Latest Releases
U.S. Senators Smith, Braun Reintroduce Bipartisan Legislation to Address Big Pharma Ploy That Keeps Drug Prices High for Consumers
WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senators Tina Smith (D-MN) and Mike Braun (R-IN), 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 to market. No other company can bring a generic version of a brand name drug to market until 180 days after the first filer has done so. These anti-competitive agreements among drug companies allow fewer lower-cost generic products to come to market and keep prices higher for consumers. Right now at least 75 percent of “first filer” generic products have delayed their market entry due to “parking” arrangements with brand-name companies. The Senators’ bipartisan bill takes major steps toward eliminating this practice. “When I travel around Minnesota, the high price of prescription drugs is always one of the first things families and seniors talk to me about,” said Sen. Smith, a member of the Senate Health Committee. “This bill takes important steps toward ending anti-competitive practices that big pharmaceutical companies exploit to keep drug prices high and unaffordable for people in Minnesota and across the country.” “Everywhere
Klobuchar, Smith Announce Federal Investment to Reduce Wildfire Risk in St. Louis County
WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith (both D-MN), announced $890,925 in federal investments to help make St. Louis County more resilient to threats of wildfires. The funding will be distributed to local fire departments, lake and road associations, and township boards in the highest wildfire risk areas within the county. The funding is made possible by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which Klobuchar and Smith helped pass last year. “The 2021 Greenwood fire in northeastern Minnesota destroyed family cabins, damaged thousands of acres of forests, and hurt small businesses that rely on tourism. That’s why we must ensure our communities and firefighters have the resources they need to keep Minnesotans safe from future wildfires,” said Klobuchar. “This federal funding will provide St. Louis County with vital tools to reduce wildfires and bolster forest resilience.” “As climate change makes extreme weather events more common, we need to be doing everything we can to ensure our communities are as prepared and resilient as possible,” said Smith. “Thanks to this funding, which is made possible by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, families in St. Louis County will be better protected against the threat of wildfires.” The funding is part of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Community Wildfire Defense Grant Program, which helps communities plan for and mitigate wildfire risks as the nation faces an ongoing wildfire crisis. In 2021, both Klobuchar and Smith toured the Greenwood Lake Fire and saw firsthand the devastating impact wildfires can have. These federal investments will help
U.S. Sen. Tina Smith and Bipartisan Group of Senate Colleagues: “Provide Back Pay to Compensate Contractor Employees for Their Lost Wages”
WASHINGTON D.C. [03/08/19]—Today, U.S. Senator Tina Smith continued her fight to secure back pay for federal contract workers who went many weeks without a paycheck during the recent 35-day federal government shutdown by pushing the leaders the Senate Appropriations Committee to include funding for back pay in an upcoming disaster relief package. Unlike federal government employees, who received back pay after they returned to work when the shutdown ended in February, federal contract employees—many of whom serve in modestly-paid jobs—did not receive back pay to make up for the wages they missed. During the shutdown, Sen. Smith led the Senate effort to secure
Approximately 1,000 Minnesotans will be affected by the shuttering of Argosy University’s Eagan Campus
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Tina Smith (D-MN) and U.S. Representatives Angie Craig (MN-02), Ilhan Omar (MN-05), Collin Peterson (MN-07), and Betty McCollum (MN-04) sent the Department of Education a letter urging Secretary Betsy DeVos to proactively inform Argosy University students about available resources following reports that their 22 campuses are expected to close after the Department’s decision to cut off federal student aid. There are over 1,000 Minnesota students enrolled at Argosy University’s Eagan campus, which is closing its doors today, but the Department has provided students with limited, direct communication about the resources available and their options to
U.S. Senators Klobuchar, Smith Works to Ensure Argosy University Students in Minnesota, Nationwide Receive the Assistance They Deserve
Senate Colleagues Demand Education Department Help Students Explore Options for Continuing Studies at High-Quality Institutions, Properly Distribute Student Loans WASHINGTON, D.C. [03/11/2019]—U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) and Tina Smith (D-Minn.)—along with Sens.Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.), and 10 of their Senate colleagues—called on the Department of Education to take immediate action to assist students in the aftermath of the agency’s February 27 decision to terminate Argosy University’s eligibility for federal Title IV financial aid and reports of Argosy’s imminent closure. The February 27 decision came after revelations that Argosy University had failed to distribute millions of dollars in federal
U.S. Sens. Tina Smith, Jerry Moran Reintroduce Bill to Make Life-saving Oral Cancer Medications More Affordable
Senators’ Reintroduce Legislation to Ensure Oral Cancer Drugs are Covered in Same Way as Traditional IV Chemotherapy WASHINGTON, D.C. [03/12/19]—Today, U.S. Sens. Tina Smith (D-Minn.) and Jerry Moran (R-Kansas) took steps to bring down health care costs for cancer patients by reintroducing their bipartisan bill to make sure oral cancer drugs are covered in the same way as traditional intravenous (IV) chemotherapy. Currently, over 40 states—including both Minnesota and Kansas—and the District of Columbia have passed “oral parity” laws that stop insurers from charging more for prescribed oral cancer medicine than traditional (IV) chemotherapy. Sens. Smith and Moran’s Cancer Drug Parity Act would build
English