Latest Releases
U.S. Senator Tina Smith Announces Head of Second Harvest Heartland as State of the Union Guest
WASHINGTON [2.3.23] – Today, U.S. Senator Tina Smith (D-Minn.) announced that Second Harvest Heartland CEO, Allison O’Toole, will be her guest at the President’s State of the Union Address on Tuesday, February 7th in Washington, D.C. Second Harvest was one of many food banks that benefitted from Democrats’ American Rescue Plan and helped provide crucial support for families during the pandemic. Thanks in part to federal funding that they received from the legislation, Second Harvest Heartland was able to provide more than 107 million meals to families across Minnesota and Western Wisconsin in 2022. In addition, they administered $3 million in American Rescue Plan funding to support a prepared meal distribution program throughout 2022. “In the wealthiest country on earth, it is inexcusable that so many Americans face hunger,” said Sen. Smith. “I am proud to have Alison O’Toole, head of Second Harvest Heartland, join me at the State of the Union. As one of the largest hunger-relief organization in the country, Second Harvest has been a tireless advocate for policies and programs that work to end hunger. I’ve seen their operation firsthand and admire their work to provide healthy food where it’s needed most. I look forward to our continued work together as we look to meet President Biden’s goal of eliminating hunger in America by 2030.” “I am honored to represent Second Harvest Heartland at the State of the Union this week as Senator Smith’s guest,” said Allison O’Toole, CEO of Second Harvest Heartland. “President Biden has taken a
U.S. Senator Tina Smith and Rep. Cori Bush Re-Introduce Legislation to Protect Access to Medication Abortion
WASHINGTON [2.2.23] – Today, U.S. Senator Tina Smith (D-MN) and U.S. Representative Cori Bush (D-MO) re-introduced a bill to defend access to medication abortion in states where the right to an abortion still exists. The Protecting Access to Medication Abortion Act would protect current FDA guidelines so that women can always access medication abortion through telehealth and certified pharmacies, including mail-order pharmacies. Of the one in four American women who will have an abortion, over half will use medication abortion. In the 23 years since its approval, evidence has shown that mifepristone can be prescribed to patients without an in-person appointment, is safe and effective for people to take in their own homes, and can be sent through the mail. But extremist Republican lawmakers have sought to block access to medication abortion and GOP-led states have imposed restrictions that contradict scientific evidence and take away women’s reproductive freedom. Republican efforts are undermining the ability of women to access proven, safe, and effective reproductive health care. “Right now, extremist Republicans are attacking and undermining access to a safe and effective medication because they believe that the government – not women, not their health care providers – should control the health care women receive,” said Senator Smith. “We need to fight back against Republicans’ efforts to chip away at women’s reproductive freedoms. Our bill, which would safeguard access to medication abortion, is a critical step to protect what remaining access exists to reproductive health care.” “The use of medication abortion has been
U.S Senator Tina Smith Introduces Bipartisan Bill to Reduce Emissions from Fossil Fuels
Senators’ Bill Would Modernize Tax Credit to Better Support Carbon Capture and Storage for Coal Power Plants WASHINGTON, D.C. [02/11/19]—U.S. Senator Tina Smith (D-Minn.) recently led a bipartisan effort with Sen. John Hoeven (R-N.D.) to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from fossil fuel producers by creating additional incentives for utilities to install carbon capture and storage technology. The Carbon Capture Modernization Act updates the tax credit system for coal producers and incentivizes the usage of modern technology to return harmful greenhouse gas emissions in the ground, rather than releasing them into atmosphere. Sen. Smith introduced similar legislation last year with former Senator Heidi Heitkamp of North Dakota. “Climate change will continue to threaten our
U.S Senator Tina Smith Addresses the 2019 National Congress of American Indians Tribal Nations Policy Summit
Senator Tells National Congress of American Indians She’ll Press Legislation to Provide Budget Certainty for Critical Programs, Address Violence Against Tribal Communities WASHINGTON, D.C. [02/12/19]—Today, U.S. Senator Tina Smith (D-Minn.) addressed Native American leaders from around the country during the National Congress of American Indians (NCAI) Tribal Nations Policy Summit in Washington, D.C. Sen. Smith, a member of the Senate Indian Affairs Committee, said she will continue efforts to ensure budget certainty for critical tribal programs and address violence—particularly sexual violence—against Native communities. “Let me be clear: the federal government abdicates its trust responsibility when lapses in federal funding force tribes to fill in the gaps
U.S. Senator Tina Smith In Floor Speech: “Contractors Have Been Left Out in The Cold, With No Back Pay”
**VIDEO RELEASE** WASHINGTON, D.C. [02/14/19]–Today, U.S. Sen. Tina Smith (D-Minn.) expressed disappointment that her bipartisan legislation is not included in the budget agreement to avoid another shutdown, but said she will keep fighting for these workers. In the speech, Sen. Smith reiterated her willingness to work with the White House and fellow congressional leaders so that steps can be taken to improve the bill and ultimately be passed into law. You can download video of Sen. Smith’s speech here[TK]. “During the longest federal government shutdown in history, thousands of Americans who serve as contractors to the federal government lost over
U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith’s Joint Statement on Need to Fix Boundary Waters Reservation System
After Pressing Forest Service on Online Permitting Failure, Senators Say Delayed Relaunch of Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness Reservations is Unacceptable WASHINGTON, D.C. [02/22/2019]—Today, Minnesota’s U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith released the following statement after the United States Forest Service announced yesterday that the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCAW) online reservation system launch will be delayed an additional week. Sens. Klobuchar and Smith—who last month called on the U.S. Forest Service to address technical difficulties with the new online reservation system for distributing BWCAW permits—called the delayed relaunch “unacceptable,” and said they will continue to press the Trump Administration
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