Latest Newsletters
Working for All of Us
The past month, I have reflected on the resiliency and strength all of us have displayed over the past two challenging years. I am so proud to represent Minnesota in the US Senate, and I wanted to share some updates on a few pieces of my legislation that I have been working on: • A new bipartisan law I authored with Sen. John Thune (R-SD) to ensure federally connected school districts get the funding they need during the pandemic. • Legislation called the Veterans Hearing Benefit Act to help vets can get the care they deserve for hearing loss incurred while serving; and • A bill to ensure rural and unserved communities get affordable, reliable internet access, called the Connect Unserved Americans Act with some of my colleagues. -Tina Smith Making sure school districts retain reliable, stable funding Last month, my bipartisan bill with Senator John Thune (R-SD) to help federally connected schools retain funding during the COVID-19 pandemic was signed into law by President Biden. Many school districts, especially in northern Minnesota, rely on federal funding through the Impact Aid Program because they have a lot of land that doesn’t generate property taxes. The Supplemental Aid Flexibility Act will allow these schools to get the support they need without having to jump through a bunch of hoops during the pandemic. The pandemic continues to hit many Minnesota school districts hard, so it is important to me that school districts receiving Impact Aid maintain reliable, stable
Historic Infrastructure Bill Will Benefit Minnesota for Years to Come
I was at the White House in November when President Biden signed the historic bipartisan infrastructure bill into law. I pushed hard to get the measure through the Senate and over the finish line because in the coming months and years, it will create thousands of jobs, make our state more competitive and improve the lives of rural, urban, suburban, and Tribal communities across Minnesota. Last week, I also joined the President when he visited Dakota County Technical College (DCTC) in Rosemount to talk about how the new law will directly improve the lives of all Minnesotans. At that event, he highlighted not only how it will make badly needed upgrades to our roads, bridges and water systems, but also advance two of my top priorities: addressing the climate crisis and expanding broadband service to Minnesota communities that aren’t yet connected. The estimated impacts on key areas in Minnesota are historic. Minnesota will receive at least: $4.5 billion for Minnesota highways $302 million for Minnesota bridges $680 million for lead service line replacements to update Minnesota’s water infrastructure $297 million for Minnesota airports $856 million for Minnesota transit systems in rural, suburban and urban areas $68 million for electric vehicle charging in Minnesota At least $100 million to expand broadband to the tens of thousands of Minnesota households that currently do not have internet access As these historic investments are put in place in the coming years, Minnesotans will benefit in many ways. “Buy America, Build America” to Benefit Minnesota
March 2020: Coronavirus Update
U.S. Senator Tina Smith Coronavirus Update This is the first installment of regular reports I plan to send to keep Minnesotans updated on my work to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. Look for others in the coming days and weeks as we work to address the fallout from this crisis. -U.S. Senator Tina Smith News Minnesotans Can Use Staying Safe: Throughout this crisis, my top priority has been the health and safety of Minnesotans, and ensuring they are getting accurate information to deal with this crisis. You can turn to the Minnesota Department of Health, and the U.S. Centers for
February 2020 Newsletter: What I’ve Been Working On
It’s been a busy month It’s been a busy month for me in the Senate. I released my report detailing the state of housing in Minnesota, formed a Bipartisan Rural Working Group, and have been working to ensure our country is properly equipped to fight Coronavirus. Here’s a bit more about what I’ve done over the past month: Releasing Report on Findings From My Statewide Housing Tour If you don’t have a safe, stable, affordable place to live, nothing else in your life works. Which is why we must take steps to address the serious housing shortage across Minnesota. Over the past
I’m Voting to Remove Donald Trump. Here’s Why:
Today, I announced in an op-ed in the Star Tribune and took to the Senate floor to share why I’m voting to remove President Trump. It’s important to me that Minnesotans—and all Americans—understand how I came to my decision. What follows is taken from my floor speech—which you can view here. I was reluctant to go down the path of impeachment. While I strongly disagree with the President on many issues, I see impeachment as a last resort, and I feared that leaping to impeachment would only serve to drive us all even further into our political corners. This changed when I read the
A Historic Month
Taking My Oath to Uphold The Constitution As you probably already know, the impeachment trial has come to the Senate. I, along with all of my Senate colleagues, were sworn in by Chief Justice of the United States John Roberts. When the trial began, and the House managers came onto the Senate floor, I felt the weight of history, and a small catch in my throat. It was a relief to hear Representative Adam Schiff present the articles dispassionately, clearly and rationally. Looking out at my colleagues, I was struck by how rare it is that we are all on
English