Latest Releases
U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar, Tina Smith Announce Expansion of Terminal 2 at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith (both D-Minn.) announced federal funding for the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport to expand Terminal 2. The project will add two new gates to the terminal’s north side, Gates H15 and H16. The funding comes from President Biden’s bipartisan infrastructure legislation, which Senators Klobuchar and Smith helped pass. “Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport is among the busiest airports in the country and supports tens of thousands of jobs,” said Senator Klobuchar. “This funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law will enable the airport to continue serving the Twin Cities area, improve the travel experience for passengers, and maintain its position as a top-ranking airport.” “MSP is a critical transportation hub and economic driver for communities across Minnesota,” said Senator Smith. “This investment will make sure MSP remains one of the best airports in the world and has the capacity to meet demand.” The $20,000,000 grant was awarded through the Federal Aviation Administration’s Airport Terminals Program, which received a $5 billion boost through the President’s infrastructure legislation. The program funds safe, sustainable and accessible airport terminals, on-airport rail access projects and airport-owned traffic control towers. Several investments have been made in Minnesota’s largest airport since President Biden signed the infrastructure legislation that Klobuchar and Smith helped pass, including five new boarding bridges, new electrical substations for baggage claim, the north security checkpoint, and airport police, as well as new walkways, ramps, and slopes to support passengers with disabilities. The law has also funded a portion of a project to rehabilitate and
U.S. Senators Tina Smith, Amy Klobuchar Announce STEM Education Funding for Minnesota Tribal Colleges and Universities
WASHINGTON [2/14/2024] – Today, U.S. Senators Tina Smith, a member of the Senate Indian Affairs and Education Committees, and Amy Klobuchar (both D-Minn.) announced funding for White Earth Tribal and Community College and Red Lake Nation College to expand their science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) programs. The funding comes from the National Science Foundation and is part of a larger project to promote education and careers in STEM for Indigenous students. “STEM education has never been more important as the demand for STEM-trained employees has soared,” said Senator Smith. “This funding will provide accessible pathways for Native students to pursue higher education and serve their communities – all while integrating Tribal cultural heritage and roots into their curriculum.” “Expanding higher education offerings can be a real game changer for students,” said Senator Klobuchar. “These National Science Foundation awards will open doors for White Earth Tribal and Community College and Red Lake Nation College students to learn essential skills for in-demand careers while ensuring Ojibwe language and culture remain key components of their education.” White Earth Tribal and Community College was awarded $2,500,000 to begin offering an associate’s degree in natural sciences, with coursework including biology, chemistry and physics. Having this coursework available to White Earth students will help graduates access good jobs and further education in high-demand fields such as health sciences. Red Lake Nation College will use their $2,500,000 in funding to expand curriculum in social and behavioral sciences, with coursework rooted in the Ojibwe language and culture. Given the high demand in Tribal areas for workers in social services, this program will strengthen the talent pipeline for graduates to fill that need. Senator Smith has long been a lead advocate for Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCUs). In addition to
U.S. Senator Tina Smith, Bipartisan Group of Senators Release Report Recommending Steps to Ensure Stable Education for Students in Foster Care
WASHINGTON, D.C. [10/3/2019]—This week, U.S. Senator Tina Smith (D-Minn.) and a bipartisan group of Senate colleagues released a report on how the federal government can better help ensure a stable education for students in foster care who are far too often bounced from school to school. Sen. Smith—a member of the Senate Education Committee—said that these new placements and disruptions can jeopardize students’ academic achievement. The federal law is clear that when children are brought into foster care or change placements, the state must ensure they remain in the school in which they are enrolled at the time of each placement so long as it is in the child’s
U.S. Sens. Klobuchar, Smith Fight to Overturn U.S. Department of Education Secretary Betsy DeVos’ Harmful Rule that Guts Protections for Student Loan Borrowers
WASHINGTON, D.C. [09/30/19]–U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith (D-Minn.) are pushing to overturn U.S. Department of Education Secretary Betsy DeVos’ move to gut essential protections for student loan borrowers who’ve been wronged by their schools. The Senators joined more than thirty of their Senate colleagues in introducing a Congressional Review Act (CRA) resolution of disapproval of DeVos’ rewritten borrower defense rule, which makes it more difficult for borrowers who are defrauded by their school or harmed by their school’s closure to receive relief. “Students shouldn’t have to worry about predatory practices from colleges while they are preparing to further their education and
Following Equifax Settlement, U.S. Senators Smith, Markey and Blumenthal Introduce Bill to Hold Data Broker Industry Accountable
WASHINGTON, D.C. [09/26/19]—Today, U.S. Senators Tina Smith (D-Minn.), Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) and Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) introduced legislation to require accountability and transparency from data brokers like Equifax that collect and sell personal information about consumers in Minnesota and across the nation. The Data Broker Accountability and Transparency Act would prohibit data brokers from engaging in discriminatory data use practices; make it possible for consumers to access and correct their information; and provide consumers with the right to stop data brokers from using, sharing, or selling their personal information for marketing purposes. The bill additionally would require data brokers to develop comprehensive
U.S. Senator Tina Smith’s Bipartisan Energy Storage Legislation Clears Major Hurdle in The Senate
WASHINGTON, D.C. [09/23/2019]—U.S. Senator Tina Smith (D-Minn.) said several provisions she authored to improve the nation’s energy storage capabilities were approved by the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee today as part of a larger bipartisan energy storage measure. That legislation will now go to the full Senate for consideration. Sen. Smith said that key provisions from her Promoting Grid Storage Act of 2019 were included in the package and would boost research and development of cutting-edge technologies, increase energy storage capabilities for America’s electric grid, and enable the expanded use of clean energy. “The United States can lead the clean energy revolution, or we can follow. I, for one, want us
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