Latest Releases
U.S. Senator Tina Smith Hosts Flag Ceremony with Minnesota Tribal Nations
WASHINGTON, D.C. – On Monday, U.S. Senator Tina Smith (D-MN) hosted a Flag Ceremony with Tribal leaders from Tribal Nations across Minnesota in Washington, D.C. A Flag Ceremony is a formal event to honor the flags of Tribal Nations and the Tribes’ sovereignty, identity, and history. The Mille Lacs Singers sang the Flag Song to commemorate the occasion. Senator Smith will display the flags of the 11 Tribal Nations in Minnesota at her offices in Washington, D.C. and St. Paul in recognition of the government-to-government relationships with the Tribal Nations. This is the first time that a member of the Minnesota Congressional delegation has flown all 11 flags at once. “It is our duty to honor our trust and treaty obligations to Tribal Nations and protect their inherent sovereignty,” said Senator Smith. “This Flag Ceremony demonstrates my commitment to working with Tribal Nations to ensure their self-governance and self-determination, and I am deeply honored that Tribal leaders in Minnesota trust me to be a representative for them in the federal government. I will proudly display all 11 flags in my offices.” “It was an honor to stand with our Mille Lacs Band singers as we lifted our voices to recognize Senator Tina Smith. Her respect for our Band’s flag—and the flags of the ten other sovereign Tribal Nations in Minnesota—speaks to her deep understanding of what sovereignty means to our people,” said Chief Executive Virgil Wind of the Mille Lacs Band. “Like all of us who are called to serve, she has made a commitment to uphold
U.S. Senator Tina Smith’s Statement on Idling of HibTac and Minorca Mines
Minnesota – U.S. Senator Tina Smith (D-MN) released the following statement regarding the idling of the HibTac and Minorca mines resulting in the layoffs of hundreds of employees: “The indefinite layoffs of approximately 530 Minnesota United Steelworkers who power the HibTac and Minorca mines, announced by Cleveland Cliffs today, is a punch in the gut to Minnesota and the Iron Range. These men and women produce over 75% of the iron ore used to make steel in this country, and they and their families are the lifeblood of the Range economy. For every steel mining job, 1.8 jobs are created in other sectors so these layoffs will affect everyone. “These mines produce the iron pellets used in American auto manufacturing, an industry that has been roiled by Donald Trump’s erratic and damaging trade wars and declining consumer confidence. I strongly support tariffs that are targeted to create a level playing field for American steel, but the across-the-board Trump tariffs are creating massive uncertainty, hurting US manufacturing, and hurting the U.S. economy. Today we can see how this will hurt Northern Minnesota and the Iron Rangers. “I spoke with United Steelworker leadership today and pledged to do everything in my power to support the Steelworkers, who will lose their wages and see dramatically higher health care costs as a result of these layoffs.”
Senators Klobuchar, Smith Announce Significant Investment in Grand Rapids Transit Project
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith (both D-MN) announced over $9.3 million in federal funding to support a free, on-demand transit service in Grand Rapids, Minnesota. The investment will be used to expand the current goMARTI (Minnesota’s Autonomous Regional Transit Initiative) vehicle fleet with electric vehicles and automated driving systems (ADS). The expanded fleet of vehicles will be wheelchair accessible and will expand service to communities that lack access to reliable, convenient transportation. “Investments in our transportation systems are a down-payment on the long-term economic success of our state and ensure Minnesotans can safely and reliably get
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
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
Senator Smith, Colleagues Introduce Bill to Address Teacher Shortages in Low-Income Areas and Communities of Color
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Tina Smith (D-MN), Dick Durbin (D-IL), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) and U.S. Representatives Brad Schneider (D-IL-10) and Haley Stevens (D-MI-11), introduced a bicameral bill that would address severe nationwide shortages of early childhood and K-12 teachers that disproportionately impact students from low-income backgrounds and students of color. Exacerbated by low pay, school leadership instability, and poor teaching conditions, schools in low-income communities struggle to retain experienced, qualified education professionals. On average, teachers are paid 23.5 percent less than other college graduates working in nonteaching fields, and teachers in low-income schools are more underpaid than teachers in more
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