Latest Releases
U.S. Senator Tina Smith Joins Colleagues in Urging Biden Administration to Address Humanitarian Crisis in Ethiopia
Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator and Tina Smith (D-MN) joined her colleagues in sending a letter to the Biden administration regarding the mounting humanitarian crisis in Ethiopia. The letter was led by Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR) and was also signed by Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), John Hickenlooper (D-CO), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) and Tim Kaine (D-VA). The Senators urged U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) Administrator Samantha Power to work with partners to ensure continued international humanitarian support for the people of Ethiopia as the country confronts an ongoing humanitarian crisis exacerbated by armed conflict and climate chaos. “While we are heartened by United States’ and international efforts to provide food assistance and other humanitarian aid to the Ethiopian people, their needs remain great, especially when factoring in the more than 100,000 Sudanese refugees who have recently fled the violence in their country and taken refuge in Ethiopia,” the Senators wrote. “We support the Administration’s continued global leadership in the provision of humanitarian aid to those most in need,” the Senators continued. “We also acknowledge that it is critical to maintain effective oversight of assistance and ensure that it is not being abused or diverted. However, commitments from other donor countries and the international community have failed to keep up with the increasing needs globally.” Read the full text of the letter below: Dear Secretary Blinken and Administrator Power, We write to express deep concern about the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Ethiopia, which is set to worsen this year
U.S. Senators Tina Smith, Amy Klobuchar Announce Clean Energy Support for Three Minnesota Tribes
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Tina Smith, a member of the Senate Indian Affairs Committee, and Amy Klobuchar (both D-Minn.) announced federal funding to connect Tribal homes to clean electricity, including homes previously not connected to electricity at all. Minnesota Tribes selected for funding include Prairie Island Indian Community, Red Lake Nation and Bois Forte Band of Chippewa. The grants are made possible by President Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act, which Senators Smith and Klobuchar both supported. “For generations, Native communities have been hurt by underinvestment and underfunding of basic infrastructure. Our transition to a clean energy economy can’t leave Indian Country behind,” said Senator Smith. “This funding gets us closer to ensuring every household in Minnesota, including on Tribal lands, have access to clean electricity.” “This federal grant will deliver critical clean energy infrastructure improvements,” said Senator Klobuchar.“Investments into clean electricity are vital for securing the power grid in Tribal communities and bolstering the transition to renewable energy.” “This investment in Indian Country and, specifically, the Prairie Island Indian Community, will literally help create a brighter future for our people,” said Prairie Island Tribal Council President Grant Johnson. “Achieving energy sovereignty while eliminating or offsetting all greenhouse gas emissions on Prairie Island is the goal of our net zero program. This grant will allow us to make electrification improvements to our members’ home and involve them more directly in our efforts to change our energy narrative and achieve our net zero goal.” “We are excited and honored to have received the funding from the Biden-Harris Administration America Agenda to Electrify Homes Across Indian Country with Clean Energy. This funding will assist us in the implementation capacity
U.S. Senator Tina Smith Presses to Sustain Rural Hospitals and Providers Amid Coronavirus Pandemic
WASHINGTON, D.C. [03/22/2020]—U.S. Senator Tina Smith (D-Minn.) helped introduce the bipartisan Immediate Relief for Rural Facilities and Providers Act, which would stabilize rural hospitals and provide resources to health care providers as coronavirus (COVID-19) strains health care systems in Minnesota and across the country. “As we all work to combat the coronavirus, I think about how important rural hospitals and providers are as public health experts in Minnesota and across the country, and I’m grateful for the care they’re providing to keep millions of people healthy. We need to provide relief to these rural hospitals and providers, and we need to
U.S. Senators Smith, Warren, Casey, Hirono, Kaine & Booker Urge Senate Leaders to Support Child Care in Coronavirus Stimulus Package
WASHINGTON, D.C. [03/21/20]—Today, U.S. Senator Tina Smith (D-Minn.) led a number of her Senate colleagues—including Sens. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Bob Casey (D-Pa.), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), Tim Kaine (D-Va.) and Cory Booker (D-N.J.)—in urging Senate leadership to support child care as part of the third coronavirus stimulus package. “Child care providers are struggling to stay afloat and may be forced out of business permanently. If providers are closed, they do not have revenue coming in to pay their staff and other operational costs. They cannot survive without public investment to cover these costs,” wrote Sen. Smith and her colleagues. “In fact, a survey from
After Push from Smith, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Outlines Protective Measures to Expand Capacity
WASHINGTON, D.C. [03/20/20]—This week, U.S. Senator Tina Smith (D-Minn.) pressed the top Trump Administration Emergency Management official for assurances that hospitals and other health providers facing an overwhelming increase in emergency coronavirus patients will get quick federal funding and reimbursement to help them expand capacity to meet the need. And yesterday, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) addressed a number of Sen. Smith’s concerns by outlining how, under the COVID-19 Emergency Declaration, FEMA may provide assistance for emergency protective measures including temporary medical facilities and enhanced medical and hospital capacity for treatment when existing facilities cannot accommodate the patient load, or
As Coronavirus Causes Steep Drop in Ethanol Prices, Senators Klobuchar, Smith Push President Trump to Support Renewable Fuel Standard
WASHINGTON D.C. [3/20/20]– As the coronavirus causes ethanol prices to drop to record lows, U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith (D-Minn.) pushed President Trump to support the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS). Their request, made with a bipartisan group of 14 Senators, comes following news that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) may appeal a recent unanimous decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals concerning small refinery exemptions. With the drop in oil prices related to coronavirus and the pandemic’s projected decrease in gasoline consumption, some experts are projecting a steep reduction in corn used for ethanol production of 120 to 170 million bushels, further eroding the price farmers get
English