Latest Releases
U.S Senators Tina Smith, Amy Klobuchar Announce Funding to Improve Bus Infrastructure in Southwestern Minnesota
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Tina Smith, Chair of the Senate Subcommittee on Transportation, and Senator Amy Klobuchar (both D-MN) announced a grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation to strengthen bus and transportation infrastructure in Southern Minnesota. One hundred and seventeen communities across the country are getting infrastructure upgrades thanks to the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, legislation passed by President Biden in 2021 that has delivered infrastructure upgrades to nearly 5,000 communities nationwide. The Minnesota Department of Transportation will receive $2,303,200 to buy propane buses and build the necessary fueling infrastructure in Marshall, Minnesota. The project will improve service, reliability and lower maintenance costs for southwest and south central Minnesota rural transit providers. The grant is distributed by the Federal Transit Administration and is part of the Reducing Transit Emissions in Rural Minnesota (RTERM) program. “Each day, transit systems connect Minnesotans to their jobs, schools, grocery stores and countless other opportunities – all while reducing traffic congestion and pollution,” said Senator Smith. “But for many people, especially those in rural areas, safe, reliable public transportation is hard to find. This funding from President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law will deliver faster, safer, and more energy efficient transportation to communities across Southwestern Minnesota.” “Investments in public transit make it easier for families in rural Minnesota to get to school, work, and other destinations,” said Klobuchar. “This federal funding will go towards creating the modern, efficient public transit system families in Southwestern Minnesota need to reliably get around.” ###
U.S. Senator Tina Smith Calls for Expedited Evacuations of Children with Complex Medical Needs from Gaza
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Last week, U.S. Senators Tina Smith and Amy Klobuchar (both D-MN) joined their colleagues in sending a letter to Michael Herzog, Ambassador of Israel to the United States, and Motaz Zahran, Ambassador of Egypt to the United States, urging them to help Palestinian children who are critically ill and injured leave Gaza to seek medical treatment, and increase access to life-saving medical treatments in Gaza for children in need. “While people disagree about the war in Gaza, everyone should agree that no government should prevent injured children access to potentially life-saving medical care. Rather, governments should be doing everything possible to assist in this situation,” wrote the senators. “We have called on our own government to do its part in facilitating safe passage for these children. Our goal is to cooperate with your governments, consistent with your security concerns, to maximize safe passage and increase access to life-saving medical treatment for children in need. We understand some progress has been made, with a number of children in need of cancer treatment being moved out of Gaza through the Kerem Shalom crossing, in cooperation with the World Health Organization,” continued the senators. “We are encouraged by this development as a very positive first step. We must all treat the welfare of children in Gaza as an urgent humanitarian priority and work together to prevent further suffering.” The Senators also requested meetings with the Ambassadors to further discuss how to facilitate safe passage for more children and their accompanying parent or caregiver to have access to the medical
U.S. Senators Tina Smith & John Thune’s Bill for Continued School Funding During COVID-19 Passes the Senate
WASHINGTON, D.C. [12/14/21]—Yesterday, U.S. Senators Tina Smith (D-Minn.) and John Thune’s (R-S.D.) bipartisan legislation to help schools retain federal funding during the COVID-19 pandemic passed in the Senate. Smith and Thune’s Supplemental Impact Aid Flexibility Act will allow school districts participating in the Impact Aid Program to use previously reported student headcounts on their Impact Aid applications for the 2022-2023 school year, ensuring that they do not need to recalculate federally connected students due to prolonged uncertainty created by the COVID-19 pandemic. “As the pandemic continues to hit many Minnesota school districts hard, it’s important that districts receiving Impact Aid
U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar, Tina Smith, and U.S. Representative Angie Craig Announce Program to Deliver More Opportunities, Fair Prices to Farmers and Strengthen Food Supply Chain
WASHINGTON, [12.9.21] – Today, U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar, Tina Smith, and Representative Angie Craig (all D-Minnesota) announced a new program that will release approximately $1 billion in funding to shore up food supply chains and support farmers. The funding is available through the American Rescue Plan, which Senators Klobuchar, Smith, and Rep. Craig helped pass earlier this year. “Minnesota’s farmers play a key role in generating and protecting our nation’s food supply,” said Sen. Klobuchar. “The Food Supply Chain Guaranteed Loans are a step forward as we continue working to support them and bolster our food supply chain.” “Even before
U.S. Senator Tina Smith & U.S. Representative Gwen Moore Push to Empower Tribes to Pursue Justice for Native Survivors of Sexual Violence
WASHINGTON, D.C. [12/7/21] —Today, U.S. Senator Tina Smith (D-Minn.) —a member of the Senate Indian Affairs Committee—and U.S. Representative Gwen Moore (D-WI) are pushing to make it easier to address violence against Native peoples by expanding Tribal jurisdiction over crimes of sexual violence. The “Justice for Native Survivors of Sexual Violence Act” aims to get justice for survivors of sexual violence by restoring Tribal jurisdiction to prosecute cases of domestic and sexual assault, sex trafficking, stalking, and other related crimes committed by non-Native offenders on Tribal lands. The Justice for Native Survivors of Sexual Violence Act is co-sponsored in the
U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith Urge FSA to Expand Help for Minnesota Livestock Producers Hit Hard by Drought
WASHINGTON — U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith (both D-Minn.) are urging the Farm Service Agency (FSA) to expand help for livestock producers in Minnesota and across the country who struggled to feed their herds this summer when severe drought made hay scarce and forced prices to skyrocket. In a letter Wednesday to FSA Administrator Zach Ducheneaux, Smith, Klobuchar, and a bipartisan group of 18 of their Senate colleagues pressed to address a gap in coverage under the Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Honeybees and Farm-Raised Fish Program (ELAP), which currently provides assistance for the cost of transporting feed to
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