceptable

Trump’s Tariffs would be disastrous for agriculture producers. So why is Kevin Cramer still going along with them?

(BISMARCK, ND) – Kevin Cramer is still more worried about his own political career than North Dakotans, refusing to stand up to President Trump on his disastrous tariffs that could devastate North Dakota’s farmers. And his self-serving, cowardly support for a potential trade war has not gone unnoticed by North Dakotans who know our state deserves a strong advocate in the Senate.

He’s already been called out in the Bismarck Tribune for his lack of loyalty to North Dakota’s farmers, but Cramer still isn’t getting the message: It’s time to put your political ambitions aside and stand with North Dakota, not Washington big-shots and their detrimental trade policies.

This week, Kevin got another reminder from farmer and former State RepresentativeBenjamin Vig in the Fargo Forum:

  • Cramer is wrong to embrace the Trump tariffs as they are going to have a serious negative impact on middle America and looking at the economic numbers, we cannot afford a set back.

  • Whether it is soybeans, corn, or livestock, our family farmers and ranchers deliver. For the last 10 years, agriculture has been a bright spot in the American economy, showing steady growth with increasing market access. The markets come in many forms, often with new trade agreements overseas, or an increase in the renewable fuels consumption.

  • Promoting renewable fuel consumption would help use up our surplus corn and soybean supply, but Congressman Cramer’s blind allegiance to Trump is letting our farmers and ranchers down.

Minute by Minute: Attorney General Wayne Stenehjem Flouts North Dakota Law with Eight-Month Backlog in Industrial Commission Meeting Minutes

Stenehjem, Burgum, and Goehring are in violation of open records laws

North Dakotans deserve sunlight on important regulatory body

(BISMARCK, ND) – An eight-month delay is too long for the public to be shut out of what goes on at North Dakota Industrial Commissions’ meetings, but that gap has grown–and shows no sign of stopping–under the leadership of three Republicans: Attorney General Stenehjem, Governor Burgum, and Agriculture Commissioner Goehring.

This weekend, the Bismarck Tribune reported that the Industrial Commission is eight months behind publishing the minutes of its meetings. What’s worse: this delay is in direct violation of North Dakota’s open record laws according to the 2014 opinion of one of its commissioners: AG Stenehjem.

There is no excuse for this backlog, nor is this an isolated incident. After Stenehjem released his initial opinion in 2014, the Commission was again cited for long delays in disclosing its minutes in 2016 by the Office of the State Auditor.

“The three Republicans members of the Industrial Commission have hidden their minutes from the public since July of last year,” said David Thompson, Democratic-NPL candidate for Attorney General. “An eight-month delay in publishing the minutes of North Dakota’s most powerful agency, which regulates our state’s oil and gas industry, is simply inexcusable. A reasonable conclusion from the Industrial Commission’s consistent practice of hiding its minutes from the public for months–and even years–is that these actions are not accidents. This practice is nothing less than a disgrace and Attorney General Wayne Stenehjem should be ashamed for his continuing role in hiding these minutes from the public as the Commission’s legal advisor and as one of its three members along with Governor Burgum and Agriculture Commissioner Goehring.”

ICYMI: Cramer-backed steel tariffs are likely to cost the American economy thousands of jobs

Cramer silent as Federal Reserve economists conclude that the administration’s steel tariff is “likely to cost more jobs than it saves”

Cramer has dismissed concerns over potential job losses as a “misguided understanding of market impacts”

(BISMARCK, ND) – New research from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York suggests that U.S. tariffs on steel imports are likely to cost the American economy jobs, according to a Wall Street Journal report. Coupled with last week’s report of rising steel prices for American businesses, this could spell trouble for American manufacturers. Experts are particularly concerned about the economic impact of tit-for-tat retaliatory actions that would likely cause further economic harm.

Despite President Trump’s claim that “trade wars are good, and easy to win,” economists say ‘not so fast’ – warning of potential consequences as a result of a looming trade war. Kevin Cramer, who previously dismissed concerns over tariffs as “hysteria,” seems more concerned with praising the president than he is with protecting American jobs. Originally opposed to the administration’s tariffs, Cramer is now turning his back on American workers, shrugging off potential job losses as “short-term pain.” Cramer’s silence on this issue is especially dangerous for North Dakota, where over 17,000 workers are employed in industries that rely on steel and aluminum.

