Latest Releases
U.S. Senators Klobuchar, Smith, Announce Significant Federal Funding to Help Minnesota Families and Seniors With Heating Costs
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith (both D-Minn.), announced over $112 million in federal funding to help families and seniors pay for energy costs this winter. The funding was made possible in part through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which both Klobuchar and Smith helped pass. “As Minnesota prepares for winter, families shouldn’t have to choose between heating their homes or buying other necessities,” said Klobuchar. “This federal funding will help families and seniors across our state pay their energy bills and keep their homes warm.” “As the temperature starts to drop in Minnesota, everyone should be able to heat their homes and stay warm,” said Senator Smith. “For low-income families, high energy prices can force an impossible choice between heating their homes and other essentials like rent, food, or medicine. I’m proud of our work to secure this funding, which will help families in Minnesota afford their heating costs and utility bills in the coming winter months.” The funding is issued through the Low-Income Housing Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), which provides families with payment assistance to support their home energy needs. LIHEAP can also be used to weatherize homes to make them more energy efficient, and mitigate energy emergencies during disasters and extreme weather. Households can easily identify if they are eligible for assistance by using the LIHEAP Eligibility Tool on energyhelp.us. Those interested in applying for LIHEAP can visit energyhelp.us or call the National Energy Assistance Referral (NEAR) hotline toll-free at: 1-866-674-6327.
Senator Smith, Colleagues Introduce Senate Resolution in Solidarity with UAW Workers on Strike
WASHINGTON, [10.19.23] – U.S. Senator Tina Smith (D-Minn.) joined Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), and 31 of their colleagues in the Senate to introduce a resolution in solidarity with 150,000 members of United Auto Workers (UAW) bargaining for a fair contract. Autoworkers voted to go on strike in September– calling for a fair share of the record-breaking profits their labor produces as well as cost-of-living adjustments, an end to two-tier wage system, and restoration of pension benefits. Since then, the strike has expanded to 44 locations across 22 states. It is one of the largest U.S. strikes in the past three decades. “Workers bailed out the Big 3 auto manufacturers during the Great Recession to keep the companies afloat. Now, these companies make billions in profit while workers see stagnant wages,” said Smith. “I stand with the UAW workers in Minnesota and around the country who are striking for a fair contract and call on the automakers to negotiate with them in good faith.” “The fight the UAW is waging has everything to do with the outrageous level of corporate greed and arrogance on the part of senior executives in the automobile industry and their backers on Wall Street,” said Sanders. “At a time when the Big 3 automakers have made $250 billion in profits over the past decade, it is absolutely unacceptable that wages for the average autoworker have gone down by 30 percent in the past 20 years after adjusting for inflation. If these companies could afford
U.S. Senator Tina Smith Continues Fight to Make Sure Families with Children Receive COVID-19 Relief Payments
WASHINGTON, D.C. [05/12/20]—U.S. Senator Tina (D-Minn.) is continuing the fight to ensure families get the full direct payments they qualify for under the CARES Act by calling on Department of the Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin to work with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) so families receive the $500 payment per dependent they qualify for. Right now, for a variety of reasons, there are families who did not receive the cash assistance they are eligible to receive or have received only partial payments. These families are now being told by the IRS to wait until next year when they file their 2020 taxes
U.S. Senator Tina Smith Introduces Legislation to Relieve Families and Schools From School Meal Debt
WASHINGTON, D.C. [05/08/20]—This week, U.S. Senator Tina Smith (D-Minn.) introduced her Suspend School Meal Debt Act, which would help families struggling to make ends meet amidst the coronavirus pandemic by cancelling school meal debt. School meal debt often results in students being denied school meals and experiencing lunch shaming by peers and school administrators. This meal debt also causes even further financial pressure and economic burdens for families already struggling just to keep their head above water. And according to the School Nutrition Association (SNA), the median amount of unpaid meal debt by school districts across the United States has soared 70 percent over
U.S. Senator Tina Smith Fighting to Secure Emergency Relief for U.S. Postal Service Amid Economic Fallout From Pandemic
WASHINGTON, D.C. [05/08/20]— As Congress works to craft the next bipartisan coronavirus (COVID-19) package, U.S. Senator Tina Smith (D-Minn.) is fighting to secure emergency relief for the United States Postal Service (USPS) to help bridge budget gaps, continue nationwide service, and provide hazard pay and personal protective equipment (PPE) to workers. In a letter to Leaders Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), Sen. Smith said that the USPS has become a lifeline for all communities during the COVID-19 pandemic by supporting small businesses, connecting loved ones, and delivering critical items such as prescriptions. But due to the economic impact of COVID-19, USPS estimates that overall mail volume could decline by over 50 percent by mid-summer, compared to the same period
U.S. Senator Tina Smith Fighting to Secure Emergency Relief for U.S. Postal Service Amid Economic Fallout From Pandemic
WASHINGTON, D.C. [05/08/20]— As Congress works to craft the next bipartisan coronavirus (COVID-19) package, U.S. Senator Tina Smith (D-Minn.) is fighting to secure emergency relief for the United States Postal Service (USPS) to help bridge budget gaps, continue nationwide service, and provide hazard pay and personal protective equipment (PPE) to workers. In a letter to Leaders Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), Sen. Smith said that the USPS has become a lifeline for all communities during the COVID-19 pandemic by supporting small businesses, connecting loved ones, and delivering critical items such as prescriptions. But due to the economic impact of COVID-19, USPS estimates that overall mail volume could decline by over 50 percent by mid-summer compared to the same period
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