Sens. John Hoeven, Kevin Cramer give support to Fiscal Responsibility Act, which passed Senate Thursday night

GRAND FORKS — The Fiscal Responsibility Act passed the U.S. Senate Thursday evening with support from both of North Dakota’s senators.

Republicans John Hoeven and Kevin Cramer voted in favor of the bill, which passed 63-36 and was pushed to President Joe Biden’s desk. The legislation passed the House earlier in the week, 314-117.

The support from Hoeven and Cramer matched a “yes” vote from Republican Rep. Kelly Armstrong, North Dakota’s lone member of the House, earlier in the week.

The bill suspends the U.S. debt ceiling for two years while also creating new spending limits. Notably, it will allow the nation to avoid defaulting on its financial obligations.

Hoeven, in a statement sent to the media, called the bill the “largest spending cut in history,” reducing the federal deficit by $2.1 trillion. He also noted that it reduces future discretionary spending to 1% growth “while also clawing back COVID funds and strengthening work requirements for food assistance programs.”

The bill also, Hoeven said, makes important changes to federal permitting processes.

“The agreement enacts real permitting reforms and sets clear timelines for federal reviews – two years for an environmental impact statement and one year for an environmental assessment – to prevent delays and reduce costs for energy and other infrastructure projects, which is why the North Dakota Petroleum Council supports this legislation,” he said.

Armstrong, earlier in the week, also noted the bill’s permitting reform

and the benefits it likely will bring to North Dakota. He called it the “most significant permitting reform in 40 years.”

The Senate’s passage of the bill comes only days before the nation would have defaulted on its financial obligations. According to the Treasury Department, Congress needed to act before Monday.

The final package doesn’t necessarily please either party, but it comes after intense negotiations and a number of changes. Armstrong, for instance, called it “far from perfect.”

Said Hoeven: “While we would have preferred more savings, this legislation is far better than a debt ceiling increase with no spending reforms that the president first demanded, and is a step in the right direction as we continue working to rein in spending and control the debt and deficit.”

Cramer believes North Dakotans “want a change from the Democrats’ reckless spending” and figures this is a start.

“This bill is a step in the right direction by restoring regular order to the appropriations process, providing transparency, clawing back unspent COVID money, ending the president’s deferral of student loan payments, and implementing substantive permitting reforms,” Cramer said.

The failure to raise the debt limit would have adversely affected markets and resulted in failure to pay benefits to military members, veterans and seniors, he said.

“Default is not an option, but neither is a blank check. This strikes the right balance, and I commend Speaker (Kevin) McCarthy for the cuts and reforms he achieved,” Cramer said. “Now it is time for Congress to build on this momentum by getting back to regular order, funding our national defense, and governing responsibly.”

The bill also was supported by senators in South Dakota and Minnesota, including John Thune, R-South Dakota; Mike Rounds, R-South Dakota; Amy Klobuchar, D-Minnesota; and Tina Smith, D-Minnesota.