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
Klobuchar, Smith Announce Loan Eligibility for Farmers Included in Interim Coronavirus Relief Package Passed by Senate
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith announced that farmers in Minnesota and across the country are now eligible for additional disaster loan relief under the most recent coronavirus relief package passed unanimously by the Senate. Under a bill passed by the Senate this week, agricultural enterprises will become eligible for the Small Business Administration’s Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDL) and Emergency Economic Assistance Grant (EEAG) programs. These key changes will allow farmers to be eligible low-interest loans from the federal government, as well as grants of up to $10,000 to help farmers get through the coronavirus pandemic. This important provision
U.S. Senators Tina Smith, John Hoeven Lead Bipartisan Push to Treasury Department, Small Business Administration to Ensure Eligibility of Rural Electric Cooperatives in Paycheck Protection Program
WASHINGTON, D.C. [04/22/20]—Today, U.S. Senators Tina Smith (D-Minn.) and John Hoeven (R-N.D.) led a bipartisan group of senators in urging the U.S. Department of the Treasury and the Small Business Administration (SBA) to clarify that rural electric cooperatives are eligible for the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), which was created under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act to support small businesses and help them maintain payroll and cover expenses during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Some lenders are approving PPP loans for electric cooperatives, while other lenders are refusing to do so without further guidance from the SBA. Rural electric cooperatives have urged
U.S. Senator Tina Smith Says Latest Coronavirus Relief Package To Replenish Small Business Loan Fund, Also Adds Money For Hospitals and Testing
WASHINGTON, D.C. [04/21/20]— U.S. Senator Tina Smith (D-Minn.) said the $470 billion coronavirus relief package which passed the Senate today will provide an additional $370 billion in urgently-needed emergency loans and grants for hard-hit small businesses in Minnesota and across the country. It also targets $75 billion to help hospitals handle the surge in infections and $25 billion to dramatically improve the nation’s coronavirus testing capabilities. Sen. Smith said she strongly supported the effort to provide additional and urgently-needed help to Minnesota small businesses who have yet to receive it, but said Congress may have to provide even more assistance if the funding in the package
Klobuchar, Smith, Colleagues Urge Administration to Protect Food Supply and Essential Workers During Coronavirus Pandemic
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Tina Smith (D-MN) joined Senator Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) in a group of 36 Democratic senators urging Vice President Mike Pence and other members of the Trump Administration to take action to help ensure the safety of the nation’s food supply and protect essential workers in the food supply chain. “It is vital that we do everything we can to protect food supply workers,” the senators wrote. “Breakdowns in the food supply chain could have significant economic impacts for both consumers and agricultural producers. It is also imperative that precautions are taken to ensure the
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