A recap of recent events and happenings in the administration of Gov. Armstrong and Lt. Gov. Strinden





The Scope
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*October 31, 2025*

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Food assistance program
*Armstrong directs state funds to ND food programs during shutdown, urges donations to food pantries*

Governor directs $915,000 to Great Plains Food Bank, $600,000 to fund Women, Infants & Children program through November 

Gov. Kelly Armstrong announced he has directed more than $1.5 million in state funds to support food assistance programs during the ongoing federal government shutdown, while also urging North Dakota residents to consider donating food or money to their local food pantries to help meet the needs of those losing federal food assistance.

“The state of North Dakota has the responsibility and the resources to care for its citizens who face a sudden loss of federal food assistance through no fault of their own,” Armstrong said. “Through a combination of state contingency funds and private donations, North Dakota can help meet the nutritional needs of our children and families until Congress passes a temporary funding bill to reopen the federal government. We strongly encourage residents to open their hearts, wallets and food pantries to support their local food banks with cash or food donations and help their fellow North Dakotans in their time of need.”

Armstrong has directed the state Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to provide $915,000 in contingency funds to the Great Plains Food Bank, which supplies food and supports a network of nearly 200 partner food pantries, shelters and soup kitchens across the state. 

Earlier this week, the Great Plains Food Bank launched an emergency fundraising campaign to source an additional 1 million pounds of food for statewide distribution – on top of the more than 1 million pounds per month it normally distributes even when SNAP is available. The $915,000 in state funds will allow the Great Plains Food Bank to purchase and distribute an additional 450,000 pounds of food in November, enough to assist approximately 24,000 households, said Kate Molbert, interim CEO and chief operating officer of Great Plains Food Bank. 

“This allocation of state funds entrusted to our organization will help thousands of North Dakotans keep food on their tables,” Molbert said. “We appreciate Gov. Armstrong directing these state resources to equip the Great Plains Food Bank in our mission, and we’re thankful for everyone donating food and dollars to ensure that North Dakotans don’t go hungry during this government shutdown today or in the weeks and months ahead.”

Additionally, Armstrong has directed HHS to use contingency funds to support the Women, Infants & Children (WIC) program through the month of November, at an estimated cost of roughly $600,000. Administered by the state, WIC protects the health of low-income women, infants and children up to age 5 by providing supplemental foods, nutrition education and health care referrals. Federal WIC funding for North Dakota is currently expected to run out around Nov. 10.

“Setting up children for success in life begins with proper nutrition at the earliest ages, and the state is pleased to do our part to ensure that infants, toddlers and their mothers have access to healthy food and helpful nutrition education and health care resources,” HHS Interim Commissioner Pat Traynor said.

The announcement comes as more than 56,000 North Dakotans – about 28,000 households – are at risk of losing their federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits on Nov. 1 when federal funding runs out. Of those households, 48% have a child under 18, 30% have school-age children and 26% include someone 60 or older. Current SNAP payments to eligible households in North Dakota total about $10 million per month.

Due to a lack of access to the program infrastructure, the state is unable to use state funding to backfill SNAP benefits. SNAP recipients with remaining balances after Oct. 31 will be able to use the benefits in November.

For more information about Great Plains Food Bank, including a map and list of its partner food pantries by county, visit [link removed] [ [link removed] ]. Information about WIC and other assistance programs is available on the HHS website [ [link removed] ] and at www.ndresponse.gov [ [link removed] ].

Armstrong, who served in the U.S. House of Representatives as North Dakota’s lone congressman from 2018 to 2024, urged U.S. Senate Democrats to join their Republican counterparts in passing a clean continuing resolution (CR) to temporarily fund the government until Congress can approve budgets through the regular appropriations process.

“Major policy debates don’t get settled during a shutdown, and Democrats know this because they passed the same short-term funding extension 13 times during the Biden administration,” Armstrong said. “Senate Democrats need to stop holding the government hostage and pass a clean CR so Congress can get back to work and end this uncertainty for Americans who are just worried about putting food on the table for their children and families.”

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Spirit Lake
Armstrong, Strinden visit Spirit Lake Nation in ongoing commitment to strengthen state-tribal partnerships

Gov. Armstrong, Lt. Gov. Michelle Strinden, Cabinet leaders and other state agency representatives visited the Spirit Lake Nation on Wednesday, meeting with Chairwoman Lonna Jackson-Street, state legislators and other tribal leaders and members to share perspectives and ideas on various challenges and opportunities facing the tribe and state.

