{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.hoeven.senate.gov/news/news-releases/hoeven-breaks-ground-on-veterans-memorial-center-outlines-completed-va-master-plan-for-expanding-fargo-national-cemetery", "Hoeven Breaks Ground on Veterans Memorial Center, Outlines Completed VA Master Plan for Expanding Fargo National Cemetery", "2025-11-24", "2025", "2025-11", "Republican", "Senate", "ND", "John Hoeven", "H001061", "www.hoeven.senate.gov", "hoeven", "https://www.hoeven.senate.gov/news/news-releases", "scraper", "Hoeven Breaks Ground on Veterans Memorial Center, Outlines Completed VA Master Plan for Expanding Fargo National Cemetery\n\nSenator Hosts VA Under Secretary for Memorial Affairs Sam Brown at Groundbreaking\n\nHARWOOD, N.D. \u2013 Senator John Hoeven, along with members of the Fargo Memorial Honor Guard (FMHG) and federal, state and local leaders, today broke ground on the Veterans Memorial Center at the Fargo National Cemetery (FNC). Construction on the up to 6,734 sq. ft. facility will begin in earnest during the next construction season, with construction expected to take approximately seven months. A rendering of the planned facility can be found here.\n\nIn addition, Hoeven announced the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has completed its master plan for expanding the FNC from 5 to 35 acres, representing millions of dollars of federal funding for infrastructure, parking and better access, as well as for ongoing operations and maintenance. Hoeven has been working with the VA to advance a master plan that incorporates the Honor Guard\u2019s project and brings additional enhancements to the FNC, following his efforts to secure an additional 30 acres and initial improvements to the cemetery\u2019s facilities. The phase 1 expansion is expected to be completed by the Spring of 2028, bringing the total number of burial spaces at the FNC to more than 8,500 with 1,337 veterans having been interred at the cemetery to date. Upon completion of all 9 phases of the Master Plan, the cemetery will provide over 45,000 burial spaces, serving veterans and their families far into the future. The layout of the VA master plan can be found here.\n\nHoeven worked to secure approval of the conceptual design put together by ICON Architects with VA Secretary Doug Collins and VA Under Secretary for Memorial Affairs (USMA) Sam Brown, who attended today\u2019s groundbreaking at the senator\u2019s invitation. Hoeven stressed that these efforts will result in a first-class federal veterans cemetery, on par with the state-run North Dakota Veterans Cemetery (NDVC) in Mandan. The senator further outlined the essential role of the innovative public-private partnership, which spans all levels of government, in bringing the project to this milestone, highlighting:\n\nThe efforts of the Hoeven-led community working group and the FMHG to reach agreement with the VA National Cemetery Administration (NCA) on a plan that:\n\nIncorporates input from local stakeholders.\n\nPreserves the spirit and intent of the FMHG project.\n\nAchieves the goal of ensuring the FNC has the facilities required to meet the needs of veterans, their families and volunteers over the long-term.\n\nThe support of both VA Secretary Collins and VA USMA Brown for the conceptual design.\n\n\u201cToday\u2019s groundbreaking is a hard-earned achievement, requiring the cooperation of stakeholders across all levels of government and from the private sector. I truly appreciate Jason Hicks, Jim Graalum and all the members of the Fargo Memorial Honor Guard for their persistent work over the years, as well as the efforts of our community working group, to make this project a reality to the benefit of veterans, their families and the cemetery\u2019s volunteers for decades to come,\u201d said Hoeven. \u201cBetween the Veterans Memorial Center and the improvements coming under the VA\u2019s master plan, we are set to build a federal veterans cemetery that matches the first-class state-run cemetery we\u2019ve built in Mandan \u2013 a project that properly honors our veterans.\u201d\n\nThe conceptual design, which was put together by ICON Architects and advanced by Hoeven\u2019s working group and the FMHG, includes the following features:\n\nIndoor committal shelter.\n\nGathering area to be used by family and friends of the deceased veteran prior to or following the interment.\n\nGallery to showcase the lives and service of our veterans.\n\nOffice space for VA staff.\n\nBreakroom for the Honor Guard members.\n\nKiosk to assist with locating graves.\n\nKitchenette.\n\nIndoor restrooms.\n\nGarage to accommodate a hearse.\n\n-###-", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T19:52:45Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.hoeven.senate.gov/news/news-releases/hoeven-breaks-ground-on-veterans-memorial-center-outlines-completed-va-master-plan-for-expanding-fargo-national-cemetery"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 2.6258290745317936, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}