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. Senator Tina Smith Leads Senate Colleagues in Introducing Comprehensive Bill to Address Skyrocketing Prescription Drug Prices
WASHINGTON D.C. [06/12/19]—Today, U.S. Senator Tina Smith (D-Minn.) introduced comprehensive legislation to hold large pharmaceutical companies accountable for high prices and bring down costs for Americans. Sen. Smith, a member of the Senate Health Committee, said her measure would promote transparency by requiring pharmaceutical companies to disclose just how much money is going toward research and development, as well as marketing and pay for executives. Her bill would also end the restriction that prevents the federal Medicare program from using its buying power to negotiate lower drug prices for its beneficiaries, and curb drug company monopoly practices that keep
U.S. Senator Tina Smith, Representative Ayanna Pressley Highlight Step Forward for Federal Contractor Employees Affected by Shutdown with Back Pay Included in Spending Bill
WASHINGTON, D.C. [06/11/2019]—Today, U.S. Senator Tina Smith (D-Minn.) and Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley (MA-07) lauded the House Appropriations Committee government spending package for including money for federal contract workers who were not paid during the 35-day partial government shutdown. Sen. Smith and Rep. Pressley introduced companion legislation in January to provide back pay to as many as an estimated 580,000 workers who went without pay during the shutdown. Their bill would require any federal contractor that placed service workers on unpaid leave during the shutdown to provide retroactive compensation to cover wages lost through no fault of their own. Since then,
U.S. Senator Tina Smith, Senate Colleagues Call on Department of Agriculture to Speed up Development of Crop Guidelines Established in Farm Bill
WASHINGTON, D.C. [05/07/19]—This week, U.S. Senator Tina Smith (D-Minn.) and a bipartisan group of her Senate colleagues—led by Sens. John Thune (R-S.D.) and Dick Durbin (D-Ill.)—urged the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to expedite the development of the cover crop guidelines that were established in the strong, bipartisan 2018 Farm Bill. Sen. Smith and her colleagues also requested that haying and grazing of cover crops on prevent plant acres be allowed prior to the current USDA-mandated November 1 harvest date. “According to the 2017 Census of Agriculture published last month, between 2012 and 2017, cover crops on
U.S. Senator Tina Smith: Affordable Housing, Rural and Native Areas Must Remain a Focus in Housing Finance Reform Discussions
WASHINGTON, D.C. [06/06/19]—Today, as Congress considers reforms to the nation’s housing finance system, U.S. Senator Tina Smith (D-Minn.) outlined her top priorities. In a letter to the nation’s top housing finance agency and leaders of the Senate Banking Committee—on which she serves—Sen. Smith pressed the officials to make sure any changes to the housing finance system support the affordable housing market and housing availability in rural areas, including on tribal lands. Following the Senate Banking Committee’s hearings on the housing finance system earlier this year and ongoing discussions about housing finance reform, Sen. Smith is fighting to preserve meaningful gains
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