Latest Releases
U.S. SENATOR TINA SMITH ANNOUNCES ABORTION CLINIC DIRECTOR TAMMI KROMENAKER AS STATE OF THE UNION GUEST
WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senator Tina Smith (D-Minn.) announced that Tammi Kromenaker, the Clinic Director of the Red River Women’s Clinic in Moorhead, MN, will be her guest at the President’s State of the Union Address on Thursday, March 7th in Washington, D.C. The Red River Women’s Clinic spent nearly 25 years in Fargo, where it was North Dakota’s sole abortion provider for most of that time. When the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade with the Dobbs decision in 2022, the Republican Governor of North Dakota enacted one of the most restrictive abortion bans in the country. To continue serving patients in desperate need of care, Kromenaker moved the clinic to the neighboring city of Moorhead in Minnesota, where abortion rights are protected under state law. “When North Dakota banned abortion statewide after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, Tammi Kromenaker sprang into action, moving Red River Women’s Clinic across the bridge from Fargo to Moorhead,” said Senator Smith. “Now, Minnesota is an island for abortion care in the Upper Midwest, and thousands of people in the region and across the country count on Red River Women’s Clinic for their health care. Every day, women walk through the doors of RRWC ready to make the best decisions for themselves and their families. And every day that freedom is under assault by the forces dedicated to a national abortion ban. The story of Tammi and her clinic represents the absolute chaos for Americans after the Supreme Court ruling, and her commitment to continuing to provide health care for women in a
U.S. Senator Tina Smith and Congresswoman Nydia Velázquez Introduce Legislation to Protect Survivors of Intimate Partner Violence from Economic Abuse
[WASHINGTON, DC] – Today, Senator Tina Smith (D-MN) and Congresswoman Nydia M. Velázquez (D-NY) introduced the Survivor Financial Safety and Inclusion Working Group Act, a bill aimed at increasing support for survivors of intimate partner violence within the financial system. The bill would create an interagency working group comprised of the federal financial regulators and relevant stakeholders, including a representative of historically underserved communities. The working group would be tasked with collecting data on the impacts of economic abuse of survivors carried out through regulated financial institutions. The working group would also provide recommendations on how Congress and federal regulators can help financial institutions improve existing products and services and launch new ones to meet survivors’ financial and safety needs. “It can be impossible for someone trapped in an abusive relationship to escape if they’re unable to land on their feet,” said Senator Smith. “Abusers in intimate partner relationships use financial insecurity as a tool to trap their victims. This legislation will help protect survivors of economic abuse within the financial system and ensure they have a chance at safety, healing, and long-term financial stability.” “Intimate partner violence is a scourge in our society, with over 10 million men and women being physically abused by an intimate partner in the United States every year. Most survivors also report experiencing economic abuse from harm-doers, making it extremely difficult to build the financial security necessary to escape a dangerous situation,” said Congresswoman Velázquez. “It’s clear that financial institutions must do more to reduce economic abuse of survivors. This
Klobuchar, Smith Announce Funding to Expand Biofuel Infrastructure Program and Renewable Fuels
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Tina Smith (D-MN) announced that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) will provide over $100 million in competitive grants to expand the availability and sale of renewable fuels. Funding is made available through the USDA’s Higher Blends Infrastructure Incentive Program (HBIIP). “This funding will help ensure that more Americans will have access to higher blends of biofuels like E15 and E85, which will reduce carbon emissions, save them money at the pump, and boost local economies across Minnesota and the country,” Klobuchar said. “I will continue working to ensure farmers and renewable fuel producers receive
U.S. Sen. Tina Smith Joins Bipartisan Push to Remove SBA Restrictions On Disaster Loans, Grants for Small Businesses Hit Hard by Pandemic
WASHINGTON, D.C. [05/01/20]— U.S. Senator Tina Smith (D-Minn.) has joined a bipartisan push to get the federal Small Business Administration (SBA) to remove unneeded restrictions it has placed on emergency loans and grants for small businesses hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic. Sen. Smith, as part of a bipartisan group of 21 Senators, wrote to SBA Director Jovita Carranza this week, saying the Economic Injury Disaster Loan Program (EIDL) was designed to support the efforts of the nation’s small businesses trying to maintain their payroll, retain employees and cover operating expenses during the pandemic. However, the SBA has imposed a
U.S. Senator Tina Smith to Mnuchin: Disburse $8 Billion in Critical COVID-19 Relief to Tribal Governments Immediately
WASHINGTON, D.C. [05/1/20]— U.S. Senator Tina Smith (D-Minn.) is urging Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin to immediately disburse $8 billion in critical relief funds to eligible federally recognized Tribal governments. Sen. Smith. says that this emergency assistance, which was secured in the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES) Act, is critical to helping Tribal governments—just like their state, local, and territorial counterparts—respond to the COVID-19 pandemic and continue providing essential government services to their communities. But as of May 1, the Treasury Department has not distributed any of this funding. “The CARES Act was passed over a month ago and contained an express statutory deadline for distribution of the CRF to Tribal governments;
U.S. Sen. Tina Smith: Supplemental Security Income Recipients With Children Need to File Online by May 5 for Stimulus Checks
WASHINGTON, D.C. [04/30/20]—Today, U.S. Senator Tina Smith (D-Minn.)—a member of the Senate Banking Committee—is taking steps to ensure Supplemental Security Income (SSI) beneficiaries in Minnesota and nationwide who did not file tax returns know that the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is requiring additional information by May 5 for dependents to receive cash assistance made possible through the CARES Act. Sen. Smith is encouraging SSI recipients who did not file a tax return in 2018 or 2019 and who have qualifying dependents to understand that the IRS is requiring additional information, which must be submitted using this tool, by Tuesday, May 5, 2020. According to
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