Latest Releases
U.S. Senator Tina Smith Seeks Answers on Hegseth’s Role in Dismantling Military’s Civilian Harm Prevention Guard Rails in Advance of Iran War
WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senator Tina Smith (D-MN) joined nine senators in seeking answers on Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth’s role in weakening civilian harm prevention programs and the catastrophic civilian impacts of President Trump’s war in Iran. Since the start of President Trump’s illegal war in Iran, attacks on civilian infrastructure have led to more than 1,700 civilian deaths, along with strikes on more than 20 schools and a dozen health care facilities. “The high human toll of this war reflects the administration’s broader disregard for the strategic, legal, and moral imperative to minimize civilian harm.,” wrote the lawmakers. “We call on the administration to immediately end the war in Iran and fully restore Congressionally authorized programs and staffing to mitigate civilian harm.” “We are concerned that these were all preventable tragedies…This is a concerning pattern and raises questions about whether the administration is upholding international law and the laws of war,” wrote the senators. The Senators called on DoD to answer questions about reported attacks on two separate elementary schools in Iran that killed more than 170 people, most of them children. Prior to the war, Secretary Hegseth made deep cuts to the military’s civilian harm mitigation and response (CHMR) programs, fired personnel at DoD’s Civilian Protection Center of Excellence, and slashed CHMR staff at the U.S. combatant commands “by more than 90 percent.” All the cuts were reportedly made over the objections of veterans organizations and top military officials, including admirals, generals, and members of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. “We are
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. “As low-income families and seniors feel additional strains on their household budgets, the timely release of LIHEAP funds is crucial to ensure families do not need to choose between paying their energy bills and other essentials, like food or medicine. Particularly as parts of Minnesota are still seeing freezing temperatures, funding for our state is critical.” This letter follows a bipartisan letter that Klobuchar and Smith joined to Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Director Russ Vought, demanding that OMB release funding to all states. The Low-Income Housing Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) provides families with payment assistance to help cover their home energy costs. LIHEAP can also be used to weatherize homes, making them more energy-efficient and mitigating energy emergencies during disasters and extreme weather. The full letter is available here and below. Dear Secretary Kennedy: We write to urge you to immediately release the remaining FY26 Low Income Home
U.S. Senators Tina Smith, Amy Klobuchar Press Forest Service on Boundary Waters Visitor Permit Disruptions
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Tina Smith and Amy Klobuchar (both D-MN) are pressing the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) over recent reporting about dramatic staffing and budget cuts at USFS that will negatively impact local economies across Minnesota and make it more difficult for visitors to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness to receive necessary permits. Specifically, the Senators probed USFS Chief Tom Schultz for more clarity on the full extent of the staffing cuts at USFS and the public safety, economic, and environmental impacts this will have on the Boundary Waters Canoe Area and the Superior and Chippewa National Forests. “In Minnesota, the Superior National Forest,
U.S. Senator Tina Smith’s Statement on Trump Administration Releasing Heating Assistance Funding for Minnesota
MINNEAPOLIS, MN – Following news that the Trump Administration responded to her bipartisan push to release $12 million in frozen emergency heating assistance for thousands of eligible Minnesotans, U.S. Senator Tina Smith (D-MN) released the following statement: “Cutting heating assistance for families just trying to stay warm and safe in cold weather was thoughtless and cruel by DOGE. Thousands of Minnesotans depend on LIHEAP to make ends meet. They don’t have a Plan B. I fought hard for this funding for a reason and I wasn’t going to sit by and watch it disappear for folks who rely on it,” said Senator Smith. “I’m glad Trump and DOGE have reversed course on
U.S. Senators Tina Smith, Amy Klobuchar, Congresswoman Angie Craig Press Trump Administration for Answers on Frozen Energy Projects for Rural Minnesota
WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senator Tina Smith (D-MN), Senate Agriculture Committee Ranking Member Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), and House Agriculture Committee Ranking Member Angie Craig (D-MN02) are pressing the Trump Administration about the continued confusion surrounding key clean energy projects that help Minnesota farmers and small businesses lower their costs. This freezing of federal funding has hurt many farmers and small business owners’ bottom lines, especially those that put up their own money expecting to be reimbursed by the federal government. Rural Energy for America Program (REAP) funding is specifically set aside for agricultural producers and rural small businesses to install renewable, clean energy systems, or to make their operations more energy
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
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