Latest Releases
U.S. Senator Tina Smith Joins Colleagues to Introduce Resolution to Make Sure Every Woman Can Access Emergency Health Care
Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Tina Smith (D-MN) joined her colleagues to introduce a resolution to ensure that every patient has the basic right to emergency health care, including abortion care, regardless of where they live. The introduction comes as new reporting from ProPublica states that Republican abortion bans are preventing women from receiving lifesaving emergency health care and resulting in preventable deaths. Since the overturning of Roe v. Wade over two years ago, nearly two dozen US states led by Republicans have banned or severely restricted access to abortion. These strict laws have created confusion around the treatment doctors can provide even when a pregnant patient’s life is in danger, as physicians fear that they may lose their medical license, be sued, or even charged with a felony if they perform life-saving emergency care. Despite the federal Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act’s (EMTALA) requirements that Medicare-participating hospitals treat and stabilize pregnant patients in need of emergency medical care, women are being turned away from emergency rooms. “Patients will suffer while lawsuits and litigation move forward. There should be no legal question when medicine is clear: Abortion is health care,” said Senator Tina Smith. “Pregnant women deserve access to emergency medical care. Doctors should be free to provide that care without interference from right-wing, anti-choice politicians.” In Moyle v. United States, the U.S. Supreme Court had the opportunity to reaffirm that federal law requires pregnant patients to have access to life-saving emergency care in every state, but instead, the Court dismissed the case and sent it back to the lower
Senators Amy Klobuchar, Tina Smith Announce Expansion of Meat Processing Facility in Perham, MN
MINNEAPOLIS, MN – Today, U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith (both D-MN), members of the Senate Agriculture Committee, announced funding to double the capacity of a meat processing facility in Perham, MN. The $530,000 grant will go to Lakes Community Cooperative, a processing facility that provides its member owners with multi-species livestock processing services. Helping smaller, locally owned processing facilities like Lakes Community Cooperative to be competitive in today’s market will help lower costs for consumers by spurring competition in an already consolidated meat industry. “Minnesota’s meat and poultry products help feed the nation and the world,” said Klobuchar. “This new funding will make it easier for the Lakes Community Cooperative to bolster their capacity and get their high quality meats to new markets.” “A strong meat processing industry is critical to maintaining a stable economy in Minnesota, especially for Minnesota’s farmers,” said Smith. “By doubling the capacity of coops like Lakes Community Cooperative, producers will have another processing option. This helps farmers get a fair value for animals and also helps keep prices down for consumers at the grocery story.” Four large meat-packing companies control 85 percent of the beef market. In poultry, the top four processing firms control 54 percent of the market. And in pork, the top four processing firms control about 70 percent of the market. Klobuchar and Smith have long worked to spur competition in America’s meat processing industry. They secured funding to increase meat cutting and butchery career pathways for students by enabling the Minnesota State Northern Agricultural Center to expand its training facilities and
U.S. Senator Tina Smith Seeks Probe of Firms that Pressure Vulnerable Minnesotans to Unfairly Give Up Funds From Injury Settlements
MINNESOTA [10/18/21]— U.S. Senator Tina Smith (D-Minn.) has urged the nation’s top financial regulator to probe firms that have aggressively targeted accident victims in Minnesota and across the country to give up injury settlements designed to provide them income over many years in exchange for a one-time smaller lump-sum payment – typically taking half the value of the settlement or more. In a recent letter to Rohit Chopra, the Director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), Sen. Smith pressed for an investigation into the firms operating in the largely-unregulated industry that buys “structured settlements” from people who have been injured or
After Push from U.S. Senator Tina Smith, Biden Administration To End Canadian Land-Crossing Restrictions in Early November
WASHINGTON D.C. [10/13/21]—U.S. Senator Tina Smith (D-Minn.) said the Biden Administration plans to lift Canadian land-border restrictions in November is good news for Northern Minnesota businesses and communities that depend on Canadian travelers to thrive. The announcement comes two weeks after Sen. Smith pressed both Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas to end the restrictions on non-essential land travel from Canada to the United States because the restrictions have had a catastrophic economic impact on northern border communities. The Senator said the restrictions have also created confusion because despite the land-border restrictions, Canadians have been able to travel by air to the United States for several months. Canada has allowed vaccinated
U.S. Senators Tina Smith, John Hoeven Introduce Bipartisan Resolution to Recognize October as National Co-op Month
MINNESOTA [10/6/21]— U.S. Senators Tina Smith (D-Minn.) and John Hoeven (R-N.D.) introduced a bipartisan resolution to designate October 2021 as National Co-op Month. Their resolution recognizes the co-op business model for its contributions to the economy, the jobs it creates and its positive impacts on local communities. The Senators said that co-ops can be found in almost every economic sector throughout the United States, and that during the current pandemic many co-ops have taken additional steps to serve their member-owners and communities. “In 1948 Minnesota became the first state to issue a Co-op Month proclamation,” said Sen. Smith. “I’m once again honored to help continue our state’s tradition
U.S. Senators Tina Smith, Mike Braun Reintroduce Bipartisan Bill To Address Big Pharma Ploy that Keeps Drug Prices High for Consumers
WASHINGTON, D.C. [10/4/21]— U.S. Senators Tina Smith (D-Minn.) and Mike Braun (R-Ind.) reintroduced bipartisan legislation to address a big pharma ploy that prevents access to affordable prescription drugs for millions of people across the country. The Expanding Access to Low-Cost Generics Act—which was the first piece of Senate legislation introduced by Sen. Smith in 2018—addresses an anti-competitive prescription drug practice called “parking.” “Parking” occurs when a brand name manufacturer agrees not to sue the first company that submits an application to create a generic version of that drug—a so-called “first filer”—as long as the generic company agrees to delay bringing that generic drug
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