Latest Releases
U.S. Senator Tina Smith Announces Significant Federal Funding to Combat Extreme Heat, Create More Green Spaces in Minnesota
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Tina Smith (D-MN) announced over $33 million in federal funding to plant and maintain trees, combat extreme heat and climate change, and improve access to nature in cities, towns, and suburbs throughout Minnesota. The funding is made possible through the Inflation Reduction Act, which Smith helped pass. “As climate change fuels record-breaking heat waves across the country, we need to be doing more to increase tree cover and improve access to nature,” said Smith. “Extreme heat strains our energy systems and has negative effects on public health and overall well-being. These investments, made possible by the Inflation Reduction Act, will increase access to green spaces and help communities become more resilient to extreme heat thanks to the cooling effects of tree cover.” The grants are made possible by investments from President Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act, the largest climate investment in history. Studies show that trees in communities are associated with improved physical and mental health, lower average temperatures during extreme heat, and increased food security, and create new economic opportunities. This historic funding will help support projects that increase tree cover in disadvantaged communities, provide equitable access to the benefits of nature, and deliver tangible economic and ecological benefits to Minnesota. The grants include:
U.S. Senators Tina Smith, Mike Rounds Announce More Bipartisan Support for Legislation to Modernize and Reform Rural Housing Programs
Washington [9.19.23] – This week, Senators Tina Smith (D-MN) and Mike Rounds (R-SD) announced growing support for their bipartisan legislation to improve federal rural housing programs, cut red tape, and strengthen the supply of affordable housing. Their updated bill would represent the most significant Rural Housing Service reforms years, and has the support of a large bipartisan group of senators including eight members of the Banking Committee. New cosponsors include Senators Cynthia Lummis (R-WY), Jon Tester (D-MT), Mike Crapo (R-ID), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Steve Daines (R-MT), and John Fetterman (D-PA). “Without a safe, affordable place to live, nothing else in your life works. Not your job, not your education, not your health,” said Smith. “We know that the housing crisis is hurting communities across the country, and the problem is particularly acute in rural places. This legislation is the direct result of bipartisan hearings and conversations with stakeholders who helped identify ways we can make federal rural housing programs work better for people struggling to find a safe, affordable place to live. I’m excited about the growing support for this package of rural housing reforms” “I am pleased with the bipartisan coalition that is building around this commonsense legislation to update USDA’s Rural Housing Service,” said Rounds. “Homeownership is part of the American dream and a key to building wealth. This legislation makes important improvements and updates that will create and preserve affordable housing opportunities in South Dakota. As we face an affordable housing crisis across the nation, I
Klobuchar, Smith, Schneider, Colleagues Urge Administration to Increase Number of Doctors in Rural and Other Medically Underserved Areas
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Representative Brad Schneider (D-IL-10) along with colleagues in both the House and the Senate, wrote to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) urging the Administration to resume premium processing for physicians seeking employment-based visas. Doctors on these visas increase access to health care, especially rural areas, through the Conrad 30 program, which allows foreign medical school graduates who have been trained in the United States to stay in the country as long as they serve underserved areas. On March 20, USCIS announced its suspension of premium processing due to the coronavirus (COVID-19)
At the Urging of U.S. Senator Tina Smith, Congress Approves $20 Million to Provide Nutrition Services to Native Elders During COVID-19 Pandemic
WASHINGTON, D.C. [04/08/20]— U.S. Senator Tina Smith (D-Minn.)—a member of the Senate Indian Affairs Committee—says that Congress heeded her call to ensure Native elders continue to have nutrition assistance during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act) includes $20 million in emergency funding for Native elder nutrition programs. Sen. Smith fought for emergency funding so that Tribal organizations can continue to provide these essential services, which may include meal assembly and delivery, nutrition counseling, nutrition education, farmers market operations, supporting food banks, charitable organizations/food distribution centers, and more. Sen. Smith said that Bois Forte Band of Chippewa, Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, Grand Portage Band of Lake Superior
At the Urging of U.S. Senator Tina Smith, Congress Approves $20 Million to Provide Nutrition Services to Native Elders During COVID-19 Pandemic
WASHINGTON, D.C. [04/08/20]— U.S. Senator Tina Smith (D-Minn.)—a member of the Senate Indian Affairs Committee—says that Congress heeded her call to ensure Native elders continue to have nutrition assistance during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act) includes $20 million in emergency funding for Native elder nutrition programs. Sen. Smith fought for emergency funding so that Tribal organizations can continue to provide these essential services, which may include meal assembly and delivery, nutrition counseling, nutrition education, farmers market operations, supporting food banks, charitable organizations/food distribution centers, and more. Sen. Smith said that Bois Forte Band of Chippewa, Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, Grand Portage Band of Lake Superior
U.S. Senator Tina Smith to Treasury Secretary Mnuchin: Make Sure Americans Experiencing Homelessness Get Coronavirus Relief Payments
WASHINGTON, D.C. [04/07/20]—U.S. Senator Tina Smith (D-Minn.) is leading a Senate push to ensure the Trump Administration is taking the steps necessary to make certain that people experiencing homelessness in Minnesota and across the country receive coronavirus relief payments. In a letter to Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin Tuesday, Sen. Smith and 27 of her Senate colleagues—including Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.)—urged him to consider the steep barriers people experiencing homelessness will confront when trying to access the direct stimulus payments provided in the recent bipartisan COVID-19 relief package. The senators also pressed Sec. Mnuchin to launch a public awareness campaign to make sure that people
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