Latest Releases
Senator Smith Reintroduces Bill to Address America’s Maternal Mortality Crisis
WASHINGTON – This week, U.S. Senator Tina Smith introduced legislation to address America’s worsening maternal mortality crisis, which has a disproportionate impact on Black, Brown, Indigenous and all People of Color. The Data to Save Moms Act seeks to understand the root causes of this emergency by improving data collection on maternal mortality and morbidity. From 2018 to 2021, the maternal mortality rate in the U.S. increased by 89%. The crisis is even more acute for Black, Native and Indigenous women, who are more than twice as likely to die due to a pregnancy-related complication as white women. “I do not think it’s radical to believe that everyone who gives birth should be able to access high-quality health care,” said Sen. Smith. “America’s increasing maternal mortality rate, and the disparities in maternal health outcomes for People of Color, is a national emergency. My legislation will identify the root causes of this problem so we can tackle them head on. This is about establishing maternal health justice—especially for People of Color.” “We are committed to addressing the underlying root causes of maternal mortality and morbidity and applaud Senator Tina Smith and Representative Sharice Davids for introducing the Data to Save Moms Act, which will improve data collection to advance equitable responses to the ongoing maternal health crisis,” said March of Dimes Sr. Vice President, Public Policy & Government Affairs, Stacey Y. Brayboy. “The staggering maternal mortality rates women, particularly for Black and Indigenous women of color, face in the nation is
Senator Tina Smith, Colleagues Introduce Bipartisan Bill to Protect U.S. Agricultural Exports
Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Tina Smith (D-MN) joined Senators John Thune (R-SD), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), and Roger Marshall (R-KS) in introducing bipartisan legislation to protect American food products from unfair trade practices by foreign countries. Common food and drink names such as parmesan, asiago, romano, and bologna are used around the world to describe products to consumers. However, due to geographic indication to European locations, the European Union has begun using economic and political influence to implement unfair trade practices under the guise of protecting geographic indicators. These unfair trade practices have the potential to block United States agricultural products from being sold in international markets. The Safeguarding American Value-Added Exports (SAVE) Act would amend the Agriculture Trade Act of 1978 to include and define a list of common names for ag commodities, food products, and terms used in marketing and packaging of products. The bill would also direct the Secretary of Agriculture and the U.S. Trade Representative to negotiate with our foreign trading partners to defend the right to use common names for ag commodities in those same foreign markets. “Agriculture is the backbone of Minnesota’s diverse economy and international markets are vital to the economic success of our farmers,” said Senator Smith. “Unfair trade policies from the European Union forcing American producers to change the name of their product will hurt our farmers and their ability to sell products overseas. This legislation would ensure they are able to continue selling their products in foreign markets and
Sen. Tina Smith in First Senate Floor Speech: “When Women Are Empowered to Contribute, We All Benefit”
WASHINGTON, D.C. [06/05/18]—Today, U.S. Senator Tina Smith delivered her first Senate floor speech. In her remarks, Sen. Smith talked about the path that brought her to the Senate, and some of the injustices that hold women back—many of which start in Washington. You can download video of Sen. Smith’s speech here, and a photo of Sen. Smith, her husband Archie, and her father Harlan here. “My presence here in the Senate will always be seen by some as a symbol of the ‘broader conversation’ we’re having about the experience of women in America,” said Sen. Smith. “And so I thought I’d give my perspective
Sen. Tina Smith Says New Bipartisan Senate Farm Bill Will Be Good for Minnesota Farmers and Communities, Bolster State’s Economy
WASHINGTON, D.C. [06/08/18]—U.S. Senator Tina Smith, a member of the Senate Agriculture Committee, said the bipartisan Farm Bill proposal the Committee will take up next week is important, not only for the Minnesota farmers, ranchers and rural communities, who will greatly benefit from the measure, but also for the state’s economy as a whole. The legislation, which includes measures championed by Sen. Smith—including many aspects of her legislative roadmap for the energy section of the Farm Bill—will help spur economic development, job creation and trade. Sen. Smith said the panel will begin work to finalize the proposal on Wednesday, June 13, when
Sen. Tina Smith Helps Introduce Bill to Improve Access to Mental Health Services for Students
WASHINGTON, D.C. [06/21/2018]—Today, U.S. Senator Tina Smith (D-Minn.)—a member of the Senate Health Committee—helped introduce legislation in order to better address the increasing number of students with mental health concerns at colleges and universities across the country. The bill—known as the Higher Education Mental Health Commission Act—would create a national commission to study the mental health concerns that students face. This commission would includerepresentatives from higher education institutions, disability and student advocacy groups, students with mental health conditions, and family members of college students. “Facilitating open, honest conversations about mental health is an important first step toward eliminating the stigma that
Sens. Smith, Warren Press HHS Secretary Azar on Trump Administration’s Broken Promises to Lower Drug Prices Ahead of Hearing on Tuesday, June 12
WASHINGTON, D.C. [06/11/18]—U.S. Senators Tina Smith (D-Minn.) and Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.)—both members of the Senate Health Committee—have called on Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Alex Azar to address their concerns about the Trump Administration’s inadequate proposals to reduce drug prices and his broken campaign promises to “negotiate like crazy” for lower drug prices. Last month, the senators also sent letters to the top ten drug company CEOs asking if they had voluntarily reduced prices as President Trump and Secretary Azar have suggested they would in response to the Administration’s drug pricing blueprint. Not one company had done so—and one of the few companies that gave
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