Latest Releases
Senators Klobuchar, Smith Lead Entire Minnesota Bipartisan Congressional Delegation in Urging Biden Administration to Approve Minnesota’s Request for Disaster Declaration
MINNEAPOLIS – U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Tina Smith (D-MN) and U.S. Representatives Brad Finstad (R-MN-01), Angie Craig (D-MN-02), Dean Phillips (D-MN-03), Betty McCollum (D-MN-04), Ilhan Omar (D-MN-05), Tom Emmer (R-MN-06), Michelle Fischbach (R-MN-07), and Pete Stauber (R-MN-08) urged the Biden Administration to approve Minnesota’s request for a Major Disaster Declaration to help communities that are working to recover from severe weather and flooding. Once this disaster declaration is approved, the federal government will be able to provide disaster assistance for various recovery and rebuilding efforts. “We write to you in strong support of the state of Minnesota’s request for a Major Disaster Declaration under the Stafford Act to assist communities that are working to recover from severe storms and flooding. These natural disasters have caused significant damage, and we ask that you quickly grant approval for federal disaster assistance,”said the lawmakers. The lawmakers continued, “Time and time again, Minnesotans have stepped up to support their neighbors after natural disasters. When flood waters rise and homes are damaged, volunteers and neighbors are quick to fill sandbags, clean up debris, and lend a hand to those in need. Impacted communities will repair the damage and rebuild following these disasters, but rapid federal assistance will speed up this recovery effort. We strongly support Minnesota’s request for a Major Disaster Declaration and ask that you grant its approval without delay.” Full text of the letter is available HERE and below: Dear Mr. President: We write to you in strong support of the state of Minnesota’s
Minnesota, North Dakota Delegations Respond to Inspector General’s Audit of Postal Service, Press Postmaster General for Better Service
WASHINGTON, DC – Today, U.S. Senators Tina Smith (D-MN), John Hoeven (R-ND), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Kevin Cramer (R-ND) led the entire Minnesota and North Dakota congressional delegations in sending a bipartisan letter pressing Postmaster General Louis DeJoy to improve postal services in the Minnesota-North Dakota District. The letter comes after the Postal Service’s Inspector General audited the District and found 130,858 missing or delayed pieces of mail at six post offices over the course of only two days. The lawmakers also requested regular updates from the Postal Service on their progress in implementing these recommendations. “It has long been clear that postal operations in the District are in trouble, and the investigation confirms this,” wrote lawmakers.“We need to ensure that the OIG’s recommendations are fully implemented and actually result in significantly improved mail delivery and services across our states.” Senators Smith and Klobuchar requested the audit of the Minnesota-North Dakota Postal District back in December, as did the entire Minnesota House delegation in January. Senator Hoeven, Senator Cramer, and Congressman Armstrong requested an audit in February. Senators Smith, Hoeven and Klobuchar introduced the bipartisan Postal Delivery Accountability Act, which would address USPS’ failure to accurately track when mail routes do not receive deliveries. The legislation was introduced in the House of Representatives by Congresswoman Angie Craig. You can find full text of the letter here or below. Mr. Louis DeJoyPostmaster GeneralUnited States Postal Service 475 L’Enfant Plaza Southwest Washington, DC 20260 Dear Postmaster General DeJoy, We write in response to the United States Postal Service (USPS) Office of the Inspector General (OIG) report titled “Minnesota-North Dakota District: Delivery Operations” (24-032-R24). This report contains important findings about postal operations and recommendations to
Klobuchar, Smith Announce Funding for Job Training and Services To Combat Opioid Crisis
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith announced that the U.S. Department of Labor awarded an opioid-crisis National Health Emergency Dislocated Worker grant to the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development for up to $1,368,421 to train at least 200 displaced workers. “The opioid epidemic is hurting communities across Minnesota—none have been immune from its devastating effects,” Klobuchar said. “This crucial funding will provide job training across the state and support those who are in recovery and preparing to rejoin the workforce.” “This grant will create economic opportunity for Minnesotans whose careers have been impacted by the opioid crisis,” Smith
U.S. Senator Tina Smith Encourages Minnesota Producers Affected by COVID-19 to Apply for USDA Assistance by December 11
WASHINGTON, D.C. [12/4/2020]— U.S. Senator Tina Smith (D-Minn.) is urging Minnesota producers who have been affected by the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and the resulting economic crisis to submit applications for assistance through the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program 2 (CFAP 2) by Dec. 11, 2020. This USDA program provides direct relief to producers for eligible commodities. Sen. Smith said that many commodities grown or raised by Minnesota producers are eligible. This includes corn, soybeans, wheat, sugar beets, wild rice, apples, dairy, turkey, beef, hogs and pigs, and more. “2020 has been a deeply challenging year as we navigate the public health and economic crisis of COVID,” said Sen.
U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith Push to Extend Pandemic Unemployment Programs Set to Expire December 26
WASHINGTON, D.C. [12/4/2020]— U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith (D-Minn.) are urging Senate leaders to extend two coronavirus (COVID-19) unemployment programs that are set to expire December 26 in the next relief package. In a letter to Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, Sens. Klobuchar, Smith and 30 of their colleagues called for these programs to be extended with additional weeks of eligibility for workers. They noted that approximately 4.4 million workers will have already run out of benefits by the end of the year, with millions more exhausting their benefits next year. The senators also stressed the importance of significantly reforming the
Sen. Tina Smith & Rep. Betty McCollum’s Bill to Restore 11k Acres of Land to Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe to be Signed Into Law
WASHINGTON, D.C. [12/03/20]—After passing the U.S. House of Representatives today, legislation authored by U.S. Senator Tina Smith (D-Minn.) and U.S. Representative Betty McCollum (MN-04) to restore over eleven-thousand acres of wrongly seized land to the Leech Lake Reservation is headed to the President’s desk to be signed into law. “My colleague Representative McCollum and I worked to right this wrong and get this effort over the finish line, but above all I want to recognize the decades of work that Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe put into making this possible,” said Sen. Smith. “This historic win belongs to them and
English