Latest Releases
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 Amendment, as affirmed by the Supreme Court. “The Trump Administration is creating totally unnecessary chaos for the office that is supposed to protect Lake Superior. It has been months since I started asking them questions which they refuse to answer, and they continue to threaten the livelihoods and critical work of the dedicated public servants in the Duluth lab,” said Senator Smith. “These are real people and communities who continue to wonder if their jobs are truly safe. It’s just not the right way to do business or treat people.” Senator Tina Smith was joined in sending this letter by Senators Chris Van Hollen (D-Md), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Angela Alsobrooks (D-Md.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), Ed Markey (D-Mass.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Peter Welch (D-Vt.), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.).
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 in over a decade, this committee is taking bipartisan action to cut red tape, boost the supply of housing, lower housing costs, and improve how we tackle homelessness in ways that best work for individual communities,” said Senator Smith. “The biggest share of the average Minnesotan’s monthly budget is their rent or their mortgage. Taking action on the housing crisis is one of the best ways we can make life more affordable and better for families, because if you don’t have a safe, decent, affordable place to live, nothing else in your life works.” Smith’s legislation included: “We all need a safe, stable place to call home. The ROAD to Housing Act of 2025 brings together real, workable solutions that will help more families put down roots and thrive. From making it easier to build high-quality homes using modern methods like modular construction, to expanding access to small-dollar mortgages and
U.S. Senator Tina Smith Supports Proposed Sustainable Aviation Fuel Facility Near Moorhead, MN
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Earlier this month, U.S. Senator Tina Smith wrote a letter to Department of Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm pushing for the construction of a proposed $5 billion sustainable aviation fuel production facility in Moorhead, Minnesota, by DG Fuels. The new facility would create 650 jobs and contribute more than $205 million per year to the growing economy of the Moorhead area. It would produce nearly 200 million gallons of near-zero carbon aviation fuel annually, and production at the facility would begin in 2030. “The clean energy transition is here, and I want Minnesota to lead it,” said Senator Smith. “The construction of this sustainable aviation fuel facility will not only boost Moorhead’s regional economy and create jobs, but it will establish Minnesota as a global hub
U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar, Tina Smith, Representative Pete Stauber Announce Grant to Provide High-Speed Internet in Pine County
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith (both D-MN) and Representative Pete Stauber (R-MN08) announced a grant from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) to provide high-speed, reliable internet to 38 businesses and 147 farms in Pine County. Over 1,000 people in socially vulnerable communities will have direct access to the internet with modern fiber optics running right to their front door. “We should be able to bring high-speed internet to every family in Minnesota— regardless of their zip code,” said Klobuchar. “This funding builds on broadband upgrades going on across our state including Pine County. As co-chair
U.S. Senators Tina Smith, Amy Klobuchar Announce Clean Energy Projects for Minnesota Farms, Small Businesses in Rural Areas
[MINNEAPOLIS, MN] – U.S. Senators Tina Smith and Amy Klobuchar (both D-MN), members of the Senate Agriculture Committee, announced funding awards for 76 farms and small businesses across rural and Greater Minnesota to install clean energy technology. This round of funding for Minnesota totals $7,891,608. This year alone, Minnesota has seen over 250 clean energy projects in small towns and rural communities. The funding is specifically set aside for agricultural producers and rural small businesses to install renewable energy systems or to make energy efficiency improvements. The projects are possible thanks to the Renewable Energy for America (REAP) program, which Senator
U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar, Tina Smith Announce Funding Secured to Complete MSP Airport’s Concourse G Remodel
MINNEAPOLIS, MN – Today, U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith (both D-MN) announced that the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport received the final funding amount necessary to complete the airport’s improvements to Concourse G. This grant, made possible through the Biden-Harris Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, will expand the Terminal 1 building on Concourse G from Gates 8 –13 to include 5 new single use restrooms and 2 new multi-user restrooms, terminal passenger seating, and energy efficient spaces. “Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport is among the busiest airports in the country and supports tens of thousands of jobs in our state,” said Senator Klobuchar. “This
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