Latest Releases
U.S. Senators Tina Smith, Amy Klobuchar Demand Answers from Postmaster General Louis DeJoy for Cook County Postal Delays
MINNEAPOLIS, MN – U.S. Senators Tina Smith (D-MN) and Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) are demanding answers from U. S. Postal Service Postmaster General Louis DeJoy after several Minnesotans in Cook County reported not receiving mail delivery since last year. Residents were also turned away from local post offices when attempting to retrieve undelivered mail. Minnesota-North Dakota District leadership reportedly didn’t know of the issue until Senator Smith inquired on January 8. On December 19, USPS staff assured the Senators that service in Minnesota was stable – a claim that is contradicted by the Cook County problems. The Senators are demanding answers on steps USPS plans to take to rectify the issue and prevent it from happening again. “We are deeply concerned by reports from residents that mail has not been delivered since last year. Minnesotans rely on the Postal Service for essential needs like medications, Social Security benefits, and paychecks. This disruption is unacceptable and must be resolved immediately and steps taken to prevent similar issues,” wrote the Senators. “… We appreciate the hard work of postal workers in Minnesota who serve their communities despite the pressures of staffing shortages, weather events, and ever-growing parcel volumes. But without accountable, honest leadership, they struggle to do their jobs,” they continued. “Like all communities, Minnesota’s North Shore relies on the Postal Service as an essential public service. We urge you to not only address this failure, but to work to prevent these repeated issues from occurring again,” wrote the Senators. The Senators requested answers to the following questions no later than January 16, 2025. You can read the full letter to
Klobuchar, Smith Secure Significant Federal Funding to Reconstruct Trunk Highway 19 in Northfield
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Tina Smith (D-MN) announced that they have secured over $25 million from the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) to improve Trunk Highway (TH) 19 in Northfield. The resources, provided through the USDOT’s Rural Surface Transportation Grant Program, will widen TH 19 from two lanes to three between Decker Ave and Union Pacific Railroad. Improvements will also include a new roundabout at Armstrong Rd, better pedestrian walkways and crossings, and a new snow fence at Decker Ave. “Rebuilding our infrastructure is critical for families, workers, and businesses,” said Klobuchar. “Highway 19 is an important route into Northfield from I-35, passing significant locations such as St. Olaf and Carleton College. This infrastructure project will reduce traffic congestion and improve safety for drivers, pedestrians, and cyclists.” “If we’re going to build an economy that works for everyone, then we need to prioritize investments in critical infrastructure, like highways, that connect people with opportunities all across the state,” said Smith. “This grant is the first step to improving Highway 19 to best serve the Northfield area.” The Rural Surface Transportation Grant Program provides communities across the country with funding for local projects that improve and expand surface transportation infrastructure in rural areas and bolster connectivity, safety, and reliability. The program was created by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which Klobuchar and Smith supported and was signed into law in 2021. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law provides resources for improving roads, bridges, public transportation, water infrastructure, and broadband in Minnesota and across the
Sen. Smith Cosponsors Legislation to Protect the Right of Women to Cross State Lines to Seek Abortion Care
WASHINGTON, D.C. [07/12/22] – U.S. Senator Tina Smith (D-Minn.) joined a group of her Democratic colleagues, including Senators Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), Patty Murray (D-Wash.), and Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), in introducing the Freedom to Travel for Health Care Act of 2022. This legislation would make it crystal clear that it is illegal for anti-choice states to limit travel for abortion services and would empower the Attorney General and impacted individuals to bring civil action against those who restrict a woman’s right to cross state lines to receive legal reproductive care. “After successfully overturning Roe and gutting 50
U.S. Senators Smith and Lankford Introduce Legislation to Create Parity Within the Indian Health Care System
WASHINGTON, D.C. [07/12/22] – U.S. Senators Tina Smith (D-Minn.) and James Lankford (R-Okla.) introduced bipartisan legislation that would help achieve parity within the Indian Health System. The Urban Indian Health Confer Act will amend the Indian Health Care Improvement Act to require the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to confer with urban Indian organizations regarding health care for American Indians and Alaska Natives (AI/ANs) living in urban areas – a critical step that will create parity within the Indian Health System. “American Indian and Alaska Native people living in urban areas deserve an active voice in the policies that affect them,” said
Klobuchar, Bennet, Slotkin Introduce Bicameral Legislation to Strengthen Media Literacy Education and Improve Personal Cybersecurity
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Michael Bennet (D-CO) and Representative Elissa Slotkin (D-MI) introduced two pieces of bicameral legislation to strengthen media literacy education to teach Americans the skills to identify online misinformation and disinformation. The Digital Citizenship and Media Literacy Act would create a grant program at the Department of Commerce to teach students digital citizenship and media literacy skills to help them think critically about online content. The Veterans Online Information and Cybersecurity Empowerment (VOICE) Act would create a grant program at the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to teach veterans digital and media literacy
Klobuchar, Smith Introduce Legislation to Rename Twin Cities Post Offices In Honor of Three Distinguished Minnesotans
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Tina Smith (D-MN) introduced three pieces of bicameral legislation to rename three post offices in the Twin Cities in honor of distinguished Minnesotans. The legislation proposes renaming the Minneapolis Post Office in honor of former Congressman Martin Sabo; the Richfield Post Office in honor of U.S. Marine Corps veteran Charles Lindberg, who served during World War Two and helped raise the first American flag at Iwo Jima; and the South St. Paul Post Office in honor of Officer Leo Pavlak, a member of the St. Paul Police Department who lost his life
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