News Releases
Hoeven, Conrad Form Missouri River Working Group to Improve Flood Control Management
WASHINGTON -Senators John Hoeven and Kent Conrad launched the "Missouri River Working Group" today in an effort to improve flood control along the Missouri River and address the impact for local communities. The new bipartisan group, which is set to convene its first meeting during the week of July 11, 2011, will work together to address issues related to flood control, examine the best ways to protect people and property, and seek solutions to avoid similar flooding in the years to come. Se… Continue Reading
06.30.11
Hoeven Backs Minot Air Force Base Construction Projects
WASHINGTON- Senator John Hoeven today worked to ensure the Fiscal Year 2012 Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Appropriations Act includes the almost $68 million requested by the Air Force for construction projects at Minot Air Force Base. Hoeven is a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, which passed the funding bill and sent it to the full Senate for approval. The legislation includes $34 million for a B-52 maintenance dock, $11.8 million for a B-52 munitions maintenance f… Continue Reading
06.29.11
Delegaion Welcomes IA Designation For Morton, Renville, McHenry Counties
WASHINGTON - Senators John Hoeven and Kent Conrad and Congressman Rick Berg today welcomed notification by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) that Morton, Renville and McHenry counties will now be eligible for FEMA's Individual Assistance (IA) program. FEMA had earlier approved only Ward and Burleigh counties for IA. The delegation has been working to secure the designation for additional counties. Yesterday they again called on U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano and… Continue Reading
06.29.11
Hoeven Speaks In Support Of U.S. Balanced Budget Amendment on Senate Floor
WASHINGTON - Senator John Hoeven today spoke on the floor of the U.S. Senate in support of the Balanced Budget Amendment he is cosponsoring, saying high spending and debt impedes job growth and economic opportunity. Hoeven said 49 states have some form of balanced budget requirement, and 46 states are expected to end their fiscal year with a balanced general fund budget. By contrast, the nation currently has revenues of $2.2 trillion, but expenditures of $3.7 trillion, leaving a $1.5 trillion … Continue Reading
06.28.11
Hoeven: DHS Secretary Napolitano Agrees to Review Additional Counties For Individual Assistance
WASHINGTON - Senator John Hoeven today spoke with Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano, who has agreed to review additional counties for inclusion in the Federal Emergency Management Agency's Individual Assistance program. Napolitano said she is sending FEMA Deputy Administrator Rich Serino to North Dakota tomorrow to oversee a reevaluation of Morton, Renville and McHenry counties over the course of the week. She said the agency would continue to work on the Devils Lake B… Continue Reading
06.28.11
Hoeven: Hess Corp. $1 Million Donation Puts Flood Recovery Fund-Raising Effort Well Underway
WASHINGTON - Senator John Hoeven today spoke with Hess Corp. CEO and Board Chairman John Hess, who said the company is donating $1 million to North Dakota's flood relief effort. Hess will donate $750,000 to the Minot Area Community Foundation and $250,000 to the North Dakota Community Foundation. Hess Corp. is a major oil and gas company operating in western North Dakota. The Hess donation, combined with an initial $250,000 donation from the Minot Area Community Foundation, means the Minot Are… Continue Reading
06.28.11
Delegation, Governor Call on Napolitano, Fugate To Make IA Available To All Flood-Impacted Individuals
WASHINGTON -Senators John Hoeven and Kent Conrad, Congressman Rick Berg and Governor Jack Dalrymple today sent a letter to U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano and Federal Emergency Management Agency Administrator Craig Fugate calling on the officials to provide a quick and fair review to North Dakota's request for FEMA's Individual Assistance (IA). That means making eligibility decisions based on conditions on the ground rather than on just a county-by-county basis, which often p… Continue Reading
06.27.11
Delegation Announces $5 Million in Emergency Funding to Repair Roadways
WASHINGTON - Senators John Hoeven and Kent Conrad and Congressman Rick Berg today announced that the U.S. Department of Transportation will provide $5 million in quick release emergency funds to help repair and restore roads and bridges damaged by flooding throughout the state. "Rebuilding transportation infrastructure is an important step in our state's recovery efforts," the delegation said in a joint statement. "We have a lot of work ahead of us as we rebuild the Minot area and other commu… Continue Reading
06.27.11
Hoeven: Thank You To Josh Duhamel For Leading Flood Fund Recovery Effort
WASHINGTON - Senator John Hoeven this evening thanked Josh Duhamel, a Minot native, for stepping up to serve as honorary chairman of a fund established by the Minot Area Community Foundation for the city's recovery in the aftermath of recent record flooding. The North Dakota actor, who has earned an international reputation, has encouraged his fans and other celebrities to help those affected by the flood. "It's clear that wherever North Dakotans go and whatever they do, they never forget t… Continue Reading
06.26.11
Hoeven: Small Business Administration to Open Help Center in Minot
MINOT, N.D. - Senator John Hoeven announced this afternoon that the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) will begin operations in Minot tomorrow at the Federal Disaster Center, along with FEMA, the Red Cross and other federal agencies providing services. Federal and state agencies are in the process of establishing a Federal Disaster Center in Bismarck, as well. Meanwhile, people can call and register with FEMA at 1-800-621-FEMA. The SBA will be operating from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily until … Continue Reading
