Latest Releases
U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar, Tina Smith, Minnesota Fire Chiefs Celebrate Passage of the Fire Grants and Safety Act
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Tina Smith (D-MN) issued the statements below after the Senate passed the Fire Grants and Safety Act, bipartisan legislation to continue providing federal funding for the Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) and the Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) Grant programs. This bill now goes to the President’s desk to be signed into law. The Assistance to Firefighters Grant program helps firefighters and other first responders obtain critically needed equipment, protective gear, emergency vehicles, training and other resources. The SAFER Grants program provides direct funding to fire departments and volunteer firefighter organizations to increase or maintain the number of trained “front line” firefighters and enhance their capacity to comply with staffing, response, and operational standards. Since 2015, fire departments across Minnesota have received over $33 million in SAFER grants and $59 million in AFG grants. “Firefighters put their lives on the line every day to save lives. We need to invest in our local fire departments and ensure that they have the funding they need to hire and train firefighters and purchase life-saving equipment,” said Senator Klobuchar. “That’s why I worked to pass the bipartisan Fire Grants and Safety Act which will support fire departments in Minnesota and across the country.” “Firefighters do one of the most difficult jobs possible, often at the risk of immense personal injury, to keep our families and loved ones safe. This funding is our way of giving them the support they need to do their jobs as safely and effectively as possible,” said
U.S. SENATOR TINA SMITH’S STATEMENT ON NOMINATION OF CHRISTY GOLDSMITH ROMERO TO CHAIR THE FDIC
WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senator Tina Smith (D-Minn.) , a member of the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs, applauded President Biden’s decision to nominate Christy Goldsmith Romero to be Chair of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC): “Christy Goldsmith Romero is a widely respected, principled financial regulator with extensive federal experience, and I applaud President Biden’s decision to nominate her as Chair of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC). This nomination comes at a pivotal time at the FDIC, and Goldsmith Romero’s track record of holding bad actors accountable at the Troubled Asset Relief Program and advancing consumer interests at the CFTC is exactly the experience needed at the agency charged with protecting Americans’ money. I urge my Senate colleagues to move quickly to advance her nomination so she can begin the important work needed at the FDIC.” ###
U.S. Senator Tina Smith Calls for Investigation, Including Possible Price Gouging, as Massive Natural Gas Price Spikes May Pass Huge Costs on to Utilities & Consumers Nationwide
WASHINGTON, D.C. [2/20/21]—Today, U.S. Senator Tina Smith (D-Minn.) is seeking an investigation, including possible price gouging, as natural gas prices skyrocketed during the recent extreme weather situation in Texas, and many parts of the central United States. The drastic price increases, some as high as 100 times typical rates, have putting a significant strain on utilities that have to buy this power, and costs that will likely be passed along to consumers in the form of higher gas bills. Sen. Smith believes it is unacceptable for gas barons to line their own pockets while many Americans are literally out in
U.S. Senators Klobuchar, Smith Announce Minnesota Producers and Landowners Now Have Extended Time to Enroll in Conservation Reserve Program
WASHINGTON, D.C. [02/19/21]—U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith (D-Minn.) said that the U.S. Department of Agriculture has extended the deadline to enroll in the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP), which was originally February 12. A new deadline has not yet been announced but producers and landowners are encouraged to use this additional time to enroll sooner rather than later. The CRP is one of the largest private-lands conservation programs in the United States. Participants receive an annual payment in exchange for removing environmentally sensitive land from agricultural production and planting species that will improve its condition. Senators Klobuchar and Smith said that for decades CRP has helped improve water quality, reduce soil erosion and
U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar, Tina Smith Press to Fully Fund Special Education and High-Needs Schools
WASHINGTON, D.C. [02/17/21]—U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith (D-Minn.) are once again pressing for increased investment in special education and high-need schools by helping reintroduce the Keep Our Promise to America’s Children and Teachers (PACT) Act. This legislation—led by Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.)—would put Congress on a fiscally-responsible path to fully fund special education services provided under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and Title I on a mandatory basis. “When we invest in education, we’re investing in the next generation of Minnesotans,” said Sen. Klobuchar. “It is critical to ensure that our state receives full federal education funding — anything less shortchanges Minnesota’s students. I’ll continue working to secure the special education
U.S. Senators Tina Smith, Roger Wicker Propose Bipartisan Paycheck Protection Program Fix for Rural Hospitals
WASHINGTON, D.C. [2/16/21]—Today, U.S. Senators Tina Smith (D-Minn.) and Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) introduced their bipartisan PPP Access for Rural Hospitals Act, which would waive the Small Business Administration (SBA) affiliation rules for non-profit critical access hospitals and hospitals that serve rural areas so that they may qualify for PPP loans. Granting smaller non-profit and rural hospitals access to the PPP program would allow facilities to retain critical staff and focus their resources on providing quality care to patients for the duration of the coronavirus pandemic. “Rural hospitals are vital to public health – they’re economic engines for communities in Minnesota and
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