Latest Releases
U.S. Senator Tina Smith Announces Funding to Upgrade, Relocate Duluth International Airport’s Air Traffic Control Tower
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Tina Smith announced she helped secure funding for Duluth International Airport’s Air Traffic Control Tower relocation project. The $10 million in funding will support relocating the non-standard tower currently at the airport, a tower which was commissioned in 1963. The airport coordinates over 67,000 arrivals/departures per year, contributes over $700 million to northern Minnesota’s economy, and supports over 6,000 jobs in the area. “The Duluth International Airport provides critical service to northern Minnesota, from commercial service to cargo, military and medical flights, yet it’s operating with a 70-year-old tower – the third oldest in the nation,” said Senator Smith. “This investment will make DLH safer and more efficient. It’s exactly the kind of project we aimed to support through the President’s infrastructure law.” In 2023, Smith joined the Minnesota delegation in sending a letter to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) requesting that they expedite reviews and approvals required for Duluth International Airport (DLH) to apply for grant funding to build a new air traffic control tower. ###
U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar, Tina Smith Announce Expansion of Terminal 2 at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith (both D-Minn.) announced federal funding for the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport to expand Terminal 2. The project will add two new gates to the terminal’s north side, Gates H15 and H16. The funding comes from President Biden’s bipartisan infrastructure legislation, which Senators Klobuchar and Smith helped pass. “Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport is among the busiest airports in the country and supports tens of thousands of jobs,” said Senator Klobuchar. “This funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law will enable the airport to continue serving the Twin Cities area, improve the travel experience for passengers, and maintain its position as a top-ranking airport.” “MSP is a critical transportation hub and economic driver for communities across Minnesota,” said Senator Smith. “This investment will make sure MSP remains one of the best airports in the world and has the capacity to meet demand.” The $20,000,000 grant was awarded through the Federal Aviation Administration’s Airport Terminals Program, which received a $5 billion boost through the President’s infrastructure legislation. The program funds safe, sustainable and accessible airport terminals, on-airport rail access projects and airport-owned traffic control towers. Several investments have been made in Minnesota’s largest airport since President Biden signed the infrastructure legislation that Klobuchar and Smith helped pass, including five new boarding bridges, new electrical substations for baggage claim, the north security checkpoint, and airport police, as well as new walkways, ramps, and slopes to support passengers with disabilities. The law has also funded a portion of a project to rehabilitate and
U.S. Sens. Klobuchar, Smith, & Rep. Peterson Announce $350,000 for Infrastructure Improvements in De Graff
WASHINGTON, D.C. [09/10/19]—U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith (D-Minn.), along with Representative Collin Peterson (D-MN 7) lauded the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) $350,000 rural development grant to help the city of De Graff finish building its first sewer system, originally funded in 2017. Prior to the start of this project, De Graff did not have a sewer system and there were concerns that untreated sewage from septic systems was entering bodies of water throughout the city. “Investing in our water and waste infrastructure is a down payment on the long-term well-being of our communities,” said Sen. Klobuchar. “This investment will benefit the people and
In Senate Hearing, U.S. Sen. Tina Smith Presses Treasury Secretary on Economic Impact of Trade War on Minnesota Ag
WASHINGTON, DC [09/10/19]— Today, U.S. Senator Tina Smith (D-Minn.) pressed U.S. Secretary of the Treasury Steven Mnuchin on the Trump Administration’s trade war that is causing real, long-term economic damage to Minnesota farmers and rural communities. Sen. Smith’s questioning came in response to an interview Mnuchin gave earlier this week. When talking about the Chinese tariff war during a Fox Business interview, he said “it is fair to say it has impacted the Chinese economy. We have not yet seen any impact on the U.S. economy.” “Minnesota farmers and soybean farmers in northwestern Minnesota have seen their sales drop by 75%,” said Sen. Smith in the Senate Banking Committee. “They don’t
U.S. Sens. Klobuchar, Smith Encourage Minnesota Businesses, Nonprofits and Residents with Damage from Flooding to Apply for Disaster Assistance
WASHINGTON, D.C. [09/6/19]–U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith (D-Minn.) are urging Minnesota businesses, nonprofit organizations, homeowners and renters hit by severe weather and flooding earlier this year to apply for a U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) disaster loan for physical damage before the September 30, 2019 deadline. Minnesotans facing damage caused by weather from June 27 through July 7, 2019 in Dodge, Goodhue, Mower, Olmstead, Rice, and Steele counties are eligible to apply. The senators said that businesses and nonprofits may be able to use the loan to repair or replace assets such as damaged real estate, equipment and
U.S. Senator Tina Smith, Democratic Senate Colleagues Call on President to Enhance and Protect Health of Americans, Urge Administration to Abandon Proposal to Weaken Protections Against Discrimination in Health Care
WASHINGTON, D.C. [08/14/19]—This week, U.S. Senator Tina Smith (D-Minn.) and 35 of her fellow Democratic Senate colleagues condemned a proposed rule that would weaken critical protections aimed to help address discrimination in health care. Sen. Smith believes the Trump Administration should instead focus on solutions like fulfilling promises to lower prescription drug prices and addressing health care costs. Sen. Smith and her Democratic Senate colleagues outlined several issues with the proposed rule, including how it could harm patients who already face barriers when seeking care by emboldening insurers and health care providers to discriminate against them, and called on the
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