Latest Releases
U.S. Senator Tina Smith Announces Small Business Funding for Tribal Nations
WASHINGTON, DC – Today, U.S. Senator Tina Smith (D-MN) announced Red Lake Nation and Lower Sioux Indian Community were selected to receive federal funding to support small business development in their communities. The Tribes will use the funding to help small businesses access credit, which can be difficult in Indian Country. Tribal communities are systemically under-banked, making it nearly impossible for small businesses to obtain the financing they need to grow. Tribal governments can remove these barriers by working directly with businesses in their communities. The funding was awarded through the Small Business Credit Initiative, which was reauthorized and expanded by the American Rescue Plan, which Senator Smith supported. “Access to capital is essential to the economic health and growth of Tribal communities in Minnesota and across Indian Country,” said Senator Smith. “Native-owned small businesses face disproportionate obstacles when trying to secure capital to develop and grow their businesses, especially in rural areas like Red Lake and Lower Sioux. Tribes know best what works for their communities, and this funding will help Tribal economies to grow and thrive.” “The SSBCI allocation is an important steppingstone for meaningful economic development on the Red Lake Nation. Breaking down barriers surrounding capital access for Tribal and member owned businesses to equitably participate in opportunities that have historically been unavailable in Indian Country is a transformative change. An investment like SSBCI will help the Red Lake Nation achieve a vision of economic independence as well as continue to fuel the growth of our Tribal economy that also benefits rural communities across Minnesota. This change would not be possible without the advocacy
U.S. Senators Tina Smith, Amy Klobuchar, Minnesota Department of Education, Minnesota Department of Human Services Announce Expansion of School-Based Health Services
MINNEAPOLIS, MN – Today, U.S. Senators Tina Smith and Amy Klobuchar (both D-MN), the Minnesota Department of Education (MDE), and the Minnesota Department of Human Services (DHS) announced that the state has been selected to receive funding to improve school-based health services. Medicaid and CHIP cover over 41 million children, and this program presents an opportunity to provide health care for kids where they spend a significant amount of time: at school. Some care is easiest to provide at school, such as preventive medicine, mental health care, physical and occupational therapy, and disease management. Providing care at school can help ease transportation for parents, reduce stigma and missed school-time. The funding was made available by the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, legislation aimed at curbing gun violence and mental illness in schools, which both Senators supported in Congress. “Providing health care to students at school — where they spend a significant portion of their time — helps them thrive,” said Senator Smith. “We need to expand school-based health services to help meet students where they’re at and better support young people’s mental and physical health, and that’s exactly what this initiative will help do. It removes many barriers to access, such as trying to figure out how to leave school in the middle of the day, and promotes health equity.” “Schools provide vital mental and behavioral health care on-site to many Minnesota students,”said Senator Klobuchar. “This grant will allow schools to do even more to provide students with the convenient and accessible support they need to do well in the classroom and live healthy lives.” “Schools are a critical place for reaching and supporting young people in Minnesota. With these resources, we will be able to do even more
U.S. Senators Tina Smith, Amy Klobuchar Press Biden Administration to End Canadian Land-Crossing Restrictions
WASHINGTON D.C. [09/29/21]—U.S. Senators Tina Smith and Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) are strongly urging Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas to end Canadian land-border restrictions that are devastating businesses and communities that depend on Canadian travelers. This month, the United States extended restrictions on nonessential land travel from Canada to the United States until October 21. The Senators, in a letter Tuesday to Secretary Blinken and Secretary Mayorkas, said that the restrictions are having a catastrophic economic impact on northern border communities. They are also creating confusion because despite the land-border restrictions, Canadians have been able to travel by air to the United States for months. Canada has allowed vaccinated Americans to enter over
U.S. Senator Tina Smith Becomes First Cosponsor of Bill to Expand the U.S. Supreme Court
WASHINGTON D.C. [09/28/21]—U.S. Senator Tina Smith (D-Minn.) announced that she joined Senator Ed Markey’s (D-Mass.) legislation to expand the U.S. Supreme Court from 9 justices to 13, becoming the first Senate cosponsor. After Republicans in the Senate and in the previous Administration stole two Supreme Court seats, Sen. Smith believes that balance must be restored to the Court. The Judiciary Act would add four seats to the Court and not without precedence: the number of justices who sit on the U.S. Supreme Court has changed several times. “Republicans have been working to politicize the U.S. Supreme Court for forty years, with the help of dark money and the Federalist Society. With Donald Trump’s help, they stole two
Klobuchar, Smith, Stauber Urge Secretary Buttigieg to Partner with USDA, Forest Service on Ely Airport Infrastructure Improvements to Help Combat Wildfires
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Tina Smith and Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) and Representative Pete Stauber (MN-08) are pushing U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) Secretary Pete Buttigieg to work with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) to ensure the Ely Airport has the necessary infrastructure to continue to combat the wildfires spreading across Minnesota’s Arrowhead region. “In the last month, roughly ten separate wildfires have spread throughout the Arrowhead region of the state…As two of the region’s critical highways were closed as a result of the fires, the Ely Municipal Airport in Northeast Minnesota has been critical
U.S. Senator Tina Smith Urges President Biden to Ramp Up Global Vaccine Production for Low- and Middle- Income Countries
WASHINGTON, D.C. [9/17/21]—U.S. Senator Tina Smith (D-Minn.) led a group of her colleagues in calling on President Joe Biden to expand the United States’ global vaccine production and delivery for low- and middle- income countries. Ahead of the upcoming international summit on global COVID-19 vaccine access, Sen. Smith urged the Biden Administration to make firm commitments to expand global COVID-19 vaccine access. Sen. Smith said that without U.S. leadership in this area, we will not be able to vaccinate the global population and end the COVID-19 pandemic. “According to experts, 11 billion COVID-19 vaccine doses are needed to vaccinate 70% of the global population and
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