Latest Releases
U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar, Tina Smith Announce Funding to Study Restructuring Highway 55
[Washington, DC] – Today, U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith announced federal funding to support studying and developing a plan to revitalize Highway 55 in Hennepin County. The funding is made available thanks to President Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act, which both Senators supported. “I grew up right off Highway 55 and I know how it serves as a critical link for families and businesses,” said Klobuchar. “With this federal grant, Hennepin County will kickstart the planning phase for improvements to the highway.” “If we’re going to build an economy that works for everyone, then we need to prioritize investments in critical infrastructure, like highways, that connect people with opportunities all across the state,” said Smith. “This grant is the first step to improving highway 55 to best serve the surrounding communities in the West Metro.” The $3.6 million in funding comes from the Neighborhood Access and Equity Grant Program, which aims to connect communities by supporting neighborhood equity, safety and affordable transportation access while mitigating negative environmental impacts. ###
U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar, Tina Smith Announce Funding for Revitalizing I-35 Corridor in West Duluth and Downtown Duluth
[Washington, DC] – Today, U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith announced federal funding to develop a comprehensive plan for economic development and community support for Duluth neighborhoods harmed by the construction of I-35 in the 1960s and 70s. The construction of the interstate and the barrier that created in downtown Duluth led to the demolition of hundreds of homes and displacement of over 1,700 people. The funding was awarded thanks to President Biden’s bipartisan infrastructure law, which both Senators supported. “Duluth’s I-35 highway needs critical right-of-way improvements to ensure drivers and pedestrians stay safe,” said Klobuchar. “This federal grant will help Duluth begin the planning phase of connectivity improvements along the interstate.” “Investing in our roads and bridges is critical, but it shouldn’t happen at the expense of vibrant communities,” said Smith. “The neighborhoods in West Duluth and Downtown Duluth were severely disrupted when I-35 was constructed, and I am happy to see federal funding going to address these disruptions.” The $1.8 million in funding comes from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Reconnecting Communities Pilot program, the first-ever federal program dedicated to reconnecting communities that were previously cut off from economic opportunities by transportation infrastructure. ###
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
U.S. Senator Tina Smith & Colleagues to Secretary Mnuchin: Workers—Not Just Businesses—Must Benefit from Stimulus Package
WASHINGTON, D.C. [04/21/20]—In an effort to help Americans rebuild and recover after the coronavirus pandemic, U.S. Senator Tina Smith (D-Minn.) and several of her colleagues on the Senate Banking Committee—of which she’s a member—are urging the Trump Administration to prioritize workers in the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act stimulus lending. The CARES Act included key worker protection provisions, secured by Sen. Smith and her colleagues, along with business supports. In a letter to Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, Sen. Smith and her colleagues urged him to require businesses receiving taxpayer money to enter into binding agreements with the Department of the Treasury that commit businesses to meaningful worker protections that support hardworking families during this crisis.
U.S. Senators Klobuchar, Smith Announce Veterans Will Automatically Receive Coronavirus Financial Assistance Without Having to File Tax Returns
WASHINGTON, D.C. [04/20/20]—Today, U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith (D-Minn.) announced that veterans in Minnesota and across the country who receive benefits through the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) will automatically receive direct coronavirus relief payments without having to file tax returns. Earlier this month, Sens. Klobuchar and Smith—along with 43 of their Democratic colleagues—called on the U.S. Department of the Treasury, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, and the Social Security Administration to automatically provide relief payments to millions of low-income veterans, seniors, and people with disabilities even if they have not filed a tax return. The Treasury Department first took this step
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