Latest Releases
U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar, Tina Smith Announce Expansion of Terminal 2 at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith (both D-Minn.) announced federal funding for the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport to expand Terminal 2. The project will add two new gates to the terminal’s north side, Gates H15 and H16. The funding comes from President Biden’s bipartisan infrastructure legislation, which Senators Klobuchar and Smith helped pass. “Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport is among the busiest airports in the country and supports tens of thousands of jobs,” said Senator Klobuchar. “This funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law will enable the airport to continue serving the Twin Cities area, improve the travel experience for passengers, and maintain its position as a top-ranking airport.” “MSP is a critical transportation hub and economic driver for communities across Minnesota,” said Senator Smith. “This investment will make sure MSP remains one of the best airports in the world and has the capacity to meet demand.” The $20,000,000 grant was awarded through the Federal Aviation Administration’s Airport Terminals Program, which received a $5 billion boost through the President’s infrastructure legislation. The program funds safe, sustainable and accessible airport terminals, on-airport rail access projects and airport-owned traffic control towers. Several investments have been made in Minnesota’s largest airport since President Biden signed the infrastructure legislation that Klobuchar and Smith helped pass, including five new boarding bridges, new electrical substations for baggage claim, the north security checkpoint, and airport police, as well as new walkways, ramps, and slopes to support passengers with disabilities. The law has also funded a portion of a project to rehabilitate and
U.S. Senators Tina Smith, Amy Klobuchar Announce STEM Education Funding for Minnesota Tribal Colleges and Universities
WASHINGTON [2/14/2024] – Today, U.S. Senators Tina Smith, a member of the Senate Indian Affairs and Education Committees, and Amy Klobuchar (both D-Minn.) announced funding for White Earth Tribal and Community College and Red Lake Nation College to expand their science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) programs. The funding comes from the National Science Foundation and is part of a larger project to promote education and careers in STEM for Indigenous students. “STEM education has never been more important as the demand for STEM-trained employees has soared,” said Senator Smith. “This funding will provide accessible pathways for Native students to pursue higher education and serve their communities – all while integrating Tribal cultural heritage and roots into their curriculum.” “Expanding higher education offerings can be a real game changer for students,” said Senator Klobuchar. “These National Science Foundation awards will open doors for White Earth Tribal and Community College and Red Lake Nation College students to learn essential skills for in-demand careers while ensuring Ojibwe language and culture remain key components of their education.” White Earth Tribal and Community College was awarded $2,500,000 to begin offering an associate’s degree in natural sciences, with coursework including biology, chemistry and physics. Having this coursework available to White Earth students will help graduates access good jobs and further education in high-demand fields such as health sciences. Red Lake Nation College will use their $2,500,000 in funding to expand curriculum in social and behavioral sciences, with coursework rooted in the Ojibwe language and culture. Given the high demand in Tribal areas for workers in social services, this program will strengthen the talent pipeline for graduates to fill that need. Senator Smith has long been a lead advocate for Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCUs). In addition to
U.S. Senator Tina Smith, U.S. Representative Lauren Underwood Introduce Bill to Bolster Vaccination Efforts and Keep Families Healthy
WASHINGTON, D.C. [2/11/21]—U.S. Senator Tina Smith (D-Minn.) and U.S. Representative Lauren Underwood (D-IL 14) recently introduced their Community Immunity During COVID-19 Act, which would support local efforts to boost routine vaccinations, and ensure that immunization providers and local organizations can lead community-specific initiatives to reach all community members, particularly underserved populations during the COVID-19 pandemic. “As the COVID-19 pandemic continues, we can’t afford to fall behind on routine vaccinations and risk losing progress in preventing once-common diseases, like measles,” said Senator Smith. “This is especially important for children, who are recommended to get pediatric vaccinations at certain stages in their development. In my home state
U.S. Senator Tina Smith Lauds White House for Heeding Her Push for COVID-19 Health Equity Task Force
WASHINGTON, D.C. [2/11/21]—Today, U.S. Senator Tina Smith (D-Minn.) said the Biden-Harris Administration’s recent announcement of the COVID-19 Health Equity Task Force is welcome news, since she helped introduce legislation last Congress—the COVID-19 Racial and Ethnic Disparities Task Force Act of 2020—to do just that. Sen. Smith is also pleased to see that Mary Turner of Plymouth, Minn., the current President of the Minnesota Nurses Association, has been named to the task force. “We know that COVID-19 has not been the great equalizer—it has laid bare the inequities in our country, and it has hit hardest our elders, frontline workers, and
U.S. Senator Tina Smith to Nation’s Rural Health Care Leaders: COVID-19 Has Hit Rural America Hard
WASHINGTON, D.C. [02/10/21]—Today, U.S. Senator Tina Smith (D-Minn.), a member of the Senate Health Committee, told rural health leaders from across the country that the COVID-19 pandemic has created a devastating crisis in rural health care delivery, and has exacerbated the already-steep challenges that have plagued rural providers in Minnesota and across the country for years. Sen. Smith, in her virtual remarks to the Rural Health Policy Institute on Wednesday, said the pandemic has increased costs and decreased revenues for rural health providers, who also have struggled to get the ventilators and protective equipment needed to treat an influx of
U.S. Senator Tina Smith Teams up with Senate Colleagues to Introduce Justice for Black Farmers Act
WASHINGTON, D.C. [2/10/21]—This week, Senate Agriculture Committee member U.S. Senator Tina Smith (D-Minn.)—along with Sens. Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Reverend Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.), and Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.)—introduced landmark legislation aimed at addressing and correcting historic discrimination within the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) in federal farm assistance and lending that has caused Black farmers to lose millions of acres of farmland, and has robbed these farmers and their families of the hundreds of billions of dollars of inter-generational wealth that land represented. Just over 100 years ago, there were nearly 1 million Black farmers
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