Highlights from the article below:

Wall Street Journal: Steel Tariffs Likely to Lea to U.S. Job Losses, Fed Economists Find

  • U.S. tariffs on steel imports are likely to cost the American economy jobs, according to new research from Federal Reserve Bank of New York economists.
  • The research comes a day after the Federal Reserve said U.S. businesses reported rising steel prices due to the new tariffs.
  • Many economists have said the tariffs won’t have much of a positive impact for the U.S., and the Fed post bolsters that view.
  • The bigger issue is that domestic manufacturers will face higher costs both from tariff-affected foreign metal and from American producers lifting prices to match the imports.
  • On Wednesday, New York Fed leader William Dudley warned that “a tariff war would be a terrible, terrible outcome.” He added: “I would not look at a trade war as something we can win. I don’t really think a trade war is a winnable proposition.”

ICYMI from NDxPlains: ND GOP Leaders Silent on Ethanol Standards

Cramer, Burgum, and Hoeven suddenly quiet when it comes to helping North Dakota farmers

Cramer asks for farmers’ votes but leaves them in the dust on tariffs and biofuels

(BISMARCK, ND) – While Heidi Heitkamp has been fighting for the biofuel industry on the Senate Agriculture Committee and pushing for policies that put North Dakota farmers first, the ND GOP’s highest-ranking officials have been conspicuously quiet on regulatory changes that will hurt corn growers and ethanol producers.

Between Representative Kevin Cramer, Senator John Hoeven, and Governor Doug Burgum, someone should have something to say about an industry that generates $300 million every year and supports over 10,000 jobs in this state, right? Wrong. Instead, all that North Dakota farmers can hear are crickets.

Will Kevin Cramer or John Hoeven finally speak up about the negative effects of Washington’s changes to biofuel policy? Will Doug Burgum join other Republican governors in calling for stronger Renewable Fuel Standards? Are North Dakota’s GOP leaders going to side with farmers on this commonsense policy to grow our agricultural economy? We’re not holding our breath.

NDxPlains: Still Silent on Waivers to ND Refineries which Impacts Ethanol

  • At the beginning of April, I wrote about how two of North Dakota’s refineries received a waiver from the EPA. The waivers claimed it was too difficult and expensive for Andeavor, one of the largest oil refiners in the nation, to produce ethanol in North Dakota. Let that sink in, too difficult and expensive to produce ethanol from corn in farm-state North Dakota. Governor Doug Burgum failed to take a public stand with six other Republican Governors. He isn’t alone in his silence.

  • Where is Senator John Hoeven? How about Congressman Kevin Cramer? I haven’t heard where they stand on this administrative change. Have I missed it? This weekend, Republican South Dakota Senator Mike Rounds expressed his concerns over the EPA changes. North Dakota’s Democratic Senator Heidi Heitkamp has spoken out on changes to biofuel standards. Hoeven and Cramer, still silent.

  • Both released statements in support of Japan’s change to begin importing U.S. corn-based ethanol. That is a great development. No, they’ve been silent on ethanol when it is negative for farmers and when it appears to benefit oil production.

Cramer comes out swinging for President Trump’s disastrous trade war, totally abandoning North Dakota farmers and ranchers

Farmers feel betrayed by Cramer’s political tap dance

(BISMARCK, ND) – Last week in a campaign email, Kevin Cramer came out swinging for President Trump’s disastrous tariffs – completely abandoning North Dakota farmers, ranchers, manufacturers and workers who are already suffering the consequences from the impending trade war.

Here’s what he said:

“To date, we haven’t had a President with the fortitude to stand up to these unfair practices and now we do. He needs our support. Senator Heitkamp has been critical of Trump’s position while Rep. Kevin Cramer has supported it.”

 So where does Cramer actually stand? He’s been doing cartwheels on this issue since day one – when he initially deleted a tweet opposing the tariffs. That same day, Cramer compared voting against the president to cheating on a wife.

But now, it looks like Cramer has finally come out full-bore for the president’s trade war – at least to his campaign supporters.