Latest Releases
U.S. Senator Smith Joins Colleagues in Bipartisan Push for Clear Guidance on the New Free Applications for Federal Student Aid
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Tina Smith (D-MN) joined a bipartisan group of colleagues led by Senators Tim Kaine (D-VA), Chuck Grassley (R-IA) and Patty Murray (D-WA) in sending a letter urging the Department of Education to provide clear guidance and communication to students, families, educators, and schools leading up to and after the release of the new Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). The redesigned FAFSA will make it easier for millions of students to get financial aid and help 1.5 million more students access the maximum Pell Grant award, which is $7,395 for the 2023-24 award year. While the Department announced earlier in November that the new FAFSA will be released by December 31, 2023, it did not provide a concrete date and indicated that there will be processing delays in the first months of 2024, creating uncertainty for students and their families. The letter is also signed by Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN),Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Michael Bennet (D-CO), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Laphonza Butler (D-CA), Maria Cantwell (D-WA), Ben Cardin (D-MD), Bob Casey (D-PA), Dick Durbin (D-IL), Joni Ernst (R-IA), John Fetterman (D-PA), Maggie Hassan (D-NH), John Hickenlooper (D-CO), Mark Kelly (D-AZ), Angus King (I-ME), Ben Ray Luján (D-NM), Joe Manchin (D-WV), Ed Markey (D-MA), Bob Menendez (D-NJ), Jon Ossoff (D-GA), Alex Padilla (D-CA), Gary Peters (D-MI), Jack Reed (D-RI), Pete Ricketts (R-NE), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Peter Welch (D-VT), and Ron Wyden (D-OR). “We understand that overhauling
Klobuchar, Baldwin, Smith, Stauber Urge Transportation Secretary Buttigieg to Support Federal Funding to Rebuild the Blatnik Bridge
WASHINGTON – Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), and Tina Smith (D-MN) and Representative Pete Stauber (R-MN) sent a bipartisan letter urging Transportation Secretary Buttigieg to support Minnesota and Wisconsin’s application for federal funding to rebuild the Blatnik Bridge. “We write to reiterate our strong support of the Minnesota and Wisconsin Department of Transportations’ application for federal funding through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law,” wrote the lawmakers. “By replacing the Blatnik Bridge, the project would exemplify the type of critical infrastructure project that was envisioned by Congress.”“As noted in our previous letter to President Biden in September 2023, the Blatnik Bridge, located over St. Louis Bay on Lake Superior, is one of two bridges that connects the cities of Duluth, Minnesota with Superior, Wisconsin,” the lawmakers continued. “It is an essential economic engine in the region and a key link in the global supply chain.”In September, Klobuchar, Smith, Baldwin, and Representative Stauber sent a letter to President Biden urging him to fund this project. In August, Klobuchar and Smith sent letters to Secretary Buttigieg in support of the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT)’s applications for funding through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, including the U.S. Department of Transportation National Infrastructure Project Assistance Program and its Infrastructure for Rebuilding America (INFRA) Program. In 2022, Klobuchar, Smith, and Baldwin sent a letter to President Biden urging him to fund this project. President Biden visited the Blatnik Bridge in 2022 with Klobuchar, Baldwin, and Smith, to discuss how the bridge could benefit from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. In 2021, Klobuchar, a member of the Senate Commerce
In Senate Hearing, U.S. Sen. Tina Smith Presses Treasury Secretary on Economic Impact of Trade War on Minnesota Ag
WASHINGTON, DC [09/10/19]— Today, U.S. Senator Tina Smith (D-Minn.) pressed U.S. Secretary of the Treasury Steven Mnuchin on the Trump Administration’s trade war that is causing real, long-term economic damage to Minnesota farmers and rural communities. Sen. Smith’s questioning came in response to an interview Mnuchin gave earlier this week. When talking about the Chinese tariff war during a Fox Business interview, he said “it is fair to say it has impacted the Chinese economy. We have not yet seen any impact on the U.S. economy.” “Minnesota farmers and soybean farmers in northwestern Minnesota have seen their sales drop by 75%,” said Sen. Smith in the Senate Banking Committee. “They don’t
U.S. Sens. Klobuchar, Smith Encourage Minnesota Businesses, Nonprofits and Residents with Damage from Flooding to Apply for Disaster Assistance
WASHINGTON, D.C. [09/6/19]–U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith (D-Minn.) are urging Minnesota businesses, nonprofit organizations, homeowners and renters hit by severe weather and flooding earlier this year to apply for a U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) disaster loan for physical damage before the September 30, 2019 deadline. Minnesotans facing damage caused by weather from June 27 through July 7, 2019 in Dodge, Goodhue, Mower, Olmstead, Rice, and Steele counties are eligible to apply. The senators said that businesses and nonprofits may be able to use the loan to repair or replace assets such as damaged real estate, equipment and
U.S. Senator Tina Smith, Democratic Senate Colleagues Call on President to Enhance and Protect Health of Americans, Urge Administration to Abandon Proposal to Weaken Protections Against Discrimination in Health Care
WASHINGTON, D.C. [08/14/19]—This week, U.S. Senator Tina Smith (D-Minn.) and 35 of her fellow Democratic Senate colleagues condemned a proposed rule that would weaken critical protections aimed to help address discrimination in health care. Sen. Smith believes the Trump Administration should instead focus on solutions like fulfilling promises to lower prescription drug prices and addressing health care costs. Sen. Smith and her Democratic Senate colleagues outlined several issues with the proposed rule, including how it could harm patients who already face barriers when seeking care by emboldening insurers and health care providers to discriminate against them, and called on the
U.S. Senator Smith, Representative Phillips Announce More Than $250k Grant for Critical Housing and Community Development in Eden Prairie
WASHINGTON, D.C. [08/28/19]—Today, U.S. Senator Tina Smith (D-Minn.) and Representative Dean Phillips (D-MN 3) announced that the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) is investing more than $250,000 to Eden Prairie to develop affordable housing and economic opportunity for low- and moderate-income families. “Having a safe, stable, affordable place to live is what makes everything in our lives work. Without housing, it is nearly impossible to keep your job, go to school and stay healthy,” said Sen. Smith, a member of the Senate Housing Committee. “We need to make sure that Eden Prairie has enough housing to support families and economic development. This grant is one step we
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