{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.hoeven.senate.gov/news/news-releases/hoeven-senate-homeland-security-committee-advances-nomination-of-kirstjen-nielsen-for-dhs-secretary", "Hoeven: Senate Homeland Security Committee Advances Nomination of Kirstjen Nielsen for DHS Secretary", "2017-11-15", "2017", "2017-11", "Republican", "House", "ND", "John Hoeven", "H001061", "www.hoeven.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "11.15.17\n\t\t\t Hoeven: Senate Homeland Security Committee Advances Nomination of Kirstjen Nielsen for DHS Secretary \n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tWASHINGTON \u2013 Senator John Hoeven today issued the following statement after he joined a bipartisan majority of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee in advancing the nomination of Kirstjen Nielsen to serve as the Secretary of Homeland Security. During Nielsen\u2019s confirmation hearing and in a meeting with the nominee, Hoeven highlighted the unique advantages of North Dakota\u2019s unmanned aerial systems (UAS) industry in developing solutions to improve the nation\u2019s security, both at the borders and across the country. The senator extended an invitation to Nielsen to visit North Dakota when confirmed, which she accepted.\r\n\u201cWe took a critical step in advancing Kirstjen Nielsen\u2019s nomination this week, and she will be a welcome addition to DHS as the department continued its efforts to secure our nation\u2019s borders and protect our country against modern threats,\u201d said Hoeven. \u201cI appreciate her commitment to visit North Dakota and to see firsthand the work and expertise of our state\u2019s UAS industry, including Grand Sky and its tenants, the test site, the Grand Forks Air Force Base and our universities. The technology we are developing will play a vital role in the future of our nation\u2019s security, and I look forward to demonstrating that to her following her confirmation by the full Senate. \u201d \u00a0\r\nHoeven is working to build on the past decade of efforts to ensure North Dakota leads in developing the future of the UAS industry. This includes low altitude beyond-line-of-flight applications, UAS detection/counter-UAS technologies and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration\u2019s (NASA) unmanned traffic management (UTM) system. The state is able to lead advancements in these areas due to two components Hoeven helped secure in recent years:\r\n \r\nAuthorization\u00a0for the Northern Plains UAS Test Site to oversee UAS operations that go beyond the line of sight of the operator.\r\nUpgrades\u00a0for the DASR-11 digital radar systems at the Grand Forks Air Force Base and a similar system at Hector Field in Fargo.\u00a0\r\n \r\nFurther, as a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, Hoeven secured $8 million in Fiscal Year 2017 funding to ensure that CBP\u2019s UAS operations and training facility would remain in Grand Forks. The CBP\u00a0leased\u00a0recently renovated space on the air base earlier this year.\r\n-###-\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t  \n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t \n\t\t\n\t\t\tPrint\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tEmail\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tTweet\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t \n\t\n\t\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n    \n\t\n\t\n    \n    \n    \n    \t\n    \t\n\t    \t  \n\t\t    \n\t\t    \tNext Article\n\t\t    \n\t\t    \n\t\t    \tPrevious Article", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "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-senate-homeland-security-committee-advances-nomination-of-kirstjen-nielsen-for-dhs-secretary"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.804521307349205, "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"}