Happy Anniversary: One year ago today, GOP soured on Cramer’s candidacy

(BISMARCK, ND) – Just one year ago today, the Republican Party’s handwringing over a potential Kevin Cramer candidacy reached a fever pitch – as internal for concern that his Todd Akin tendencies could tank his campaign bubbled over.
Failing a nearly year-long effort to recruit a more viable candidate, now-GOP endorsed Cramer has proved their concerns valid – continuing to use outrageous rhetoric and put politics before North Dakota. He even suggested that voting against the president is like cheating on a spouse the very day he chose to side with the president over North Dakota farmers on potentially backbreaking tariffs.
Highlights from CNN’s story, one year ago today:
CNN: Nervous about GOP congressman, Republicans woo new North Dakota Senate candidate
  • Senior Senate GOP officials have grown concerned that Rep. Kevin Cramer’s penchant for controversial remarks could damage their chances at one of the party’s most prized opportunities to pickup the crucial seat occupied by Heitkamp, a rare Democratic statewide officeholder in the conservative state. Cramer’s latest remark: Defending Sean Spicer this week in the aftermath of the White House spokesman’s widely condemned comments about Adolf Hitler and the Holocaust.
  • The maneuvering comes as some influential Republicans now are fearful that Cramer could damage their chances if he commits gaffes like GOP candidate Todd Akin did in 2012 when he cost his party a chance to pickup the Missouri Senate seat.
  • “On paper, it looks like he could win, but he also appears to have a few Akin-like tendencies that make a lot of people nervous,” said one Senate GOP campaign veteran, who, like other top Republicans, asked for anonymity to assess the field candidly.
  • Cramer has made other controversial remarks in the past, including after Democratic women wore white to highlight the women’s suffrage movement during Trump’s speech to Congress earlier this year. Cramer called them “poorly dressed” with “bad-looking white pantsuits.”

Congressional Budget Office: Republican tax bill Cramer voted for will give 80 percent of economic gains to foreigners, increase deficit by $1.9 trillion

(BISMARCK, ND) – A new report from the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office shows that not only will the Republican tax bill Cramer supported put $1.9 trillion on our nation’s credit card, but also that 80 percent of the economic gains will eventually go to foreigners. Additionally, corporations are spending almost 40 times more on stock buybacks than they are spending on worker bonuses or wage increases.

“Every day, it becomes clearer that the big winners from the Washington Republican tax bill are foreigners and corporate CEOs,” said Scott McNeil, Executive Director of the North Dakota Democratic-NPL. “Not only did Kevin Cramer vote to increase the deficit by $1.9 trillion, he voted for a bill that gives 80 percent of economic gains to wealthy foreigners and offshore corporations. This isn’t ‘America First’ – it looks a whole lot more like America Last.”

Key points below:

Newsweek: TRUMP TAX PLAN: 80 PERCENT OF ECONOMIC GAINS WILL END UP GOING TO FOREIGNERS, CBO SAYS

  • But 80 percent of the economic growth generated by the Republican tax cuts will eventually go abroad and benefit foreigners, according to a new report by the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office.
  • According to the CBO, on average 34 percent of income from the economic activity driven by the tax cuts is flowing out of the country, and in 2028, when the full effects of the tax cuts are in place, that number will increase to 80 percent.
  • An analysis of Fortune 500 companies found that corporations have spent 37 times more on stock buybacks than on American workers’ bonuses and wages.
  • At the same time, U.S. deficits are projected to balloon because of the decrease in revenue being collected under the tax cuts. The CBO projects that federal spending will exceed revenues by $804 billion in fiscal year 2018, up from $665 billion in 2017. The national debt is now on track to be 100 percent of GDP by 2028.

