Latest Releases
Following Efforts from Klobuchar, Smith, and the Entire Minnesota Delegation, FEMA to Issue Additional Disaster Assistance for Individuals Impacted by Recent Flooding
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Tina Smith (D-MN) announced that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has approved the delivery of Individual Assistance for Minnesotans affected by severe storms and flooding across 19 counties: Blue Earth, Cook, Cottonwood, Faribault, Freeborn, Goodhue, Itasca, Jackson, Lake, Le Sueur, Mower, Nicollet, Nobles, Rice, Rock, St. Louis, Steele, Waseca, and Watonwan Counties. The Individual Assistance programs provide disaster survivors with access to a range of programs and services to aid in the recovery process, including financial assistance to eligible individuals and households. Damage assessments by federal, state, and local emergency management teams are ongoing, and FEMA may designate more counties and additional forms of assistance as damage is assessed. “The recent flooding inflicted serious damage across our state, and we must continue working together to recover,” said Klobuchar. “FEMA continues to be an active partner in the recovery effort so that our state can receive critical federal disaster relief funds. This latest round of assistance will ensure individual Minnesotans are supported as they rebuild.” “Minnesotans are still struggling with the aftermath of the severe flooding in June, and I appreciate the swift declaration from President Biden following our request for aid,” said Smith. “Minnesota continues to need help, and the federal government is answering. These expanded resources for individuals in more counties in Minnesota will make a huge difference as communities work to rebuild.” In June, Klobuchar and Smith led the entire bipartisan Minnesota congressional delegation in strongly urging President Biden to approve Minnesota’s request,
U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar, Tina Smith Announce Funding for Meat and Poultry Processing in Minnesota
MINNEAPOLIS, MN – Today, U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith (both D-MN) announced funding for two Minnesota-based agricultural projects through the United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Meat and Poultry Processing Expansion Program (MPPEP). The grants, totaling $2 million, will increase meat processing capacity, help Minnesota farmers access new markets, and create dozens of new jobs. “Minnesota’s meat and poultry products help feed the nation and the world,” said Klobuchar. “This new funding will make it easier for our processors to bolster their capacity and get their high quality meats to new markets.” “Minnesota has long been a linchpin in America’s agricultural market, and I’m proud to advocate for projects that allow farmers in Minnesota to expand their production and processing capabilities,” said Senator Smith.“Through these innovative projects, this funding will create more jobs in our agriculture workforce and support Minnesota producers breaking into new markets.” “Clean Chickens and Co. LLC has been approved for federal funding from the USDA Meat Poultry and Processing Expansion Program (MPPEP-2). We have been working on this project for nearly 4 years and are grateful for all of the help we received along the way,” said Greg Wierschke, a grant recipient from Clean Chickens and Co. LLC in Elk River.“More specifically, this project is needed to build the goat and lamb slaughter facility in Willmar, which will help central Minnesota economically and culturally by allowing us to process goats and sheep for producers and to supply fresh, on-demand meat to our Minnesota communities and Ethnic families. Stay tuned for more details to come this fall regarding
U.S. Senator Tina Smith Named Chair of Rural Development and Energy Panel on Senate Agriculture Committee
WASHINGTON, D.C. [3/15/21]—Today, U.S. Senator Tina Smith (D-Minn.) announced that she has been named Chair of the Rural Development and Energy Subcommittee, which is tasked with overseeing many U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development programs, including the Rural Housing Service, and programs relating to facilities, utilities, loans, and renewable energy. In addition to her role as Chair, Sen. Smith will also serve on the Livestock, Dairy, Poultry, Local Food Systems, and Food Safety and Security Subcommittee, and the Commodities, Risk Management, and Trade Subcommittee, as part of her role on the Senate Agriculture Committee. “By traveling to rural and
U.S. Senator Tina Smith: By Signing American Rescue Plan, President Delivers Much Needed Relief to Hard-Hit Nation
WASHINGTON, D.C. [3/11/21]—Today, U.S. Senator Tina Smith (D-Minn.) released the following statement after President Biden signed into law the American Rescue Plan, a $1.9 trillion COVID-19 and economic relief package. “For more than a year, our nation has been hit hard by a devastating and deadly pandemic. By signing the American Rescue Plan into law today, President Biden has delivered on his promise to Americans that much-needed help is on the way,” said Sen. Smith. “The challenges presented by COVID-19 feel very personal – it has impacted our jobs, the well-being of our families and our health. This plan will deliver historic economic relief to families, businesses, schools and health care organizations. And it will move us
U.S. Senator Tina Smith Applauds Biden Administration Action On Investment Rules that Will Promote Racial, Environmental Justice
WASHINGTON, D.C. [3/10/21]— U.S. Senator Tina Smith (D-Minn.) today backed a Biden Administration decision to stop enforcing a Department of Labor rule from 2020 that discouraged retirement plan managers from considering factors like climate change and racial justice in their investment decisions. She said the move will remove unnecessary regulatory burdens and give investment managers flexibility to offer investment options that take into account environmental, social and governmental (ESG) criteria when deciding where to invest. “As workers and retirees increasingly ask that their retirement plans take issues of racial equity and climate change into account in their investment decisions, I believe
U.S. Senator Tina Smith Says Senate-Passed COVID-19 Relief Package Will Help Tribal Communities Recover From Pandemic
WASHINGTON, D.C. [3/6/21]—U.S. Senator Tina Smith (D-Minn.) said the $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief package passed by the Senate today includes more than $31 billion she pushed to help Tribal governments and urban Indigenous communities in Minnesota and across the country address the health and economic fallout from the pandemic. She said the funding represents the largest single infusion of resources for Tribal Nations in U.S. history. Sen. Smith, a member of the Senate Indian Affairs Committee, said that during the pandemic, Indigenous Americans who contract COVID-19 have been hospitalized at nearly four times the rate of non-Hispanic white Americans, and they die
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