Latest Releases
U.S. Senator Tina Smith and Colleagues Call on Israeli Ambassador Herzog to Accelerate Aid Delivery and Ensure Safety for Aid Workers
WASHINGTON, DC – Today, U.S. Senator Tina Smith (D-MN) joined Senators Peter Welch (D-VT), Jack Reed (D-RI), and Brian Schatz (D-HI) in sending a letter to Israel’s Ambassador to the United States, Michael Herzog, on the imperative of urgently providing humanitarian aid in Gaza. The letter highlights specific steps that Ambassador Herzog and the Israeli government should take to ensure that aid reaches Gaza and to protect aid workers. “Since October 7, nearly 30,000 people have been killed in Israel’s counterattack on Gaza. While many were Hamas terrorists, a significant number were innocent civilians. Further, at least 1.7 million Palestinians have been internally displaced in Gaza. They have need for clean water, food, medical support, and humanitarian aid. Starvation and widespread disease in Gaza are imminent,” wrote the four U.S. Senators. “We believe that the future path to peace, security and stability will be enhanced dramatically by facilitating the delivery of essentials for survival to the Palestinian people whose fate is imperiled,” the Senators conclude. The letter outlines four actions Israel should take to accelerate aid delivery into Gaza and assist the safety of aid workers, including: Text of the letter follows: Dear Ambassador Herzog: We unequivocally condemn Hamas’ barbaric attack on Israel October 7, 2023, and hope that all the hostages return home safely. We support Israel’s right and obligation to pursue the Hamas terrorists who planned and carried out the October 7 attack and deem the prospect of Hamas retaining military control of Gaza unacceptable. We also believe, there is an urgent need to provide
Sen. Smith joins Dem Women’s Caucus, House and Senate Democrats, in Demanding Health Insurers Fully Cover Birth Control, As Required by the ACA
Washington, DC — Today, Senator Tina Smith (D-MN), along with Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV), and Democratic Women’s Caucus (DWC) Chair Lois Frankel (FL-22), Reps. Ayanna Pressley (MA-7), Kathy Manning (NC-6), and Judy Chu (CA-28), led over 150 House and Senate Democratic colleagues in urging health insurers to fully comply with the Affordable Care Act (ACA) contraception coverage requirement. Specifically, the members urged insurers to adopt a “therapeutic equivalence standard” ensuring coverage—without cost sharing—of every FDA-approved birth control product that does not have a therapeutic equivalent (generic). The letter comes after years of systemic noncompliance by insurance plans, forcing women to pay out of pocket or face administrative red tape to access the birth control that works best for them. “We write to express our concerns that your members are not complying with the Affordable Care Act contraception coverage requirement, and to urge them to consider immediate adoption of the therapeutic equivalence standard outlined by the Departments of Health and Human Services, Labor, and Treasury on January 22, 2024,” wrote the lawmakers in a letter toAmerica’s Health Insurance Plans (AHIP)—whose membership includes major health insurers across the country—and UnitedHealth Group. Despite the ACA’s protections, the members outlined how multiple investigations—including by the House Oversight Committee, “have revealed that plans routinely violate the ACA by refusing to cover certain products, imposing administrative hurdles like prior authorizations and step therapy (fail first protocols), and requiring patient cost-sharing.” In response to these violations, the Biden Administration recently released additional guidance, outlining a standard that requires coverage
U.S. Senator Tina Smith Says She’ll Support Bipartisan Trade Agreement with Mexico and Canada In Upcoming Senate Vote
WASHINGTON, D.C. [01/08/20]—Today, U.S. Senator Tina Smith (D-Minn.)—a member of the Senate Agriculture Committee—announced that she’ll support the bipartisan United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) when it comes up for a vote in the Senate. Sen. Smith’s announcement comes after she helped secure key improvements to the agreement that strengthen protections for workers and improve access to affordable medicines. The USMCA also includes measures Sen. Smith has been fighting hard for to open new markets for U.S. dairy exports and end unfair Canadian milk pricing rules that hurt U.S. farmers. “I’ve long said that I want to vote for a trade agreement that lifts up workers, businesses, agriculture and consumers—and
Klobuchar, Smith Announce Nearly $600,000 in Federal Investments to Help Minnesota Families Reach Self-Sufficiency
WASHINGTON D.C. [1/6/2020]–U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith (D-Minn.) announced that 12 public housing authorities and cities across Minnesota will receive a total investment of $593,683 from the U.S. Department of Housing (HUD) Family Self-Sufficiency Program (FSS). The FSS Program is an asset building program for low-income families across the country. This investment will help HUD-assisted families reach self-sufficiency by providing them with stable affordable housing, individualized financial coaching and a rent incentive in the form of an escrowed savings account that grows as families’ earnings increase. “Minnesotans enrolled in the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Family Self-Sufficiency (FSS) Program receive vital support that helps them build
Smith, Klobuchar: Senate Passes Legislation to Give Eligible Liberians Permanent Residency Status and Pathway to Citizenship, Heads to President’s Desk
WASHINGTON – Yesterday, U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Tina Smith (D-MN) announced that following years of advocacy and leadership to extend permanent residency status to Liberians, the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which includes a provision to allow eligible Liberians living in the United States currently on the temporary immigration status of Deferred Enforced Departure (DED) to continue living legally in the U.S. and get on a pathway to earning U.S. citizenship, has passed the Senate. The legislation passed the U.S. House of Representatives last week and after Senate passage now heads to the President’s desk to be signed into law.
U.S. Senator Tina Smith Introduces Legislation to Help Tribal Communities Address Opioid Epidemic, Mental and Behavioral Health
WASHINGTON, D.C. [12/19/19]—Today, U.S. Senator Tina Smith (D-Minn.) introduced a bill—along with U.S. Sens. Tom Udall (D-N.M.), Jon Tester (D-Mont.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), and Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.)—to help Tribal communities in Minnesota and across the country access the resources they need to support people who are struggling with mental health issues or substance use disorders. Tribal communities have been hit hard by the opioid epidemic. According to a leading health agency, American Indians and Alaska Natives experience some of the highest drug overdose death rates. However, many tribal communities don’t have the resources they need to tackle this public
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