Latest Releases
U.S. Senator Tina Smith’s Statement on President Trump’s Political Attack on Minnesota’s Energy Infrastructure
WASHINGTON, DC – Today, U.S. Senator Tina Smith (D-MN) released the following statement after the Trump Administration announced it was cancelling energy infrastructure awards only in states that either did not support him in the presidential election or whose Senators are pushing to negotiate a bipartisan deal to re-open the federal government amidst the current shutdown, including Minnesota. “This is beyond stupid. At a time when most Minnesotans are just trying to scrape together enough money to pay their bills and live their lives, these politically motivated attacks on our state are just going to make it that much harder for Minnesotans to pay their utility bills every month,” said Senator Smith. “It’s not a coincidence he only canceled grants in states that didn’t support his Presidential election bid, even though this is going to hurt every single Minnesotan whether they’re a Republican, a Democrat or an Independent. It’s not even thought out well, because a lot of this infrastructure is shared with states that did vote for him like South Dakota, North Dakota, Iowa and Nebraska, so they’re going to feel the brunt of this too. He thinks using Minnesotans as political pawns will somehow bully me into abandoning my work trying to get a bipartisan deal to get out of this government shutdown. That’s not happening, and we’ll see if these cuts survive legal scrutiny. Some of the Minnesota projects cancelled include:
Amid Government Shutdown, Sen. Smith, Rep. Pressley Introduce Bill to Provide Back Pay for Federal Contract Workers, Including Low-Wage Food Service and Custodial Staff
WASHINGTON, DC – Following the federal government shutdown, Senator Tina Smith (D-MN) and Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley (MA-07) introduced legislation to secure back pay for the thousands of federal contract workers who face furloughs and missed paychecks when the federal government is shutdown. Unlike federal employees, the thousands of federal contract workers—including janitorial, food, and security services workers—have no assurances that they will receive back pay to make up for their loss of hours and pay during a shutdown. The bill is co-led by Senators Tim Kaine (D-VA), Mark Warner (D-VA), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) and Angela Alsobrooks (D-MD). The Fair Pay for Federal Contractors Act would ensure federal contract workers, including low-wage service workers providing security, food and janitorial services, are fairly compensated for the wages and benefits lost due to a lapse in appropriations, also known as a government shutdown. It is estimated that more than 327,000 federal contractors make under $15/per hour. “This is about fairness—contract workers and their families should not miss a paycheck because of a government shutdown they did nothing to cause,” said Sen. Smith. “Many federal contractors work in jobs that are important for government operations, providing security, food service and janitorial work. These are often lower-wage jobs, with many workers living paycheck to paycheck. These workers can’t afford to go without, and they shouldn’t have to. In past shutdowns, contract workers haven’t received back pay at the end of a government shutdown like regular government employees. And it’s time we right that wrong.” “Government shutdowns are destabilizing events with devastating consequences
U.S. Senators Tina Smith, Amy Klobuchar Announce Clean Energy Support for Three Minnesota Tribes
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Tina Smith, a member of the Senate Indian Affairs Committee, and Amy Klobuchar (both D-Minn.) announced federal funding to connect Tribal homes to clean electricity, including homes previously not connected to electricity at all. Minnesota Tribes selected for funding include Prairie Island Indian Community, Red Lake Nation and Bois Forte Band of Chippewa. The grants are made possible by President Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act, which Senators Smith and Klobuchar both supported. “For generations, Native communities have been hurt by underinvestment and underfunding of basic infrastructure. Our transition to a clean energy economy can’t leave Indian Country behind,” said Senator Smith. “This funding gets us closer to ensuring every household in Minnesota,
U.S. Senators Tina Smith, Kevin Cramer, John Fetterman and Katie Britt Introduce Legislation to Strengthen Domestic Bus Manufacturing Market
WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senator Tina Smith (D-MN) led her colleagues Senators Kevin Cramer (R-ND), John Fetterman (D-PA) and Katie Britt (R-AL) in introducing bipartisan legislation to cut red tape and reform the domestic bus manufacturing industry by providing more flexibility for local transit systems when purchasing buses. Current U.S. standards impose outdated, 40-year-old payment practices on our bus manufacturers and purchasers, which result in unnecessarily high costs. Many domestic bus manufacturers have gone bankrupt or left the market, despite high demand for new vehicles. The Bus Rolling Stock Modernization Act would help fix this problem.The legislation allows bus manufacturers to apply for advanced payments up to 20%, enabling
Klobuchar, Smith Announce Federal Funding to Improve Osakis’s Water Treatment Plant and Water Tower
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Tina Smith (D-MN) announced a $497,000 U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development grant and a $651,000 loan to make improvements to the water treatment plant and water tower in Osakis. Specifically, the funding supports a project that will convert the iron filter to a biological ammonia-removal filter to allow chlorine to better clean the lines during water treatment which will help protect the distribution system. The project will also renovate Osakis’s water tower, which hasn’t been repaired since its construction in 1997. “The water treatment plant and water tower in Osakis
Klobuchar, Smith Announce Federal Funding to Improve Red Lake Falls’s Water and Waste Disposal Infrastructure
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Tina Smith (D-MN) announced a $906,000 U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development grant and an $8,310,000 loan to make improvements to the Red Lake Falls’s water, wastewater, and sewer infrastructure. Specifically, this project will construct a new water tower and pump station and install new water meters. “Red Lake Falls’s current water, wastewater, and sewer infrastructure no longer meets the needs of the city,” said Klobuchar. “Using this federal funding, Red Lake Falls can make the necessary improvements to enhance these critical public services.” “Minnesotans deserve to have safe, clean water,” said Smith. “The city
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