06.24.11
Congressional Delegation Commends Approval Of Individual Disaster Assistance for Burleigh and Ward Counties
Washington - Senators Kent Conrad and John Hoeven and Congressman Rick Berg commend the approval by President Obama of the State of North Dakota's request for Individual Assistance (IA) for Burleigh and Ward counties in North Dakota. The delegation noted that this is a good start, but that more needs to be done to protect North Dakotans who have sustained damage from surging floods throughout the state. "This is an important step in the recovery process for North Dakotans. We will keep fightin… Continue Reading
06.24.11
Hoeven Again Presses Risk Management For More Flexible Disaster Assistance For North Dakota Producers
BISMARCK, N.D. - Senator John Hoeven today again pressed USDA's Risk Management Agency (RMA) Administrator William Murphy to make the agency's crop insurance rules for Prevented Planting more flexible to aid North Dakota farmers in flood-impacted areas of the state. Hoeven met with Murphy in early May to press for a more accessible program for producers who have suffered losses due to prolonged flooding throughout North Dakota. He followed up with a letter urging the administrator to adjust cu… Continue Reading
06.24.11
Congressional Delegation Stresses Need of Individual Assistance for ND's Flood Impacted Counties
Washington - Senators Kent Conrad and John Hoeven and Congressman Rick Berg today urged Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano to support the State of North Dakota's request for Individual Assistance (IA) for counties in North Dakota as residents continue to battle the effects of epic flooding. The delegation is in Minot today assisting with flood emergency efforts. They called Secretary Napolitano to brief her on the situation on the ground in Minot and urged her quickly approve Governo… Continue Reading
06.24.11
Congressional Delegation Works with Minot Community on Flood Fight, Recovery Efforts
Minot - Senators Kent Conrad and John Hoeven and Congressman Rick Berg today met with local leaders and state and federal emergency officials to consider the way forward after flood waters overtopped the city's flood protection walls earlier this week. "The situation in Minot remains serious. Seeing it firsthand amplifies the significant loss the community has already faced," the delegation said in a joint statement. "Our job now is to ensure our neighbors are cared for and limit the scope o… Continue Reading
06.23.11
North Dakota Flooding Resources
Many North Dakotans have been impacted by flooding throughout the state and region. I'll continue to work with federal, state and local officials to ensure resources to fight the flood are available now and in the days to come. Please use the following websites and phone numbers to find up-to-date information on flooding in the state and to find resources to help with the flood fight and the ensuing recovery. North Dakotans have always come together in times of need. With our state facing signi… Continue Reading
06.23.11
Hoeven Presses Top Corps General To Advance Flood Fight
WASHINGTON -Senator John Hoeven today met with Gen. John McMahon, Commander of the Northwestern Division of the Army Corps of Engineers, to stress the urgent and timely need for ongoing assistance to North Dakota communities beset by flooding, and to make sure they have the resources they need to protect residents and businesses. McMahon oversees the management of the Missouri River. Hoeven urged McMahon to take a proactive, anticipatory approach to flood mitigation measures to protect people … Continue Reading
06.23.11
Hoeven Statement on President Obama's Timetable for Withdrawing Troops From Afghanistan
WASHINGTON - Senator John Hoeven today issued the following statement in response to President Obama's announcement this evening that 10,000 American troops will be withdrawn from Afghanistan by the end of the year, and that another 20,000 would be withdrawn by September 2012: "In April, I had an opportunity to meet in Afghanistan with General David Petraeus, Afghan President Hamid Karzai and our men and women in uniform as they performed their mission to train Afghan troops for the inevitable… Continue Reading
06.22.11
Delegation: FEMA To Expedite Assessments For Individual Assistance
WASHINGTON - Federal Emergency Management Agency Director Craig Fugate today told the state's congressional delegation that the agency will expedite damage assessments to accelerate approval of North Dakota's request for Individual Assistance (IA) services for residents hard hit by unprecedented flooding. The commitment means FEMA will not wait for flood waters to recede before beginning to document damages, but rather will use aerial assessments and other means to expedite the process, makin… Continue Reading
06.22.11
Hoeven Presses for Additional Federal Flood Assistance on Senate Floor
WASHINGTON - Senator John Hoeven spoke on the floor of the U.S. Senate today in support of ongoing efforts in North Dakota to protect lives and property from rising flood waters in the Minot region and throughout the state. "As I speak, more than 11,000 people are leaving their homes in and around the community of Minot," said Hoeven. "Somewhere between a third or a fourth of our citizens in the region are being displaced from their homes and their business. Our thoughts and our prayers go out … Continue Reading
06.21.11
Hoeven Statement on Senate Approval of Leon Panetta to be U.S. Defense Secretary
WASHINGTON - Senator John Hoeven today issued the following statement upon U.S. Senate approval of current CIA Director Leon Panetta's appointment as Secretary of Defense: "Director Panetta has a long, distinguished history of service to the nation and a willingness to seek bipartisan solutions to our shared national challenges. His successful tenures as a legislator, Office of Management and Budget director, and most recently, as director of the Central Intelligence Agency well qualify him to… Continue Reading