ICYMI: Largely due to Cramer’s budget-busting tax bill, deficit will surpass $1 trillion two years ahead of schedule

Report comes as Cramer laughed off debt concerns in tax bill
(BISMARCK, ND) – This week, the Congressional Budget Office projected a $1 trillion deficit two years sooner than previous estimates – largely thanks to the budget-busting tax bill Kevin Cramer supported. The report also noted that the tax bill will do little to spur long-term economic growth and will cost significantly more than we were told.

But after this $1.9 trillion dollar giveaway to billionaires and corporations, Kevin Cramer recently remembered he’s supposed to be a deficit hawk — now, deciding he wants a balanced budget amendment that will be voted on in the House today. Confused? We are, too.

For Kevin Cramer – this has always about politics, not principle. Just take a look at what he wants on the chopping block to give cash bonuses for corporate executives. It’s no secret: Social Security, Medicare and other programs North Dakotans depend on.

Senator Heitkamp, on the other hand, has supported a balanced budget amendment since 2012, and has continually fought to protect programs like Medicare and Social Security from cuts.

Key points from Bloomberg below:

Bloomberg: U.S. Deficit to Surpass $1 Trillion Two Years Ahead of Estimates

  • The U.S. budget deficit will surpass $1 trillion by 2020, two years sooner than previously estimated, as tax cuts and spending increases signed by President Donald Trump do little to boost long-term economic growth, according to the Congressional Budget Office.
  • The nation’s budget gap was only set to surpass the trillion-dollar level in fiscal 2022 under CBO’s report last June.
  • Deficits are growing as the Trump administration enacted a tax overhaul this year that will lower federal revenue and Congress approved a roughly $300 billion spending increase. The fresh CBO estimates could heighten investor worries as they weigh the potential impact that tariff threats between the U.S. and China may have on the world economy.
  • The report includes new projections for the effects of the tax legislation — saying it will increase the deficit by almost $1.9 trillion over the next 11 years, when accounting for its macroeconomic effects and increased debt-service costs. In December, Congress’s Joint Committee on Taxation had said the tax package would reduce federal revenue by almost $1.1 trillion over a 10-year period.
  • U.S. debt held by the public will surpass $20 trillion by fiscal 2022, up from $15.7 trillion this year, according to the CBO.

GOP senator: Deficits could make tax bill among “worst votes I’ve made” – so, where does Cramer stand?

Cramer previously laughed off debt concerns due to tax bill 

Report shows budget deficits rapidly increasing  largely due to fiscally irresponsible tax bill  

(BISMARCK, ND) – Yesterday, Senator Bob Corker (R-TN) backed off from his previous support of the Republican tax plan in a big way. Citing major concerns with projections showing the deficit rapidly increasing, Corker said the bill “could well be one of the worst votes I’ve ever made.”

The CBO recently reported that largely due to the Republican tax plan, the budget deficit will hit $1 trillion two years sooner than previously anticipated. The report also predicted the Republican tax plan would increase the deficit by about $1.9 trillion dollars – significantly higher than earlier estimates.

Here’s what Senator Corker had to say:

“If it ends up costing what has been laid out here, it could well be one of the worst votes I’ve made.”

Does Kevin Cramer agree with Senator Corker – or does he still think $1.9 trillion is something to laugh off?

Former Secretary of Agriculture and Governor of North Dakota Ed Schafer rebukes Cramer on tariffs

Governor Shafer calls Cramer’s “hysteria”comments unfair, “politics”

(BISMARCK, ND) – Ouch! Congressman Cramer just got burned by his old boss. Former Governor and U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Ed Schafer appeared on KFGO to talk about the president’s tariffs and the impact on North Dakota. Asked about Cramer’s condescending “hysteria” comment, Schafer fired back – saying that he thought Cramer’s was being unfair and political.

“Even North Dakota Republicans are appalled by Kevin Cramer’s blind loyalty to the president – turning his back on farmers and ranchers to prove he’s the ultimate rubber stamp for the White House,”said Scott McNeil, Executive Director of the North Dakota Democratic-NPL. “It’s shameful that Kevin Cramer called farmers and ranchers hysterical and instead chose to side with the president on the tariffs. North Dakotans will remember Cramer’s betrayal of the agricultural community on Election Day.”

