Latest Releases
Senator Smith, Colleagues Introduce Senate Resolution in Solidarity with UAW Workers on Strike
WASHINGTON, [10.19.23] – U.S. Senator Tina Smith (D-Minn.) joined Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), and 31 of their colleagues in the Senate to introduce a resolution in solidarity with 150,000 members of United Auto Workers (UAW) bargaining for a fair contract. Autoworkers voted to go on strike in September– calling for a fair share of the record-breaking profits their labor produces as well as cost-of-living adjustments, an end to two-tier wage system, and restoration of pension benefits. Since then, the strike has expanded to 44 locations across 22 states. It is one of the largest U.S. strikes in the past three decades. “Workers bailed out the Big 3 auto manufacturers during the Great Recession to keep the companies afloat. Now, these companies make billions in profit while workers see stagnant wages,” said Smith. “I stand with the UAW workers in Minnesota and around the country who are striking for a fair contract and call on the automakers to negotiate with them in good faith.” “The fight the UAW is waging has everything to do with the outrageous level of corporate greed and arrogance on the part of senior executives in the automobile industry and their backers on Wall Street,” said Sanders. “At a time when the Big 3 automakers have made $250 billion in profits over the past decade, it is absolutely unacceptable that wages for the average autoworker have gone down by 30 percent in the past 20 years after adjusting for inflation. If these companies could afford
Klobuchar, Smith Secure Federal Funding to Improve Electrical Grid Resilience Against Severe Weather
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Tina Smith (D-MN) announced that they secured federal funding for Xcel Energy’s extreme weather mitigation project through the U.S. Department of Energy’s Grid Resilience and Innovation Partnerships (GRIP) program. This funding will support Xcel Energy projects to boost grid resilience against extreme weather like blizzards, severe cold, and ice storms which threaten electric reliability. “It’s critical that our electric grid is able to withstand extreme weather,” said Klobuchar. “This federal funding will improve the resilience and reliability of our electric grid to keep the lights on for families and businesses all while creating good-paying jobs.” “As climate-fueled extreme weather becomes more common, it’s critical that our power grid is reliable and can withstand threats from severe weather and other harsh conditions,” said Smith. “Modernizing our electric grid is a win for the environment and for Minnesotans who will benefit from more affordable, reliable electricity. I am proud of our work to help deliver these investments and look forward to seeing the benefits of a stronger, more reliable energy grid.” This funding was made possible through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which Klobuchar and Smith helped pass in 2021.
U.S. Sens. Tina Smith, Angus King, Jeff Merkley Press to Enhance Nation’s Energy Efficiency Capabilities
WASHINGTON, D.C. [07/25/19]—Today, U.S. Senators Tina Smith (D-Minn.), Angus King (I-Maine) and Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) introduced legislation to boost the use of cutting-edge technologies to increase energy efficiency capabilities across America. The American Energy Efficiency Act of 2019 builds upon state success to establish a nationwide energy efficiency standard that would ask retail electric and national gas utilities to achieve energy savings of 22% and 14% respectively by 2035. Currently, 26 states have such standards, which have proven to be cost-effective energy savers. “One of the immediate actions necessary to reduce greenhouse gas emissions is to reduce the amount of energy we use—more energy efficiency,” said Sen.
U.S. Sen. Tina Smith, 19 Colleagues Fight to Protect Children When Parents are Detained By Immigration Authorities
WASHINGTON, D.C. [07/25/19]—This week, U.S. Senator Tina Smith (D-Minn.) introduced legislation to protect the safety and well-being of children who might be left alone and vulnerable after their parents are arrested or detained by U.S. immigration authorities in communities across the country. Sen. Smith is pushing the legislation because, in the past, children have been abandoned at home or at school after their parents’ detention, often without information about their parents’ location and without adequate arrangements for their care. She pointed to a 2006 incident in Minnesota where, after Immigrations and Customs Enforcement carried out an enforcement action against a family in Worthington, one child—a second grader—came home from school to find
U.S. Senator Tina Smith, Colleagues Introduce Legislation to Ensure 22,000 Retired Minnesota Workers Don’t Lose Their Pensions
WASHINGTON, D.C. [07/24/19]—With more than a million Americans facing massive cuts to their hard-earned pensions—including more than 22,000 Minnesotans—U.S. Senator Tina Smith (D-Minn.) continued her push to head off looming pension cuts and shore up the nation’s troubled pension systems. On Wednesday, Sen. Smith and several of her Senate colleagues reintroduced the Butch Lewis Act to help the chronically-underfunded Central States Pension Fund, which covers over 22,000 Minnesotans. The measure would also strengthen many more underfunded multi-employer pension plans across the country. Since coming to the Senate, Sen. Smith has met with many Minnesotans who spent their working years paying into
U.S. Senators Klobuchar, Smith Push to Ensure Married Couples in Minnesota, Across Country Can Avoid Depleting Savings When Caring for Spouse
WASHINGTON, D.C. [07/22/19]—U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith (D-Minn.) want to permanently ensure that married couples in Minnesota and across the country are able to access home and community-based Medicaid services without having to completely deplete their savings. As the nation’s primary source of coverage for long-term services and supports, Medicaid funds more than 50 percent of long-term care provided nationwide. While many Americans receive this care in institutional settings like nursing homes, in 2014 more than 3 million Americans received this care at home. Three decades ago, Congress established protections—known as spousal impoverishment rules—in cases where a spouse
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