Central ND News

Senator John Hoeven today marked a significant milestone in the development of the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library during a signing ceremony. As a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, Hoeven has worked to advance the establishment of the presidential library.

Hoeven sponsored and successfully passed legislation enabling the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library Foundation to purchase U.S. Forest Service land in Billings County for constructing a library and museum honoring President Teddy Roosevelt. He collaborated with local and state officials and the Medora Grazing Association to negotiate this legislation and reach an agreement for the land purchase.

Additionally, Hoeven secured legislation in the Interior appropriations bill to support loans of historic artifacts currently held by the Smithsonian for display at the library. He introduced further legislation aimed at preserving and displaying materials related to President Roosevelt’s life. This bipartisan, bicameral bill is cosponsored in the Senate by Senators Cramer, Blumenthal, and Heinrich, and sponsored in the House by Congressman Armstrong. The bill would authorize the Department of the Interior to provide grants to establish the presidential library and support material displays while requiring a 2:1 match for each federal grant awarded using state or other non-federal funds. It also prohibits using federal grants for maintenance or operations of the interpretive center.

“The establishment of this library is an historic project for our state, honoring the life and legacy of Teddy Roosevelt and North Dakota’s impact on his presidency. That’s why we’ve worked to pave the way for this effort, having secured the sale of U.S. Forest Service land next to our national park, which also bears President Roosevelt’s name. We appreciate the support of Senator Cramer, Congressman Armstrong and Governor Burgum in advancing this agreement. At the same time, we are advancing legislation, both a stand-alone bill and a measure I’ve already passed through annual appropriations, to support the materials that will be on display at the library, as well as ongoing preservation work. Today’s milestone is a welcome step in the library’s construction, and we look forward to seeing this tremendous project come to completion,” said Hoeven.

Hoeven has been working for more than six years to build support for developing the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library. The senator previously secured commitments from leadership at both the National Park Service and National Park Foundation to help advance this effort. In 2019, Hoeven hosted then-Interior Secretary David Bernhardt in North Dakota to outline plans for constructing this facility. The library will include more than 50,000 digitized documents and other archives from Dickinson State University's Theodore Roosevelt Center (DSU). Construction is expected to be completed by summer 2026.

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