Latest Releases
U.S. Senator Tina Smith Statement on Musk and Trump Administration Gutting Heating Assistance for Minnesotans During Severe Winter Weather
MINNEAPOLIS – U.S. Senator Tina Smith (D-MN) released the following statement in response to the news that Elon Musk, DOGE and the Trump Administration have fired all federal workers charged with distributing funding and administering the Low-Income Heating and Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), which helps families pay utility bills when they need help making ends meet through Minnesota’s Energy Assistance Program. “Firing all the workers from the office that helps families keep their homes warm and safe through the winter is thoughtless and cruel. Hundreds of thousands of Minnesotans are facing severe winter weather right now, and the need for heating assistance is greater than ever. Minnesota still hasn’t received all the federal funding it was promised to make sure everyone who is eligible for this assistance can receive it. 130,000 of our neighbors rely on this program. People will be left in limbo unless this Administration listens and reinstates these workers,” said Senator Smith.“I want answers. I fought for this funding for a reason, and I’m not just going to sit and watch it get ripped away from Minnesotans.” Senator Smith and Senator Klobuchar have long been champions of the LIHEAP program. They secured $112 million for Minnesota last year, an increase from years prior.
U.S. Senator Tina Smith Hosts Flag Ceremony with Minnesota Tribal Nations
WASHINGTON, D.C. – On Monday, U.S. Senator Tina Smith (D-MN) hosted a Flag Ceremony with Tribal leaders from Tribal Nations across Minnesota in Washington, D.C. A Flag Ceremony is a formal event to honor the flags of Tribal Nations and the Tribes’ sovereignty, identity, and history. The Mille Lacs Singers sang the Flag Song to commemorate the occasion. Senator Smith will display the flags of the 11 Tribal Nations in Minnesota at her offices in Washington, D.C. and St. Paul in recognition of the government-to-government relationships with the Tribal Nations. This is the first time that a member of the Minnesota Congressional delegation has flown all 11 flags at once. “It is our duty to honor our trust and treaty obligations to Tribal Nations and protect their inherent sovereignty,” said Senator Smith. “This Flag Ceremony demonstrates my commitment to working with Tribal Nations to ensure their self-governance and self-determination, and I am deeply honored that Tribal leaders in Minnesota trust me to be a representative for them in the federal government. I will proudly display all 11 flags in my offices.” “It was an honor to stand with our Mille Lacs Band singers as we lifted our voices to recognize Senator Tina Smith. Her respect for our Band’s flag—and the flags of the ten other sovereign Tribal Nations in Minnesota—speaks to her deep understanding of what sovereignty means to our people,” said Chief Executive Virgil Wind of the Mille Lacs Band. “Like all of us who are called to serve, she has made a commitment to uphold
U.S. SENATOR TINA SMITH ANNOUNCES ABORTION CLINIC DIRECTOR TAMMI KROMENAKER AS STATE OF THE UNION GUEST
WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senator Tina Smith (D-Minn.) announced that Tammi Kromenaker, the Clinic Director of the Red River Women’s Clinic in Moorhead, MN, will be her guest at the President’s State of the Union Address on Thursday, March 7th in Washington, D.C. The Red River Women’s Clinic spent nearly 25 years in Fargo, where it was North Dakota’s sole abortion provider for most of that time. When the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade with the Dobbs decision in 2022, the Republican Governor of North Dakota enacted one of the most restrictive abortion bans in the country. To continue serving patients in desperate need of
U.S. Senator Tina Smith and Congresswoman Nydia Velázquez Introduce Legislation to Protect Survivors of Intimate Partner Violence from Economic Abuse
[WASHINGTON, DC] – Today, Senator Tina Smith (D-MN) and Congresswoman Nydia M. Velázquez (D-NY) introduced the Survivor Financial Safety and Inclusion Working Group Act, a bill aimed at increasing support for survivors of intimate partner violence within the financial system. The bill would create an interagency working group comprised of the federal financial regulators and relevant stakeholders, including a representative of historically underserved communities. The working group would be tasked with collecting data on the impacts of economic abuse of survivors carried out through regulated financial institutions. The working group would also provide recommendations on how Congress and federal regulators can help financial institutions
U.S. Senators Tina Smith, Chris Murphy and Representative Nanette Diaz Barragán Introduce Legislation to Improve Conditions Exacerbating Health Inequities Among Black, Brown, Indigenous and People of Color
WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senators Tina Smith (D-Minn.), Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) and Representative Nanette Diaz Barragán (D-Calif.-44) introduced legislation to study and address how social, environmental, and economic conditions exacerbate health inequities in Black, Brown, Indigenous, and people of color. These conditions, known as social determinants of health (SDOH), are the result of institutional racism embedded in our society including in housing, employment, education, health care and more. While it’s often believed that good health is only due to medical care, one estimate found that clinical treatment accounts for only 10 to 20 percent of an individual’s overall health. Meanwhile, around 80 to 90 percent of healthy outcomes are driven by social determinants. “For many Black, Brown, Indigenous and people of color, health
Klobuchar, Smith, Craig Introduce Resolution Honoring Paul Elmstrand, Matthew Ruge, Adam Finseth, and Adam Medlicott
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Tina Smith (D-MN) and U.S. Representative Angie Craig (D-MN) announced they introduced a resolution to honor Burnsville police officers Paul Elmstrand and Matthew Ruge and firefighter/paramedic Adam Finseth who were killed in the line of duty, and Sergeant Adam Medlicott who was injured and hospitalized. In addition, the resolution recognizes law enforcement and first responders in Minnesota and across the country for their dedication to protecting and serving their communities. Craig leads the resolution in the U.S. House of Representatives which is also co-sponsored by U.S. Representatives Brad Finstad (R-MN), Dean Phillips
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