Latest Releases
U.S. Senator Tina Smith, Colleagues Seek Answers on Elon Musk and DOGE’s Access to Federal Student Loan Data
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Tina Smith, alongside 15 of her colleagues, sent a letter to Acting Secretary of the Department of Education Denise Carter, seeking answers after reports that Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has infiltrated the Department of Education (ED) and students’ personal, private data. There are over 40 million federal student loan borrowers in the United States, and the student loan database infiltrated by Musk contains millions of borrowers’ highly sensitive information, including Social Security numbers, marital status, and income data. “This deeply troubling report raises questions about potential exposures of Americans’ private data, the abuse of this data by the Trump Administration, and whether officials who have access to the data may have violated the law or the federal government’s procedures for handling sensitive information,” wrote the senators. According to public reporting, “a handful of 19-to-24-year-old engineers linked to Musk’s companies, with unclear titles, could be bypassing regular security protocols” during DOGE’s infiltration of federal agencies. The senators also raised concerns that the access provided to DOGE-affiliated staff by the Department may violate the Privacy Act, which generally prohibits the disclosure of such information. “We are especially troubled by this reporting given President Trump’s stated pledge to abolish the Department,” concluded the lawmakers. “The millions of families who rely on ED to help them achieve the American Dream deserve answers about reports that an unelected billionaire and his team now have access to some of their most sensitive personal information.” Additional reporting suggests that DOGE has “fed sensitive data from across the Education Department into artificial intelligence software
U.S. Senator Tina Smith, Colleagues to Introduce Bipartisan Legislation Expanding Pell Grant Use to Job Training Programs
WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senator Tina Smith (D-MN) joined her colleagues Susan Collins (R-ME), Tim Kaine (D-VA), and Roger Marshall (R-KS) to introduce the bipartisan Jumpstarting Our Businesses by Supporting Students (JOBS) Act, legislation allowing Americans to use federal Pell Grants—need-based education grants for lower-income individuals—to pay for shorter-term job training programs. Currently, Pell Grants can only be used for two- and four-year colleges and universities. The JOBS Act expands their applicability, allowing Pell Grants to be used for shorter-term, high-skill job training. “Some of the most in-demand, high-paying jobs don’t require a four-year college degree – jobs like welders, machine operators and medical technicians. We need to make it easier to get people into these careers, and letting students use Pell Grants to help make it happen just makes sense,” said Senator Smith. “This bill will open up more career opportunities for people and will help boost our economy.” Senator Smith regularly hears from students who are interested in technical education, but who face real financial barriers to paying for high-quality job training programs. And she also regularly hears from employers who have trouble finding qualified workers for available positions. Minnesota has five Metropolitan Statistical Areas with 3.2 percent unemployment rates or lower. Over the past four years, almost 15 million jobs were added to the American economy thanks to landmark legislation like the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. Despite this, the United States is experiencing a skilled labor shortage, which is only expected to grow in the next few years. The JOBS Act will help to close that
Ahead of Likely Shutdown, Sen. Smith, Rep. Pressley Introduce Bill to Provide Back Pay for Federal Contract Workers
WASHINGTON — Ahead of a possible Republican government shutdown, Senator Tina Smith (D-MN) and Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley (MA-07)introduced legislation to secure back pay for the thousands of federal contract workers who face layoffs without back pay during a potential shutdown. Unlike federal government employees, the thousands of federal contract employees—many of whom serve in modestly paid jobs like custodians and cafeteria workers—have no assurances that they will receive back pay to make up for the wages they miss during a shutdown. The bill is cosponsored by Senators Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Tim Kaine (D-VA), Mark Warner (D-VA), Ben Cardin (D-MD), and
Senators Smith, Lummis Seek Key Clarifications to Address Native American and Rural Homelessness, Overcrowding
U.S. SENATE – U.S. Senators Tina Smith (D-MN) and Cynthia Lummis (R-WY) sent a letter to Secretary Marcia Fudge urging the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to help address homelessness in Native and rural communities and to provide clarity on the federal definition of homelessness. The Senators are the Chair and Ranking Member, respectively, of the Subcommittee on Housing, Transportation, and Community Development. The letter follows a bipartisan hearing led by Smith and Lummis on the “State of Native American Housing” where witnesses described the severe homelessness and overcrowding issues facing rural and Native American communities. “The stories we
U.S. Senator Tina Smith Reintroduces Bipartisan Legislation to Promote Tribal Self-Governance for Federal Food Assistance Program
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Tina Smith (D-MN) and Mike Rounds (R-SD) reintroduced bipartisan legislation to give Tribes in Minnesota and across the country more control over how a key federal hunger program is administered in their communities. The SNAP Tribal Food Sovereignty Act would give Tribal governments a more active role in the administration of the USDA’s vital Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (commonly known as SNAP). The bill would help make sure SNAP is administered in a culturally-appropriate way that promotes the health and economic well-being of Tribal communities. Federal programs to combat hunger like SNAP are important to Tribal
U.S. Senator Tina Smith Takes Action to Address the Childcare Funding Cliff
WASHINGTON, D.C. – In response to a fast approaching deadline for childcare funding, U.S. Senator Tina Smith (D-Minn.) joined 33 fellow Senators and 78 colleagues in the House of Representatives led by Senators Patty Murray (D-Wash.) and Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) in introducing the Child Care Stabilization Act this month. The crucial legislation aims to extend vital federal childcare stabilization funding – which is set to expire September 30th – and ensure that childcare providers can keep their doors open and continue serving children and families in every part of the country. Senator Smith also spoke about the urgent need to
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