Latest Releases
Senators Smith, Barrasso Introduce Bipartisan Reauthorization of Key Program Aimed at Improving Rural Health Care
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Tina Smith (D-Minn.) and John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), Co-Chairs of the Senate Rural Health Caucus, introduced bipartisan legislation to reauthorize a key program that supports state health facilities across the country to help improve health care in rural areas. “When I meet with families, farmers, businesses and community leaders in rural Minnesota, one of the first issues that comes up is healthcare,” said Senator Smith. “This bipartisan legislation will make sure State Offices of Rural Health have the resources they need to expand and improve healthcare services in rural communities. I’ll keep working to get this bill across the finish line and address the unique healthcare needs of rural America.” “Wyoming’s State Office of Rural Health regularly provides rural health providers with critical resources and technical assistance vital to ensuring the highest quality care for patients across Wyoming. As a doctor, I’ve seen firsthand how this assistance benefits our state’s rural health clinics and hospitals,” said Senator Barrasso. “Our legislation would make sure this important program can continue to help providers deliver the best care to patients in rural communities across Wyoming and the country.” The State Offices of Rural Health (SORH) Reauthorization Act of 2022 would ensure that State Offices of Rural Health have the financial resources they need to improve information-sharing, technical assistance, and care delivery in rural health settings. By reauthorizing the program for five years, this bill would also preserve the program’s flexibility to meet state and local rural health care needs.
Senators Klobuchar, Smith Announce Historic Investment in Minnesota Climate-Smart Commodities and Rural Projects
WASHINGTON [9.27.22] – Today, Senators Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith (both D-MN) announced historic federal funding that will expand climate-friendly agriculture in Minnesota and around the country. “Our farmers and agricultural communities are critical to our state economy,” said Klobuchar. “These investments will help create new markets for our agricultural products and encourage voluntary farming practices that help protect our environment.” “From educational institutions to Fortune 500 companies and producer groups to technology startups, a broad range of Minnesota organizations are at the cutting edge of research into climate-smart agriculture,” said Sen. Smith. “These investments will accelerate the growth of environmentally sustainable agriculture in our state and around the country while taking important steps to reduce emissions and fight climate change.” The U.S. Department of Agriculture is making historic investments in 70 selected projects around the country under the first pool of the Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities funding opportunity. Projects from the second funding pool will be announced later this year. The investments will create market opportunities for American commodities produced using climate-smart production practices. These projects will expand markets for climate-smart commodities, leverage the greenhouse gas benefits of climate-smart commodity production and provide direct, meaningful benefits to production agriculture, including for small and underserved producers. The selections announced this week reflect a broad set of applicants, from non-profits and government entities to farmer cooperatives and environmental groups. Many of the recipients are based in Minnesota or partner with Minnesota businesses and organizations such as Land O’ Lakes, Minnesota Board
U.S. Sen. Tina Smith: “The Urgency of Passing a Strong Farm Bill is Very Clear”
WASHINGTON, D.C. [10/24/18]—This week, U.S. Senator Tina Smith (D-Minn.), a member of the Senate Agriculture Committee, told top House-Senate Farm Bill negotiators that producers in Minnesota and across the country are hurting from low farm prices and trade uncertainties, and highlighted the need to pass the Farm Bill by the end of the year. Sen. Smith said the Farm bill will provide certainty for producers, and will give them the tools to deal with low prices and jump-start the farm economy in Minnesota and our nation. In a letter sent yesterday to Chairman Sen. Pat Roberts, Ranking Member Sen. Debbie Stabenow, Chairman
Bipartisan Opioids Legislation U.S. Senator Tina Smith Helped Write Becomes Law
WASHINGTON, D.C. [10/24/18]—U.S. Senator Tina Smith (D-Minn.) helped write the bipartisan opioids legislation that the President signed into law today, which gives Minnesota and the nation the tools to combat the crisis by investing in long-term prevention, treatment, and recovery efforts. Sen. Smith, a member of the Senate Health Committee, said the legislative package includes her measure to help bring mental health professionals into schools and community-based organizations in order to better reach families who need these vital services. “Families in rural areas, small towns and downtowns, and in Indian Country are hurting from the opioid epidemic—I want to make
Sens. Warren, Smith Seek Explanation for HHS Secretary Azar’s Misleading Testimony on President Trump’s Broken Drug Pricing Promises
Washington, DC – United States Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Tina Smith (D-Minn.) today sent their second letter to Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Alex Azar about his potentially misleading statements during Senate testimony in which he blamed pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) and drug distributors for drug manufacturers’ ongoing refusal to meaningfully reduce their prices. On May 30, 2018, President Trump promised that drug companies would “announce voluntary massive drops in prices.” In a June hearing in front of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee, Senator Warren asked Secretary Azar to explain why drug prices remained high despite President Trump’s assurances
U.S. Sen. Tina Smith Presses Administration to Quickly Change Tax Rules Blocking Cooperatives From Expanding Rural Broadband
WASHINGTON, D.C. [10/31/18]—Today, U.S. Senator Tina Smith (D-Minn.) urged the Trump Administration to ensure cooperatives don’t lose their tax-exempt status if they receive government grants to expand rural broadband in Minnesota and across the country. Sen. Smith said that the Republican tax law passed last year threatens the tax-exempt status of rural telephone and electric cooperatives in Minnesota and across the country because of a provision meant to tax for-profit companies. In a letter Wednesday, Sen. Smith pushed Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and IRS Commissioner Charles Rettig to use their administrative authority to fix the unintended consequences of the provision, which
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