Latest Releases
Klobuchar, Smith Secure Significant Federal Funding for Infrastructure Improvements to Highway 11 Along the Rainy River
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Tina Smith (D-MN) announced that the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) has awarded $2,560,000 in federal funding for the City of Loman’s Highway 11 Rainy River Slide Realignment and Resiliency Project. The project addresses two critical slope failures that threaten to close portions of Highway 11 along the Rainy River. The project will realign 1.2 miles of the highway about 150 feet to the west, removing the roadway from the slide areas and completing work to stabilize the slopes. “Highway 11 is a vital part of Northern Minnesota’s transportation system,” said Klobuchar. “With this grant, the City of Loman will make critical infrastructure improvements to make Highway 11 resilient and improve driving conditions.” “Minnesotans deserve to drive on safe, reliable roads,” said Smith. “Highway 11 along the Rainy River in Northern Minnesota is a danger to drivers, and this project will realign the highway on safer, more stable ground to protect and improve drivers’ safety.” The funding was secured through the USDOT Promoting Resilient Operations for Transformative, Efficient, and Cost-saving Transportation (PROTECT) Grant program. PROTECT provides funding to ensure surface transportation resilience to natural hazards including climate change, sea level rise, flooding, extreme weather events, and other natural disasters through support of planning activities, resilience improvements, community resilience and evacuation routes, and at-risk coastal infrastructure. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law provides funding for PROTECT. ###
U.S. Senator Tina Smith Celebrates Red Lake, Inc. Trade Mission to India
WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senator Tina Smith (D-MN), a member of the Senate Indian Affairs Committee, celebrated that Red Lake Nation’s Red Lake, Inc. will be participating in a United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) agribusiness trade mission to New Delhi, India at the end of the month. 47 diverse businesses and organizations will join Under Secretary Alexis M. Taylor on the mission, and Red Lake will be the only representative from a Native or Tribal community. “We need to support all farmers—and that includes making sure we’re advocating for Native farmers who may face unique and challenging barriers to successfully owning and operating farms,” said Sen. Smith. “This trade mission to India will be a great opportunity for Red Lake to cultivate new markets for their agriculture products.” While on the trade mission, participants will engage in targeted meetings and site visits to build new trade linkages, strengthen existing partnerships, observe U.S. products in the marketplace, and discover the latest Indian consumer food trends. Participants will also receive in-depth market briefings from USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service and industry trade experts. Dating back to 2018, Senator Smith has pushed for Tribal inclusion on USDA trade missions. She joined colleagues from New Mexico, Montana, and North Dakota to send a letter to then Secretary Sonny Perdue to more fully incorporate tribes into these trade missions. ###
U.S. Senators Tina Smith & Mike Crapo Make Bipartisan Push to Enforce USMCA Dairy Provisions
WASHINGTON, D.C. [08/26/2020]—Yesterday U.S. Senator Tina Smith (D-Minn.) and Mike Crapo (R-Idaho) led a bipartisan group of 23 Senators in calling for the enforcement of United States-Mexico-Canada Free Trade Agreement (USMCA) dairy provisions. In a letter to U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Sonny Perdue and U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) Ambassador Robert Lighthizer, the Senators said that holding trade partners accountable to their trade commitments is critical to supporting dairy farmers and American dairy exports. “Fair market access for American dairy farmers was a key pillar of the USMCA’s agriculture section,” the Senators wrote. “USMCA is poised to create new export opportunities for America’s
Smith, Klobuchar Statements on Detention of Misha Chiri and Jawar Mohammed in Ethiopia
MINNEAPOLIS — U.S. Senators Tina Smith and Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) released the following statements on the detention of two members of the Oromo community from Minnesota, Misha Chiri and Jawar Mohammed, who are still in police custody as part of the government’s response to protests in Ethiopia: “Misha Chiri’s ongoing detention and treatment, along with that of Jawar Mohammed’s, are unacceptable and I will continue to fight for justice on their behalf,” said Smith. “Minnesota is home to one of the largest Ethiopian Diaspora groups in the world and the reports of violence, suspension of the rule of law, and restrictions on free expression in
U.S. Senator Tina Smith Introduces Emergency Grant Program to Help College Students Without Financial Safety Net Cover Unanticipated Events
WASHINGTON, D.C. [08/25/2020]—U.S. Senator Tina Smith (D-Minn.) recently introduced legislation to help college students without a financial safety net get through unanticipated emergencies that too often cause students to drop out of college. Under The Emergency Grant Aid for College Students Act, students could receive emergency grants through their campus. Unlike a student loan, these grants would not need to be repaid. Sen. Smith says that when millions of college students faced unexpected costs caused by the pandemic, Congress provided funding for emergency grants to make sure students had the resources they needed to stay enrolled and continue their studies. But the fact of the matter is that students
U.S. Senator Tina Smith, Climate Crisis Committee, Release New Report on Climate Action, Plan to Build Clean Economy
For Immediate Release: August 25, 2020 Contact: Katie McElrath katie_mcelrath@smith.senate.gov 202-365-5865 WASHINGTON, D.C. [08/25/20]—Today U.S. Senator Tina Smith (D-Minn.) released a comprehensive report and plan of action to address the climate crisis with her colleagues on the Senate Democrats’ Special Committee on the Climate Crisis. The new report, titled “The Case for Climate Action: Building a Clean Economy for the American People,” details how bold climate action from Congress can act to create millions of new jobs, grow the American economy and improve people’s lives across the country. The report comes after dozens of hearings, meetings, and input from experts, labor unions, mayors, environmental justice leaders, and native communities, including meetings in
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