Latest Releases
U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar, Tina Smith Announce New Medicare-funded Residency Slots for Minnesota, Addressing Physician Workforce Shortage
MINNEAPOLIS, MN – Today, U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith (both D-MN) announced additional medical residency slots in five Minnesota teaching hospitals. The slots were created in the 2022 budget law supported by both Senators. The law authorized funding 1,000 new residency slots across the country over a five-year period to combat the nation’s physician shortage by training new providers. 69 of Minnesota’s 87 counties are health professional shortage areas, and nearly 30% of Minnesota physicians are within retirement range. 200 additional slots are awarded funding every year, and these five Minnesota hospitals were selected for the most recent round: “Hospitals across Minnesota face a shortage of physicians, which is why I worked to secure this federal funding to invest in our state’s healthcare workforce. This funding means we can develop talent right here in Minnesota to better meet the needs of patients and to strengthen our healthcare system,” said Senator Klobuchar. “We need to train more physicians, simple as that. This is a good start. I’m glad we were able to secure funding for additional residencies at five hospitals in Minnesota this year,” said Senator Smith. “We pride ourselves on providing world class health care in our state, but that’s only possible thanks to the incredible physicians and physicians-in-training who work here. We need to support them, and part of that means making sure we are training enough doctors to handle patient demand without burning out our physicians. This funding gets us one step closer to making that a reality.” “This new funding
U.S. Senator Tina Smith Helps Introduce Legislation to Clean Up Toxins Within Schools
MINNEAPOLIS, MN – U.S. Senator Tina Smith (D-MN), a member of the Senate Health and Education Committee, introduced the Get Toxic Substances Out of Schools Act to remove toxic substances from school buildings across the country. The legislation, unveiled on World Children’s Day, comes on the heels of a report from the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) that found less than half of public schools in the state were tested for radon between 2018 and 2022. Radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer and occurs more frequently in Minnesota due to the state’s geology. The bill was led by Senator Ed Markey (D-MA) in the Senate and Congresswoman Jennifer McClellan (D-VA-04) in the House of Representatives. “Schools are places for our kids to learn and grow. Minnesota parents shouldn’t have to worry about whether the classrooms and schools they send their kids to are free from harmful pollution with negative health effects like radon,” said Senator Smith, a member of the Senate Health and Education Committee. “The report by the Minnesota Department of Health on radon in schools is concerning and shows that we need to do more to make sure our kids stay healthy when they’re at school, and this bill would help with that work.” “Safe and healthy learning environments are an essential component of student success,” said Minnesota Department of Education Commissioner Willie Jett. “Just as having great teachers can inspire a student to be engaged in learning and prepared for career or college, having clean air to breathe sets them
Klobuchar, Smith Urge Farmers to Sign Up for the Conservation Reserve Program
WASHINGTON, D.C. [01/28/22]—U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith (Both D-Minn.), members of the Senate Agriculture Committee, are reminding Minnesota agricultural producers and landowners to enroll in the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Conservation Reserve Program (CRP). Applications will be accepted from January 31 to March 11 for the General CRP and from April 4 to May 13 for the Grassland CRP. “The Conservation Reserve Program protects critical natural resources and provides economic benefits for our rural communities,” Klobuchar said. “I have worked to increase the number of acres in CRP so farmers and landowners can continue to access the
U.S. Senator Tina Smith Joins 190+ Congressional Democrats in Brief to The Supreme Court Defending EPA’s Clean Air Act Authority
WASHINGTON, DC [1.25.22] — Today, Senator Tina Smith (D-Minn.), along with more than 190 congressional Democrats, submitted an amicus brief to the Supreme Court in the case of West Virginia v. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The brief supports EPA’s authority under the Clean Air Act to protect the public from harmful pollution, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and address the climate crisis. It also rejects spurious arguments made by congressional Republicans in their own amicus brief, in which they wrongly challenge the EPA’s authority to address climate pollution. “For more than fifty years, the Clean Air Act has reduced pollution and
Senators Smith, Luján, and Clean Energy Advocates Discuss The Future Of Federal Investments In Clean Energy
Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Tina Smith (D-Minn.) and Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.) joined Clean Energy for America and The Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) to discuss how Congress will continue to move forward on historic federal investments in clean energy. During the conversation, Senator Smith underscored her support for clean energy and emphasized that Congress must urgently pass legislation that protects our environment, reduces emissions, and generates economic opportunity in the process. “Addressing climate change is a moral, economic, and a justice issue,” said Senator Smith. “Transitioning to clean energy and taking climate action will create more opportunity, more innovation,
Klobuchar, Smith, Colleagues Call for Temporary Protected Status Designations for El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Tina Smith (D-MN) joined 30 of their Senate colleagues in requesting that the Biden administration grant Temporary Protected Status (TPS) re-designations for El Salvador, Honduras, and Nicaragua, in addition to a new TPS designation for Guatemala. TPS is a temporary, renewable program that provides relief from deportation and access to a work permit for foreign nationals from certain countries who are unable to return safely to their home country due to natural disasters, armed conflicts, or other extraordinary conditions. There are approximately 7,200 foreign-born Salvadorians and 6,700 foreign-born Guatemalans living in Minnesota.
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