Latest Releases
U.S. Senator Tina Smith Leads Fight Against Trump Administration’s Cuts to Housing for Formerly Homeless Minnesotans
MINNEAPOLIS, MN — U.S. Senator Tina Smith (D-MN) led 41 of her colleagues in calling on the Trump Administration to immediately halt plans to cut housing funding for people who were previously homeless. 3,600 Minnesotans could lose their housing and be forced back into homelessness under the Trump Administration’s proposed changes to the Continuum of Care program. Minnesota received approximately $48 million in funding last year. Most of those funds are used to provide affordable housing with intensive, supportive services to people experiencing homelessness. The Senators requested that the Administration use existing authorities to renew grants and change course to prevent massive disruption to homelessness programs. A similar letter was led by House Republicans. “There are a lot of things we can do to combat homelessness in Minnesota. Taking housing and services away from people who have escaped homelessness is not a solution and kicking people out on the streets before winter is just cruel,” says Senator Smith. “More than 3,600 of our neighbors could lose their housing and services if the Trump Administration’s plans go through. It will pull the rug out from underneath every one of these Minnesotans when they have found some stability to try to get sober, take care of themselves, find work and turn their lives around. The Administration needs to reverse course immediately.” “In 2024, the federal government awarded funding that preserves housing and services for more than 3,661 Minnesotans. Losing those dollars would jeopardize proven solutions and put our neighbors at risk,” says Anne Mavity, Executive
U.S. Senator Tina Smith’s Statement on Tonight’s Vote on the Federal Government Shutdown
WASHINGTON – Tonight, U.S. Senator Tina Smith (D-MN) released the following statement after voting against a continuing resolution to fund the federal government: “I will not support this bill that completely fails to help Americans afford their health care. Trump and Republicans more than doubled Americans’ health care premiums, and for 40 days they have refused to lift a finger to do a thing about it. In fact, they’ve made it worse by taking food away from kids. Allowing this to pass is a mistake.”
In Big Win for Minnesotans in Lake, St. Louis and Cook Counties, U.S. Senator Tina Smith’s Bill to Support Counties Passes Senate
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Tina Smith (D-Minn.) released the following statement after her bill to provide critical federal funding for hosting federal wilderness lands passed the Senate: “Thye-Blatnik payments have been a vital source of revenue for Cook, St. Louis and Lake Counties in northeastern Minnesota since 1948. But in 2018, a suspect and likely wrong reappraisal led to massive potential cuts in county revenue, which would have devastating impacts for communities in Northern Minnesota,” said Sen. Smith. “Today, after years of work with the Trump and Biden Administrations to reappraise and correctly uphold the value of this one-of-a-kind wilderness, I am pleased that
U.S. Senator Tina Smith Celebrates Rural Broadband Announcements in Minnesota
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Tina Smith (D-MN) announced three grants from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) to provide high-speed, reliable internet to residents in rural Minnesota. Over 5,000 people will benefit from these awards. Recipients include 139 different businesses and 368 farms across the state. “Internet access is not just a luxury in the 21st century, it’s a necessity,” said Senator Smith. “In Minnesota and across the country, people in rural areas, small towns, and Tribal communities need access to reliable, high-speed internet. Investing in broadband infrastructure with the ReConnect Grant Program will help connect communities in every part of the country
U.S. Senators Tina Smith, Amy Klobuchar Announce Funding for Minnesota Rural Emergency Medical Services
MINNEAPOLIS, MN – As access to emergency medical services (EMS) continues to be a top issue for leaders in Minnesota, U.S. Senators Tina Smith and Amy Klobuchar (both D-MN) announced federal funding to bolster rural EMS services in the Southwest Metro region and the Arrowhead counties of Aitkin, Carlton, Cook, Itasca, Koochiching, Lake and St. Louis in Northeastern Minnesota. The funding was made available through the SIREN Act, which both Senators supported and was signed into law in October of this year. The Arrowhead EMS Association will receive $5,000,000 to pilot real-time tele-EMS technologies to connect area responders to emergency personnel in areas with
Klobuchar, Lummis, Smith, Mullin Bipartisan Legislation to Designate the Bald Eagle as the National Bird Passes Congress, Heads to the President’s Desk
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Cynthia Lummis (R-WY), Tina Smith (D-MN) and Markwayne Mullin (R-OK) announced their bipartisan legislation to designate the bald eagle as the National Bird of the United States has passed the House of Representatives and the Senate. It will now head to the President’s desk to be signed into law. “The bald eagle is a symbol of our country’s freedom and strength. In Minnesota, we know a thing or two about eagles: we are home to one of the largest populations of bald eagles in the country as well as the National Eagle Center
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