Latest Releases
U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar, Tina Smith Join Colleagues in Introducing Legislation to Double Pell Grant Amounts
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Last week, U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith (both D-MN) joined their colleagues Senators Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI), Patty Murray (D-WA), Jack Reed (D-RI), and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) to introduce the Pell Grant Preservation and Expansion Act of 2024, legislation that would nearly double the Pell Grant maximum award. During the 1975-76 school year, the Pell Grant was enough to cover three-fourths of the average cost of attendance at a four-year public college. Today, a Pell Grant covers less than 30% of tuition, fees, and living expenses. The Pell Grant program is the cornerstone of federal financial aid for higher education, serving over 6 million undergraduate students. Representatives Mark Pocan (D-WI) and Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (D-VA) led the effort in the House of Representatives. “The Pell Grant has long been an incredible resource for students and it’s important we ensure future generations can continue to benefit from the program,” said Klobuchar. “This legislation will expand the Pell Grant, double the maximum award, and protect its true value from eroding over time to make college more affordable for students from all walks of life.” “The federal Pell Grant has enabled generations of Americans to pursue a college degree. But the Pell Grant’s purchasing power has not kept up with rising tuition costs, leaving the high price of a college education out of reach for many Americans,” said Senator Smith.“I am proud to be a part of this legislation that will revitalize the Pell Grant and help make higher education more affordable for Americans.” Senator Smith has long been an advocate for
U.S. Senator Tina Smith Unveils Legislation to Repeal the Comstock Act
WASHINGTON, D.C. [6/20/24] —Today, U.S. Senator Tina Smith (D-Minn.) introduced a bill to repeal an arcane 1873 law, called the Comstock Act, that Republicans and anti-choice extremists want to misuse to ban abortion nationwide. Comstock has been cited recently by Supreme Court Justices Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas in oral arguments during the Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine v. FDA and invoked in Project 2025 – broadly seen as a roadmap for a future Trump administration – as a way for an extremist, anti-choice administration to use unilateral executive action to effectively ban abortion nationwide. “The Comstock Act is a 150-year-old zombie law banning abortion that’s long been relegated to the dustbin of history. But extremist Republicans and Trump judges have seized upon the idea of misusing Comstock to bypass Congress and strip women nationwide of their reproductive freedoms. When MAGA Republicans say they intend to use the Comstock Act to control women’s decisions and enact a backdoor national abortion ban, we should believe them. Now that Trump has overturned Roe, a future Republican administration could try to misapply this 150-year-old Comstock law to deny American women their rights, even in states where abortion rights are protected by state law. “This is why I’m introducing legislation to repeal Comstock. It is too dangerous to leave this law on the books; we cannot allow MAGA judges and politicians to control the lives of American women,” said Senator Smith. The Comstock laws are a set of 1800s laws meant to ban the mailing or shipping of every obscene, lewd, indecent, article, matter, thing or device, with the goal of restricting
U.S. Sen. Tina Smith Says Her Clean Electricity Standard (CES) Included in Budget Deal; Shares Primer on How CES Works
WASHINGTON, D.C. [7/15/21]—Today, U.S. Senator Tina Smith (D-Minn.) said that the Clean Electricity Standard (CES) she has championed is included in the budget deal, and shared this helpful primer on how a CES will play an important role in the nation’s transition to a clean energy future. “A Clean Electricity Standard is the cornerstone of the progressive, practical transformation to a clean energy future we urgently need,” said Sen. Smith. “Getting it included in the budget package sends a strong signal we are committed to tackling climate change. I will continue to work hard on getting a CES done because we cannot squander this moment. We
U.S. Senator Tina Smith Calls Supreme Court Decision on Renewable Fuels Very Disappointing, A Potential Blow to Economy Across Rural America
WASHINGTON, D.C. [7/1/21]—U.S. Senator Tina Smith (D-Minn.) called the U.S. Supreme Court’s recent decision that makes it easier for oil refineries to get waivers to avoid meeting Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) requirements “very disappointing,” saying it could set back efforts in rural America to recover from recent economic blows. The vote overturned a 10th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals ruling that cracked down on the abuse of small refinery economic hardship waivers. During the Trump Administration, the granting of these waivers spiked by over 300 percent, which led to a steep drop in corn used for ethanol production. “I want Minnesota’s rural communities, farmers, clean energy producers, and agribusinesses to thrive,” said Sen. Smith. “A strong Renewable Fuel Standard is key to jobs and economic development
Following Letter from Klobuchar, Smith, and Craig, USDA Announces Additional Coronavirus Relief Funding for Farmers and Agricultural Businesses
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Tina Smith (D-MN), members of the Senate Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry Committee, and Representative Angie Craig (D-MN) announced that the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) will offer additional aid to agricultural producers and businesses as part of its Pandemic Assistance for Producers Initiative. This announcement follows a letter from the legislators calling on the agency to expedite relief payments to farmers, livestock producers, biofuel processors, and timber harvesters and haulers. “The coronavirus pandemic brought unprecedented challenges for the entire agriculture industry and many rural communities across Minnesota,” said Klobuchar. “Agricultural producers and businesses are the
U.S. Senators Smith, Cassidy Lead Bipartisan Push for Senate Health Committee to Hold Hearing on Global Vaccine Distribution
WASHINGTON, D.C. [6/29/21]—U.S. Senators Tina Smith (D-Minn.) and Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-La.) are leading a bipartisan group of their colleagues in calling on leaders of the Senate Health Committee—on which they serve—to continue the series of important and productive conversations on COVID-19 by holding a hearing to examine global vaccine production and distribution. “We are at a moment now when expanding worldwide access to vaccines is central to controlling this virus and dangerous variants. The pandemic is not over anywhere, until it is over everywhere, and global herd immunity is achieved,” wrote the senators to Chair Patty Murray (D-Wash.) and Ranking
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