Latest Releases
U.S. Senator Tina Smith Introduces Legislation to End Veteran Homelessness Nationwide
Today, U.S. Senator Tina Smith (D-Minn.), Chair of the Senate Housing Subcommittee, introduced the Housing for All Veterans Act, legislation that would help bring an effective end to veteran homelessness. Minnesota is on the cusp of ending veteran homelessness, and nationwide levels of homelessness among former service members have been cut in half in the fifteen years since the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs launched the first-ever strategic plan to prevent and end the scourge of veteran homelessness in America. This legislation would help get us the rest of the way there and prevent veteran homelessness going forward. “We promise our veterans that we will take care of them after their service to our nation. But every day that we have veterans struggling to find a safe, affordable place to live, we’re failing them,” said Senator Smith. “Guaranteeing housing for low-income veterans shouldn’t be optional. It should a promise fulfilled for every veteran, to bring them home. We’ve made some great progress in solving veteran homelessness in the last fifteen years – Minnesota especially. But the Housing for All Veterans Act would finish the job and ensure every veteran has a roof over their heads.” “Our country continues to face a crisis of housing affordability,” said Kathryn Monet, CEO of the National Coalition for Homeless Veterans. “NCHV is thankful for Senator Smith’s leadership to address this crisis head on for veterans facing housing instability. Subsidies are a crucial support and we urge Congress to act upon this bill as a downpayment toward a world where affordable housing is available for all Americans.” “This legislation addresses the root cause of housing affordability, providing our veterans with a long-term, sustainable
U.S Senators Amy Klobuchar, Tina Smith, Colleagues Press Postal Service for Details on How Facility Consolidation Could Impact On-Time Delivery of Mail-In Ballots
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith (both D-MN) joined 17 of their colleagues in sending a letter to Postmaster General Louis DeJoy requesting information about how the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) plans to ensure the timely delivery of mail-in ballots throughout the ongoing 2024 election cycle and beyond. The request comes in light of USPS facility consolidations initiated under DeJoy, which have been temporarily paused following outcry from people all across the country as well as Congressional leaders. Through this process, USPS has greenlit the downgrading of 56 of 59 selected postal facilities nationwide — including in Minnesota. “USPS serves an essential function in American elections. On a nonpartisan basis, it securely processes, transports, and delivers election mail, including ballots. In 2020, the Postal Service overcame a series of challenges, including the onset of a global pandemic, to fulfill this critical mission. Impressively, it delivered 97.9% of ballots within three days, even as a record number of Americans voted by mail. For the 2022 midterm elections, USPS maintained this standard of excellence and delivered 98.96% of ballots within three days,”wrote the senators. “We applaud these achievements, but much has changed since 2022.” “In July 2023, USPS completed its first regional consolidation in Richmond, Virginia. A report from the USPS Inspector General found that the consolidation led to “a decrease in service performance for the Richmond region that continued four months after launch,”they continued. “Earlier this year, these delays led some local election officials to direct area residents to
Klobuchar, Smith Urge Farmers to Sign Up for Grazing Loss Assistance Program Before Monday Deadline
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Tina Smith (D-MN), members of the Senate Agriculture Committee, are reminding Minnesota livestock producers who suffered grazing losses due to drought or wildfire in 2021 to enroll in the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Livestock Forage Program (LFP). Applications will be accepted until January 31, 2022. “Last year’s extreme drought and wildfires created enormous challenges for our state’s livestock producers,” said Klobuchar. “The Livestock Forage Program is available to help livestock producers as they continue to recover. I encourage all impacted producers to enroll now before the January 31 deadline.” “Widespread drought
Klobuchar, Smith Urge Farmers to Sign Up for the Conservation Reserve Program
WASHINGTON, D.C. [01/28/22]—U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith (Both D-Minn.), members of the Senate Agriculture Committee, are reminding Minnesota agricultural producers and landowners to enroll in the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Conservation Reserve Program (CRP). Applications will be accepted from January 31 to March 11 for the General CRP and from April 4 to May 13 for the Grassland CRP. “The Conservation Reserve Program protects critical natural resources and provides economic benefits for our rural communities,” Klobuchar said. “I have worked to increase the number of acres in CRP so farmers and landowners can continue to access the
U.S. Senator Tina Smith Joins 190+ Congressional Democrats in Brief to The Supreme Court Defending EPA’s Clean Air Act Authority
WASHINGTON, DC [1.25.22] — Today, Senator Tina Smith (D-Minn.), along with more than 190 congressional Democrats, submitted an amicus brief to the Supreme Court in the case of West Virginia v. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The brief supports EPA’s authority under the Clean Air Act to protect the public from harmful pollution, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and address the climate crisis. It also rejects spurious arguments made by congressional Republicans in their own amicus brief, in which they wrongly challenge the EPA’s authority to address climate pollution. “For more than fifty years, the Clean Air Act has reduced pollution and
Senators Smith, Luján, and Clean Energy Advocates Discuss The Future Of Federal Investments In Clean Energy
Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Tina Smith (D-Minn.) and Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.) joined Clean Energy for America and The Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) to discuss how Congress will continue to move forward on historic federal investments in clean energy. During the conversation, Senator Smith underscored her support for clean energy and emphasized that Congress must urgently pass legislation that protects our environment, reduces emissions, and generates economic opportunity in the process. “Addressing climate change is a moral, economic, and a justice issue,” said Senator Smith. “Transitioning to clean energy and taking climate action will create more opportunity, more innovation,
English