Latest Releases
U.S. Senator Tina Smith Joins Bipartisan Letter Pressing the U.S. Department of Agriculture to Urgently Address Tribal Food Delivery Delays Nationwide
MINNEAPOLIS, MN – U.S. Senator Tina Smith (D-MN) joined a bipartisan group of senators pushing the USDA to fix problems with Tribal federal food aid programs, which have caused widespread disruptions in food distribution to more than 100 Tribal organizations and some 50,000 people who rely on the program nationwide. The Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations (FDPIR) provides food to income-eligible households living on reservations, and to American Indian households residing in approved areas near reservations or in Oklahoma. Trust relationships between the federal government and Tribal Nations require the federal government to provide food security to Tribal members. Since April, Tribal FDPIR programs have experienced delayed or missing food deliveries, partial deliveries, and deliveries of expired products. Many families who receive FDPIR are now receiving less food or no food at all. The letter — signed by Senators Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Markwayne Mullin (R-OK), Tina Smith (D-MN), John Hoeven (R-ND), Martin Heinrich (D-NM), Kevin Cramer (R-ND), and Ron Wyden (D-OR) — pushed USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack to swiftly and fully address the unfolding crisis. “In March 2024, USDA consolidated the food delivery contractors to one sole-source contractor, Paris Brothers, Inc. in Kansas City, MO. Since that change went into effect on April 1, 2024, participating Indian Tribal Organizations (ITOs) began to experience ‘[s]poradic deliveries, or incorrect orders and compromised best if used by dates.’ Participating households have not had consistent food deliveries for over four months. This is unacceptable,” the senators wrote. “We appreciate that USDA is hosting weekly calls with impacted
U.S. Senator Tina Smith Celebrates U.S. Trade Mission to Colombia
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Tina Smith (D-MN) celebrated Lamex Food, Inc.’s participation in a trade mission to Bogota, Colombia, led by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) to expand foreign market access for American agricultural products. The Bloomington, MN based food group is one of 23 businesses and organizations who joined the trip from August 13-15 with USDA Under Secretary Alexis M. Taylor to discuss policy and business partnerships that will boost American agricultural exports to Colombia. “Agricultural exports support farming in Minnesota and provide economic benefits to the state,” said Sen. Smith.“This trade mission is a great opportunity to expand market access for American goods in Colombia, and for Lamex Food to create new business partnerships overseas.” Senator Smith, a member of the Senate Agriculture Committee, has been a strong advocate for expanding agricultural market access globally. Earlier this year, she supported a USDA trade mission to India focused on Indigenous food products. ###
U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar, Tina Smith Announce $60 Million Federal Infrastructure Grant to Improve Highways Surrounding Airport
WASHINGTON—U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Tina Smith (D-MN) announced a $60 million federal grant to the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) to improve a stretch of the I-494 freeway that goes through Bloomington, Richfield, Edina, and Eden Prairie. This funding is from the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT). The I-494: Airport to Highway 169 Project will alleviate traffic congestion and improve highway safety. It will also preserve bridges, restore pavement, and reduce run-off into the Minnesota River. Key improvements include the creation of MnPASS Express Lanes and a new interchange with a ramp at the I-35W and I-494 intersection.
U.S. Senator Tina Smith Leads Subcommittee Hearing on Renewable Energy Growth and Opportunities in Rural America
WASHINGTON, D.C. [6/22/21]—Today U.S. Senator Tina Smith (D-Minn.) led her first hearing as Chair of the Senate Rural Development and Energy Subcommittee, where energy leaders discussed opportunities for jobs and economic development in rural America that expanding the nation’s use of renewable energy will bring. Sen. Smith was joined by energy leaders from across the country, including three Minnesotans: Mr. Shannon Schlecht, Executive Director of Agricultural Utilization Research Institute in Crookston; the Honorable Katie Sieben, Chairwoman of Minnesota Public Utilities Commission in St. Paul; and St. Paul native Ms. Emily Skor, Chief Executive Officer of Growth Energy. Sen. Smith said that today’s testimony will help inform her as infrastructure talks continue. It is important to her that rural voices are
U.S. Senators Tina Smith, Mike Rounds Introduce Bipartisan Native American Rural Homeownership Improvement Act
WASHINGTON, D.C. [6/24/21]—U.S. Senators Tina Smith (D-Minn.) and Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) are pressing bipartisan legislation to help Native families living in rural areas achieve homeownership. Right now, the homeownership rate for Native American households is around 54 percent, while the rate for white households is 72 percent. A study from the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis’ Center for Indian Country Development also found that Native households often face higher mortgage costs when seeking to buy a home, especially when those loans are made on reservation lands. Sens. Smith and Rounds want to leverage the deep community ties of Native Community
U.S. Sen. Tina Smith, U.S. Rep. Abigail Spanberger Push to Improve Popular & Effective Rural Energy for America Program
WASHINGTON, D.C. [6/24/21]—Today, U.S. Senator Tina Smith (D-Minn.) and U.S. Representative Abigail Spanberger (D-VA 7)—along with U.S. Senator Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.) and Representative David G. Valadao (R-CA 21)—introduced legislation in both the Senate and House aimed at improving the Rural Energy for America Program (REAP), which provides financial assistance to agricultural producers and rural business owners to install renewable energy systems and adopt energy efficiency measures. Sen. Smith and Rep. Spanberger, who each chair a subcommittee that oversees rural energy efficiency, said that in the last six years, REAP has leveraged over $300 million in public investment to stimulate more than ten
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