Latest Releases
U.S. Senator Tina Smith Celebrates Inclusion of C-130 Aircraft for Minnesota’s Air National Guard in National Defense Authorization Act
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Tina Smith released the following statement on the inclusion of her bipartisan amendment to mandate the United States Air Force maintain a minimum 271 C-130 aircraft, which will ensure that the Minnesota National Guard’s 133rd Airlift Wing maintains its flying mission. “Our C-130s are essential to Minnesota’s 133rd Airlift Wing and the Air Force’s capability to carry out their missions,” said Senator Smith.“Ensuring they maintain enough of these aircraft means stability for the men and women of Minnesota’s National Guard as they carry out their duties at home and overseas.” The C-130 aircraft is essential to carry out missions at home and overseas and are essential to the operations of the Minnesota National Guard. The bipartisan amendment was co-led by Senators Tina Smith (D-MN), John Barrasso (R-WY), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Cynthia Lummis (R-WY). Senator Smith has repeatedly advocated for Minnesota’s 133rd Airlift Wing – in June she joined Senator Klobuchar and the entire Minnesota delegation from the House of Representatives in urging the Air Force to select the 133rd Airlift Wing to receive new C-130J Transport Planes. In September, the Air Force heeded their calls and announced that Minnesota will receive the new aircraft, pending an environmental review.
U.S. Senators Tina Smith, Amy Klobuchar Introduce Legislation to Hold Postal Service Accountable for Delayed and Undelivered Mail
WASHINGTON, D.C. – This week, U.S. Senators Tina Smith and Amy Klobuchar (both D – MN) introduced legislation to improve the United States Postal Service’s (USPS) delivery tracking and accountability systems following concerning reports of serious mail delays across Minnesota. Congresswoman Angie Craig (D – MN2) introduced the bill in the House of Representatives in October. This legislation would address a serious issue at USPS—that they cannot accurately track when mail routes do not receive deliveries. A 2022 USPS Inspector General report found that the data USPS collects is based on self-reporting, which the investigation found to be consistently inaccurate. As a result, USPS itself does not know which routes are undelivered or partially delivered or how many such routes exist. The Postal Delivery Accountability Act would require the USPS to address this systemic issue by implementing the Inspector General’s two recommendations: “When postal service is unreliable, Minnesotans can face serious consequences – from late payment fees and social security checks to days without critical prescription medications. Yet when I ask the Postal Service for information on these disruptions, they tell me everything is fine. The reality is that they don’t even know themselves,” said Senator Smith. “As an essential public service, USPS owes its customers transparency. The Postal Delivery Accountability Act is a step toward that goal.” “Minnesotans rely on the Postal Service to deliver their prescriptions, Social Security checks, and more. They deserve timely service, and when the Postal Service fails to meet the mark, at the very least customers should be notified. The Postal
Sen. Tina Smith Condemns Unchecked Dark Money in Politics, Calls for Legislation to Reform & Strengthen Campaign Finance Laws
U.S. Senator Tina Smith called on Congress to strengthen our nation’s campaign finance laws by ending the flood of unchecked, unlimited, and secret corporate money into our elections. Since the Supreme Court’s 2010 Citizens United v. FEC decision—which opened the door to unlimited corporate spending in politics—more than $600 million has been spent in federal elections without free and open information about where these millions are coming from. In response to the urgent need for campaign finance changes, Sen. Smith is cosponsoring two legislative reforms. The first would overturn Citizens United once and for all, and the second—the DISCLOSE Act—would require super PACs and other
Sen. Tina Smith Spends Weekend Working Hard for Minnesotans
U.S. Senator Tina Smith made stops across the state—which you can read more about here—including the Red River Valley, southern Minnesota, and the metro area to hear from Minnesotans and inform her work in Washington. “I’m so thankful to the Minnesotans I met with this weekend. Thank you for taking the time to talk with me about what matters most to you,” said Sen. Smith. “It is an honor to be able to take your stories back with me to Washington and continue to be a fierce advocate for all of you.” You can view pictures from Sen. Smith’s weekend and read
Sen. Tina Smith Fights against Financial Threats to MinnesotaCare
U.S. Senator Tina Smith is working hard in the Senate Health Committee to protect a vital program that provides high-quality, affordable care for more than 100,000 Minnesotans. Late last year, President Trump abruptly ended federal payments that help consumers afford their health insurance coverage. That decision drove up premiums across the country and produced significant confusion and financial losses in several states. Because of these cuts, and other actions taken by the Trump Administration, Minnesota is now on track to lose more than $806 million in total funding from its “Basic Health Program” (BHP)—also known as MinnesotaCare. Now the long-term
Sen. Tina Smith Says Minnesota Winter Olympians Will Put “Best of Our State” on World Stage
With the 2018 Winter Olympics kicking off in PyeongChang, South Korea, U.S. Senator Tina Smith said that she’s excited for the Winter Games to showcase Minnesota’s impressive delegation of athletes—the third most of any state in the country. “I’m so proud of the Minnesota Olympians who are getting ready to put the best of our state on display in South Korea,” said Sen. Smith. “I continue to be amazed that we’re sending 21 athletes to compete in the Winter Games—third most in the entire country—but I’m not all that surprised. Because often when you’re a Minnesotan, once your kids can walk, you bet
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