Other highlights from Schafer’s interview:

  • Responding to Cramer’s hysteria comment:“Um, I don’t think it’s fair. I mean, I think it’s politics. I don’t think it’s fair. I think that, you know, the Trump administration is the one that said, ‘I’m going to put these tariffs on.’ Right? This wasn’t the GOP or the Democrat Party or whatever.”
  • On the president’s tariffs:“I’m jumbled up about it myself. You know, I’m worried because it just–I don’t think that the Trump administration gets–as much as they are ‘The Art of the Dealmaker,’–I don’t get, I don’t think they get the complexity of what they’re doing and how it affects the everyday lives of people in our country and the other country that they’re dealing with.”
  • On the president using tariffs as a negotiating tactic:“Um, so you know, do you hold your breath and say, ‘Oh, well maybe he’s just rattling the sabers on soybeans and they’ll give up on soybeans if they get what they want over on deck three,’ I worry about–I’m not comfortable with that, Joel.”

CHECKED OUT: At critical Facebook oversight hearing, Cramer… browses Facebook

Cramer previously said he didn’t understand the big dealsurrounding the Facebook controversy  

More than 60 percent of Facebook usersthink their data is unsafe

(BISMARCK, ND) – After answering Mitch McConnell’s call to run for Senate, Kevin Cramer has checked out of his responsibilities as North Dakota’s lone member of the House of Representatives. Today, all eyes are on the House Energy and Commerce Committee, where Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg is facing questions about his company’s recklessness with consumer data. But Cramer’s eyes were somewhere else.

Instead of standing up for North Dakota consumers, Kevin Cramer was… browsing Facebook. That’s right. During the middle of the hearing, Cramer was caught browsing Facebook on his iPad – because for Cramer updating his Facebook cover photo was more important than protecting privacy and holding big tech CEOs accountable:

 

This isn’t the first time Cramer has been MIA on North Dakota’s privacy. Last week, Cramer said “I don’t even get the big deal”about Facebook’s data breach.

Abdication of Leadership: After Endorsing Potential Trade War-Inducing Tariffs, Cramer Fails to Acknowledge Farmers, Ranchers during GOP Acceptance Speech

As Farmers’ Groups Beg Cramer “Not to wreck the car in the first place” By Opposing Tariffs, Cramer Ignores Their Call
Bismarck, N.D. – It’s no secret Congressman Cramer is willing to turn his back on North Dakotans to curry favor with President Trump. Just hours after comparing not voting with President Trump to marital infidelity, Cramer deleted ‘unfaithful’ tweets to President Trump’s agenda where he announced his opposition to the president’s tariffs which could have a devastating impact on North Dakota’s farmers, then posted new ones endorsing the tariffs.

In case he hadn’t been clear enough – during the North Dakota Republican convention on Saturday, Cramer doubled down: Underscoring over and over the need for ‘one more vote’ for President Trump’s agenda in the Senate, Congressman Cramer completely ignored farmers and ranchers – failing to mention them, trade, or the looming threat of tariffs once in his speech.

You read that correctly. Congressman Cramer didn’t mention farmers, ranchers, trade or the backbreaking tariffs they could face: Not one single time.

“Congressman Cramer has done everything in his power to make clear to farmers and ranchers who his priority would be in the Senate – and it’s not our state,” said Scott McNeil, Executive Director of the North Dakota Dem-NPL. “After comparing a vote against Trump to cheating on a spouse, Cramer was quick to side with the president over North Dakota’s ag community on tariffs, even though he knows how they could devastate North Dakota farmers. But he didn’t stop there – he didn’t even mention farmers, ranchers or trade once during his speech once accepting the GOP nomination. Not one time. That’s about how often we can expect him to stand up for us – and it’s not the kind of cowardice North Dakotans deserve.”