The visit was part of the governor’s commitment to strengthen state-tribal partnerships and visit all five tribal nations in North Dakota during his first year in office. Since July, Armstrong has made official visits to the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians, Sisseton-Wahpeton Oyate, and Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara (MHA) Nation, and he plans to visit the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe in the coming weeks for the third time this year.

Meeting at the Spirit Lake Casino & Resort on the shores of Devils Lake near St. Michael, Armstrong expressed his gratitude to the tribe for its ongoing partnership and commitment to strengthening relationships with the state. The North Dakota Indian Affairs Commission is facilitating the visits to introduce the new administration to tribal nations and build stronger relationships and effective partnerships.

“Our goal with these visits is to listen to the needs, challenges and opportunities of our tribal nations, which are each unique in their own way, and identify avenues to turn ideas into action,” Armstrong said. “We appreciate the hospitality shown by Chairwoman Street and the Tribal Council and look forward to continued collaboration and partnerships that strengthen state-tribal relations for the benefit of tribal members and all North Dakota citizens.”

Armstrong and Street reaffirmed their commitment to allowing mutual aid across reservation boundaries, signing their names to a successful agreement that was first signed in 2022. The agreement allows the closest available peace officer to respond to an emergency call for service until the agency with primary jurisdiction arrives and assumes the lead.

Discussion topics included gaming and taxation, jurisdiction and sentencing, trust lands, health and human services, fish and wildlife, economic development and education. The visit began with an update at the Spirit Lake Food Distribution Program in Fort Totten. Attorney General Drew Wrigley, Tax Commissioner Brian Kroshus and state legislators were among the state officials in attendance.

The Spirit Lake Nation has nearly 3,300 enrolled members living on the Spirit Lake Reservation and a total enrollment of about 7,900 members. The reservation covers approximately 405 square miles, primarily in Benson County along with parts of Eddy, Nelson and Ramsey counties. 

MOU
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Bachmeier
Armstrong appoints Levi Bachmeier as next North Dakota Superintendent of Public Instruction

Gov. Armstrong appointed West Fargo School District Business Manager Levi Bachmeier to serve as North Dakota’s next Superintendent of Public Instruction, citing his strong track record of supporting innovation and accountability in the K-12 education system.

“Levi has established himself as a trusted voice and highly capable leader in K-12 education over the past decade. He played an instrumental role in the Innovative Education Task Force during his time as education policy adviser in the Governor’s Office and has continued to guide education in North Dakota through his service on the State Board of Public School Education, Career and Technical Education Board, and State Board of Higher Education,” Armstrong said. “His experience as a classroom teacher, education policy analyst and business manager in North Dakota’s fastest-growing school district will serve our students and parents well as we strive to ensure all K-12 students graduate choice-ready for college, career or the military.”

Bachmeier has served as business manager of the West Fargo School District since 2019, focusing on maximizing student outcomes and being a responsible steward of taxpayer dollars, while also coaching track and field. From 2016 to 2019 he served as education policy adviser and policy director for then-Gov. Doug Burgum. Bachmeier previously taught high school social studies for two years with Teach for America and spent a summer as a policy analyst fellow at the U.S. Department of Education.

“I'm grateful for Governor Armstrong’s trust in me,” Bachmeier said. “I will work tirelessly to build that same trust with our families, school districts and communities. I truly believe that with our state’s size and spirit, we can have the best school system in our great nation that prepares students for success in the real world – but we’ll only achieve that by working together. I intend to build upon the work of Assistant Secretary Baesler, working with a great team to ensure students graduate with the knowledge, skills and mindsets they need to succeed in life.”

Bachmeier will assume the state superintendent’s role upon the resignation of current Superintendent Kirsten Baesler, who was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on Oct. 7 to serve as assistant secretary for elementary and secondary education in the U.S. Department of Education.

“I would like to extend my heartfelt congratulations to Levi Bachmeier on Governor Armstrong's appointment for him to serve as the next State Superintendent of Public Instruction,” Baesler said. “I look forward to supporting Mr. Bachmeier as he prepares for this important responsibility.”

Baesler cannot be formally sworn in for the job of assistant secretary for elementary and secondary education until the ongoing federal government shutdown ends.

