Latest Releases
Klobuchar, Smith Announce Judicial Selection Committee for Vacancy on Federal District Court
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Tina Smith (D-MN) announced the formation of a judicial selection committee to assist them in making recommendations to President Biden to fill a vacancy on Minnesota’s federal district court. The vacancy was created by Judge John R. Tunheim’s decision to assume senior status. The selection committee will include Leslie Beiers, Chief Judge of the Minnesota Sixth Judicial District and former Assistant St. Louis County Attorney; Susan Segal, Chief Judge of the Minnesota Court of Appeals; Abou Amara, Associate at Gustafson Gluek PLLC and Vice President of the Minnesota Association of Black Lawyers; Tadd Johnson, Professor Emeritus of the Department of American Indian Studies at the University of Minnesota Duluth; Cecil Naatz, Managing Attorney of the Public Defender’s Office in Marshall, Minnesota; and Miguel Pozo, Member at Cozen O’Connor and former President of the Hispanic National Bar Association. “I would like to thank Judge Tunheim for his decades of service to Minnesota and the federal judiciary,” said Klobuchar. “Minnesota’s federal judges have a long track record of being fair-minded, conscientious and even-handed in their application of the law, and this distinguished selection panel committee will find a jurist worthy of this tradition. Federal judges have lifetime appointments, which is why it is critical that they demonstrate an unwavering commitment to equal justice under law for all.” “I thank Judge Tunheim for his public service, particularly his nearly three decades serving on the U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota. Federal judges have
Smith Joins Senate Leaders Urging Biden to Address Our Nation’s Affordable Housing Crisis
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Sen. Tina Smith (D-MN), Chair of the Senate Banking and Housing Subcommittee on Housing, Transportation, and Community Development joined Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) and 15 Senate Committee Chairs in a letter to President Biden requesting that the federal government utilize a “whole-of-government” approach to address our nation’s housing needs. “Our nation’s housing is an essential piece of our infrastructure, but it is a sector that remains in crisis,” wrote the Senators. “With the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, CHIPS and Science Act, and the Inflation Reduction Act, we took decisive steps to address many of our nation’s infrastructure deficiencies. However, more must be done to address the challenges facing the housing sector, where lagging production coupled with aging housing stock are making housing more expensive and unable to meet the needs of all Americans.” As Chair of the Senate Subcommittee on Housing, Transportation, and Community Development, Smith has held multiple hearings aimed at improving housing programs. Last September, Smith led a hearing on ways to improve the availability of rural housing, help keep rural seniors afford their homes, and reduce red tape for home owners and renters. In May of 2022, Smith chaired a hearing with Xochitl Torres Small, Under Secretary for Rural Development, about which aspects of the USDA’s Rural Housing Service programs are functioning well and which areas should be changed or reformed. She has also supported legislation to increase access to safe and affordable housing including the bipartisan Choice in Affordable Housing Act. In 2020, two of her
Sen. Tina Smith Says New Bipartisan Senate Farm Bill Will Be Good for Minnesota Farmers and Communities, Bolster State’s Economy
WASHINGTON, D.C. [06/08/18]—U.S. Senator Tina Smith, a member of the Senate Agriculture Committee, said the bipartisan Farm Bill proposal the Committee will take up next week is important, not only for the Minnesota farmers, ranchers and rural communities, who will greatly benefit from the measure, but also for the state’s economy as a whole. The legislation, which includes measures championed by Sen. Smith—including many aspects of her legislative roadmap for the energy section of the Farm Bill—will help spur economic development, job creation and trade. Sen. Smith said the panel will begin work to finalize the proposal on Wednesday, June 13, when
Sen. Tina Smith Helps Introduce Bill to Improve Access to Mental Health Services for Students
WASHINGTON, D.C. [06/21/2018]—Today, U.S. Senator Tina Smith (D-Minn.)—a member of the Senate Health Committee—helped introduce legislation in order to better address the increasing number of students with mental health concerns at colleges and universities across the country. The bill—known as the Higher Education Mental Health Commission Act—would create a national commission to study the mental health concerns that students face. This commission would includerepresentatives from higher education institutions, disability and student advocacy groups, students with mental health conditions, and family members of college students. “Facilitating open, honest conversations about mental health is an important first step toward eliminating the stigma that
Sens. Smith, Warren Press HHS Secretary Azar on Trump Administration’s Broken Promises to Lower Drug Prices Ahead of Hearing on Tuesday, June 12
WASHINGTON, D.C. [06/11/18]—U.S. Senators Tina Smith (D-Minn.) and Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.)—both members of the Senate Health Committee—have called on Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Alex Azar to address their concerns about the Trump Administration’s inadequate proposals to reduce drug prices and his broken campaign promises to “negotiate like crazy” for lower drug prices. Last month, the senators also sent letters to the top ten drug company CEOs asking if they had voluntarily reduced prices as President Trump and Secretary Azar have suggested they would in response to the Administration’s drug pricing blueprint. Not one company had done so—and one of the few companies that gave
Sen. Tina Smith Says 2010 Supreme Court Decision to Allow Secretive, Unregulated Money to Influence U.S. Elections is Imperiling U.S. Democracy
WASHINGTON, D.C. [06/13/18]—U.S Senator Tina Smith (D-Minn.) said the 2010 Supreme Court ruling that allowed a torrent of secretive, unregulated money to influence American political campaigns should be reversed because it is giving unknown wealthy donors outsized influence in elections and imperiling the nation’s democracy. In a Senate floor speech Tuesday, Smith pressed for enactment of a constitutional amendment to reverse the Court’s Citizens United decision and outlined several other campaign finance reforms to restore fairness to the political process. You can download a video of Sen. Smith’s speech by clicking here. “The sharp rise of secretive, unregulated money in politics means that we
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