The day Cramer neglected North Dakota farmers in his speech, The New York Times ran a story discussing just how severe President Trump’s tariffs could impact North Dakota farmers:

The New York Times: Farmers’ Anger at Trump Tariffs Puts Republican Candidates in a Bind

  • In North Dakota, a major soybean-producing state, Representative Kevin Cramer, a Republican who is running for the Senate, sounded restrained this past week when he urged Mr. Trump to “take a more measured approach” to China. By Friday, he sounded panicked.
  • China’s aggressive response to Mr. Trump’s tariffs is aimed squarely at products produced in the American heartland, a region that helped send him to the White House. A trade war with China could be particularly devastating to rural economies, especially for pig farmers and soybean and corn growers. Nearly two-thirds of United States soybean exports go to China.
  • But farm-state Republicans like Mr. Cramer believe that their constituents could be a casualty, and they are begging the Department of Agriculture to intervene.
  • In the past, these powers have been used to provide relief from wildfires and other natural disasters, farm groups said. But such a program could be time-consuming and costly.
  • Patrick Delaney, a spokesman for the American Soybean Association, said his group was still focused on trying to prevent the tariffs from going into effect, rather than examining what kind of measures the administration might take to support farmers. “It’s a whole lot easier not to wreck the car in the first place than it is to think about what a repair might look like,” he said.
  • For Republicans like Mr. Cramer, who is in a tough race against an incumbent Democrat, Senator Heidi Heitkamp, the president’s threat to sharply escalate the administration’s tariffs on Chinese imports — and China’s threat to retaliate against American farm products — spells trouble in this year’s midterm races. Mr. Cramer’s aides did not respond to requests for comment.

Schneider pledges loyalty to North Dakota, “no-nonsense” campaign on kitchen table issues

Grand Forks – North Dakota congressional candidate Mac Schneider today issued the below statement:
I want to congratulate Kelly Armstrong on securing the GOP nomination for U.S. House in Grand Forks today. While I understand the contest could possibly continue through the June primary, what is certain is that North Dakotans will have a clear choice between two candidates for Congress in November.
We have seen those competing for the GOP nod for the U.S. House attempt to outdo each other in terms of who will be more loyal to the administration. My highest loyalties, on the other hand, are to the people of North Dakota and to the United States Constitution.

I will gladly work with the administration on priorities like rolling back regulations that negatively impact our farmers and ranchers as well as strengthening our military. But I will also forcefully oppose any policy change that threatens North Dakota’s economy or our way of life.
This means working with Democrats and Republicans to reverse course on the administration’s trade policies, which if carried out could threaten the very heart of production agriculture in North Dakota. It also means opposing Nancy Pelosi in favor of a new generation of leadership that will pull up the stakes on the partisan circus and restore a focus on kitchen table issues that North Dakotans care about – jobs, balancing the budget, and preserving Social Security and Medicare.

I will run a no-nonsense campaign on these issues. I look forward to engaging with my opponent as we compete for the trust of North Dakotans from now into November.

Zinke, Cramer wrong on the Bureau of Land Management Rule

Studies show repealing the BLM methane rule would actually lower natural gas production, wouldn’t create jobs

(BISMARCK, ND) – Congressman Kevin Cramer and Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke have had a lot to say about the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) methane rule – but much of it hasn’t been true. According to a recent analysis by the U.S. Department of the Interior, rolling back the rule wouldn’t create new jobs and it would actually lower natural gas production – not increase it.

“There’s been no stronger champion for North Dakota’s energy economy than Heidi, and it’s a shame that Cramer and his Washington smear machine have turned to bold-faced lies to distort her record,” said Scott McNeil, Executive Director of the North Dakota Democratic-NPL. 

