Latest Releases
U.S. Senators Tina Smith, Elizabeth Warren, Patty Murray Introduce Bill to Protect Federal Funding for Birth Control, Reproductive Health Care Services
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Tina Smith (D-MN), Patty Murray (D-WA), and Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) introduced the Expanding Access to Family Planning Act, a bill that would safeguard funding for Title X – the country’s only federal program dedicated to providing family planning and preventive health services, including birth control, cancer screenings, testing for sexually transmitted infections (STIs), and reproductive health care – following attacks on the program by the Trump Administration last week. Title X clinics serve 4 million people annually, and in 2023 alone, more than 1.5 million visits to Planned Parenthood health centers were made possible by the program. The bill is co-led in the House of Representatives by Representative Sharice Davids (KS-03), Judy Chu (CA-28) and Dina Titus (NV-01). “We are at a time when Americans’ reproductive freedoms are under attack from extremist Republicans – which makes the Title X Family Planning Program more important than ever,” said Senator Smith. “Title X funding provides American women with access to critical reproductive health services. I invite my Republican colleagues who claim to champion family planning services to join us in supporting this commonsense legislation that will protect women’s access to life-saving services and birth control, pregnancy counseling, infertility services, and more.” “For more than 50 years, Title X funding has helped women across the U.S. get cancer screenings, contraception, pregnancy tests, STI treatment, and so many other services that are critical to helping women—especially women with the tightest budgets—stay healthy and plan their futures,” said Senator Murray. “I’m proud to co-lead the Expanding Access to
U.S. Senator Tina Smith Introduces Legislation to Protect the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness from Sulfide Mining
WASHINGTON, DC – Today, U.S. Senator Tina Smith (D-MN) introduced legislation that would protect the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCAW) from the threat posed by sulfide mining in the surrounding watershed. The Boundary Waters Wilderness Protection Act would permanently prohibit new sulfide ore mining on 225,504 acres of federal forest land in the Rainy River watershed, which drains into the BWCAW. “The Boundary Waters must be protected for today, and future generations. The impartial science and data show unequivocally that copper-nickel sulfide mining poses an unacceptable risk to the Boundary Waters. “Mining is an important driver of Minnesota’s economy and the pride of every Iron Ranger. I support mining, but not this mine in this precious place. Majorities of Minnesotans oppose mining in the watershed of the Boundary Waters. I am prepared to fight with every tool I have to protect one of America’s greatest wilderness areas,” said Senator Smith. “The Boundary Waters is a symbol of the very best of what America’s public lands have to offer — natural beauty, economic stability, recreation, expansive habitat, accessibility, clean air and water, and much more,” said Ingrid Lyons, Executive Director of Save the Boundary Waters. “Senator Smith has shown unwavering leadership and commitment to the interests of Minnesotans by introducing The Boundary Waters Wilderness Protection Act. This bill is the first in nearly half a century in the U.S. Senate that broadly protects the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. With this historic legislation, Senator Smith is standing on the shoulders of giants and following in the footsteps of
U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar, Tina Smith Announce Federal Funding to Identify, Replace Minnesota’s Lead Pipes
MINNEAPOLIS, MN – U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith (both D-Minn.) announced Minnesota will receive historic funding to identify and replace lead pipes across the state. According to the Minnesota Department of Health, drinking, breathing, eating or touching food, water and other materials that contain lead can damage the brain, kidneys, and nervous system. In children, lead can also slow development or cause learning, behavior, and hearing problems. Minnesota is receiving a total of $86,566,000 from Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which Klobuchar and Smith helped pass, to support the Biden Administration’s goal of replacing every lead pipe in America. “Lead
U.S. Senator Tina Smith Announces $1.2 Million in Federal Funding to Support Training, Employment Services to Young People; Increase Apprenticeships in High-Demand Careers in Beltrami and Cass Counties
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Tina Smith (D-Minn.) announced a significant investment in the Bi-County Community Action Programs Inc. (BI-CAP) in Bemidji to empower young workers and strengthen the workforce in the region. Totaling $1,242,000 from the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL), the grant will support training and employment services critical for preparing young people to secure well-paying jobs in high-demand industries. This is part of the Biden-Harris administration’s ongoing effort to expand access to apprenticeship opportunities and prepare young workers for quality jobs and strengthen the nation’s workforce to meet industry demands. The grant was provided by the DOL’s YouthBuild Program
U.S. Senators Tina Smith, Amy Klobuchar: New Report Confirms Postal Service Management Failures in Northern Minnesota
BEMIDJI, MN – Following a request from U.S. Senators Tina Smith and Amy Klobuchar (both D-Minn.), the United States Postal Service Inspector General launched an audit and released a comprehensive report on mail delivery issues in Northern Minnesota. The report’s findings underscored the need for serious changes at the Postal Service, including reforms included in the Senators’ bipartisan Postal Delivery Accountability Act. “When the mail is unreliable, it hurts Minnesotans, especially those who rely on the Postal Service to pay bills and receive paychecks and prescriptions. Yet when I ask the Postal Service for information on these disruptions, they insist everything is fine. This report confirmed what I’ve heard from Minnesotans
U.S. Senators Tina Smith, Ed Markey, Bob Casey Introduce Warehouse Worker Protection Act to Address Dangerous Warehouse Quota Systems
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Tina Smith (D-Minn.), Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) and Senator Bob Casey (D-Pa.), all members of the Senate Labor Committee, introduced the Warehouse Worker Protection Act, legislation that would protect warehouse workers by prohibiting dangerous work speed quotas that lead to high rates of worker injuries. The Senators introduced the legislation alongside workers and union leaders, including Teamsters Vice President Tom Erickson – the first Minnesota Teamster to take international office in over a decade – and Ladell Roberts, an organizer with Teamsters Local 120 in Blaine, MN. Large companies seek to maximize profits by using quota systems that push workers to their physical limits, resulting
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