Latest Releases
U.S. Senators Tina Smith, Shelley Moore Capito’s Bipartisan Women’s Lung Cancer Prevention Legislation Unanimously Passes Senate
WASHINGTON – United States Senators Tina Smith (D-MN) and Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV) announced their bipartisan legislation, the Women and Lung Cancer Research and Preventive Services Act, unanimously passed the Senate. The bill directs the Department of Health and Human Services to coordinate with the Department of Defense and Department of Veterans’ Affairs to conduct a comprehensive review across departments of ongoing research that could help us better understand and respond to the increasing number of women being diagnosed with lung cancer. Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related death for women in America. The disease claims more women’s lives each year than breast, ovarian and cervical cancers combined. While lung cancer rates are generally declining, cases among non-smoking women are on the rise, troubling researchers. “Cancer has touched each and every one of our lives in some way. Many of us remember a loved one fighting this horrible disease and doing everything we can to prevent ourselves from developing cancer. But for women, even if we never smoke, we’re increasingly more likely than men to develop lung cancer. It’s a deeply troubling trend that we need to better understand if we hope to combat the disease,” said Senator Smith. “This legislation is a good first step for us to take to better understand what we do and don’t know about why lung cancer rates seem to be moving in the wrong direction, particularly for one half of our population.” “West Virginia has long been deeply impacted by lung cancer, and
U.S. Senator Tina Smith Releases New Report on Solutions to the Home Insurance Crisis
WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senator Tina Smith (D-MN), the lead Democrat on the Senate Housing Subcommittee, released a new report, Bold Solutions to the Home Insurance Crisis. It examines the nationwide crisis of rising home insurance costs, the role of climate-change-driven extreme weather events, and policy solutions that would tackle this affordability crisis. Across the country, Americans are increasingly facing unaffordable home insurance bills or aren’t able to access coverage at all. Insurers have significantly increased their rates, pushing up home insurance premiums an average of 45% since 2019. Sixteen years ago, home insurance was much more affordable and cost only 5% of the typical monthly mortgage payment. But these costs have now more than doubled to more than 10% of a typical mortgage payment, even as mortgage costs have also surged. Former Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell emphasized the risk we face in response to Sen. Smith’s questioning during a Senate Banking Committee hearing, saying that “If you fast-forward 10 or 15 years, there are going to be regions of the country where you can’t get a mortgage” due to insurance companies pulling out of high-risk areas. Minnesotans have been particularly hit hard by rate increases. Last year, Minnesota home insurance rates increased 34%, which was the largest increase of any state, according to reports. These problems, Sen. Smith argues, are driven by the growing strength and severity of disasters due to climate change and an insurance industry motivated more by profits than protecting its customers. To address the problem, Sen. Smith lays out more than two dozen policy options that Washington can consider, ranging from those that lower physical risks for homeowners and communities, to wholesale alternatives to our current, private home insurance system. You can read the full report HERE: · Senator Smith’s opening letter here · An executive summary here “Owning a home has always been part of the American dream. But for too many families today, that dream feels further out of reach than ever before. Without affordable insurance, mortgages may become harder to get, home values
Smith, Klobuchar Urge HHS to Release LIHEAP Funding
WASHINGTON — U.S. Senators Tina Smith and Amy Klobuchar (both D-MN) are urging the Department of Health and Human Services to release the remaining FY26 Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) funding available to all states, including Minnesota. “We write to urge you to immediately release the remaining FY26 Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) funding available to all states, including Minnesota,” the Senators wrote. “LIHEAP is the main federal program that assists low-income households and seniors with their energy bills.” “In Minnesota it has helped over 100,000 households this winter, preventing over 17,000 disruptions,” the Senators continued.
U.S. Senator Tina Smith’s Statement on President Trump’s Threats to Commit War Crimes in Iran
MINNEAPOLIS, MN – U.S. Senator Tina Smith (D-MN) released the following statement after President Trump posted on Truth Social threatening “a whole civilization will die tonight” if Iran’s leadership doesn’t strike a deal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz: “America’s moral leadership and rule of law is what sets us apart from our adversaries in the world. President Trump’s threats this morning to destroy an entire civilization and commit the United States to another endless war in the Middle East are completely wrong. Threatening war crimes undermines our nation’s leadership in the world and opens U.S. servicemembers and civilians to reprisals
Klobuchar, Smith Call on Federal Highway Administration to Allow St. Louis County to Use Project Labor Agreements
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Tina Smith (D-MN) are calling on the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) at the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) to approve the use of Project Labor Agreements for five projects that have been awarded federal funds to St. Louis County. “We write to request your prompt approval of the use of Project Labor Agreements (PLA) for five projects for which St. Louis County, Minnesota has been awarded federal funds,” wrote the Senators. “These funds will improve the County’s roadways and provide good-paying construction jobs.” “St. Louis County has a longstanding policy that requires PLAs on
U.S. Senator Smith, Rep. Davids Reintroduce Legislation to Tackle Maternal Mortality Crisis Through Improved Data, Research
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Tina Smith (D-MN) and Representative Sharice Davids (D-KS-03) re-introduced legislation to address America’s worsening maternal mortality crisis through expanding research and improving maternal health care. The Data to Save Moms Act aims to better understand the root causes of the maternal mortality crisis by improving data collection on maternal mortality and morbidity. “It’s not radical to believe that every pregnant woman should be able to get high-quality health care, and that we should focus on areas where we see the biggest disparities in health outcomes,” said Senator Smith. “By funding research on maternal health, this legislation will help to understand the root causes of health complications from pregnancy and
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