Latest Releases
Senator Smith Reintroduces Bill to Address America’s Maternal Mortality Crisis
WASHINGTON – This week, U.S. Senator Tina Smith introduced legislation to address America’s worsening maternal mortality crisis, which has a disproportionate impact on Black, Brown, Indigenous and all People of Color. The Data to Save Moms Act seeks to understand the root causes of this emergency by improving data collection on maternal mortality and morbidity. From 2018 to 2021, the maternal mortality rate in the U.S. increased by 89%. The crisis is even more acute for Black, Native and Indigenous women, who are more than twice as likely to die due to a pregnancy-related complication as white women. “I do not think it’s radical to believe that everyone who gives birth should be able to access high-quality health care,” said Sen. Smith. “America’s increasing maternal mortality rate, and the disparities in maternal health outcomes for People of Color, is a national emergency. My legislation will identify the root causes of this problem so we can tackle them head on. This is about establishing maternal health justice—especially for People of Color.” “We are committed to addressing the underlying root causes of maternal mortality and morbidity and applaud Senator Tina Smith and Representative Sharice Davids for introducing the Data to Save Moms Act, which will improve data collection to advance equitable responses to the ongoing maternal health crisis,” said March of Dimes Sr. Vice President, Public Policy & Government Affairs, Stacey Y. Brayboy. “The staggering maternal mortality rates women, particularly for Black and Indigenous women of color, face in the nation is
Senator Tina Smith, Colleagues Introduce Bipartisan Bill to Protect U.S. Agricultural Exports
Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Tina Smith (D-MN) joined Senators John Thune (R-SD), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), and Roger Marshall (R-KS) in introducing bipartisan legislation to protect American food products from unfair trade practices by foreign countries. Common food and drink names such as parmesan, asiago, romano, and bologna are used around the world to describe products to consumers. However, due to geographic indication to European locations, the European Union has begun using economic and political influence to implement unfair trade practices under the guise of protecting geographic indicators. These unfair trade practices have the potential to block United States agricultural products from being sold in international markets. The Safeguarding American Value-Added Exports (SAVE) Act would amend the Agriculture Trade Act of 1978 to include and define a list of common names for ag commodities, food products, and terms used in marketing and packaging of products. The bill would also direct the Secretary of Agriculture and the U.S. Trade Representative to negotiate with our foreign trading partners to defend the right to use common names for ag commodities in those same foreign markets. “Agriculture is the backbone of Minnesota’s diverse economy and international markets are vital to the economic success of our farmers,” said Senator Smith. “Unfair trade policies from the European Union forcing American producers to change the name of their product will hurt our farmers and their ability to sell products overseas. This legislation would ensure they are able to continue selling their products in foreign markets and
U.S. Sens. Amy Klobuchar, Tina Smith, Reps. Pete Stauber, Jim Hagedorn, Collin Peterson, Laud Federal Investment in State’s Electric Infrastructure
WASHINGTON, D.C. [06/05/19]— U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Tina Smith (D-Minn.), and Representatives Pete Stauber (R-Minn. 8), Jim Hagedorn (R-Minn. 1), and Collin Peterson (D-Minn. 7) lauded the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) $133 million investment in Minnesota electric infrastructure that will improve services for more than 100,000 electric customers across the state. The loans provided to Minnesota included $52 million for Lake Country Power, which covers an eight county area in Rep. Stauber’s district, $36 million for People’s Energy Cooperative, which covers a six county area in Rep. Hagedorn’s district, and over $40 million for Stearns Cooperative Electric
Sen. Smith Lauds EPA’s Lifting of Summertime E15 Ban
WASHINGTON, D.C. [05/31/19]—Today, U.S. Sen. Tina Smith (D-Minn.) lauded the lifting of the E15 ban, a move that will expand the use of ethanol in the nation’s fuel supply during the summer “Farmers in Minnesota and across the country have been hit hard by low farm prices and recent trade uncertainties that have pushed prices even lower,” Sen. Smith said. “This rule change—something I’ve long fought for–will increase demand for farm products, bolster our farm communities, all while expanding the use of renewable fuels nationwide.” Senator Smith, a member of the Agriculture committee, has consistently pushed for the
U.S. Senator Tina Smith: Trump’s New Farm Aid “A Little Band-Aid for a Big, Ugly Problem”
**VIDEO RELEASE** WASHINGTON, D.C. [05/24/2019]—In an interview this week on Bloomberg TV, U.S. Sen. Tina Smith (D-Minn.) discussed the challenges facing farmers and rural communities, and characterized the Trump Administration’s recently announced aid as “a little Band-Aid for a big, ugly problem.” You can watch the video of her full interview here. “I don’t know a single farm that wouldn’t see that and say, sure, I’m happy to accept a helping hand because I’m really hurting right now,” said Sen. Smith—a member of the Senate Ag Committee. “But what I think most farmers in Minnesota would say is that’s a
Klobuchar and Smith Hail Senate Passage of Bipartisan Bill to Crack Down on Robocalls
WASHINGTON, D.C. [05/23/19] – Today, U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Tina Smith (D-MN) lauded Senate passage of a bill they championed that will increase penalties against telemarketers who spam Americans with robocalls and promote call authentication and blocking technologies. Robocalls are on the rise, with one source reporting an increase of 50% in robocall volume from February to July of last year. The bipartisan Telephone Robocall Abuse Criminal Enforcement and Deterrence (TRACED) Act passed in the Senate today would increase penalties for fraudulent telemarketers, while also implementing measures to proactively protect consumers from receiving unwanted robocalls. The bipartisan bill was
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