Here are two articles that show why the BLM rule is actually good for North Dakota:

The Bismarck Tribune: Preventing gas waste will be beneficial

  •  Gas that leaks or flares from America’s public lands benefits no one. That’s why regulations to prevent waste can provide broad benefits.
  • The BLM’s Methane and Waste Prevention rule is not a threat to “energy independence,” because it actually encourages putting more gas in the production pipeline.
  • On Feb. 22, U.S. District Judge William H. Orrick in California issued a preliminary injunction against BLM’s rule rollback. He found that the BLM’s decision to delay methane waste reduction was “untethered to evidence.”
  • All oil and gas producers on public lands should be held accountable for the actual costs of production — and lost production when gas that should generate royalties goes up in smoke.
  • The 2016 waste prevention rule is common sense and good stewardship of the public’s natural resources. The BLM should stop obstructing its own well-researched 2016 rule.

POLITICO Pro (paywall): BLM analysis: Lower gas production, no job growth under new methane rule

  • The Trump administration’s proposed roll back of an Obama-era rule cracking down on methane emissions would actually lower natural gas production without generating new jobs — contrary to its backers claims, according to a draft rule analysis.
  • The analysis of the new rule contradicts Interior Department claims that reducing the requirements in the methane waste rule finalized in late 2016 would remove constraints on oil and gas production, an argument in line with President Donald Trump’s calls to boost the domestic energy industry.
  • But the latest proposal, as written by Interior and lauded by Senate Environment and Public Works Chairman John Barrasso of Wyoming and House Natural Resources Chairman Rob Bishop of Utah, would actually reduce natural gas supply from federal lands by 229 billion cubic feet over 10 years, according to the analysis from the Bureau of Land Management, the Interior agency that would be in charge of implementing the new rule.
  • It could also reinforce the reasons that even some Republicans have stated in their reticence to rolling back the old rule. Sens. Susan Collins (R-Maine), John McCain (R-Ariz.) and Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) voted against repealing the Obama-era methane rule via a Congressional Review Act maneuver last year that Republicans had used to kill numerous other Obama-era rules.

5 lies you’ll hear at the NDGOP Convention

 (BISMARCK, ND) – If the North Dakota Republican Party’s 2018 Convention is anything like what we’ve seen from them and Washington establishment smear machine, it’ll be completely devoid of facts. Here are five of the biggest whoppers you’ll hear from Congressman Kevin Cramer, Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke and failed 2012 Senate candidate, current NDGOP chair and slumlord Rick Berg today:
  1. CRAMER ON TAXES
Kevin Cramer and his party boss Mitch McConnell just can’t tell the truth about the Republican tax plan. That’s because they don’t want North Dakotans to know  that low- and middle-income North Dakotans will see a tax hike.

On the other hand, Heidi fought for a fiscally responsible tax bill focused on hardworking families – even offering an amendment that would have prevented a tax hike on the middle-class. But Cramer voted to add more than $1 trillion to the national deficit –to give massive tax breaks to billionaires and corporations. And he even had the audacity to laugh about passing that debt on to the next generation. Fiscally responsible? More like fiscally reckless.

  1. CRAMER ON HEALTH CARE
Kevin Cramer and Mitch McConnell have worked really, really hard to increase health care costs for North Dakotans – and it’s working. Because of changes to the ACA that they’ve pushed for, premium costs are expected to continue increasing. Cramer even voted to repeal health care reform without a replacement, which would have jeopardized coverage for more than 300,000 North Dakotans with pre-existing conditions. And Cramer supported legislation that would have kicked more than 30,000 North Dakotans off their health coverage – increasing premiums here in the North Dakota by almost $1,000 per year.

Perhaps worst of all, Cramer accused people with pre-existing conditions like cancer of trying to “game the system” by getting covered.

