Latest Releases
U.S. Senators Tina Smith, Amy Klobuchar Urge Trump Administration Restore Minnesota Energy Infrastructure Funding
MINNEAPOLIS, MN – U.S. Senators Tina Smith and Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) called on the Trump Administration to reverse their politically motivated cancellation of $645 million in funding for Minnesota energy projects. The letter comes after the White House announced it was canceling energy infrastructure awards only in states that did not support President Trump in the presidential election, including Minnesota. “Electricity bills have already jumped nearly 10% since the Trump administration took office. Your decision to cancel federal investment that is meant to upgrade our aging electric grid and help get new power sources connected to meet new demand is only going to punish households with even higher electricity bills in the months and years to come,” wrote Senators Smith and Klobuchar. “At a time when most Minnesotans and Americans are just trying to scrape together enough money to pay their bills and live their lives, this kind of politically motivated attack on our state is just going to make it that much harder for them to pay their utility bills every month. That is not securing American energy dominance, and it will not advance President Trump’s stated commitment to delivering affordable, reliable, and secure energy for the American people. We ask you to reverse course and reinstate these funds immediately,” the Senators concluded. Some of the Minnesota projects that had their funding canceled include: You can read the full text of the letter here or below. Dear Secretary Wright, We urge you to reverse your announced termination of more than $600 million in
U.S. Senator Tina Smith’s Statement on President Trump’s Political Attack on Minnesota’s Energy Infrastructure
WASHINGTON, DC – Today, U.S. Senator Tina Smith (D-MN) released the following statement after the Trump Administration announced it was cancelling energy infrastructure awards only in states that either did not support him in the presidential election or whose Senators are pushing to negotiate a bipartisan deal to re-open the federal government amidst the current shutdown, including Minnesota. “This is beyond stupid. At a time when most Minnesotans are just trying to scrape together enough money to pay their bills and live their lives, these politically motivated attacks on our state are just going to make it that much harder for Minnesotans to pay their utility bills every month,” said Senator Smith. “It’s not a coincidence he only canceled grants in states that didn’t support his Presidential election bid, even though this is going to hurt every single Minnesotan whether they’re a Republican, a Democrat or an Independent. It’s not even thought out well, because a lot of this infrastructure is shared with states that did vote for him like South Dakota, North Dakota, Iowa and Nebraska, so they’re going to feel the brunt of this too. He thinks using Minnesotans as political pawns will somehow bully me into abandoning my work trying to get a bipartisan deal to get out of this government shutdown. That’s not happening, and we’ll see if these cuts survive legal scrutiny. Some of the Minnesota projects cancelled include:
U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar, Tina Smith Denounce Trump Administration’s Withholding of $20 Million in Head Start Funding for Minnesota Preschools, Early Childhood Education Centers
MINNEAPOLIS, MN – Today, U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Tina Smith (D-MN) denounced the Trump Administration for withholding nearly $20 million dollars in Head Start funding from Minnesota and vowed to push back against any attempt to shutter the program. Over 10,000 children in Minnesota access early childhood education and preschool with support from Head Start. Head Start programs serve all geographic regions of the state, but predominantly serve children in Greater Minnesota. The funding is being withheld as the Administration moves to close five Head Start regional offices, including the office that serves Minnesota. Reports indicate the Trump Administration hopes to shutter the Head Start program in their
U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar, Tina Smith Press Trump Administration Not to Close Baudette Agricultural Field Office
MINNEAPOLIS, MN – U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Ranking Member of the Senate Agriculture Committee, and Tina Smith (D-MN) pressed the Trump Administration not to close the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Field Office in Baudette, MN. The Baudette field office serves Lake of the Woods and Koochiching Counties, totaling nearly 5,000 square miles. Should the Baudette office close, the nearest field office would be located one hundred miles away in Bemidji. Bemidji field office staff would be forced to take on service for two additional counties on top of the five they already serve without additional resources or staff. Baudette’s closure comes during one
U.S. Senators Smith, Shaheen, Warnock, Murray and Wyden Introduce Legislation to Expand Childcare Relief to Families
Washington, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senator Tina Smith (D-MN) introduced the Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit Enhancement Act, legislation to help more working families cover a greater share of the high cost of childcare. Senator Smith, a member of the Senate Finance Committee, was joined by U.S. Senators Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Raphael Warnock (D-GA), Patty Murray (D-WA) and Ron Wyden (D-OR), Chair of the Senate Finance Committee in introducing the bill. The Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit Enhancement Act would permanently expand the Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit (CDCTC). This bill would help ease the burden of high childcare costs
U.S. Senators Tina Smith and Mike Crapo Introduce Bipartisan Legislation to Address Shortage of Rural Veterinarians
WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senators Tina Smith (D-MN) and Mike Crapo (R-ID) introduced a bipartisan bill to combat the scarcity of veterinarians in rural areas. The Rural Veterinary Workforce Act would give veterinarians practicing in underserved communities tax exemptions for student loan payments. This would extend a similar exemption available for physicians to veterinary services, enabling veterinarians to help the Americans who need it the most. “In nearly every state in the country, there are shortages for veterinarians, especially in rural areas,” said Senator Smith.“This record shortage causes serious harm to the health of animals and the public. Providing additional funding to the
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