“Levi’s background demonstrates both a commitment to advancing education and the experience needed to be a leader for everyone’s shared goal of helping our students succeed,” Baesler said. “I am confident that Levi will build on our progress and move the Department of Public Instruction forward with vision and integrity.”

A native of West Fargo, Bachmeier earned a bachelor’s degree in education from Concordia College in Moorhead, Minn. Prior to assuming the role of state superintendent, he will resign his seats on the Board of Public School Education, CTE Board and State Board of Higher Education.

Bachmeier will serve as state superintendent through the November 2026 general election, when voters will determine who completes the four-year term that runs through 2028.

Armstrong expressed his thanks for Baesler’s service as state superintendent since January 2013. She was nominated for the U.S. Department of Education post in February by U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon and President Donald Trump.

The state superintendent supervises elementary and secondary education and oversees the establishment and maintenance of schools, development of course content standards and assessment of students, among other duties [ [link removed] ]. The state superintendent also sits on the state Board of University and School Lands, also known as the Land Board, which oversees the Department of Trust Lands and investment of revenues generated from state-owned trust lands. That includes the Common Schools Trust Fund, which is valued at over $7.7 billion and will have supplied more than $2 billion to public schools in a 10-year span when including 2025-27 distributions.

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Disaster Dec
President Trump approves Armstrong's request for disaster declaration for Aug. 7-8 storm damage

For the second time in as many months, President Donald Trump granted Gov. Armstrong’s request for a presidential major disaster declaration, with the latest declaration covering impacts from severe storms in August that caused significant damage, especially to electrical infrastructure.

The Aug. 7-8 storms brought damaging straight-line winds, large hail and numerous tornadoes.

The declaration covers Barnes, Grand Forks, Griggs, Kidder, Nelson, Steele and Stutsman counties. Armstrong submitted the declaration request [ [link removed] ] Sept. 4.

“We appreciate President Trump and FEMA again granting our request and aiding our recovery from this summer’s extraordinary storms, which tested the capacity of our first responders, emergency managers, utility providers and citizens,” Armstrong said. “This assistance will especially help our utility providers by defraying their recovery costs and helping them hold down rates for the North Dakota residents they serve, who showed incredible grit and resiliency in quickly recovering from these severe storms.”

The presidential declaration makes public assistance available through the Federal Emergency Management Agency, which notified the North Dakota Department of Emergency Services that the request had been granted.

In September, Trump approved [ [link removed] ] Armstrong’s request for a 19-county presidential major disaster declaration covering damage from June 20-21 storms that spawned more than 20 tornadoes, resulting in four storm-related deaths and causing more than $11 million in damage to public infrastructure as well as significant damage to utilities, grain bins, homes and other private property.

For more information about storm recovery, including the Grain Storage & Facility Rebuilder Program created in response to the June storms, visit www.ndresponse.gov [ [link removed] ].  

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nd250

The ND250 Commission and State Historical Society of North Dakota is hosting a free *ND250 Kickoff Event* in conjunction with the America250 celebration.

Date:     Sunday, Nov. 2

Time:     1-4 p.m.

Where: North Dakota Heritage Center & State Museum

               602 E Boulevard Ave, Bismarck

Come celebrate North Dakota's Statehood Day and the official launch of ND250 activities statewide.

Stay informed of all ND250 activities at *nd250.com [ [link removed] ]*.

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*IN OTHER NEWS*

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NDACo

Gov. Armstrong kicked off the North Dakota Association of Counties' 50th annual meeting in Bismarck, sharing gratitude for our local government officials across the state. 



polar plunge ________________________________________________________________________

The governor made a splash participating in the Polar Plunge in Bismarck as a fundraising effort for Special Olympics North Dakota through the Law Enforcement Torch Run.



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natgeo

National Geographic named the North Dakota Badlands as one of the best travel destinations in the world in 2026. Read the full story here [ [link removed] ]. 



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haulers

Gov. Armstrong waived hours of service for haulers of fertilizer to help farmers facing delays. Read the full press release here [ [link removed] ]. 



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marketplace for kids

Lt. Gov. Strinden welcomed more than 450 students to Mayville State University for Marketplace for Kids Education Day. Now in its 30th year, Marketplace for Kids inspires elementary and middle school students to problem-solve, innovate and create through hands-on learning.



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Stay Connected with the Governor's Office:



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