  1. CRAMER ON ENERGY
Kevin Cramer and Mitch McConnell’s D.C. smear machine have been spreading a lot of “fake news” about the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) methane rule, so let’s set the record straight. Repealing the BLM methane rule would actually lower natural gas production – not increase it, as Cramer and McConnell say. An editorial in the Bismarck Tribune called the rule “common sense” and noted that the “rule is not a threat to ‘energy independence,’ because it actually encourages putting more gas in the production pipeline.”

Rather than just paying disingenuous lip-service to North Dakota’s energy industry, Heidi’s gotten real results. She worked tirelessly across the aisle to lift the decades-old ban on crude oil exports and recently, President Trump signed her bill into law that will help pave a viable path forward for coal.

  1. CRAMER ON HEIDI’S RECORD
Kevin Cramer and failed Senate candidate Rick Berg – still a slumlord and now the NDGOP Chair – will do everything they can this weekend to distort Heidi’s record. They’ve already gotten caught lying about it. But here are the facts: Heidi has a strong record of working across the aisle to get results.

Despite their false claims, Heidi votes with President Trump nearly 70 percent of the time. She’s voted for more than 90 percent of President Trump’s nominees – including Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch. And President Trump has called Heidi a “good woman” and Vice President Pence called her a “strong leader.”

  1. CRAMER’S WASHINGTON SWAMP ATTACKS
Kevin Cramer launched his entire campaign based on a lie, so there’s no question it’ll come up today. They’ve tried to turn a greeting between two senators into something nefarious, but PolitiFact examined their argument and deemed it outright “False.”

Cowardly Cramer: Dem-NPL statement on Kevin Cramer’s latest stunt on tariffs

Cramer continues to put political ambitions ahead of North Dakotans

(BISMARCK, ND) – Today, the Democratic-NPL released the following statement on Kevin Cramer’s latest stunt on the president’s reckless tariffs:”Rather than stand up to President Trump, Congressman Cramer is more worried about saving face than he is about the North Dakota farmers he’s completely abandoned. There’s only one word for the kind of politician who would do such a thing: Coward,” said Scott McNeil, Executive Director of the North Dakota Dem-NPL. “Cramer’s latest stunt show’s that instead of making it clear where he stands and fighting to stop the tariffs, he’s passing the buck to someone else. North Dakotans don’t need Cramer to become Secretary Perdue’s pen pal, they need a strong leader who will put politics aside to stand up for farmers and ranchers. Our economy can’t afford to elect a coward like Cramer.”

Earlier this week, Cramer’s opposition to the president’s tariffs only lasted for a few minutes – Cramer even deleted his tweet and then posted a watered down response where he praised the president’s reckless actions. Even conservative outlets like the Washington Examiner have slammed Cramer for “standing by his man” on policies that would be devastating for North Dakota and rural America.

Crooked Cramer, Crooked Zinke

Leading up to NDGOP Convention, Cramer and Zinke face serious ethical questions about campaign finances

(BISMARCK, ND) – Kevin Cramer and Ryan Zinke have both shown that they can’t be trusted with taxpayer dollars – but they’ve also demonstrated that they can’t be trusted with campaign donations, either.

Earlier this week, Politico reported that the Federal Election Commission (FEC) is investigating Ryan Zinke, the NDGOP Convention’s keynote speaker, for a whopping $600,000 in unreported donations to his PAC. This isn’t the first time Zinke’s shady mismanagement of campaign donations has come into question.

Arguably worse, instead of mismanaging donations to his campaign, Kevin Cramer actually pockets them. KFYR News reported that Cramer has pocketed nearly $200,000 in campaign donations and paid various family members more than $140,000. A Politico reporter referred to Cramer’s practice as “a way that members of congress can sort of enrich themselves and their families just by virtue of their position.”

“Kevin Cramer rails against the swamp, but he’s exactly the type of Washington politician who keeps it alive,” said Scott McNeil, Executive Director of the North Dakota Democratic-NPL. “North Dakota deserves better than scam artists like Kevin Cramer and Ryan Zinke who swindle their campaign donors just to get ahead and make themselves even richer.”