United States Senator John Hoeven for North Dakota

WASHINGTON – Senator John Hoeven today issued the following statement in response to President Barack Obama’s State of the Union Address this evening before a joint session of Congress:

“With a chronically sluggish economy and more than 12 million Americans still unemployed, the president this evening needed to focus squarely on the nation’s economic vitality, our deficit, debt and job creation. While he acknowledged the importance of these issues, the approach he outlined will not get us where we need to go.

“The president has again proposed more taxes, more spending and more regulation. Clearly, that approach doesn’t work, which is evidenced by the economy’s poor performance over the past four years. What we do need, rather, is a pro-growth, pro-jobs approach to the economy and job creation.

“That means creating a legal, tax and regulatory climate that promotes business investment, innovation – and hirin...

WASHINGTON – Senator John Hoeven today said North Korea’s successful detonation of a miniaturized nuclear device capable of being mounted on a missile poses a threat to the United States and international peace and stability. At the same time Iran is pressing forward with its nuclear program and China is modernizing its nuclear arsenal. All of these developments mean we need to sustain and strengthen the U.S. nuclear deterrent, he said.

“North Korea’s nuclear test today poses a threat to the United States and our allies, and underscores the need for the United States to maintain its strong deterrent capabilities,” Hoeven said. “Yet now, even before implementing the reductions required under the New START Treaty of 2010, the Obama administration has signaled that it may be willing to reduce unilaterally the U.S. nuclear capability even further. In light of North Korea’s actions today, this is clearly not the time to diminish these cri...

WASHINGTON – Senators John Hoeven and Heidi Heitkamp and Congressman Kevin Cramer today joined in honoring Minot resident and Army Staff Sgt. Clinton Romesha at a Medal of Honor ceremony held at the White House. President Obama presented Romesha with the nation’s highest military honor for his courageous actions against an armed enemy in Afghanistan on October 3, 2009. 

“Staff Sgt. Romesha went above and beyond the call of duty that day in Afghanistan. He acted with tremendous bravery and with total disregard for his own safety in leading troops during a day-long firefight,” the delegation said in a joint statement. “In spite of his heroics, he remains modest and is always eager to recognize the sacrifices of his fellow soldiers above his own. We congratulate Staff Sgt. Romesha for earning this highest distinction and thank him for his courageous example that day and each day that he donned his Army uniform.”    &n...

WASHINGTON – Senator John Hoeven and Great River Energy (GRE) today announced that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has approved Renewable Fuel Standard-2 certification for the company’s Dakota Spirit AgEnergy facility in the Spiritwood Park near Jamestown. Hoeven last summer pressed EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson to expedite the approval process. Today’s notice of certification clears the way for GRE to market next generation biofuels as part of a model energy complex.

Dakota Spirit AgEnergy, currently a wholly-owned subsidiary of GRE, will have a significant impact on the local economy, creating 36 direct jobs in the community. The project will also create approximately 275 trade and construction jobs during the 18-month construction period.

The biorefinery will use 23 million bushels of No. 2 yellow corn to produce annually 65 million gallons of ethanol, as well as corn oil and distiller’s grains. The facility will be located adjac...