Latest Releases
U.S. Senators Tina Smith, Marsha Blackburn Introduce Bipartisan Bill to Prevent Veteran and Military Suicide by Victims of Military Sexual Trauma
Two million American servicemembers reported experiencing Military Sexual Trauma, increasing the risk of suicide WASHINGTON, D.C. – [6/29/2026] U.S. Senators Tina Smith (D-MN) and Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) introduced the Improving Personal Risk Assessments to Prevent Suicide Act, a bill to help better understand the relationship between servicemembers and veterans’ experiences of military sexual trauma (MST) and suicide risk. The bill would require the Department of Defense (DoD) and the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to publish a study on the links between MST, intimate partner violence and the risk of suicide. The bill would also require the Departments to incorporate those findings into clinical assessments for identifying and treating patients at risk of suicide – the first time military sexual trauma has been included in those official clinical tools. This will improve clinical risk assessment for patients and help the DoD, VA and clinicians recognize MST-related risk factors before someone attempts or dies by suicide. MST refers to the sexual assault or threatening sexual harassment servicemembers may experience during service. Many servicemembers choose not to report MST until after their service because they fear retaliation or threats from their superiors. Veterans are around 50% more likely to die by suicide than civilians, and the link between servicemembers who experienced MST and higher risk of suicide is well-established, making this bill essential to overall veteran suicide prevention efforts. “It is our solemn duty to provide the highest quality care for those who serve our country,” said Sen. Smith. “That includes making sure servicemembers who endured military sexual trauma have access to the best clinical care and suicide prevention tools available as they work to heal. I’m proud to introduce this bill to incorporate what we know about the relationship between experiencing military sexual trauma and the risk of suicide into clinical practice, improving the care that helps save lives.” “It is absolutely unacceptable that veterans are 50% more
U.S. Senator Tina Smith Reintroduces Bill to Help New, Beginning Farmers Grow a Successful Business
WASHINGTON, D.C. – [6/25/2026] U.S. Senator Tina Smith (D-MN) reintroduced the Farming Opportunities Training and Outreach Program Reauthorization Act, a bill that helps new farmers and producers successfully grow their budding operations. Beginning farmers are forced to literally bet the farm, and then some, to pay for record-high land, fertilizer, equipment and other input costs necessary for farming. This grant program offers those farmers access to the knowledge, skills and tools needed to make informed decisions for their operations today and in the future. “Farmers strengthen Minnesota’s economy and keep food on the table, simple as that,” said Sen. Tina Smith. “That’s why we need to support the next generation of independent farmers before the industry is eaten up by billion-dollar corporations, foreign companies and tech CEOs who see farming as another investment instead of a time-honored way of life. This program works to keep local farms locally owned and operated.” The ag industry will soon see major shifts in farm ownership with more than one-third of American farmers being 65 years old or older. A seamless transition to the next generation is vital for small towns and rural communities to thrive, and to keep the United States as a leader in producing high-quality food and ag products. This bill offers grants to organizations and non-profits that provide programs to support new farmers. One program is called Land Link, and it connects retiring farmers with new farmers, ensuring generational knowledge is passed down. The bill also supports business training, mentoring, apprenticeships, ag rehab programs for veterans, production practices, conservation planning, risk management, diversification and marketing strategies, food safety, recordkeeping, credit management and farm safety training. “We applaud Senator Smith’s reintroduction of the Farming Opportunities Training and Outreach Grant Program,” said Theresa Schneider,
U.S. Senator Tina Smith, Colleagues Push Administration to Reinstate Duluth EPA Lab Workers
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Tina Smith (D-MN), joined by 16 of her Senate colleagues, called on Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lee Zeldin to reinstate workers placed on administrative leave for expressing concern with the agency’s direction under the Trump Administration. Senator Smith is standing up for EPA employees in Duluth, Minnesota. These employees faced disciplinary action for signing a “Declaration of Dissent” about the agency’s leadership. In the letter to Administrator Zeldin, the Senators emphasize that public employees have the right to speak their views on issues that matter to them in their personal lives under the First
Minnesota Housing Organizations Celebrate Smith’s Bipartisan Rural Housing, Homelessness Bills Advancing in U.S. Senate
ST. PAUL, MN – Minnesota housing organizations from across the state are celebrating legislation by U.S. Senator Tina Smith (D-MN), top Democrat on the Senate Housing Subcommittee, advancing to the Senate floor. Smith’s bills were included in the first comprehensive, national housing reform legislative package in over a decade, dubbed the ROAD to Housing Act of 2025, which passed the Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee unanimously (24-0). “The lack of safe, decent, affordable housing in this country is a choice that we’re making, but with this new legislative package, we’re choosing a different path. For the first time
U.S. Senators Tina Smith, Todd Young Reintroduce Bipartisan Legislation to Help Farmers, Analyze Long-Term Soil Health
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Tina Smith (D-MN) and Todd Young (R-IN) reintroduced bipartisan legislation that will help bolster soil research and improve agricultural resilience and productivity in the Midwest and across the country. Experts estimate that American farmers could store up to 220 billion pounds of carbon annually across all US croplands. However, current technology cannot accurately measure soil carbon levels, impacting our ability to track soil health improvements, correlate those improvements with on-farm benefits, and reward farmers for their contributions to environmental health and resilience. “Farmers in Minnesota understand the importance of having reliably healthy, productive soil,” said
U.S. Senator Tina Smith’s Bipartisan Housing Legislation Unanimously Passes Key Senate Committee
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Tina Smith (D-MN), the top Democrat on the Senate Housing Subcommittee, announced that two of her major bipartisan bills aimed at combatting America’s housing crisis were included in a package that passed unanimously (24 – 0) out of the Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Development Committee. Smith’s bills were focused on rural housing and combatting homelessness. The package of bills that passed the committee earlier today, the Renewing Opportunity in the American Dream (ROAD) to Housing Act of 2025, represents the first comprehensive national legislation on housing since the 2008 financial crisis. “The lack of
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